e-Learning at UM2010-02-08T17:19:21ZBlog devoted to Instructional Technology and e-Learning at the University of Michigantag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2013:/eLUM/5017Movable TypeCopyright (c) 2010, emeiselmPass data to a Qualtrics survey and use it in the survey and reports2010-02-08T17:19:21Z2010-02-08T17:09:35Ztag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2010:/eLUM/5017.551942010-02-08T17:09:35Z img {border:1px solid #000;} ol {padding-left:6px;} Qualtricsis a versatile and sophisticated online survey application now available here at U-M. My department is currently using Qualtrics to create a feedback form that will be accessed through several hundred learning modules....emeiselmhttp://thedesignspace.netemeiselm@umich.eduTools
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Qualtricsis a versatile and sophisticated online survey application now available here at U-M. My department is currently using Qualtrics to create a feedback form that will be accessed through several hundred learning modules. This survey form needs to recognize from which learning module it's being accessed and it should be able to determine the author of the module and email them a copy of the user's feedback.
Qualtrics has a feature called "embedded data" which allows you to pass any arbitrary arguments in the link to the survey. We'll use this to add metadata to the feedback.
There are three steps:
Set up a link to the survey that passes "Embedded Data" values
Set up the survey to access the Embedded Data
Do something with the Embedded Data
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1. Set up a special link to the Qualtrics survey that passes Embedded Data values:
We need to pass the values of three properties of the learning module:
The current page URL
the TITLE of the learning module
and the author's EMAIL address.
If in your application these values never change, the embedded data values can be hard-coded at the end of the survey link, but in this example, every learning module has different values for these items, so we'll use javascript to generate the link. You could just as easily use a server-side language, but that is not an option for this particular application.
The title, and author properties were already exposed in variables in the code for the modules, and the URL property is always available as "document.location":
Here's an example of a javascript function that will append the required values (derived from properties that already exist on the learning module page) to the end of a Qualtrics survey link.
The printFeedbackLInk() function is called when the navbar for the module is built with Javascript:
This shows the path generated by the javascript - URL, title and email are all appended to the survey link.The added parameters are URL, TITLE and EMAIL.
2. Set up the survey to access the Embedded Data
Open and edit the survey in Qualtrics.
Click Survey Flow.
Click "Add Below" to add another step. Click Embedded Data.
Add the parameter names used in your survey link.
In this case I've added URL, TITLE, and EMAIL.
3. Do things with the Embedded Data
We'll do three things with the embedded data: we'll trigger an email to be send to the module author, display the title of the learning module in the survey to the user, and we'll report on the title and page number the user was on when they clicked the survey link.
Set up the email trigger to email the feedback to the author of the learning module. Click the Advanced Options dropdown.
Select Email Triggers...
Set up a rule to send an email to the author. I've added a check that the value of EMAIL looks like an email address.
To do this select:
"If Embedded Data [EMAIL] is Matches Regex and paste in this regular expression:
Note: additional, more sophisticated regex formulas for validating email addresses are available <a href="http://www.regular-expressions.info/email.html ">HERE</a>.
Click Finish Editing and then Save Triggers.
Make the title of the learning module show up in the survey itself.
Create a Descriptive Block type question, with Rich Text format.
In the toolbar of the editing window, click the {a} icon. Select Embeded Data Field and type the name of the field you want to display within the block of text. In this case it is TITLE.
Clicking Insert will drop some code into your question.
Close the editing window to save the change.
This is what the user will see
Reporting:
Reporting on the embedded data is simple. The values for the current module and page are displayed in the emailed feedback as well as in online reports. Here's a view of the question selectors in the Reporting window in Qualtrics. You can see the Embedded Data items have been added in the reporting area, so they can be used in conditional filters, in sorting, etc.
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Advanced interfaces, "Smart Ecosystems" and performance support systems in the workplace2009-09-21T23:12:13Z2009-09-21T23:08:58Ztag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2009:/eLUM/5017.526552009-09-21T23:08:58Zemeiselmhttp://thedesignspace.netemeiselm@umich.eduPerformance Support"A civilization without instrumentalities? Incredible." --Forbidden Planet
Although it often seems that computers and communication devices have been growing smaller and smaller with no end in sight, for some purposes, they are still far too intrusive and unintuitive. There are many workplace scenarios where data and communication services would be very beneficial as performance support systems, but the constraints and awkwardness of existing computer interfaces would interfere with the task at hand.
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Fortunately, researchers have been working steadily for decades to make computers and communication devices nearly vanish by embedding them into our surroundings and networking them so they can sense the environment and interact with us in a manner that would integrate better with our living and working situations.
Early research groups developed scenarios to demonstrate the utility of these systems, which included independence support for the elderly, meeting facilitation, augmented driving and enhanced social interaction.
