Courselab: Quick Start Guide

CourseLab Quick Start Guide 1

CourseLab Quick Start Guide

Table of contents

Introduction .............................................................................................................. 3 Starting CourseLab ......................................................................................... 3

The Course Menu .................................................................................................. 3 The Module Wizard ............................................................................................... 4

Anatomy of a Course ............................................................................................. 6 The Default Screen .......................................................................................... 6 Front Page and Master Pages ....................................................................... 7 Slides v Frames ................................................................................................ 7

Using Components .................................................................................................. 8 Adding text ....................................................................................................... 8 Adding Graphics ............................................................................................. 8

Insert from file ......................................................................................................... 9 Insert from Clip Art ................................................................................................. 9 Insert from AutoShpes ........................................................................................... 9

Using objects .................................................................................................. 10 Complex Objects ................................................................................................ 10

Formatting Objects ........................................................................................ 11

Adding questions .................................................................................................. 13 Question Properties ....................................................................................... 14

Question ............................................................................................................... 14 Limitations ............................................................................................................. 14 Scoring .................................................................................................................. 15 Feedback ............................................................................................................. 15 Display ................................................................................................................... 16 Messages .............................................................................................................. 17

Using Actions .......................................................................................................... 18 Display ................................................................................................................... 19 Goto ...................................................................................................................... 20 If and Else ............................................................................................................. 21 Navigation ............................................................................................................ 21

Publishing a module ............................................................................................. 22


IntroductionCourseLab is a powerful, yet easy-to-use, e-learning authoring system that offers programming-free WYSIWYG environment for creating high-quality interactive e-learning content which can be published on the Internet, Learning Management Systems (LMS), CD-ROMS and other devices.

It makes use of a PowerPoint style interface that is familiar and designed to allow users to create course materials simply and efficiently.

Starting CourseLab

Locate the CourseLab icon on the desktop and double click

When first running the module you will be prompted for a registration and a code. Complete these screens as required and enter the code that will be sent by e-mail

The Course Menu

Once open CourseLab will display the Start Page. To create a new course click on the icon highlighted.


The Module Wizard

Once the course creation button has been clicked, CourseLab will display a wizard to help you create the module.

The Introduction screen

Enter the following:

1. The name of the module to be created

2. The folder that the module is to be created in

3. The location of the folder


At this stage you can choose the template that you will be using for the module.

Choose from a series of default templates from a drop down menu or select a user created one.

After a short delay, the package will be created.


Anatomy of a Course

The Default ScreenOnce created you will be presented with a default front screen as follows:


Course Structure

Slide Thumbnails

Template Buttons

Toolbars

Main Editing area

Front Page and Master PagesFor every module it is possible to create a title page and a master page.

The master page will contain elements that will be displayed one every slide.

The title page will contain information that will be displayed on starting the module.

To switch between the three sections, use the template buttons

Slides v Frames Each slide can contain content made up of text, graphics and/or CourseLab objects.

In addition a slide can be broken down into frames that allow step by step processes to be displayed.

An example frame structure can be seen below. Most modules that are created will make use of a slide by slide basis, but frames can be used when trying to simulate software.


Title Master Normal

Using Components

Adding textTo insert text onto a slide, click the text box on the toolbar

This will display a text box on the screen. Double click this box to open the text editor

The text editor has functions similar to Microsoft Word. However it does not have any language tools such as Spell Check or Thesaurus. In order to make sure that your text is correct, copy and paste from the Editor to Word, spell check and the copy back again.


Adding GraphicsThere are three methods of inserting graphics into CourseLab modules.

Insert from file

This allows you to import graphic files in common formats. The main formats used are JPEG, GIF and BMP.

Once imported, resized files will often pixilate and distort if resized. Therefore it is better to resize them outside of the program.

Insert fromfile button

Insert from Clip Art

There is no built in clip art in Courselab. Instead it will collate all the imported graphic files into a clip art catalogue.

Whilst this can sound a good method to access graphic files, after you have created a few modules, it will take some amount of time to produce the clip art catalogue for use.

Insert fromclip art button

Insert from AutoShpes

CourseLab has a number of built in AutoShapes similar to Microsoft products.

This is inserted via the insert menu (no button) and produces a side menu with a selection of shapes.


Using objectsAll graphic and text items are classed as objects and, as we will see later, can have actions applied to them. In addition there are a number of other complex objects that are available by clicking on the insert object button.

Insert Object

Complex Objects

CourseLab is a very powerful and very feature rich application. As a result there are a number of very useful objects that have been included into the package to help develop lessons.

A summary of these are as follows.

External Elements The ability to open documents, links and a browser within a lesson.This includes “External File” Objects such as Word, Excel etc, external URLs which open in a sepearte browser and the use of iFrame. This allows a browser window to be opened within the CourseLab environment.

Popup Windows Use to display ‘help’ or other comments that can be overlaid onto a lesson

Balloons Speech and though bubbles that can be applied to pictures or other objects.

