The EnterPage 1-04
The ToolBook Developer's Newsletter from Platte Canyon Multimedia
Software
June 3, 1998
In This Issue
Introduction
Jeff Rhodes to
Keynote OnLine Learning '98 European Conference
Update: Learning and
Mastering ToolBook Instructor™ 6
Notes from
the Underground: Effective Teaching in a Feedback Vacuum
Platte Canyon
Products for Instructor™ (and now Assistant™ Too!)
Platte Canyon To Create the
"TBK Tracker™"
Hands-On
Opportunities at OnLine Learning '98: Learning Labs
Drop
By our Booth and Attend Jeff's Technical Session at OnLine Learning '98
Customer Profile: Optibiz Solutions
ToolBook Tips From Jeff Rhodes
Conference Schedule: Come meet us!
Coming in Next Issue
EnterPage Submissions
Subscription Information
Welcome to issue 1-04 of The EnterPage, the newsletter from Platte Canyon
Multimedia Software Corporation (http://www.plattecanyon.com). The purpose of this
newsletter is to keep you informed of new products and developments in the world of
Asymetrix and Platte Canyon as well as to offer some pointers on Asymetrix ToolBook
Instructor™ and Assistant™ development.
Platte Canyon is honored that Jeff Rhodes has been asked to be the final day keynote
speaker for the OnLine Learning '98 European Conference to be held July 21 - 23. Jeff will
speak on ""Past, Present, and Future: A Trip down ToolBook's Memory Lane"
Those of us who are ToolBook developers have seen many changes over the last 5+ years:
new product features, Windows 95/NT, HTML & Java, ActiveX, and much more. Let's take a
look together at the evolution of both ToolBook and the CBT market in general since the
early 1990's. We'll address such innovations as viewers, rich text, shared scripts, VBX
& ActiveX controls, Catalog objects, HTML/Java Export, Assistant™, Synergy, and
much more. Then we'll take a few moments to examine where ToolBook and CBT development are
likely to go as we proceed to the next millennium. And finally, what does that mean to us,
the ToolBook developers?
Related to this topic, Jeff is going to discuss some of the key past and current
contributions of European ToolBook developers. He would appreciate any input on additional
developers to add to his growing list.
In addition to his keynote engagement, Jeff will present a session entitled "Using
Instructor™ To Create Software Training: A Case Study." He may also be
conducting a pre-conference session on ToolBook Synergy. Finally, Jeff will demonstrate
Platte Canyon's growing stable of products at the conference. He looks forward to seeing
some of you there!
Platte Canyon will also sponsor the OnLine Learning '98 European Conference for the
first time. In particular, we are helping to underwrite the conference dinner, to be held
at the Home of National Hunt Racing, Cheltenham Race Course...We hope that this is the
first of many years of collaboration between Asymetrix (UK), the European developer
community, and Platte Canyon.
The upcoming CD-ROM on how to use ToolBook Instructor™ is progressing at a
rapid pace. Rich with content, "Show Me" demonstrations, "Let Me Try"
practice simulations, and expert tips, this training package will help the novice or
experienced ToolBook developer. The project is just completing a major Alpha Test phase,
where feedback has been very positive (though very substantial). Thanks to all of you who
have provided us such insightful comments.
Watch for the official announcement before OnLine Learning '98 (the U.S. ToolBook
Developer's Conference) September 23 - 25.
by Jeffrey Zink, Ph.D.
In my last article, I mentioned that I worked in a basement office. So you may have
painted this picture of me as some sort of recluse or hermit, a stereotypical computer
nerd with no social skills. But you'd be wrong.
Not only is that an unfair view of computer folks, it's only half a picture of me. Yes,
I do spend countless hours in front of my monitor without another human around. However,
in my alter ego, I'm a motivational speaker and business consultant on ethics and
leadership. In that role, I often find myself comfortably in front of large audiences who
sit spellbound as I exhort them with the benefits of building a positive ethical climate
in their organizations. (OK, at least I think they're spellbound-they might be
unconscious.) In addition, I have spent nearly ten years as a classroom teacher, teaching
Philosophy and Logic to thousands of students (many of whom were in fact asleep).