History: The promise of Smart Ecosystems and Ambient Intelligence
In 2008, the working group on Ambient Computing from the European technology consortiumInterLink published a paper summarizing the state of the art in Ambient Computing, focusing on the social awareness of systems and privacy concerns. Included in this paper are a history of projects and use-case scenarios and a description of the original vision of ubiquitous, pervasive networks based on many "invisible" small computing devices embedded into the environment. These "smart ecosystems" of devices were to provide an intuitive user experience, enabling new types of interaction, communication and collaboration:
"...the degree of diffusion of smart devices...will result in smart ecosystems that might parallel other ecosystems in the not too far future. ... a major challenge will be to orchestrate the large number of individual elements and their relationships, connect and combine them via different types of communication networks to higher level, aggregated entities and investigate their emerging behaviour."
Similarly, an MIT project called Oxygen, working around 2000-2003, focused on Intelligent Spaces, which would sense the presence of people, their tasks, and even their attention and react appropriately, and Mobile Devices, which presaged today's smart phones to create connections to the physical world through a cluster of technologies, like cameras, sensors, networking, accelerometer, microphone, speaker, phone, GPS, etc.
Ambient Computing Scenarios
Ambient Agoras (from the Disappearing Computer Initiative) "Ambient Agoras" was a project which aimed to provide situated services and turn everyday places into social marketplaces ('agoras') of ideas and information by using innovative Information and communication technologies and devices embedded in the home and office environments. The services would be facilitated by smart artifacts that enable users to communicate for help, guidance and fun.
Examples of smart artifacts include the HelloWall, a wall-size (but somewhat primitive) large ambient display that communicates with a sort of flexible dot-based code based on who is nearby, the ViewPort, a mobile handheld device which can communicate with other items in the room, including the HelloWall, and a variety of telepresence devices such as the MirrorSpace and VideoProbe.
Socially Aware projects such as PERSONA, and NETCARITY which seek to reduce loneliness and isolation among the elderly by including Ambient Assisted Living technologies to maintain contacts with family and friends, provide monitoring and user-friendly access to physical services such as personal care, shopping and housecleaning, provide virtual learning and exercise sessions, and allow community work from a remote location.
InterLiving, a project funded by the Disappearing Computer Initiative which aims at developing technology in a social environment that contributes to bringing family members together using interactive and intergenerational interfaces.
RoomWare, a set of interactive furnishings for meeting rooms, including ConnecTables and DynaWalls which allow movement of content data from screen to screen and table to table.
Scenarios from the MIT Oxygen project included: a business conference involving people in different countries coordinating a meeting in London using different languages and automated scheduling and travel planning, as well as navigational and data assistance once they arrive, and a "guardian angel" which allows aging-in-place by providing memory and safety support to elderly people living independently.
Over the last decade, many of these scenarios have been at least partially realized, often through the use of device configurations not precisely forseen by the early ambient computing thinkers, such as smart-phones, GPS's, RFID's, and blue-tooth, as the market determines the dominant technologies. These configurations emphasize embedded devices less at this point and portable devices more, but the end result is the same.
Smart-phones bristling with data inputs from GPS, accelerometers, networking, video cameras, microphones, keyboards, and multi-touch have accelerated the evolution of pervasive computing by allowing mashups between all of these technologies, resulting in what could be called augmented intelligence for daily living.
Tipping points to acceptance of pervasive Performance Support Systems
Embedded technologies would be a natural fit as performance support systems, particularly where use of a keyboard or mouse is inconvenient or impossible. Science fiction has been portraying embedded performance support systems and ambient intelligence for years in movies and TV shows like 2001 and Star Trek. In these shows, sensors and voice output are combined with overwhelming artificial intelligence to create an intelligent environmental "presence" that monitors the situation and offers support and warnings as necessary. Somehow they always seem to understand the questioner's intent perfectly (how many search engines can do that?) and gather their own data through sensors as well as direct input.
We are still far from that paradigm, but the closer we get, the more we can use electronic assistants to help us with tasks that currently don't seem like good candidates for performance support tools using existing systems.
How can we tell that a workplace situation is presently NOT a good candidate for performance support tools or job aids? Some criteria were offered by Rossett and Schafer in their book Job Aids and Performance Support:
When use of a job aid would damage credibility
When speedy performance is a priority
When novel and unpredictable situations are involved
When smooth and fluid performance is a top priority
When the employee lacks sufficient reading, listening, or reference skills
When the employee is not motivated
As time goes on we may find that workplace situations that currently fit these criteria will no longer do so as interfaces and system intelligence improve. One example of an improved interface that made performance support possible in a high-performance situation is GPS navigation system for cars. Without these devices, it was difficult and dangerous for drivers to check directions on a map while driving, but GPS's have made it relatively safe and very easy. Because the support system talks to the driver and re-calculates the route automatically if needed it is now possible to navigate unknown roads with a GPS, while driving, without taking your attention off the road.
This is one case where the interface and intelligence of the supporting system now actually improves performance instead of interfering with it. Because a GPS does not interfere with the driving, the criteria of speedy, smooth, fluid performance and ability to cope with novel situations have been addressed. It could be said we've reached an acceptance tipping point where it is more convenient to use a performance support system than not. There is actually a model to describe when people are likely to accept a new technology, where perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use are factors which influence the likelihood that a person will use the new system.
