Mass Action: Hide Next Buttons

[ArthurTLee]

We have seven hundred trainings we created, each one being around 200-300 slides long. Recently, regulations governing our trainings have changed so that they now require the learner to be in each section and the training for a certain amount of time. To do this, I am guessing we need to add an action hiding the next button until the audio on each slide is done. Two questions: 

Is there a different or better way to accomplish this that maybe I am not aware of? 

If not, since the audio is a separate file on each slide, is there some kind of mass action we can apply to each slide to tell the course not to advance until the audio is done? 

Thanks, 

Arthur

[Lilybiri]

Hmm... the attitude of 'distrust' of adult learners, something that makes me sick. But not your responsibility of course.

I have some ideas (with shared actions) but would like to have some clarifications:

• Are the Next buttons presently custom buttons or do you mean the Next button on a playbar?
• If they are custom, are they on master slides or timed for the rest of the project?
• Do you need CC? I am asking this because it would mean that you need to keep to slide audio (as is the case).
• Do you preview possible repeated visits to slides (already viewed or not)? If yes, is it required to keep the 'forcing' to listen to the complete audio (which is even more crazy and insulting for learners)?

Once I needed to create a 'minimum required amount of time' on a course, but that was not done this way. There was no necessity to keep a certain time on each slide, linked with the duration of the audio clip. It was a global time requirement, and needed to have a popup appear when the learner wanted to finisht before the time had elapses, along with showing the time all the way. 

Last question: are you on the most recent release 11.5?

[ArthurTLee]

I feel the same way, Lilibiri. It is very frustrating. In answer to your questions: 

1. The next buttons are custom right now. And they are not on the master slide, they are on each slide. But if it is easier to handle this by putting them on the master slide, we can do that. 

2. We do not need CC. 

3. If I understand correctly, some learners do go back and review the course content they have already visited. It would be nice not to have to have them listen to the whole slide again.

4. Yes, we have the most up-to-date version of Captivate. 

5. And I am open to any and all options. With 700-plus courses, I am a bit overwhelmed at the prospect and more interested right now in finding the quickest way to possible do this. I am not opposed to a global time requirement, but my worry is the entities governing our safety training will want it so that we can "prove" each learner went through each slide including audio in its entirety.

Thanks again for any advice. 

[RodWard]

Forcing the slide navigation so that there is no way to progress it before the end will NOT prove that your learners were paying attention while the slide was playing.

Where are the regulations that "require" this for safety training?

[ArthurTLee]

I agree, Rod Ward. It is for our Canadian customer-base. It is both BC and Alberta that are requiring this from us. 

[TLCMediaDesign]

Do the buttons have something in common in their names like "next"?

[Lilybiri]

I would like to test it out, but my idea would be based on a shared action which I created some years ago, and could be used both for playing audio only the first time, or go immediately to the frame where the Next button appears if it is not the first time. Full description was in 3 blogs, but the last one was this:

http://blog.lilybiri.com/advanced-to-shared-action-step-by-step-micro-navigation-showcase

The two parameters are :

1. duration of the audio clip (slide audio) i seconds
2. tracking variable

You would need a tracking variable per slide. My approach when having to create multiple variables is to import a shared action multiple times, and that action assigns the value 0 to 10 variables. Those variables will be created and if you import a second time, their name will slightly be changed. See:

http://blog.lilybiri.com/rare-tips-for-shared-actions

There remains the manually moving of the Next button which you want to avoid. Possibility would be to 'cheat' on the learner. Keep all slides paused at the end by inserting a shape button on the (main) master slide which is invisible to the user (Alpha and stroke = 0). Action: Go to Next Slide. Put a shape (not a button) looking like a Next button on the first slide. That is necessary to have an ID (impossible on master slide), and you'll show/hide that shape. The ID will always be the same, but you'll get a third parameter (name of that shape). I will label that shape SS_Next. The first decision in the action needs extra commands:

• Hide SS_Next
• Delay Next actions by v_skip seconds                  same as for the rest of the action: duration audio
• Show SS_Next

Beware: I didn't find time to test it out. Forgot also to ask if you have more interactivity on the slide which will make it possible that the learner pauses the slide. That would mess up the appearance of the shape.

[ChrisG LMS]

Arthur,

Sounds like you are in the same industry. In many markets we sell to, we are required to "force" the learner to view the entire slide/interaction and timing is very stringent. Some even require us to record the user through their webcam while they take the course. In other markets, they can simply view a pdf and take the test.

What our system does is execute a javascript at the end of each slide that communicates with our database.  In addition, setting "navigivate viewed slides only" accomplishes what we need.

I could go on for days about "distrust" of adult learners and all the different rules in different markets.  We have no say in that. I wish we did.  The state boards all seem to make their own (uninformed) rules. Such as "you can fail a quiz only 5 times, then you have to view all of the slides in that lesson again." We were the only company able to accomplish that, so that state changed their rules.  Don't get me started!

I hope this helps.