Hello, all. Just a quick one today. 

If you're a working professional and have never heard of Stephen Covey's 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People', please comment below with the location of the rock you've been living under for years. (just kidding!)

Otherwise, take a look at the quick video I made regarding his take on the quadrants of time. Feel free to use this video in your relevant training. All we ask is to be cited where the video is played.

For a copy of the real deal (in your choice of format), click HERE.

Enjoy! And go BE the YOND.

Hello, all! Just a quick note this time with some exciting news! eLearning Prose has been rebranded and has expanded!

We are proud to go live under our new brand, Training Outlaws!

Hello, all. I'm proud to announce that I've started a new podcast! And you guessed it, it's all about learning and development and everything that revolves around that industry. We'll talk about everything from traditional training methods to those that lay on the horizon.

Initially, it'll be focused on my time at the Training 2019 Conference and Expo in Orlando, Florida. However, we'll extend the topics to run the gamut of all things we as trainers face on a daily basis.

But don't worry, this podcast won't be preachy, it'll address the practical things we need to do, fix, address, etc. in the widely unknown world of training.

So what are you waiting for? Feel the Learn. Because training, is a workout.

Listen to EPISODE 0 now.

Hello, all. Just a quick post to share some exciting news! I'll be speaking at the Training 2019 Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida on February 27th!

If you'd like to attend, save $200 by using the code in the image below. See you there, I hope!

Until next time, Cadets. Go BE the YOND!

2: Simultaneous Webcam and Screen Recording – As my efforts continue to involve video software (Premiere Pro, Presenter, Camtasia, etc.), so too does the burden of exporting, rendering, and syncing assets to one another. I am very excited about this feature for its ability to help streamline media-rich projects, which in our world makes a drastic impact on ROI. A few additional feature notes are detailed below:

• One file, as opposed to separate audio and video files
• Audio and video are automatically synced on the timeline
• No external resources are needed
• Will help to reduce project size having audio, video, and screen captured as one.
• NOTE: Notice the YouTube tab, thus confirming there was no PhotoShop magic tricks. This process was incredibly easy, and with a little practice I’ll be quite polished at this. And by the way..."I'm on a boat!"

3: Interactive Videos (Enhancement) – While the interactive video feature is not new, the folks at Adobe have added a couple rather impressive tools to the existing feature. See the bullets below for an overview.

• Overlay slides allow designers to ‘layer’ an entire slide over the existing video to further reiterate a point, to add interactivity, or to merely help break the video up a bit and keep learners engaged.
• Bookmarks can now be added to videos directly in the timeline, and are independent. That is, they are not reliant on any overlay slides that are preexisting in the project.
• A new action has been added that allows for the incredibly robust manipulation of the timeline. After adding one or more bookmarks, create a button and choose ‘Jump to Bookmark’ to see it in…action! 😂

In summary, Captivate 2019 is a must get for the modern trainer, instructional designer, and beyond!

​Until next time, Cadets! Go be the YOND!

​Hello, everyone!  Today, I want to share a link to something pretty exciting to me - a podcast that I was interviewed on!

Several months ago, I discovered the Roundabout: Creative Chaos podcast that is created by, for, and with, creative folks ranging from professional artists to humble authors (guilty as charged), and everything in between. As I listened to episode after episode, I began to realize that there are countless people out there whose lives heavily revolve around being creative, professionals and hobbyists alike!

So if you are a Creative, I promise you’ll enjoy the Roundabout: Creative Chaos podcast. Click the image below to listen to my episode, but don’t stop there…you can subscribe on any major podcast app (iTunes, Overcast, etc.) so you never miss another creative dive into a creative mind!

Until next time, go BE the YOND!

Hello, everyone! With the holiday's officially upon us, and the countdown to Christmas underway (at least in my house!), I thought now would be the perfect time to talk about a special little surprise found in Captivate.

And quite fittingly enough, it's called GIFT, or General Import Format Technology to be precise. But me? I'm sticking with GIFT. That said, let's take a quick look at the words that define the acronym to get a better understanding for what it can do for your eLearning project.

