HTML & CSS Courses Now on Thinkific
Two free courses, Build Web Pages Using HTML and Style Your Web Pages Using
CSS, are now available on the
Thinkific platform.
These modules have been used by high school and college students as part of my Web For Business courses.
Each module utilizes the power of Articulate Storyline and demonstrates many of the interactive features
that are available.
You can access the courses here: Thinkific.com.
Knowledge Capture
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) had the foresight to capture critical information from
their experienced employees. They used a technique called MASK (Method for Analyzing and Structuring
Knowledge) creating knowledge books for bituminous, concrete repair, and the engineering of bridges.
The end result of MASK is a PowerPoint organizing the text, images, and videos in a single, very large
file. Historically MASK has been used for very proprietary information such as the French Atomic Energy
Commission and the formulas and processes for KRAFT Foods. So, the size of the file was not as critical.
However, the MnDOT wanted to make their knowledge available to the inspectors and local engineers out in
the field as well as on the MnDOT website. Each Knowledge Book averaged 300 slides and took up almost one
gig of space. The PowerPoint files couldn’t be conveniently viewed on a phone or tablet and they weren’t
accessible to people with disabilities.
We decided to convert the PowerPoint slides into a web-based presentation using Articulate Storyline 360.
This not only met MnDOT’s requirements but added features such as interactivity and basic animations.
Here is a screen shot from the original Concrete Repair Knowledge Book:
Here is the same information using Articulate 360.
Notice how the dense PowerPoint text was converted by chunking the content into two hot tabs, focusing
the reader’s attention. Information common to both hot tabs is continually displayed as well.
Benefits of the Converted Knowledge Books
Here is a list of some of the benefits we’ve gained using Articulate Storyline:
- Content is completely interactive and can be published on the web.
- Published Storyline files are encrypted so changes cannot be maliciously made to the presentation.
- Content is responsive. It can be viewed on a smart phone, tablet, or desktop computer.
- Content is accessible. Videos include closed captioning and graphics include alternative text for
screen readers.
- Animation can be used to demonstrate key principles.
Workflow Bonus
As each knowledge book was being converted we used Review 360 (part of the Storyline suite) to
communicate any changes or modifications to each page. Content experts at MnDOT could view the current
version of the knowledge book, using a hidden URL. Review 360 automatically made a screenshot of the page
they were viewing. Even people who aren’t comfortable using new software found Review 360 easy to use.
There are two main screens in Review 360. Here is the main Review view:
This is the Feedback view showing the discussion thread for each edit. Notice how Articulate included a
screenshot of each page the reviewer was working with.
Review 360 made the editing process smooth and efficient for both the content experts and the developer.
The MnDOT
Newsline February 2019 includes an article describing the knowledge books at MnDOT.
