Laura Michalow, Product Manager for Lectora, walks through the process of how e-Learning developers can build dynamic questions and track the results using a spreadsheet in Google Drive in the following video:

Laura Michalow explains how to use the new options for each question type in Lectora V11. Check out these examples:

Multiple Choice
Multiple Choice questions now allow developers to randomize the choices a learner will see. In the Question Dialogue, select the Randomize Choices option to shuffle the question choices on the page. Every time the page is generated, your learner will have a unique experience.

Fill in the Blank
Fill in the Blank question types in Lectora V11 now include new choices for including a list of items in an answer. In the Question Dialogue, select Multi-Line, Case Sensitive, ANY Answer or ALL Answers to fit your specific Fill in the Blank question.

Matching
One of the most noticeable changes for Matching questions in Lectora V11 is the ability to choose line color and width. In the Choices section of the Question Dialogue, easily select a line color and width that matches your user interface.

Drag and Drop
Drag and Drop questions in Lectora V11 include new choices, which allow you to include more than one correct answer per drop zone and multiple correct Drop Zones per item. In the Question Dialogue, simply enter each drag item and indicate the correct Drop Zone name(s).

Hot Spot
Instead of just radio buttons or check boxes, Lectora V11 now includes transparent area as style for Hot Spot questions. In the Question Dialogue, you can choose Transparent Area and an Outline Color that matches the e-Learning course. This way, the Hot Spot doesn’t give away the answer too soon, allowing the learner time to work through the question to choose the correct answer.

Number Entry
Use this new question type to evaluate numerical answers in your e-Learning courses. You can now set a specific number or a range of numbers for the answer. Use the Question Dialogue to specify whether the value has to be equal to, greater than, less than, between, etc.

Rank / Sequence
This new question was previously known as an ordinal question; however, now it’s a gradable question in Lectora. This is great for ranking a set of options in a specific order or asking a learner to sequence a set of steps in a process. The Question Dialog allows you to easily identify the correct order for your choices.

Look for more Lectora V11 how-to tips and suggestions in the Lectora e-Learning Blog, or visit Lectora University for all your e-Learning resources.

The post e-Learning Lessons in Lectora: Create Interactive and Engaging Questions in V11 appeared first on Lectora.com.

For this Friday Finds, we’ve collected 10 free apps to help you personalize your news and social media sites:

	1. Flipboard Discover your stylish and personalized magazine, where you can flip through news, blogs and social media. You can also search for people, topics, hashtags and more from every site you’ve added to your Flipboard. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
	2. Pulse Browse through the visual mosaic layout of blogs, newspapers and more. To save and share your favorite stories, just tap the star or send them to Pocket and Evernote. Plus, once Google Reader is gone in July 2013, you can easily import your feeds to Pulse. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
	3. Taptu Create your own streams with all your updates together—from news sites to social media like Twitter and LinkedIn. Import straight from your Google account, and DJ your news by editing and customizing each stream. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
	4. Google Currents Sync your Google account to this reader for a simple way to browse, read and share all the news publications and blogs you subscribe to. The swipeable magazine format is easy to use—just like you’d expect from a Google app. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
	5. Feedly Organize, read and share all your blogs, news sites and podcasts from your Google Reader account. Save and share your articles on Twitter, LinkedIn and more. Plus, you can sync Feedly on your phone, tablet and computer. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
	6. News 360 Swipe horizontally through images to choose an article from the latest news. Then, swipe vertically to read the article. You can also share, save and give feedback by marking the stories you like or don’t like. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
	7. Prismatic Customize your news and connect to your social media account with an easy-to-use interface. Any article you read on this app also displays the latest tweets about that article, so you can see what people are talking about as you’re reading. Download it from the App Store.
	8. Zite Zite learns what you like and recommends stories based on your interests and reading habits. Use it for all your blogs and news sites, so it keeps getting smarter with more news suggestions just for you. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
	9. HootSuite Quickly import your HootSuite web account information to monitor your social media from anywhere. Schedule messages, and track Twitter, Facebook and more with your personalized and organized lists. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.
	10. NewsBlur This personal newsreader allows you to read content on its original site and share stories on your own blog. Train it to learn your preferences by hiding the stories you don’t like and highlighting the ones you do. Download it from the App Store or Google Play.

Check out the Lectora® e-Learning Blog for more cool ideas to expand your e-Learning knowledge! Plus, find more great e-Learning resources in Lectora University.

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JavaScript is the most widely used client-side scripting language on the web. It’s used for adding functionality to web pages, web form validation or manipulating objects on a page. This makes it a very useful tool in the skill set of any e-Learning developer or instructional designer.

Lectora e-Learning content published for the Web, AICC and SCORM relies heavily on JavaScript. In looking at the files within your published Lectora e-Learning course, you will discover several JavaScript (.js) files. These highlight the importance of JavaScript to the published Lectora title.

Now let’s take a look at a few ways Harmon says you can add custom interaction to your Lectora e-Learning course by including JavaScript.

Include Custom JavaScript into your Title: Add an External HTML Object. Next, insert your script in either the custom HTML field or as an external .txt file.