In healthcare, it is often easier to speak or use gestures than to use your hands to look up information, partly because healthcare workers' hands are often busy with other things, and partly because of infection-control issues. Imagine if information displays could be projected wherever needed, with no-touch operation. Data is increasingly being handled in electronic form, but the usability of these systems often lags behind their data manipulation abilities, creating a temporary and possibly dangerous gap in human performance as well as opening up the usual opportunities afforded by the use of digital information instead of paper. All sorts of solutions are being proposed to deal with this issue, from usability improvements to novel interfaces, such as natural language processing
Similarly, an article in Health Informatics details the development of a a gesture-controlled medical image display system for use in operating rooms. Scan imagery is used for reference during neurosurgery by gloved surgeons who cannot touch anything but the sterile field and instruments with their hands. Currently nursing personnel are utilized for this task, holding bound volumes of images up for review by the surgeons during procedures and manually finding the correct image. Gesture-controlled interfaces were made famous by the movie Minority Report, but they are very real, and can even be constructed using commonly available components and open-source code.
The Minority Report gestural interface
Video of the Minority Report interface in action
The interfaces and "smart ecosystems" of tomorrow
In a pervasive computing scenario, devices sense or communicate with people in order to provide contextually appropriate services. The interface is a key component in these scenarios since a primary goal is to make interaction with the devices as natural and intuitive as possible. An astonishing amount of creativity and innovation is being directed at the problem of interface design and the results will be life and work-transforming.
Some of the more interesting modes of human-computer interaction that have been tried include directed attention, voice, gesture tracking, motion (body motion through space or motion of the device, like the Wiimote or the Siftables shown below), haptic feedback-enhanced touch, augmented reality and even brain-computer interfaces. Some of the most exciting and innovative interfaces are shown below. With devices like these, I think we'll be reaching more tipping points in the workplace very soon.
Interactive Floor Projection Screens
These systems project images on the floor, and use a camera to track body motion across the surface. You may be familiar with these displays from seeing them at malls and theaters, but they could be used to select files, control other devices, etc.
This video shows an interactive floor installation at a Japanese art gallery, showing its use as an interface for retrieving information about works of art. For more information about building this type of interface, see the Natural User Interface Group for setup instructions and code.
Multitouch interfaces (like the one on the iPhone) are used in walls, tables, and smartPhones. Microsoft Surface, a multi-touch table that allows multi-user, fine-grained control of objects on screen, also interacts with real objects and other devices using cameras and wifi. This is a great example of "smart ecosystems" of intelligent devices which sense the status of the environment and lower barriers between people and their information. An example is shown transferring an image from a camera to the Surface table to a smartphone, simply by laying the camera and smartphone on the table.
Touch Wall
An intelligent whiteboard that uses cameras to track hand motion across a vertical display allowing zoomable, panning navigation through information in a non-linear format.
In February, 2009, Pattie Maes of MIT demonstrated a project called "Sixth Sense" led by Pranav Mistry which uses an inexpensive wearable and projector to enable amazing interactions between the real world and the world of data. Using natural gestures to interact with any surface, users can manipulate data, view information about products, people and ideas in the world around them. Th revolutionary feature is its ability to act as a Sixth Sense for metadata of real objects, through barcode or facial or product recognition, combined with realtime feedback to the user through projection.
Siftables are physical tiles which form a smart ecosystem for manipulating data, in which each tile can sense the nearby tiles and what is on them. Tiles can be programmed to recognize proximity to specific types of tiles, so for instance "face" tiles can change their expressions as they move around the table, closer or farther to other faces. The possibiiities for this type of interaction with real world data represented by avatars that can react to specific attributes are endless.
Interactive Window
An example of intelligent devices controlling ambient lighting and mood.
An installation in a Greek museum showing the use of novel interfaces in games.
Sony's Revolution
Smart tiles somewhat akin to David Merrill's concept. These tiles form a sort of object oriented grammar where one tile modifies the parameters of the subject of another tile.
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Serious Games: References, Resources and Templates2009-06-26T21:59:51Z2009-06-26T21:53:30Ztag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2009:/eLUM/5017.512532009-06-26T21:53:30ZThis is part of a series of posts on Serious Games. To read the whole series, see the first section: What is a game? References, Resources, Templates References...emeiselmhttp://thedesignspace.netemeiselm@umich.eduTools
What is a game?
Magerko, Brian, et.al. Intelligent Adaptation of Digital
Game-Based Learning (description of a game that attempts to adapt its
goals and game-play to the style of the student)
O'Neil, Harold F. et. al. Classification of
Learning Outcomes: Evidence from the Computer Games Literature.
Curriculum Journal, Volume 16, Issue 4, December 2005. This is a
metastudy which highlighted the relationship of instructional design to
effective games and learning outcomes, and the importance of the role
of affective learning.
PIXELearning. What are 'Serious Games' and immersive learning simulations? Article Link , White Papers Article Link
O'Leary, Sharon, et. al. Educational games in an
obstetrics and gynecology core curriculum. American Journal of
Obstetrics and Gynecology (2005) 193, 1848-51
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The role of search in corporate learning programs2009-06-26T21:52:25Z2009-06-26T21:51:20Ztag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2009:/eLUM/5017.512522009-06-26T21:51:20ZEnterprise Search as Learning Technology With the current training industry interest in elearning trends like informal learning, social and collaborative Web 2.0 learning technologies, it's easy to overlook the importance of the humble search box as a learning tool....emeiselmhttp://thedesignspace.netemeiselm@umich.eduTools
Enterprise Search as Learning Technology
With the current training industry interest in elearning trends like informal learning, social and collaborative Web 2.0 learning technologies, it's easy to overlook the importance of the humble search box as a learning tool.
