Over the last several weeks I have been detailing my process for creating an e-learning course.  So far I have covered Getting Started on a Course which covered setting up the parameters, target audience, and learning objectives prior to working on the storyboard.  Next I covered the Use of Visuals in a Course which discussed how to select images as well as how to create some of your own using PowerPoint.  Then I discussed Importing a PowerPoint into Storyline which covered how Storyline handles the objects (text, graphics, etc) and animations that are set up in a PowerPoint file.  Then, last week I discussed Customizing the Player and Feedback Masters.  This week we will discuss recording the audio narration using a free tool called Audacity.   

What is Audacity?

Audacity is a free audio recording and editing tool.  It has all kinds of great ways you can edit your audio so it can seem a bit intimidating at first.  However, it is super easy to use when you just focus in on the basics.  Audacity has a great tutorial guide that can walk you through how to get started using the tool.  Below is a screenshot from the tutorial.  You can access this and more tutorials by going to the Audacity Manual.  The main things you will need to know are how to connect your microphone, how to record, and how to export the file to an MP3.  

​Other Equipment Needed

There is also some additional equipment you will need to record professional sounding audio narration.  Your budget will determine the type and quality of the equipment that you will purchase.  For instance in my case, I just needed equipment that would make the recordings sound good, not necessarily professional.  I purchased a Blue Yeti microphone for around $100, a pop screen filter for about $6, and a portable sound booth for around $200. If you have a limited budget, be sure to spend your money on a good quality microphone.  For the other items you can use things from around your home.  For example, for the pop screen filter you can utilize an old wool sock over your microphone instead.  For the sound booth, you can surround your microphone with two laptop bags or you can get a plastic bin and line it with bedding foam.  Check out this YouTube video to learn more.  

Recording the Audio

When you begin recording your audio there are a few things you should keep in mind.  Try to eliminate as much ambient noise as possible such as air conditioners, furnaces, etc.  You would be surprised how much of this noise can be picked up by your microphone.  

Also, always try to set up your environment and settings in the same fashion every time.  This will help you record more consistent audio across recording sessions.  It is best to record all the audio at once but many times this isn't possible.  So having a consistent set up will help with making the audio sound the same across the sessions.  You should be about 6 inches away from the microphone for the best recording.  

I like to stand up when I do my recordings.  This helps with your breath and makes for a better recording.  Also avoid drinking coffee or orange juice just before you record.  These can have a negative effect on your voice.  

Editing the Audio

You should always try to get the highest quality recording and limit the amount of editing you need to do.  By setting up my mic and sound booth properly I usually only need to do 2 things to my recorded audio - Noise Reduction and sometimes adding Bass.  

If I have set up my booth correctly there should be very little noise reduction needed, however there are still those unwanted sounds here an there that may be picked up by the microphone.  Audacity makes it easy to get rid of these using the Noise Reduction feature (formerly called Noise Removal). Learn more about using this feature by visiting the Audacity tutorial.  

Another feature that I use in Audacity is boosting the bass of my recording.  This can add warmth and a more professional sound to your recording.  You can test out the different levels and see which ones sound best.  Be careful with this feature because it will boost the the overall level of your recording and could clip the audio.   Learn more about this feature by visiting the Audacity tutorial.  

Once you have edited all of your audio and saved your files in Audacity, you will need to export them to a .WAV or .MP3 file.  I usually export to .MP3 since most programs can work with that type of file. It will compress your audio but I do not find that it reduces the quality in a noticeable manner.  If you do not want to lose any quality than a file type such as .WAV would be a better choice (if it is compatible with the program you are using).  To learn more about exporting your files, check out the Audacity tutorial.

Well, that is it for the audio recording.  Next week I will share how to import your recorded files into Storyline and sync it with the objects and animations on the screen.  

For the past several weeks I have been detailing the process I use in creating an e-learning course.  Last week I discussed importing a course that was designed in PowerPoint into Storyline.  This week we will cover customizing the player and the quiz feedback master in Storyline to make your course more unique.  

Customizing the Player

First, let's start with customizing the player.  Storyline has a built-in player that wraps your e-learning course.  The standard template has the menu and notes on the left side bar, the progress bar with Previous and Next buttons at the bottom of the player, and some additional links such as resources in the upper right hand corner.It is set to different shades of gray.    

























You can customize these items as much or as little as you want.  For instance, you can move the menu to be at the top left corner as a drop down so that you have no left side bar at all.  To do this you would click on the word Menu under Player Tabs in the Player Properties screen and use the down or up arrows to move it where you want it to be on the player - Topbar Left, Topbar Right, or Sidebar.

Lastly you can change the color of the player to match the colors in your course or to make the player invisible as I did in this course.  These types of changes are done under the Colors & Effects button.  There are several built-in color schemes to choose from under the Color Scheme drop down or you can create your own using the Show Advanced color editing link.  When using the advanced editing features, it can be a bit of trail and error trying to figure out what item is being changed.  So Articulate has created a cheat sheet to show you what each of the items will change. 

Customizing the Feedback Master

Another way to customize the look and feel of your course is to change the standard feedback master.  You can do this by going to View> Feedback Master.  All of the feedback masters will appear and you can edit these just like you would edit any other slide master.  Once you have made the changes to the feedback master, any quiz questions that you add in to the course will take on the new look and feel you created for your feedback.  Don't forget to add in animations as well to these masters!  In the example below, I just made the gray feedback shape stretch across half of the screen rather than being a small rectangle in the middle of the screen (the standard Storyline feedback master).  This also allows me to add in more feedback while keep the font a readable size.  

But you can be even more creative by adding in backgrounds, colors, characters, etc.  Whatever you can normally do for a slide, you can do for your feedback master.  Here is another example of a feedback master that has been customized.  

So those are just a few ways that you can customize the look and feel of your course created in Storyline.  Here are some additional resources to help you. 

• Editing Feedback Masters
• Customizing the Player

Next week I will cover recording audio narration in Audacity.  

Over the past couple of weeks I have been detailing my process of creating an e-learning course.  So far I have discussed identifying the initial requirements such as target audience, goals and objectives and identifying the key content to be used. Then I discussed the use of images within the course and how to create some of your own.  

Now I will discuss some tips I have learned about importing a course you have developed in PowerPoint into Storyline.  For the most part Storyline does a pretty good job of importing.  However there are a few things you should be aware of that will help you with the import process.  

How Storyline Handles Images and Fonts

First, Storyline doesn't handle grouped objects very well.  For instance, in this project I created several images for the course using shapes that I grouped together.  When imported into Storyline, the shapes oftentimes loose their size and sometimes even their location within the slide.  To help with this issue, I usually just save all of my grouped images as PNG files (right click on the grouped image and choose Save As Picture).  Then I need to insert the image file into PowerPoint.