Customize the HTML Field: When using the Custom HTML field, the entire script will reside within the field provided. This works well for short and simple scripts.

Use External Text File: When using the external .txt option, you will create a blank .txt file. In the text file, you will need to add: <script type=”text/javascript”> your script </script>. Start and end tags with your script in between.

Call JavaScript Functions: JavaScript functions can be called by several different methods. Here is one example:

• Add an Action and set to – Run JavaScript, myFunction();

For more great resources about adding JavaScript to your Lectora titles be sure to check out:

• http://lectora.com/forum
• http://www.dynamicdrive.com
• http://javascript.internet.com
• http://www.w3schools.com

Tap into other great e-Learning tips by subscribing to the Lectora e-Learning Blog or visit Lectora University!

The post How to Add Custom Interaction to Your Training Using JavaScript appeared first on Lectora.com.

At the 2013 Lectora User Conference, Johanna Smith, Senior Multimedia Developer for Intuition, shared solutions for converting an e-Learning course developed for the desktop to a fully iPad compatible mobile learning course.

Pay attention to these 4 main differences between developing e-Learning courses for the desktop and iPad:

1. Viewport and Orientation
   Viewport changes the logical window size display. Mobile browsers use viewport to display scaled content within the browser window. The viewport meta tag can be used to manipulate viewport settings as needed. To avoid any orientation issues, Smith recommends designing your e-Learning course at a width of 980px and resizing from there.
2. Screen Resolution
   The higher screen resolution of the iPad may affect the responsiveness of buttons in your e-Learning course. Since clicking is more precise than tapping, buttons may need to be enlarged. Smith recommends using a minimum of 44px X 44px for all buttons.

3. Interaction with Elements
   Since the iPad is a touch screen, the hovering function is not supported. Be sure to update any rollover interactions in your e-Learning course to click/tap events. To do this, simply update the actions to be “on click.” Also, remember that scrollbars do not display on the iPad. Smith suggests including a graphical indicator in your course that alerts the learner to scroll down the page.

4. File Type Restrictions
   Since Flash will not work on the iPad, you’ll need to convert all SWF files in your e-Learning course to video files (.mp4). Accepted image file types for the iPad include jpg, png and gif while accepted audio file types include WAV and MP3.

For more tips on creating e-Learning content for iPads, view our how-to course, Creating Content for iPads – A Designer’s Guide.

Check out the Lectora e-Learning Blog and Lectora University for more new and exciting e-Learning tips and resources to help you create amazing courses!

The post Make Your Course Mobile! Convert Your Desktop e-Learning Course to iPad appeared first on Lectora.com.

Buy Lectora Inspire Version 11 today and get Lectora Fundamentals Online Training PLUS one of the following:

• Synchronous Online Fundamentals training
• Synchronous Online Intermediate training
• Classroom training – Fundamentals – all USA locations
• Classroom training – Intermediate – all USA locations
• iPad Mini

Buy Lectora Publisher Version 11 and get one of the following:

• Synchronous Online Fundamentals training
• Synchronous Online Intermediate training
• Classroom training – Fundamentals – all USA locations
• Classroom training – Intermediate – all USA locations
• Lectora Fundamentals Online training
• iPad Mini

This great offer is only available until June 30th, so take advantage of it today! Contact Lectora at 877.929.0188 to order and for more information.

Promotion Details, Terms and Conditions:

• Promotion ends June 30, 2013. Offer valid on new license purchases only and cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts.
• Any taxes, VAT, government fees and Customs duties due from these offers are the responsibility of the recipient(s).
• The value of any offer may not be substituted for cash.
• All offers are subject to availability and can be discontinued or rescinded at any time.
• Employees of Trivantis Corporation, affiliates do not qualify for offers.
• Fulfillment on all offers will begin once payment is received. iPad Mini fulfillment may take up to 10-12 weeks.
• Offers available only to customers in the USA. Participation by resellers and affiliates varies and is optional.  

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First, you need to consider these three elements:

1. Choose a question type. These questions can be a simple yes or no answer or more complex. It’s up to you.
2. Use a variable to track the score. When tracking two scores you will need two variables.
3. Decide how you will display the score.

Now it’s time to put these elements into action! In Elkins’ example, she uses simple question types and keeps score in the form of a football scoreboard using text boxes.

To create a running score, Diane shares how you can easily add this into your own course using these steps:

Create a Variable to hold the score. You can easily do this by using the Variable Manager button. Next, you will want to add the first Variable and name it. In the example below, she uses _Score_Home and sets the initial value at 0.

If you want to have two running scores, you will need two variables. In her example, she adds a second variable for the visitor’s score. She names it _Score_Visitor and sets the initial value at 0.

Add an Action to the correct answer. In this example, “NO” is the correct response. To add the action in this example, go to your action properties and follow the example below.

As you can see, this will give the score to the “Home” team because it was answered correctly. In the Value box, add how many points should be added to the home team score.

You will also need to set up an action on the incorrect answer to add points to the visitor score. Follow the same steps above, but choose the _Score_Visitor Variable in the Target section.

