Improved Video Conversion

We have improved video conversion to enhance the videos you upload to your flash courses.  Nothing has changed about the way you upload videos, but here are a few of the benefits you will notice next time you upload and convert a video:

• Increased quality and resolution
• Improved audio/video syncing
• Resolved video skewing issues

New Stock Images Available

New Stock Media Images in Media Manager

Next time you open your Media Manager, you will notice a new category called "Stock Media."

A wide range of "clip art" images are available for your use, including:

• Professional people in a variety of poses.
• Thought and speech bubbles
• Office type clipart
• and more!

There are some default stock images that are available to all account levels in Unison and mLearning Studio.  However, if you  notice that there are stock images in your media manager that have a watermark, that means that the stock image belongs to a more advanced level.  To be able to use that image without the watermark, you would have to upgrade to a different level.   If you are interested in purchasing a more advanced level, please contact our sales team: sales@rapidintake.com

Here is an example of one of the stock media images:

Incorporating PNG Files in a Course

Customers asked for a way to be able to incorporate images with a transparent background into Unison and mLearning Studio. We are now happy to announce that both tools now support PNG image files! This gives you a way to incorporate PNG images with a transparent background into your course (either for logos or for images that appear in the course pages).

How to Upload PNG Files to the Media Manager.  

1. Open your Media Manager.

2. Click on the "image" category

3. Hit "Upload New Image."

4. Browse for the PNG file on your computer, select it, and upload.

5. IMPORTANT: Uncheck the "convert png's to jpg" check box. If you want this file to stay a PNG and maintain the transparency, you need to uncheck this box.

6. Hit "Upload Files." The PNG file will now appear in your media manager.

NOTE: Flash Player 7 does not support PNG images. Any Unison course that is labeled a Player 7 style will not support PNG images. If you are working on an existing course that is Player 7, you will need to change it by editing the course settings.

Am I using Player 7?

If you are currently working on an existing course, you will need to check and see if it is a Player 7 style. Follow these steps:

1. Open the course in the authoring tool.

2. Click on the "Edit Course Settings" button at the top of the screen

3. Go to Step 2: Course Style. Look in the "Course Style" field to see if the style is labeled Player 7 or 8. The style in the image below is labeled a Player 7 style. This Player 7 style will not support PNG images.

How do I change the course style?

If your current course is a Player 7 style, and you want to change it, you can do so in the authoring tool after clicking on the "Edit Course Settings" button

1. Go to Step 2: Course Style. Use the pull-down tab to select a new style.

2. Check the box labeled "Update Style Files."

3. Hit the "Update Course" button at the bottom right of the screen.

4. Make sure that you clear your cache.

Active Project Accounts

There are different types of accounts and levels available for purchase at Rapid Intake.  One type of account is an "Active Project" account.  When you purchase this type of account, you indicate how many "active" or "open" projects you want to be able to work on at any given time.  You can then add an unlimited number of users to work on the active projects.  When you are finished working on a project, you will change the course status to "archived," then you can start a new project in its place. The archived project will still be accessible, but you won't be able to view it or edit it unless the status is changed back to "open" or "complete."  

This post will explain the steps to take in changing the status of any course.  

Changing Course Status

Note:  Only users that are registered as "administrators" will be able to change the course status.  

After logging in to Unison or mLearning Studio, you will see a list of all the open and complete projects assigned to you in the "My Projects" home screen.  

Click on the "Admin" tab at the top left of the screen if you want to to view or change the status of any course.  

Click on the "View/Update Projects" link under the "Projects" heading.  As an administrator, you can view all projects (even the projects that aren't assigned to you) and change the course status for any course from this screen.  

Click on the name of the course to change the course status.  

Click on the status you would like to set for the course.  You can select "open," "complete," or "archived."  Click on "archived" if you are finished with the course.  This will allow you to start a new active course in its place.  If you would like to work on the course, select "open" or "complete."  

Click on the "Save Changes" button when you are finished changing the status.  

Remember, the courses that are archived will only be visible under the admin tab by an administrator.  If at any time you want to go back in to an archived course and make changes to the pages, you can still go back into the admin tab and change the status of the course back to "open."  

Awarding Certificates based on Quiz Score

This blog post will walk you through the necessary settings to present your learners with a certificate of completion based on a passing final quiz score in a flash course.

The yellow highlights on the images below indicate the settings you must change. Each setting is explained below.

Course Settings:

First take a look at your course settings. Open the course in Unison that you would like to add the certificate to. Click on the "Edit Course Settings" button at the top center of the screen.

