Articulate Storyline is a powerful tool for creating engaging and interactive online courses. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, you can use Storyline to design and develop e-learning content that suits your audience, objectives, and style. In this article, you will learn how to create engaging online courses with Articulate Storyline in six steps.
The first step is to choose a template that matches your course topic, format, and branding. Storyline offers a variety of templates that you can customize to fit your needs. You can also create your own template from scratch or import one from another source. A template will help you save time and maintain consistency throughout your course.
Tailor the course content and difficulty to the learners' needs and background knowledge. Define what you want learners to achieve by the end of the course. This will guide your content selection and activities. Storyline offers a variety of features to make courses interactive, like quizzes, drag-and-drop activities, hotspots, simulations, and branching scenarios. Don't just rely on text-heavy slides. Break up information with visuals, scenarios, and opportunities for learners to apply their knowledge. Use a variety of media like images, videos, and audio to keep learners interested. Consider including short explainer videos or simulations to demonstrate complex concepts.
The next step is to add content and media to your slides. You can use text, images, audio, video, animations, and other elements to convey your message and create interest. Storyline also allows you to insert interactive objects, such as buttons, triggers, variables, and quizzes, to enhance learner engagement and feedback. You can use the timeline and layers features to control the timing and appearance of your content and media.
In the realm of online training, creating engaging courses with Storyline involves crafting compelling graphic assets. Engagement hinges on interactivity and storytelling, both of which can be enhanced through impactful graphics. While immersive learning experiences may require advanced graphics, in most cases minimalist graphics serve the purpose just as well - without distracting learners from the learning content.
The third step is to apply themes and styles to your course. Themes and styles are sets of colors, fonts, and effects that you can apply to your slides and objects. They help you create a consistent and professional look for your course. You can use the built-in themes and styles in Storyline or create your own. You can also use the format painter tool to copy and paste styles across slides and objects.
The fourth step is to add transitions and animations to your course. Transitions and animations are visual effects that you can apply to your slides and objects to create smooth and dynamic transitions. They help you capture learner attention and guide them through your course. You can use the built-in transitions and animations in Storyline or create your own. You can also use the motion paths feature to create custom animations for your objects.
The fifth step is to preview and test your course. Previewing and testing your course allows you to check how your course looks and works before publishing it. You can preview your course in Storyline or in a web browser. You can also test your course for accessibility, compatibility, and functionality using the built-in tools in Storyline or external tools. You can also use the feedback feature to collect and review comments from your reviewers.
The final step is to publish and share your course. Publishing your course allows you to convert it into a format that can be viewed online or offline. You can publish your course to various formats, such as HTML5, Flash, LMS, CD, or Articulate Online. You can also publish your course to Articulate Review, a cloud-based service that allows you to share and track your course with your learners and stakeholders.