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More important now than ever
In a time of economic downturn where so many people are being laid off or retired without being replaced, there will inevitably be fewer experienced workers. Corporate memory shrinks and enterprise search becomes even more crucial, as inexperienced users require access to information. Today's worker wears many hats and is constantly learning.
As companies seek to squeeze more productivity out of fewer people and resources, one way to improve efficiency is to connect people with the information they need, as rapidly as possible. The barriers that exist between people and resources within company intranets are profound and economically significant. When the search engine is not up to the task, employees have few options to find the information they need: they can try to click through hundreds of irrelevant and outdated results, they can do multiple searches, attempting to find a search term that yields better results, they can ask a more experienced coworker for a pointer to the information, or they may try to consult a confusing and outdated list of links or bookmarks. In frustration they will probably go to Google or possibly even Twitter to find external information that is relevant, if not entirely in accord with company policy.
Walls around information
Corporations spend millions to create online training. Typically, much of that training is locked away in content packages sequestered in Learning Management Systems. How much of it can be directly searched? How much can be accessed "just-in-time"? Learning Management Systems usually only allow searches based on metadata, not content. Metadata is a notoriously poor way to know what is inside. Does this mean there are adequate reference guides or tutorials available available on-demand outside the formal context of the course? Sometimes, but not always. And even if they are there, they need to be discoverable! If the information in these courses is actually worth something, it should be as accessible as possible to employees that have the right to see it. Within a company there is always a tension between protecting confidential information and the need for efficient access to that information - the lines drawn may need to be evaluated and re-evaluated as times change.
Just-in-time and on-demand training
Employees may be trained weeks or months before putting their new skills into practice. At the point of use, they will likely need a refresher on detail or on the entire topic, but faster than reviewing an entire course. Ideally this information should be available just-in-time, accurately and rapidly. People will search for it based on the task they want to accomplish, not on the solution. If they have taken a course on it, they may search for it by the title of the course, but may not necessarily go to the LMS for that search. Adult learners are very goal-oriented. Wherever the information is, no matter what system it is buried in, it should be discoverable, if not actually visible to users with no permission to see it.
When learners need to figure out how to apply classroom concepts on the job, in their lives and in the world at large, they need a completely different kind of learning intervention.
... informal learning refers to the wide variety of spontaneous, unofficial, impromptu ways people learn to actually do their jobs. It offers a path to improved organizational capability, agility, and profits. It also respects and challenges them to be all they can be. The self-evident benefit of linking informal learning with the anytime, anywhere sensibilities of next-generation eLearning is that organizations combine informal alternatives such as social media, serious games, connections, and collaboration with online courses and on-demand tutorials.
Searching for information hidden in people
One of the benefits of social networks is the ability to discover people with ideas and skills. As a friend of mine once said about the business case for using Twitter: "...because the smartest people don't work at your company!" I would offer a corollary: "Because the smartest people don't work in your department!" would be my case for using Intranet social networking. People are fuzzy objects, constantly changing and difficult to define by skills. Putting their names in a talent management system, with a list of skills or courses they have taken or "goals" they have accomplished may not be the best way to find the skills you need within the organization. Things change too fast to be boxed in by job description or learning plan. Ideally some of this social networking data could be included in a corporate search portal, in some useful way.
Discovery of related topics
Ideally, a good search engine will be semantically sophisticated, can guess what searcher really means, and may suggest alternate searches or related topics. This is where informal learning is at its best. Looking for information on one topic could lead the searcher to a more helpful category.
Efficient access to information requires more than one technological solution, but since people tend to try the path of least resistance first - the main intranet search - using that search box should get them at least part of the way there.
Search is a two way street
When a user searches for information or help on a topic, they use what they know at the time, which is not necessarily the same as the keywords used in the solution. Modern search engines learn based on a variety of inputs, including result links that get clicked in each query, related queries, bounce rate, etc. So while the search engine is providing information to the users, they are providing information back to the search engine.
Enterprise Search: making the business case for improvement
Companies spend millions on training but not much on that last mile: fast, accurate access to the policies and up-to-date information that are needed in the unpredictable and changing workplace. For example, in healthcare, if a nurse spends 10 minutes extra searching for information needed right now, that has a real cost. If she comes up with an out-of-date policy or instructions, that can have an even greater cost. The same is true in other industries: access to the right information and the right just-in-time training is crucial.
Further, (anonymized) search trends can be used to help determine what training resources need to be added, or what topics need to be modified to reflect the way people contextualize their information: does what is out there really answer the questions people are asking? I frequently use search results from a department wiki in deciding what articles and tutorials to work on. I may think I've filled a need by creating a tutorial on a specific task, only to discover through watching searches that what is really needed is a set of tutorials or checklists on one or more end-to-end processes that incorporate that task.