Go to the "Data Tracking Properties" and take a look at the settings there.

Tracking: Make sure you have the appropriate SCORM settings selected (either 1.2 or 1.3, also known as SCORM 2004)

Course Completion Status: Select "Completed."

Use Page Complete: (optional) Check this box if you want your learners to visit and complete each page in addition to passing the quiz. You can leave it unchecked if you don't need them to complete each page.

Auto Navigation: Leave this box unchecked.

Quiz Settings

Next, go to the quiz page in the authoring tool to view the settings. Go to "Step 3: Basic Settings." Most of the settings here are optional

Quiz type: Test

Random Questions: Optional

Show Results: Optional

Report Score: This box must be checked to send the quiz results to your LMS

Include Review: Optional

Include Retake Button: Optional

Number Questions: Optional

Now go to "Step 4: LMS Settings."

Record Lesson Status: Select "Pass or fail based on score"

Passing Score: Enter in the passing percentage

Minimum Score: Enter in the minimum score percentage (Note: You can set this to 1.)

Maximum Score: Enter in the maximum score percentage (Note: This will usually be 100)

Certificate Settings

The last place you need to check the settings is the certificate page.

Step 2: Certificate Options

Certificate Type: Select the type of certificate you want

Prompt for Name: Check this box if you would like the certificate to prompt the learner to enter his/her name before displaying.

Step 3 (optional): Restriction Options

Restrict Certificate: Check this box. This will restrict the learner from accessing the certificate too early.

Restriction Type: Select "Based on LMS Completion"

Course Not complete Error Text: You may want to type in a message to this field that explains to the learner why they can't access the certificate before

Changing the Background on the Visual Layout Page

We have had some customers ask if it is possible to change the color of the background, or canvas, of the new visual layout page.

There is not currently a way to change the color of the canvas, but there is a way to import an image from the media manager to cover the canvas.

HOW?

1.  Simply insert an image from your media manager. In this example, I used a small blue square.

2.  Use the handles around the image to re-size and stretch the image over the canvas.
Note:  If you have other media elements on the page already, make sure you click on the "Bring to Back" button so that the "background" image is layered behind all the other elements.
3.  You may have to change the default text box settings (including the transparency of the text box background or the text color) to make it easier to see.

However, if you are using an image that you don't want to distort by stretching it to fit the canvas, you will need to look up the staging size for the course style you are using and make an image to fit those specifications.

1.  The staging area specifications of the style you are using are displayed at the top center of the screen in the authoring tool.

2.  Use an image editing program, such as Photoshop (or even Paint), to size the image to the right specifications.  

3.  Upload the image to your media manager and your course.  

                 

Youtube Videos in Flash Courses

Have you ever wanted to link a Youtube video to your Flash course?

Here's how:

1. Add an external SWF page to your course. This type of page allows external files.

2. Locate the video you want to use in Youtube. Click on the "Share" button below the video.

3. Click on "Embed" and check the box that says "Use old embed code." You will see a long link. You don't need the entire link. Just copy and paste the part starting with http and ending with the question mark. You will need to type rel=0 (zero) after the question mark. Example: http://www.youtube.com/v/-fgpDOOWAHc?rel=0

4. Copy the necessary section of the embed code. Note: If there is anything extra (such as a quotation mark), the link won't work.

5. Double click on the "Flash SWF File" default text to activate the field.

6. Paste in the section of the embed code.

When you preview the course, you will be able to view the Youtube video playing from the external SWF page in your course.

To learn how to embed a Youtube video in a mobile course, read this post.

Changing Video Size in Unison Courses

Our customers often notice that videos that are uploaded to Unison courses always appear the same size (and usually not the original size) in courses.

Why?

Unison allows you to upload videos in .flv, .mov, .avi, or .wmv format. All video types (except .flv) must be converted to .flv before they can be used in courses. When this conversion occurs, Unison changes the size of the video to fit in the video page template.

How to Change the Size

By uploading a video that is already the size you want in .flv format, you can bypass the conversion process. This allows you to incorporate a video in it's original size, or you could design a video to take up the entire staging area of the video template.

Here is how:

1. Course Style Size: You will need to look up the staging area dimensions of the course style you are using so you know what size your video needs to be. You can look this up on our wiki. Look up the name of the style you are using for the course. The staging area is the number in parenthesis.

