Preface

During this first section, you’ll receive a quick primer on the fantastic, and ever-expanding, world of eLearning. You’ll be introduced to some best practices when planning your projects, budgeting suggestions, and you’ll learn about the development process. Along the way you’ll pick up some awesome design tips from effective slide layouts to fonts to scripting to storyboarding.

In This Module, You Will Learn About:

• Planning eLearning Projects
• Budgeting eLearning Projects
• eLearning Development Phases
• eLearning Development Process
• Designing Storyline Slides
• Fonts and Learning
• Scripts
• Storyboarding for Soft Skills

Module 1: Exploring Storyline

During this module you’ll begin to put Storyline through its paces. You’ll open an existing project and explore the Storyline interface.

In This Module, You Will Learn To:

• Explore a Finished Storyline Project
• Explore Slides and Panels
• Zoom and Magnify
• Explore Panels (Windows)
• Preview the Entire Project

Module 2: Creating Projects

You’ll begin the process of creating an eLearning project that, when finished, will allow learners to lower their credit score. You’ll create a project from scratch, add slides, apply masters, and import content from Microsoft PowerPoint.

In This Module, You Will Learn To:

• Create a New Project
• Apply a Theme
• Apply a Content Master Slide
• Insert New Slides
• Create a New Content Master Slide
• Apply a Different Master Slide Layout to a Slide

Module 3: Add Content

Content is truly king. You’ll add such common slide elements as text, images, characters, and captions. You’ll also learn how to create and format shapes and work with a bulleted list.

In This Module, You Will Learn To:

• Import Content from Microsoft PowerPoint
• Insert Images
• Create and Format a Text Box
• Format a Bulleted List
• Edit an Image
• Insert a Caption

Module 4: Buttons, Triggers, and Hotspots

You’ll learn how to engage your learner by not only adding buttons, but control what happens when the learner interacts with the button. You’ll learn about Player controls, how to make slides advance, and how to add interactive hotspots.

In This Module, You Will Learn To:

• Add Button to a Slide
• Add a Trigger to a Button
• Use an Image as a Button
• Edit a Trigger
• Remove Default Player Buttons
• Make a Slide Advance Automatically
• Insert a Hotspot

Module 5: States, Layers, and Variables

You can control how an interactive object looks before it’s, clicked, when it’s clicked, and how it looks once clicked. During this module you’ll learn about layers, variables, and how to set up conditional triggers allowing you to customize the eLearning experience for every user.

In This Module, You Will Learn To: 

• Change Button States
• Create Layers
• Create a Trigger to Show a Layer
• Insert a Text Entry Field
• Manage a Variable
• Reference a Variable
• Add a Condition to a Button

Module 6: Tables and Number Variables

You’ll learn how to insert a table, format it, and then add content that actually calculates data. (Yes, Storyline can do math for you.)

In This Module, You Will Learn To:

• Insert a Table
• Create Variables that Calculate
• Adjust a Variable with a Trigger

Module 7: Audio, Animation, and Video

Research has shown that adding voiceover audio to an eLearning project greatly enhances the learner experience. You’ll learn how to import, record, and edit audio. You’ll also learn how to animate Storyline slides, and how to insert videos.

In This Module, You Will Learn To:

• Insert Audio
• Use Text-to-Speech to Create Audio
• Edit Audio
• Replace Audio
• Record Voiceover Audio
• Animate an Object
• Animate Text
• Animate an Image
• Create an Animation Completes Trigger
• Create a Simple Motion Path
• Insert a Video onto a Slide
• Embed an External Video

Module 8: Quizzes

Storyline includes a wonderful array of Quiz Slides including Multiple Choice, True/False, Matching, Fill-in-the-blank, Pick One or Many, and even Drag and Drop. During this module, you’ll get a chance to add a quiz and a few questions.

In This Module, You Will Learn To:

• Insert a Multiple Choice Slide
• Insert a Matching Drag-and-Drop Slide
• Insert a Freeform Drag and Drop Quiz Slide
• Insert a Quiz Result Slide

Module 9: Publishing

You’ll learn how to edit the Player properties, use the Media Library, and how publish your finished eLearning project for the widest possible audience.

In This Module, You Will Learn To:

• Edit Player Properties
• Customize Slide Player Features
• Enable the Seekbar for a Single Slide
• Use the Media Library to Replace an Image
• Publish Course Content

Kevin Siegel is the founder and president of IconLogic, Inc. He has written hundreds of step-by-step computer training books on applications such as Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Adobe RoboHelp, Adobe Presenter, Adobe Technical Communication Suite, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Office, Microsoft PowerPoint, QuarkXPress, and TechSmith Camtasia. Kevin spent five years in the U.S. Coast Guard as an award-winning photojournalist and has three decades experience as a print publisher, technical writer, instructional designer, and eLearning developer. He is a certified technical trainer, a veteran classroom instructor, and a frequent speaker at trade shows and conventions. Kevin holds multiple certifications from companies such as Adobe, CompTIA, and the International Council for Certified Online Training Professionals (ICCOTP) as a Certified Online Training Professional (COTP).

Kal Hadi is a Certified Technical Trainer (CTT) and Certified Online Training Professional (COTP) with more than 20 years of experience in computer graphics, imaging, and electronic publishing. Kal is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology Electronic Publishing graduate program. He is also the author of many books and papers in graphics and web publishing including multiple books on Articulate Storyline.