Businesses of all types and sizes these days are entirely revolutionized by cloud computing and cloud-based services. The educational technology industry is not untouched by this growing trend. eLearning developers and learning experience designers can avail the benefits of a cloud as well as many other ways for content publishing. An increasing number of eLearning development tools are continuously being introduced to the training and development environments.
With the launch of many cloud service / Cloud LMS for eLearning, course developers are leveraging the immense benefits in enhancing their courses. Leading cloud services now provide various eLearning widgets to the developers and designers such as Data Cloud, Instant Email, PDF Maker, Custom Progress Bar, Location, Leaderboard, Timer, Dynamic Text Labels, Custom List, Single Chart or Graph, Comparison Chart, Full-Screen Mode, and Custom Storyline 360 Player. In this article, we will look into some of the most essential widgets in detail.
Data Cloud Widget
This widget enables an eLearning developer to efficiently collect learning data entered by the learners or the ones generated by the course during the learning session. Although the data collection process is old, until now it required in-depth programming and a significant investment of time and effort. Using the Data Cloud widget, developers and designers can collect the data by providing a simple way to add the features of data collection to any learning module. With the collected data, the stakeholders can use it for identifying actionable insights on how effective the training can be made while ensuring improved alignment with the learning goals to deliver an increased number of desirable outcomes.
Instant Email Widget
You get a whole new way to communicate with learners and your team with the email messaging widget enabled directly in the eLearning course. You can send emails whenever required by using actions in Adobe Captivate or triggers in Articulate Storyline. At any point in the course, you can send an email without the learner's requirement to perform any particular action. In addition, you can use variables and provide input from the learners to develop the content for email messages.
PDF Maker Widget
Using PDF Maker widget, you can generate PDF files on the go as the learner avails the course. The widget supplements the template data that you design with the variables from the eLearning course. It then allows the learner to download the generated PDF file from the eLearning course. Both Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate facilitate the generation of PDF files. From generating the certificates of course completion to providing customized job aids and manuals to the learners, there are numerous ways to use this widget.
Location Widget
This widget helps in determining the geographic location of learners. Afterwards, it parses the data and returns the location to the Captivate or Storyline module. The following data is received by a module that uses a location widget: Name of the City (e.g. New York), State, Country, ZIP Code.
Both the training path and the learning content can be adjusted once you have the learner's location in the module. Without asking for an input from the learner, you can use the location widget to determine the state and make amendments to the presentation. Moreover, with many business processes spread across various geographical areas, eLearning developers can create flexible learning courses with the location widget and once deployed, they can take the learner's physical location into consideration and present only relevant training content to the learners.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, an increasing number of cloud service providers offer eLearning development tools such as Data Cloud, Instant Email, PDF Maker, Custom Progress Bar, Location, Leaderboard, Timer, Dynamic Text Labels, Custom List, Single Chart or Graph, Comparison Chart, Full-Screen Mode, and Custom Storyline 360 Player. We have covered the ones that will certainly find ways to make them work for you and the varied learning needs of your organization.
Author Bio:
Costa Lamprou is the head of PPC at The Elearning Industry Network. With experience from everything ranging from product development and sales to training and PPC, Costa helps eLearning businesses reach their full lead gen potential. When he isn't helping clients succeed, Costa likes to expand his marketing horizons with the help of eLearning courses.