2. Video Size: Now that you know the dimensions for the staging area, you can change your video dimensions to match. You will need to use a video editing tool or converter to change the size. If you don't currently have a tool, you can download a free trial of the "Any Video Converter" here. For steps on how to use "Any Video Converter," see the instructions on the image below.

3. Upload to Unison: Now you are ready to upload the video to your Unison Media Manager for use in your course. Since your video is already in .flv format, it won't need to be converted and should take up the entire staging area, like this:

New Page Type Release: Visual Layout Page

Rapid Intake has released a beta version of a new page type. This new visual layout page type will allow you to combine media, such as text, video, audio, SWF, and notes, in new and and exciting ways. You can now choose which media elements you would like to use on a page, how many media elements to include, re-size the elements, and where to place each element on the page.

If you would like to learn more about this page type, please check out our wiki:

https://wiki.rapidintake.com/index.php/Working_with_the_Visual_Layout_Page

If you have any feature requests or notice any bugs, please feel free to note it here:

https://docs.google.com/a/rapidintake.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFdiZXcxZDBIb2RpUHFta2xOTWJGUGc6MQ

More Resources for Rapid Intake Customers

Have you been looking for a quick, but comprehensive guide to one of our eLearning or mLearning course authoring tools? Look no further!

Rapid Intake has released three PDF training guides on mLearning, ProForm, and Unison.

These PDF guides:

• offer step by step instructions to building, testing, managing issues, and deploying a course
• include images with the instructions
• explain settings and options in the authoring tool

Click on the links to view the PDF training guides for the following authoring tools:

Unison

ProForm

mLearning

Check Out Our Nine New Advanced Interactions!

Ultra, Professional Premium, and Mobile Ultra users can now take advantage of nine new advanced interaction pages.

To see the new advanced interaction pages on an existing course, you must update the style files. To do this, open your course in the authoring tool. Click on the "Edit Course Settings" button at the top of the screen.

Next, click on the course style, then check the box next to "Update Style Files."

Click on "Update Course."

Make sure you clear your cache and you should see the new advanced interaction pages option appear when you add a new page.

You can read a description of each of our new Advanced Interaction pages on this blog post. Additional information on the settings and how to fill out each field is given on our wiki.

New Advanced Interactions for Professional Premium Users

If you are an Ultra, Professional Premium, or Mobile Ultra level user, you can now take advantage of nine new Advanced Interaction page types that have been released for Unison. Descriptions and screen shots of the new page types are given below.

Note: If you currently don't have access to these page types, but would like to, you will need to upgrade to Professional Premium level. Email us at sales@rapidintake.com for any questions regarding your current level or upgrading.

9 New Advanced Interaction Pages

You can read a description about each of our new Advanced Interaction pages on this blog post. Additional information on the settings and how to fill out each field is given on our wiki.

Case Study

The Case Study interaction allows you to present the learner with a scenario and a blank field to type in an essay type response. The scenario can include an image and an audio file. Use the table below to fill out the form according to how you want the page to display.

Categories

In this timed interaction, learners will be given terms to drag and drop in the correct category. You can have up to four categories, with up to eight terms in each.

Concentric Circles

In this interaction, the learner will be able to explore different layers of a circle. Each layer will have a title and a pop-up box with a description will appear when the learner clicks on the layer.

General Matching

In this timed interaction, the learner will match terms to their definitions. After the learner drags the term to the definition, a connecting line will appear that will indicate whether the response is correct or not. A red line indicates an incorrect response. A green line indicates a correct response.

Spin the Wheel

This interaction allows the learner to spin a wheel and answer the questions that appear. There are six categories on the wheel and up to five questions in each category.

After spinning the wheel, the learner will be posed with a question and multiple answers to choose from. The learner will be timed during each question and will have to choose the answer before time runs out. After selecting an answer and submitting, the learner will view a pop-up box with feedback in it. The score will be shown at the top of the screen.

After finishing the game, the learner will be able to view each question, their answer, the correct answer, the feedback, the final score, and the time spent on each question.

Survey

This interaction allows you to ask questions to survey your learners. You have the option of giving your learners a scale of 1-5 or a blank text field to respond to the questions. You can set up the results to be emailed to you.

Venn Diagram

This interaction allows you to show the similarities and differences between two or three different categories or items.

Word Game Non-Timed

This interaction allows you to ask your learner a series of questions and have your learner type in a response into a field. You have up to eight questions and can give feedback on each question.

Word Game Timed

This timed interaction allows you to ask your learner a series of questions and have your learner type in a response into a field. You have up to eight questions and can enter in a time limit and a point value for each question.