According to a recent study of Global Intranet Practices & Trends, over half the organizations surveyed responded that their employees were not satisfied with their intranet search. The reasons why enterprise search is in such a poor state include the cost of upgrading it, as well as the perception that the intranet is neither a priority nor essential for daily work. This is a perception that needs to change to help align learning and learners with strategic goals.
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Enable commenting in Adobe Reader, then use a PDF as a whiteboard2009-02-17T04:09:12Z2009-02-17T04:06:28Ztag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2009:/eLUM/5017.491302009-02-17T04:06:28ZWriting notes and sketching on PDF's using a Tablet PC can be an excellent replacement for a blackboard or whiteboard in the classroom, meetings or lectures. Easier than using Powerpoint, especially when you want to improvise, it is particularly useful...emeiselmhttp://thedesignspace.netemeiselm@umich.eduTools
Writing notes and sketching on PDF's using a Tablet PC can be an excellent replacement for a blackboard or whiteboard in the classroom, meetings or lectures. Easier than using Powerpoint, especially when you want to improvise, it is particularly useful for annotating complex diagrams, music, mathematical problems, or anything requiring gridlines or graph paper.
On a Lenovo Tablet PC, you can use the clipping function to drop PDF's into the Journal application and type or write on them with the pen. The pen has good enough resolution to write legibly, and draw lines and curves.
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Marked up PDF's make good digital handouts, because the entire multi-page file can be saved complete with your comments, arrows and sketch-lines intact on all pages. After the lecture just save the file, and put it online for download by your class or audience. The main drawback with using the Pencil tool rather than the pen in Journal is that the Pencil tool isn't as smooth and responsive.
However, on some PDF's you'll find that even when the Comment & Markup toolbar is enabled, it does not show up. This is because the commenting rights are not enabled, which can be fixed in Acrobat Pro. (see image below)
No comment bar
Open the PDF in Acrobat, select Extend Features in Adobe Reader from the Advanced menu. The message shown below will pop up, and once you click "Save Now" it will be Comment-enabled.
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The SCORM 2.0 workshop in Pensacola2008-10-26T16:01:49Z2008-10-20T19:08:34Ztag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2008:/eLUM/5017.448072008-10-20T19:08:34ZThe SCORM Workshop held by LETSI (Learning Education Training Systems Interoperability) is over, and some clear direction emerged from the blizzard of whitepapers, informal submissions and comments over the last few months. I was very impressed by how fast they...emeiselmhttp://thedesignspace.netemeiselm@umich.eduSCORM
The SCORM Workshop held by LETSI (Learning Education Training Systems Interoperability) is over, and some clear direction emerged from the blizzard of whitepapers, informal submissions and comments over the last few months. I was very impressed by how fast they moved things forward in a few days.
The design process will be driven by use cases generated by the people who actually use SCORM applications in their work: Instructional designers, administrators, teachers, and other strategic adopters all over the world. This is significantly different from the way SCORM was originally designed, by a small community of LMS vendors and the U.S. Department of Defense, one of the BIG USERS of training and tracking.
There was a lot of acknowledgement of the fact that we don't just want to track or "interoperate" web-based interactions, but transactions that could occur just about anywhere, including simulations, instructor-led, or instructor-guided, mobile, disconnected, etc. Fuzzy human-requiring (or at least AI-requiring) interactions should not be excluded. A key take-away is that we can't limit functions to what currently exists - learners will be learning in ways we can't even imagine.
Of course backward compatibility is crucial - many of us who want more, more more also have thousands of old-school SCORM courses in our libraries that we do not want to have to revamp to a new standard.
The use of Web Services and a Service Oriented Architecture is likely in the new standard. This will (hopefully) facilitate interoperability, and the ability to modularize applications. There was some question about whether this architectural approach has been a success in other areas, and a lot of discussion about what the business case for this might be, but those questions are in the process of being answered
Also discussed was the fact that people are out there choosing to learn from many sources, social, non-authoritative, non-standard, web-based, informal, random, and there is currently no way to track or analyze data about what they are doing or how they are doing that.
Every aspect of the current SCORM standard was examined closely and will continue to be. A useful refresher on the current basic assumptions of SCORM and a suggestion for a new conceptualization of what SCORM is and should be were given in a whitepaper by Allyn Radford
The "Ilities"
Accessibility: The ability to locate and access instructional components from one remote location and deliver them to many other locations.
Adaptability: The ability to tailor instruction to individual and organizational needs.
Affordability: The ability to increase efficiency and productivity by reducing the time and costs involved in delivering instruction.
Durability: The ability to withstand technology evolution and changes without costly redesign, reconfiguration or recoding.
Interoperability: The ability to take instructional components developed in one location with one set of tools or platform and use them in another location with a different set of tools or platform.
Reusability: The flexibility to incorporate instructional components in multiple applications and contexts.
Regarding SCORM 2.0, Radford suggested an approach where SCORM would support three separate domains which would remain agnostic to each other: Content, Communications, and Learning, Education and Training (LET) Support.
