Levels of Interactivity in eLearning: Which one do you need?
Definitions of 4 levels of interactivity for e-learning. This doesn't explain when you'd use each type, but it might help describe the differences when working with a client.
The Top 39 eLearning Resources » Capterra Blog
Blogs, publications, associations, events/conferences, and tools for e-learning
eLearning Cyclops: Getting Started in eLearning
Jeff Goldman links to a free ebook on How to Get Started in eLearning, plus a few comments on getting into the field and links to training.
Freelance Heroes - E-Learning Heroes
Discussion for Articulate freelancers with lots of shared tips and resources. Questions for potential clients, things to include in a terms of service agreement, when and how to say no to clients, managing risk, etc.
Optimal Video Length for Student Engagement | edX
In edX courses, about 6 minutes is the maximum length students will watch. In traditional online graduate courses for credit, the length could be longer, but this is a good reminder to keep things short.
The optimal video length is 6 minutes or shorter -- students watched most of the way through these short videos. In fact, the average engagement time of any video maxes out at 6 minutes, regardless of its length. And engagement times decrease as videos lengthen: For instance, on average students spent around 3 minutes on videos that are longer than 12 minutes, which means that they engaged with less than a quarter of the content.
5 Cost drivers of E-learning projects
The answer to "how much does a course cost" is "it depends." Here's 5 factors affecting pricing for e-learning projects: project management, instructional design, multimedia development, interactivity, and SME availability.
Section 508 Authoring Tool: CourseAvenue
Tool for creating Section 508-compliant e-learning. More accessibility features here than the standard rapid development tools.
8 Effective Scenario Ideas for Instructional Designers - eLearning Brothers | eLearning Brothers
Visual structures and story structures for scenario-based learning
Boring to Brilliant: 5 Tips to Convert Your E-Learning to a Story-based Approach
Diane Senffner on using storytelling for learning
Articulate - Word of Mouth Blog - Troubleshooting LMS Issues
Ways to troubleshoot Articulate publishing to the LMS, grouped by 3 major symptoms (content won't upload to the LMS, course doesn't play as expected, or tracking/reporting/resuming problems).
Articulate - Word of Mouth Blog - 9 Ways to Troubleshoot Articulate & LMS Issues
This is from 2008, so it only references Presenter and Quizmaker, but these steps would apply to Storyline too.
Bookshelf Tour
Bookshelf course created in Articulate Storyline. Basically a wrapper that lets people see multiple e-learning courses to show off what others have done for Storyline. You can download the template and you could use this for a portfolio or gallery of other work.
Pipetting | Learning Solutions
Comic book style course on pipetting. Lets you choose your own avatar. Best of show (non-vendor) from Solution Fest 2013
StoryImpacts: 10 models of interactive stories
Examples of different types of interactive stories from Vignettes Learning. Free registration required.
I Came, I Saw, I Learned...: Adobe Captivate, TechSmith Camtasia Studio, Articulate Storyline: Production Times
Kevin Siegel's estimates for production times in several rapid development tools. This is for production only, after a script has been written and recorded. He doesn't specifically say, but it sounds like this is for software simulation/demonstration content, not soft skills.
I have extensive experience using Adobe Captivate and TechSmith Camtasia Studio. In my experience, it will take you approximately <strong>2 hours of labor</strong> to produce<strong> 1 minute of eLearning playtime</strong> if you use Adobe Captivate. If you use Camtasia, your labor will go down a bit (<strong>1.5 hours for every 1 minute of playtime</strong>). If Articulate Storyline is your tool of choice, developers who use that tool have told me that Storyline is on a par with Captivate. In that case, you should plan on <strong>2 hours of labor</strong> to produce every <strong>1 minute</strong> of Storyline eLearning.
Learnlets » Games do teach
Clark Quinn's response to Ruth Clark's latest iteration of "Why Games Don't Teach." Quinn points out that Clark's definition of learning is mostly focused on memorization, but "remembering isn’t what’s going to make an organizational successful, it’s making better decisions, and that’s where games will shine."
eLearning Guild 2013 Global eLearning Salary Report
Report plus the updated calculator for comparing variables
Custom e-Learning Costs – Determining Factors | Scholarix e-Learning Solutions
Infographic showing the factors that affect the cost of custom e-learning (graphics & multimedia, interactivity, instructional design).
Scenario design in elearning: Two types of feedback
Cathy Moore demonstrates the difference between "telling" feedback and "showing" feedback
Getting Started with SCORM: How does SCORM really work?
First in a planned series of posts on how SCORM works
50 Interesting things you can do in your online courses « Rose Colored Glasses
Ideas for online courses--most easily applicable to online higher ed, but some ideas could work elsewhere.
Chat Mapper
Tool for developing branching dialogue. It's designed for both video games and training. There are more features here than what I would need for most scenario-based training I develop, but for something complex this would be a great way to create and test a conversation. It also exports to a very clean screenplay for actors. The free version is only for personal use, but the Indie license is only $60 and would be worth it for a complex enough project. I can usually keep it all straight in my own head in Word, but I've had problems getting actors and developers to understand how the pieces fit together. The simulated dialog might be enough to help others see the flow.
What is a substantive response
Good information for students about how to write substantive responses in online discussions
#10 to #1 LMSs of 2012 | E-Learning 24/7 Blog
Craig Weiss' countdown of top LMSs. His #1 for education: Canvas. His #1 overall: ExpertusOne. #11 to 25 are here: http://elearninfo247.com/2012/12/06/25-to-11-lmss-of-2012/
5 Steps To A PowerPoint Redesign: The eLearning Coach
Process for converting PowerPoint to e-learning
Step One: Settle on style and colors
Step Two: Create theme backgrounds
Step Three: Rework text-heavy screens
Step Four: Add meaningful visuals and interactions
Step Five: Improve the Layout
Tip 10: The scope's the thing | Elearning Tips
Tips on how to determine the scope of an e-learning project
Time Management Strategies for Online Instructors
Tips on time management for online instructors from UW-Stout
Learning at the Speed of Life
ASTD article on the reinvention of the CSAP program
Learning Management & E-Learning Vendors (PDF)
Extensive list of vendors of learning management systems, authoring tools, virtual classrooms, courseware vendors, and more
How To: Write Questions that Stimulate Discussion | Thinkfinity
Although this is about questions for discussions in a community, these are good basic guidelines for online learning discussions too. These could work as guidelines for a student-led discussion on how to write good questions.