1. SHAREPOINT AS A TRAINING TOOL
"I attended a Webcast some time ago that offered information about using Microsoft SharePoint as an educational tool," a reader says. "I would like to watch it again. Are there people who might be able to direct me to it or other Web-based training that covers the use of SharePoint as a training and development resource?" We ran responses to this challenge in previous issues. Here are more: SHAREPOINT DEMO To learn how to use SharePoint for everything from setting up a wiki to creating a corporate message board, Jennifer Sutherland (jennifer.sutherland@nhgreatlakes.com) points to the following demo from Microsoft: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointtechnology/HA102055631033.aspx.
Sutherland is a corporate trainer and recruiter for New Horizons of Michigan.
USER GROUPS
Brian Balk (brian.balk@state.mn.us) points to online user groups as a resource. "An Internet search for 'SharePoint user group' will turn up many links to user groups in various geographic locations," he says. "That type of organization would be a good place to start." Balk is a trainer in the Child Support Enforcement Division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
HAVE OTHER INPUT OR TIPS on this topic? If so, send them our way in an email to sarah.boehle@nielsen.com with the subject line "USING SHAREPOINT AS A TRAINING TOOL" and we’ll try to include your advice in an upcoming issue!
2. E-LEARNING AUDIO TIPS
A reader who is creating training modules in Captivate has some questions about the integration of audio instructions."Currently we are using screen text in the caption bubbles for instructions," she says. "I want to make sure that audio enhances, and doesn't distract, from the learning experience. If you use audio, should you remove the written text on the screen or keep both? If you use both text and audio, should the text exactly match the instruction text or can the audio expand to include additional explanation? Or do users find a discrepancy between what they see and what they hear distracting? Should you give users an option to turn 'off' the text and hear only audio, or vice versa?" We ran responses to this challenge in previous issues. Here are more: READ THE RESEARCH
To address this Challenge question, Patti Shank (patti@learningpeaks.com) cites research performed by Richard Mayer, John Sweller, and Allan Paivio. "Their guidance for designing multimedia is built on how humans process different types of information and the fact that our working memory is very limited," says Shank. "We have difficulty attending to multiple verbal objects -- spoken language -- or visuals, including images and text on the screen, simultaneously." This is why asking learners to process an image and the written words that explain the image at the same time is problematic, she says "Most research says that it is best to explain images with narration rather than text for this reason. If there is no narration, then the explanations and images should be situated next to each other on the page or screen. It is also recommended that narrators do not read the words on the screen because learners normally read much faster than the narration is spoken "and trying to listen and read at the same time doesn't work too well," Shank says. "Obviously, some people will need access to a transcript of the narration so this should be provided, but the learner should have the choice to use this or not."
For additional reading on this topic, Shank points to the following references: - Multimedia learning, by Mayer, R. E. (Cambridge University Press, 2nd ed., 2009)
- Imagery and Text: A Dual Coding Theory of Reading and Writing, by Sadoski, M. and Paivio, A. (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2001)
Shank is a partner with Learning Peaks LLC.
CUSTOM LEARNING L. Kelly Kirk (lkkirk@davidsonccc.edu) says that audio components can be distracting to some learners because they read faster than the narration is delivered. "On the other hand, some students find it more captivating and learn more effectively by hearing what they are seeing," he says. "In education, we try to address multiple learning styles -- kinesthetic, auditory and visual -- in every class. Unfortunately, e-learning many times only addresses the 'visual' learners, leaving out the others." But by including auditory and even kinesthetic components, Kirk says, it is possible to better engage more learners. "The trick is to give the learners as much control of their environment as possible and allow them to opt in or out of each of the various features in order to produce as customized a learning experience as possible."
Kirk is program director for the School of Health, Wellness & Public Safety at Davidson County Community College. HAVE OTHER INPUT OR TIPS on this topic? If so, send them our way in an email to sarah.boehle@nielsen.com with the subject line "E-LEARNING AUDIO TIPS" and we’ll try to include your advice in an upcoming issue!
3. SCORM WRAPPER
A reader's organization is looking to convert training videos into a digital format suitable for integration with a number of e-learning platforms, including its enterprise-scale learning management system (LMS). "What's the most efficient and cost-effective way to convert this stuff and get basic Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)/Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Committee (AICC) wrappers on all of our multimedia?" We ran responses to this challenge in previous issues. Here are more:
CAMTASIA STUDIO Gary Gernstein (ggernstein@gci.com) points to Techsmith's Camtasia Studio (www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp). "It's an inexpensive program that will let you convert training videos to SCORM-compliant files," he says. "I have used it for a number of years not only to convert existing material but to create new training content as well."
Gernstein is manager of technical training at GCI Training Center in Anchorage. HAVE OTHER INPUT OR TIPS on this topic? If so, send them our way in an email to sarah.boehle@nielsen.com with the subject line "SCORM WRAPPER" and we’ll try to include your advice in an upcoming issue!
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