From his white paper:
"SCORM can be conceptualized and described in many ways. After the last few weeks of papers and interaction and seemingly conflicting requirements in some areas I now find it useful to think of SCORM as having the potential to serve diverse community needs through a focus in three separate 'domains' under which most other requirements can be categorized."
"..the design of the infrastructure and applications within it are declared out of scope where SCORM is concerned but the communications between applications/systems for the purposes of meeting LET requirements are in scope. By way of example, SCORM should not be dictating how a repository should store and manage content but it should provide for interaction between a repository and a front-end application. It could be said that cross domain scripting became a problem because content got mixed up with communications..."
During the workshop, the "ility" Reusability was reexamined. What exactly do people mean by it? Do we still want it? At what level should content be resusable? The individual asset? The whole SCO? What constitutes a SCO anyway?
The working group on Sequencing organized the submissions they had received into 3 general conceptual groups:
Sequencing functions should be moved to the content developer's domain, within the SCO or within the manifest.
There is still value to be had with sequencing being handled by the LMS, but the current spec is bad and should be replaced. The goal would be a rules-based sequencing engine controlled by the LMS, which would allow content developers to author sequencing rules using a finite defined set o primitives.
A big change in architecture needs to be made to make sequencing workable. Papers suggested a new, layered approach where the higher levels allow instructional designers to work directly with sequencing, and a set of reusable object oriented components to handle higher order sequencing functions.
The group considered a possible dual solution which extends the current data model to fully accomodate giving control over to the content devloper, but also creating a simple rules-based engine to be used by the LMS for those that prefer that type of workflow. I could see very different types of tools being developed to take advantage of these options.
Moving onward!
How can you take part in shaping the new SCORM?
Participate in the Wiki: submit use cases, white papers, informal submissions. LETSI's online discussions, working groups, and meetings are open to the public. Signing up for the Wiki is free
For more articles on scorm, web development, powerpoint and other topics, see The Designspace
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Captivate 3 Quizzes marking "failed" when quiz is not completed2008-04-26T21:30:48Z2008-04-26T21:29:31Ztag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2008:/eLUM/5017.413292008-04-26T21:29:31ZWe use Captivate 3 quizzes sometimes with our Docent 6.5 LMS. Usually the quizzes have multiple parts or "SCOs" but occasionally we build one that has only one part. Sometimes people launch a quiz but need to quit before they...emeiselmhttp://thedesignspace.netemeiselm@umich.eduSCORM
We use Captivate 3 quizzes sometimes with our Docent 6.5 LMS. Usually the quizzes have multiple parts or "SCOs" but occasionally we build one that has only one part.
Sometimes people launch a quiz but need to quit before they are done taking it, and in such cases we would prefer it be marked "incomplete" and allow them another chance to take the quiz. Usually we would also prefer any failed quiz to be allowed to be retaken.
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But, by default, Captivate sees any failure to reach the mastery score as completions.
The bold text is what is inserted. It tests the value of what the captivate quiz is sending for cmi.core.lesson_status. If it is failed, it is changed to "incomplete".
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Randomizing Captivate Quizzes2008-03-05T23:43:22Z2008-03-05T23:42:05Ztag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2008:/eLUM/5017.395972008-03-05T23:42:05ZCaptivate quizzes are easy to create, but they lack some often-requested features. Even using version 2, it is difficult, if not impossible, to randomize questions within Captivate. The following method will alter the html wrapper generated when you publish a...emeiselmhttp://thedesignspace.netemeiselm@umich.edu
Captivate quizzes are easy to create, but they lack some often-requested features. Even using version 2, it is difficult, if not impossible, to randomize questions within Captivate. The following method will alter the html wrapper generated when you publish a Captivate project so that it chooses from a bank of alternate Captivate SWF files when the page opens.
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When you publish to Flash (SWF) in Captivate, Captivate creates an HTML wrapper which contains the SWF file in an object tag. (Usually titled "ProjectTitle.htm") There is a variable, "strURLFile ," which determines which Captivate file is launched. In the unaltered file, this variable is set to the project title you set when you published.
To randomize the quizzes, you need to replace this hard-coded value with a function. So, around line 8 of the HTML file, insert the following lines:
//********begin randomization function
var strURLFile
function chooseSwf() {
var number = 0;
var swf = new Array()
//********add your alternate SWF file names into this array
swf[number++] = "TestQuiz01.swf"
swf[number++] = "TestQuiz02.swf"
swf[number++] = "TestQuiz03.swf"
swf[number++] = "TestQuiz04.swf"
//****** end of array
var increment = Math.floor(Math.random() * number);
strURLFile= swf[increment];
return strURLFile;
}
strURLFile = chooseSwf();
//********end randomization function
Be sure to add all the SWF names into the array where indicated.
Around line 25, be sure to comment out the original variable definition:
// var strURLFile = "TestQuiz03.swf"; // Name of the flash file
That is all you have to do. Of course, the more alternate SWF's you create, the less likely someone will see the same one twice in a row. Create several alternate versions, output them all in the same format, and drop the alternate SWF's into the same folder as the custom HTML wrapper and the first SWF.