Design Elements These are objects that help with decoration and/or functionality. They include a colour gradient to be used in the background of a module and click areas, to be used when constructing menus.

Rich Media Objects This allows you to import various media objects including Flash-Movies, Shockwave-animations, java applets and video clips. The latter should allow standard Windows Media and Quicktime formats.

Navigation Objects A series of extra navigation objects that allow pop up help screens


Characters Flash based characters including “Agent” characters and “Talking Head” characters. These can be animated by a series of actions that allow some complex moves to be made.

Lists Allow list of items to be displayed in various formats. Good to uncover items step by step

Text Boxes Text boxes that offer a higher level of complexity than simple text boxes. Various means of displaying text and border size/styles are available.

Form Controls Allows the input of data into variables for later calculation and display

Simulations Questions Allows a range of question types to be used and results

calculatedTests Allows a series of questions to be displayed in one go

and the results calculatedScenarios Allows you to build complex scenarios using agents and

an online catalogueCursors Allows you to move cursors and other objects around the

screen using frames

Formatting ObjectsEach object allows formatting via a format box similar to that used in Word and PowerPoint.

Right clicking the object will allow access to the menu as follows:


The format Colors, size and position options are identical to Microsoft Word.

The Display option allows you to decide if an object is to be displayed (or called via an Action), shown for a specified time or shown after a period of time.

In addition options are available for the way an object is displayed or erased from the slide.

The Sound tab allows you to bind a sound to an object. This can then be played automatically or called later via an Action


Adding questionsOne of the key components of CourseLab is the ability to setup and use questions.

Single choice of answer

Multiple choice of answer

Place each element in order

Enter numbers as answers

Match text as answers

Match pairs

For each question type, drag and drop from the Object menu to the slide.


Question PropertiesTo open the question properties double click the question. The following tabs are available:

Question

This area is where the question text is entered.

Limitations

Limits the number of attempts that can be made to answer a question. Also allows a time limit to be set to any question.


Click to enter the question text – opens the text editor

Click to add or remove questions

Scoring

Allows an objective to be set to hold the score for a question or series of questions

Feedback

Sets the text and position of the message delivered to the user on answering a question. Can be turned off if required.


Display

Allows you to change the look and feel of the questions being created.


Messages

These are the default feedback messages that will appear on the question text.


Using ActionsOne of the most powerful elements of CourseLab is the ability to assign actions to objects.

For example, when a user clicks on a button, it moves it to another screen, plays a sound or displays a message.

These actions can be accessed by right clicking on any object and selecting Actions from the menu.

This will open an Actions box as follows:

Notice that there are a list of options that can be used to initiate an action on the left of the box. The Actions that can be initiated are on the right.


A series of Actions can carried out, if necessary using logic commands (eg: IF, ELSE and FOR). For example:

Notice that indentation is required to allow the logic to work.

The options for actions are wide and allow Mouse Overs, left and right button clicks and the ability to assign actions to whole slides before they are displayed.

The most useful Actions are as follows:

Display

This Action allows any object to be displayed and hidden.

This is useful for popup boxes on mouseovers, displaying correct/incorrect answers or help text.

For example:

This would need to have a Display=Hide for the same object attached to the onmouseout command.


Goto

This allows navigation to another frame or slide. It is useful to allow quick navigation around a module. It can be used with the click area Object.

For example the following menu has click objects over each area.

Each ‘onclick’ has a Goto command to move to a different part of the module.


If and Else

The logical Actions allow certain Actions to happen if specific conditions to be met.

There are a number of IF statements, including

IF IF COMPLETION STATUS IF SCORE IF SUCCESS STATUS

The last three will be dependent on the outcome of questions. For example if a question is answer correctly then the success started will be set to completed. On this basis actions can be taken.

IF on its own can be combined with variables are set as a separate Action.

For example, if a section of a module has been completed a variable can be set to 1. If this is set then another section can be completed, allowing control of the order that a module is worked through.

The Actions for this scenario could look like this:

Navigation

Navigation is simply the forward and back arrows and the drop down menu. These can be turned on and off to stop users jumping forward when they need to answer questions etc.


Publishing a moduleAfter completing a Course it needs to be published. This process makes it available for use and ready for review.

Having saved the course, select Publish Course from the File menu:

This will then produce a wizard to work through.

You will be asked for course and lesson parameters which should be entered before pressing ‘Next’


The type of course will then be requested. All courses running via the portal are published as ‘Run from CD’ Courses for the Moodle LMS will need to be formatted as SCORM 2004 LMS.

Finally select the destination for the published course and then click next to confirm.


About the Author

Bob Price has been involved with learning and development for nearly 20 years. He lives and works in South Wales where he uses CourseLab to develop module for use in call centres.

For more details and to see some pictures of some of Bobs training in action, go to:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bob.price1/Home.html

If you use this manual, please drop me a line via the website


http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bob.price1/Home.html

Courselab: Quick Start Guide

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