GENERAL - Think of this word as 'Universal', meaning it is generally recognizable by most programs.
IMPORT - A great techie word that means I can bring something pre-existing into my project.
FORMAT - Like formatting you've done in Microsoft Word, except less alignment and more symbols. 
TECHNOLOGY - Electronic. Hmm, maybe they just needed another word because GIF was taken?

In a nutshell, GIFT formatting allows for the incredibly simple addition of quiz questions into your project. Yes, simpler than what you may be thinking! (NOTE: While this blog pairs GIFT formatting to Captivate, it is by no means the only program with which GIFT can be used; some learning management systems allow the use of the GIFT formatting as well.)

So, how does it differ from the typical quiz layout you've likely seen hundreds of times? To answer that, let's take a look at what some GIFT-formatted questions look like.

MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAMPLE
What is the largest planet in our Solar System?{
~Earth#Sorry, Earth is not the largest plant in our Solar System
=Jupiter#Correct! Jupiter is truly massive!
~Pluto#Sorry, Pluto is incorrect. In fact, Pluto is no longer even recognized as a planet.
~The Sun#Sorry, that’s incorrect. While the sun is in fact the largest celestial body in the Solar System, our Sun is a star, not a planet.}

TRUE/FALSE EXAMPLE
Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System.{TRUE#Wrong, that's incorrect.#Right, well done!}

MULTIPLE ANSWER
What are the two largest planets in our Solar System?
~Earth#Sorry, Earth is not one of the two largest planets in our Solar System.
%50%Jupiter#Good job! Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System.
~Mars#Sorry, Mars is not one of the two largest planets in our solar System.
%50%Saturn#Good job! Saturn is the second largest planet in our Solar System.}

As you can see, GIFT-formatted quizzes rely on symbols, like the equal sign (=) to identify correct answers, the tilde (~) to mark incorrect answers, the percent sign (%) to note partial credit, and the pound sign (# ...yes, that is a pound sign folks) that precedes unique feedback for each answer choice.

What you don't see, are question numbers, lettered answer choices, and feedback appearing on a different lines than the answer choice.

So now that we know what GIFT Formatting is, let's see what Captivate can do with a file formatted in this fashion.

• Open a Captivate project
• When you are ready to add your quiz to the project, click the 'Quiz' tab at the top and scroll down to 'Import GIFT Format File', like you can see in the image below.​

• ​Presto-chango, ​your quiz has been imported into Captivate! 

Allow me to point out that the correct answer is selected, and all unique feedback has also imported over - appropriately paired with each answer choice (NOTE: True/False answer feedback does not import into Captivate, likely because learners will know without a doubt what the correct answer is if they get it wrong initially). 

From personal experience in the pain-staking process of writing quizzes over and over multiple times, the GIFT Import feature will certainly save you time, and most likely frustration to boot.

To learn more about GIFT formatting, click HERE.
​
Until next time folks, go BE the YOND! 

For this post I'll be talking about video games and their impact on instructional design. This idea came to me earlier today while playing Mario Kart Wii with my son. At 36, I'm three decades older than Avery, but as I watched him play, I couldn't help but find a new appreciation for the Mario Kart franchise that I, too, played when I was younger, in that it serves as a great generational equalizer. You may have another game that allows you to relate to younger ones just as I have with my six year old.

Watching him have so much fun with a game I also love got me thinking about how this phenomenon can be applied in the work place.  And there's no mistake about it, it is a phenomenon. As a father, I'm in uncharted waters in my family in exploring this method of connecting with Avery. When I was his age, video games were just coming to market (The Nintendo Entertainment System, for one). And sure, my dad could play the games with me, but he didn't have the nostalgic privilege of reacquainting himself with characters he met as a child.

The same is true for today's workforce. With millennials on the rise in the workplace, I would be a fool not to consider ways to lessen the generational gap when developing corporate training modules. Take a look at the image below (from Mario Kart Wii) that players are presented with after a Grand Prix - a series of four cumulatively scored races - and try to pick out the instructional design concepts that are in play on this screen alone. Then, read on to learn my take on it. 