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Speed control widgets for Captivate2008-03-05T23:40:33Z2008-03-05T23:38:07Ztag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2008:/eLUM/5017.395962008-03-05T23:38:07ZThese 2 widgets allow your users to alter the speed (in frames per second) of the Captivate presentation they are viewing. To use them simply "Insert Animation" and set the animation Options:Timing to Display for rest of project, and no...emeiselmhttp://thedesignspace.netemeiselm@umich.eduSite Building
These 2 widgets allow your users to alter the speed (in frames per second) of the Captivate presentation they are viewing. To use them simply "Insert Animation" and set the animation Options:Timing to Display for rest of project, and no transition. ]]>
The first one is a slider which goes from 0-130 fps. Download file
The second is a set of buttons which increment and decrement the speed in units of ten fps, down to zero, with no ceiling. Download file
Both files contain frames-per-second indicators, but you can hide them. Both widgets can be reskinned: I have included the source flash files in the zip archives.
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Streaming Flash Video with open-source software2007-11-11T21:43:14Z2007-11-11T21:38:17Ztag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2007:/eLUM/5017.349842007-11-11T21:38:17Z As we use more and more video clips in our learning modules, the advantages of Flash video have become more apparent. The Flash plugin comes pre-installed on most browsers. Flash is truly cross-platform and cross-browser compatible. Flash scripting works...emeiselmhttp://thedesignspace.netemeiselm@umich.eduRecording
As we use more and more video clips in our learning modules, the advantages of Flash video have become more apparent. The Flash plugin comes pre-installed on most browsers. Flash is truly cross-platform and cross-browser compatible. Flash scripting works on all platforms, so you can control the video and add cuepoints to the video where required to control navigation through the learning module. For this reason I've been looking at using the Flash Media Server.
However, until recently, the cost of licensing the Flash Media Server software has been prohibitive. An article on Forbes.com notes that the cost for streaming Flash video is sometimes more expensive than it is worth. Fortunately, there is now an open source alternative to Flash Media Server: "Red5," which is not only free but does more than Adobe's Flash Media Server Software. In fact it does more than several Adobe server products put together.
Red5 is an open source Flash Server written in Java that supports streaming audio and video, recording client video streams, remote shared objects (a flash feature that allows collaborative multi-user applications), live stream publishing (webcasting) and much more.
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Starting out with simple streaming using the Red5 server:
First go to Red5 Downloads Page and download the latest version for your server platform.
Security:
To see all Red5 mailing list posts on the topic of security, paste the following query into a Google search box: site:http://osflash.org/pipermail/red5_osflash.org/ security
For more articles on scorm, web development, powerpoint and other topics, see The Designspace]]>
A SCORM-compatible learning module template: Part 6 of 62007-05-12T16:50:40Z2007-05-12T16:37:18Ztag:mblog.lib.umich.edu,2007:/eLUM/5017.298712007-05-12T16:37:18ZBranching behavior Several branching functions are included in js/branchingToolkit.js and are available to be used in your modules. Note: These haven't been thoroughly tested! InsertList: This function inserts a new pages into the page list right after the current page...emeiselmhttp://thedesignspace.netemeiselm@umich.eduSCORM
Branching behavior
Several branching functions are included in js/branchingToolkit.js and are available to be used in your modules. Note: These haven't been thoroughly tested!
InsertList: This function inserts a new pages into the page list right after the current page
To use, you must add a second PageArray to the pageArray.js file, called PageArray2, containing the pages to be inserted.]]>
function insertList(){
for(var i=0; i< PageArray2.length; i++) {
parent.data.PageArray.splice((window.parent.data.znThisPage-1),0,PageArray2[i]);
parent.data.determineParents();
}
wipePageNo();
wipeNavBar();
printNavBar();
}
function writeArray(){
for(var i=0; i< parent.data.PageArray.length; i++) {
document.getElementById('writeItHere').innerHTML +=(parent.data.PageArray[i].url +" " + parent.data.PageArray[i].title +' ');
} }
addOnePagetoEnd: The following function pushes just one new page at a time into the page list. To use, add title, url, chapter and level information to the "mystring" line, similar to what you did when filling out each line in the page array.
function addOnePagetoEnd() {
mystring=({title:'I am new',url:'page303.htm',chapter:0,level:1});
parent.data.PageArray.push(mystring);
document.getElementById('NavBar').innerHTML = ('');
parent.data.determineParents();//haven't testedd yet but you have to run determineParents after modifying the array
wipePageNo();
wipeNavBar();
printNavBar();}
replaceAllPages: This function replaces the entire page list with a new list.
To use, you must add a second PageArray to the pageArray.js file, called PageArray2.
The css styles are defined in several sheets. Any of the styles can be overridden by adding a new definition for the selector to /css-local/userStyles.js or to individual pages or even individual elements on a page. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO change any of the files inside the css/ folder but you can add your own overrides to userStyles.css.
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If you need special text styles or need to control the positioning of content-specific elements, add those to the userStyles file.
css/allBrowsers.css contains most of the styles used. These include the pseudo-class selectors, and the styles that define the structure of the page, including most of the navBar.