This is just one example of how you can add a score into your next e-Learning course to create interactivity and fun for your learners. To watch the full video and to learn more tips and tricks on how to add a score to your game visit, Use Variables to Keep a Score in Lectora.

The post Lectora e-Learning Lesson: Keep Score in Your e-Learning Course Using Variables appeared first on Lectora.com.

We’re looking for innovative, engaging and original proposals that will knock the e-Learning community off their feet! Presentations should focus on new practical applications, strategies, techniques and tips for any of the Lectora line of products.

Here are a few suggested areas of focus:

• Innovative uses of interactivity, variables or multimedia created with Lectora for adaptive e-Learning, games, exercises and assessments
• Sessions focused on emerging trends, such as mobile learning, scenario-based learning or touch screen training
• Hands-on computer labs showcasing how to create a certain piece of functionality in Lectora, Snap! by Lectora®, Flypaper™ or Snap! Empower™

Completed proposals must be submitted no later than August 30, 2013. To submit your speaking proposal, please download the 2014 Lectora User Conference Call for Proposals form. If selected, all final presentations must be submitted at least one month prior to the 2014 Lectora User Conference and must be created in Lectora V11 or Snap! by Lectora.

For more information about the 2014 Lectora User Conference, including conference registration and hotel reservation details, please visit: 2014 Lectora User Conference.

The post Submit Your 2014 Lectora User Conference Presentation Proposal Today! appeared first on Lectora.com.

Take a look at these six helpful tips for creating an effective online learning tool from previously developed training content:

• Include a glossary button for definitions of terms used.
• Hyperlink to resources like forms and documentation that can efficiently provide users information and answer questions quickly.
• Add a help page as a guide for using the online learning tool if needed.
• Skip the welcome page to save time. Since the performance support system is a job aid, people will be visiting it several times a day.
• Skip the site map because users don’t need to see every possible option.
• Keep the design simple: big buttons, consistent color and typeface and common patterns create a streamlined user experience that allows answers to be found more easily.

Repurposing classroom-based training is an excellent strategy to enhance the resources you already have. Since the content is already approved, you’re ready to begin developing an awesome electronic performance support system right away.

For more e-Learning knowledge and tips from the 2013 Lectora User Conference, subscribe to the Lectora e-Learning Blog or visit Lectora University.

The post 6 Quick Tips for Creating an Effective Performance Support System with Lectora appeared first on Lectora.com.

Here are a few things to consider when creating a 508 compliant training course:

• Drop down menus are not accessible because the screen reader will interpret this as one object.
• Anything not “Initially Visible” when the page loads will not be read by a screen reader.
• Fill in the blank, short answer and essay questions are accessible open-ended questions. However, they are non-gradable, so you cannot use them as assessment questions in a SCORM compliant course.
• Animation and video can be used in your e-Learning course if you provide the text equivalent or closed captioning.
• True or false and multiple choice questions are accessible when created with the Lectora Question Creator because Lectora creates the appropriate read order and labels.
• Drag and drop, matching and hot spot questions are not accessible because they rely on physical and visual interaction with the content.

Check out the Lectora Help Index as a reference for making your Lectora courses 508 compliant. You can also use the 508 Compliance Check tool in Lectora to generate the list of issues that need to be resolved.

For more information on creating 508 compliant e-Learning courses, download our how-to course “Developing Accessible Content in Lectora.”

Get all the e-Learning tips and tricks you need from the Lectora e-Learning Blog, or go to Lectora University for even more great development resources!

The post Easily Build Your Course 508 Compliant in Lectora appeared first on Lectora.com.

Bill Jamison and Karin Ewing, e-Learning Instructional Design Managers at Cincinnati Bell, presented on gamification at the 2013 Lectora User Conference with “Level Up: Using Video Game Design and Mechanics to Increase Interactivity.”

Want to try gamification in your own e-Learning courses? Story-driven gaming typically revolves around a few key elements:

1. Protagonist, Antagonist and Journey
   The protagonist is a character that is relatable to the learner. The antagonist is the struggle or situation the learner is trying to overcome throughout the course journey.
2. Power Ups
   Power ups are tools or abilities designed to help your protagonist on the journey. To the learners, they represent mastery of knowledge, so they can keep track of how they’re progressing throughout the course.
3. Level Variables
   Level variables are a series of variables tied to the completion of each Chapter (level). Action groups and triggers can be used to reveal power ups as they are earned. These power ups are initially hidden at the course level and “earned” via a trigger on the last page of the level.
4. Easter Eggs
   Easter eggs are hidden gems like cheat codes in games and clickable items in content that encourage users to slow down and explore the page and find rewards. Easter eggs can help prevent users from simply clicking through the information.

Mini-Games are another awesome way to add game elements to your e-Learning course without the need for elaborate designs or complex variables. They’re a good technique to break up text-based quizzes, include engaging videos and audio, and provide a mental break while adding in some fun. Gamification is a great way to make online training more interesting and engaging for your users, so take advantage of it!

For more e-Learning tips and knowledge from the 2013 Lectora User Conference, subscribe to the Lectora e-Learning Blog or visit Lectora University.

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