Here's what I see when I look at this image:

1. Object States - Think of each box that displays a character name as an object. After scanning all of them, you'll see several differences. Each difference, no matter how minute, is considered a different State, and serves as a way to provide meaningful information to players...I mean learners.
2. Opacity - Still looking at those objects from item 1, let's 'focus' on opacity!  And that's just it; altering opacity allows designers to direct learner's attention, or focus, on a particular area of the screen.  In this case, Adam (the player) can find himself among several others with a quick glance thanks to his solid color state which really stands out among the other transparent ones. 
3. Alignment - Naturally, our eyes initial scan anything we look at until something 'catches our eye'. And we do so primarily in a left-to-right fashion. Notice how the winning team (red in the image above) is positioned on the left of the screen. Upon this screen loading, our eyes don't need to scan for too long before their attention is caught!
4. Animations - Even though the image above doesn't show motion, I assure you that fireworks flew in celebration of Avery's top score. If you don't believe me, see that pink streamer coming up from the bottom right of the image? Boom. I wonder if fireworks would bombard the screen in the event that Avery lost the race, or if there would be a gigantic trophy rotating triumphantly in the background?
5. Audio - Ok, so maybe this was a bit of a trick! The image doesn't have any sound, but the game certainly does. And for winning the race, any guesses on whether the jingle was of a celebratory or ominous tone? (HINT: 'Ding, ding', as opposed to 'Dum, dum, dummmm'.)
6. Leaderboard - In addition to all of this, we are presented with a leaderboard, which allows learners to gauge their progress among their peers. I realize, as a designer, the potential implications with displaying other's scores that may land a bit scornful on some learners. But take it from me, consider de-identifying learner names in order to build anonymity into a scorn-free leaderboard you can present to users. Talk about 'Ding, ding'!  
7. Branding - Here, I'll reference the Mario Kart franchise as doing a great job in branding their characters, courses, and clickables in a way that a 36 year old who hasn't played Mario Kart in over a decade, can easily recognize the brand at a glance!
8. Consistency - The image above is just one of the over five dozen different race results screens in the game. Is there any question that any of the above would differ in any way, shape, or form in the many other results screens? My point exactly.

Lastly, by no means do I claim this to be an exhaustive list, and am certain I've overlooked or missed some things entirely. Let me know what you see, or your thoughts on my explanation, by leaving a comment below.

Until next time, go BE the YOND!

The Question: Just how fast do advanced actions execute themselves?

The Answer: At times, I’ve found myself pondering that same question. And to find the answer, I set out to test it in the real world. My process, and findings are below.

First, I have no doubt that executing a single advanced action would happen too quickly to measure. So, I decided to execute a lengthy list of actions (60 in all, thus the aptly named title of this blog).
​

• The image below represents my test project. It consists of 28 identical squares (each with 3 states: normal (black), orange, and blue), a Run button (used to execute the advanced actions), and several variable boxes to capture what happens once executed. It’s important to note that all testing took place on a single screen.

The Debrief: For my first test to execute 60 consecutive advanced actions, it took 37 milliseconds (0.037 seconds) not including the 1 second delay, which I added to allow the passage of enough time to register in the “True Time Lapsed” indicator boxes.

​I did a total of 10 identical tests, for which there was a slight variance, but the stats for all 10 are as follows:

• Average (per test): 48.1 milliseconds
• Average (per action): 8/10ths of 1 millisecond
• Fastest test: 15 milliseconds
• Slowest test: 134 milliseconds
• So, what is an Epoch? – In terms of Adobe Captivate, it is the time elapsed, in milliseconds, since January 1, 1970. These can be used to establish great unique identifiers in your training! Stay tuned for a post about the power unique identifiers!

The Moral of this Story: When working with a lengthy list of advanced actions, there is no need to worry about a delay in user experience in order for the actions to fully execute. However, the order in which advanced actions are written/placed is incredibly important, because actions execute in a linear fashion (from top, straight down to bottom). Additionally, placing actions in a cohesive order will undoubtedly make it easier for others (and future you) to read and understand them at a later date.
​
I hope this was helpful, or at least worth pondering. Until next time folks! Go BE the YOND!