A few Internet Explorer-specific styles are included in includes/headContent.htm, using a conditional comment to hide them from all other browsers. These were unavoidable, since IE still has some unique differences. These override their counterparts in allBrowsers.css.
css/print.css removes the Navbar when printing to make the document fit the page better.
css/header.css contains styles for header and footer.
css/stylesMac.css is not being used at this time.
css/styles800x600 is experimental for use with smaller screens or low resolution monitors, but is not really working well yet.
How to override a style
Let's say you wanted to change the style of all h4 elements to dark blue. In userStyles.css, add the following:
h4 {
color: #003366
}
That's all there is to it! Of course you can also create your own styles as well. userStyles.css is already included in the headContent file so it will automatically be picked up if there is anything in it.
Important: You will find that Dreamweaver 8 does a much better job of displaying this module, complete with all the Server Side Includes, than earlier versions. It is possible to use earlier versions, but you will only see the central content area of the page, and not the Header/Footer areas or Navbar area.
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Note: Typical Dreamweaver-generated javascripts used for rollover images and creating popup windows are already included in the template. You do not need to add them again.
MM_openBrWindow
MM_swapImage
MM_swapImgRestore
MM_preloadImages
MM_findObj
The content area
Start adding your own content to the module
Open page01.htm and look at the source code.
Find the lines that say:
"*****Put content below this line!!!****"
and
"*********Put content above this line!!!******"
Add your content between these lines! The area between these two comments is the only area in this file you should need to modify, except if you wish to hide chapter and page titles as described below.
If you do not want the automatic Chapter and Page titles to show, simply add the following to your css-local/userStyles:
#pageTitle {
display:none;
visibility:hidden;
}
The Standard Layout Grid
A grid has been devised to facilitate a standard look for all the modules. The grid consists of two columns, with a width ratio of 67% to 33%. The order and width of the columns can vary as needed, but try to keep the overall ratio the same wherever possible.
Click the image below to see the two columns highlighted in red.
Layout Examples
Some examples of the use of the grid are shown below for inspiration. Click each image to see enlarged view.
Other configuration variables: chapterArray, docTitle and headerTitle
In the same file as the pageArray, you will find several other variables: chapterArray, docTitle, and headerTitle.
The chapterArray can be filled out with chapter titles if desired. This is optional - the chapter and page titles can both be hidden if not needed.
The docTitle and headerTitle are required. The docTitle is the title that shows up at the top of every window -in other words the <title> tag on each page. The headerTitle is the title which shows up in the blue header at the top of each page.
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Chapter and Page Titles
If you want, you may have Chapter titles and Page titles show up automatically on every page, or on only the pages you choose.
You must fill in the Chapter titles in /js-local/pageArray.js
Look for:
var chapterArray
and add the chapter titles.
Add chapters as necessary, observing the usual caution about the punctuation at the end of the array.
How it works
Once the titles are filled in, when the page is loaded, the module looks for a div with the id "subTitleBar". If it finds this on the page, it populates it with the chapter and page titles you entered into the arrays, and styles them per the CSS style sheets.
To remove this functionality from any page, delete the line highlighted in yellow, shown below. Be very careful not to remove the lines above or below it.
The Page Array controls all navigation within the module
The engine that drives most of the module is the Page Array. The Page Array, a variable located in js-local/pageArray.js, is simply a list of all the pages in your module. It contains information about each page: the button title, page title, what chapter, and what outline level it is on. The navbar, "Previous" and "Next" buttons are based on the Page Array.
What does all this stuff mean?
Find the file js-local/pageArray.js and duplicate it to make a backup copy. Then open the original file js-local/pageArray.js
Don't be intimidated by all the code on this page. You will simply be adding titles to the list of pages.
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Look for the line: "var PageArray" as shown here (approx line 50.)
(Click to enlarge image)
You can see that there is a line for each page in the module. Each line in the Array contains the following:
buttonTitle: this is the title that you want to appear on the associated button in the navbar
pageTitle: this is the full title that you want to appear on the page itself (you can turn this off if desired)
url: this is the relative path to the page from the root folder of the module.
chapter: (0 and up) the chapter number, starting with 0.
level: (1 and up) In the navbar, buttons for pages at level 1 will always show up. Buttons for pages with level numbers greater than 1 will only be displayed when you click on a button for a page in that chapter. The effect is that when you click on the opening page of any chapter, the menu expands to show what is in that chapter. All of this behavior is easily customized to your needs using CSS styles and level numbers.
How to add the data for your module structure
(Click to enlarge)
Carefully replace the button and page titles with the titles from your outline. Add the relative URL's for each page. You may use any filename for your pages, not just page01, page02, etc. However if you choose to change the name of the first page, "page01.htm", please be sure to change it in the "index.htm" page as well or the frameset will open with a "not-found" error.
It is very important that you DO NOT DELETE ANY PUNCTUATION, so be careful when you are pasting in titles. If you do, and cannot find what you deleted, use the backup file you just created, and try again. Every line in the array gets a comma after it, except for the last one.
Note: make sure the number of chapters in the Chapter Array matches the number in the Page Array.
Examples of completed pageArrays
For the simple outline shown here
the page array would look like this:
and would result in this navbar:
For the more complex hierarchical outline shown here:
the page array would look like this:
and would result in this navbar, with Chapter III shown open.