And I'm learning something as I get more comfortable in my role as Director of CBT
Development, and especially as lead developer on the biggest and most important project we
have ever undertaken, "Learning and Mastering ToolBook Instructor™ 6™." While the two
lives I lead seem to be completely opposite, I am finding that one cardinal rule will help
to guarantee success in either environment:
There is no such thing as too much empathy.
Empathy is that wonderful human ability to see the world from someone else's
perspective. It's my belief that if we could increase empathy everywhere by even a small
amount, this world would be an even more wonderful place to live. Think about how you
would treat friends, associates, or complete strangers if you could be more empathetic--if
you could feel their pain, their joy.
So what does this have to do with writing CBT? Everything! When I first started writing
CBT for an audience I knew I would never see, I felt blind, deaf, and mostly dumb. I had
spent years in classrooms and auditoriums learning how to adjust my message on the fly,
reading body language and listening to questions--using that feedback to tweak what I had
to say to make sure it was getting through. But you can't do that sitting in front of a
computer, writing for an audience that doesn't yet exist.
Here's where empathy comes in. I'm sure you have been in an audience or in a classroom,
on the receiving end of teaching or training. And I'm sure you have been on the receiving
end of CBT. Think about it--the goal is the same in both cases. So what works in one arena
will likely work in the other as well. You just have to substitute real feedback
(classroom) for imagined feedback (CBT) as you ask yourself, "If I'm on the other end
of this monitor, is the message getting through?" Ask yourself some more specific
questions:
"Are we having FUN yet?"
Let's be real here. People want to have fun. They want to be entertained. I don't care how
serious or weighty the subject matter is, lighten it up! I remember well as a B-52
bombardier (another past life!) sitting through training classes on war-time bombing
mission tactics thinking how incredibly boring the material was (even though I knew it was
literally a life-and-death matter). The problem is (remember empathy here) when you're
bored as a student, you're not going to learn very well. If your end-user is bored, you
(as a developer) are wasting your time. Alleviate the boredom by injecting humor, or
unrelated insights to help refocus your audience.
"Think about it like this."
One of the best tools in your teaching kit is the ability to restate an idea in a
different way, using different analogies, etc. Don't leave that tool in the classroom.
There are ways to provide alternatives in CBT as well. Use "more information"
buttons or other optional devices that are available for the struggling student but don't
get in the way of someone who has "got it" already.
"Are you still with me?"
Empathy tells us that we need to be especially sensitive to anything that will mentally
shut down a student. Unexplained acronyms, insider information, techno-speak, and
stereotypes (especially race, ethnic, gender, etc.) all can contribute to placing barriers
between you (i.e., your application) and your student. And barriers are bad, because they
get in the way of what you're trying to do. Empathy forces us to ask: How do you react as
a student when you begin to feel isolated? Look objectively at your CBT to see where you
might be erecting barriers to knowledge.
Interestingly, we are beginning to address all of these issues in a more systematic way
as a subcontractor to LinCom Corporation. The goal is to integrate LinCom's Intelligent
Computer-Aided Training (ICAT) program into commercial CBT authoring tools such as
ToolBook Instructor™ 6™.
ICAT has been used for years by NASA to improve astronaut training. As a CBT enhancement,
ICAT will understand a student's weaknesses and strengths, and modify feedback,
navigation, and even lesson content "on the fly," customizing the presentation
for optimum learning. Used in combination with sophisticated tracking software (such as
our Progress Tracker™), it would be the equivalent of having a tutor (you!) on site
to make the kind of individualized teaching adjustments that make for a great class. I
guess you could say that Platte Canyon and LinCom are working on a virtually unbeatable
teaching combination!
These are only a few thoughts on the practical use of empathy. I'm sure you can come up
with many more. But the point is that developing a strong sense of empathy can do wonders
to close the reality gap between classroom and virtual teaching.
Plug-In Pro™
The powerful Platte Canyon Plug-In Pro™duct line has now expanded to support
ToolBook Assistant™ developers too! Now developers in either the Assistant™ or
the Instructor™ environment can experience features such as:
The most exciting features for users of BOTH Instructor™ and Assistant™ is
that the Plug-Ins give you the ability to perform "Instructor-like" tasks from
within Assistant™. For example, you can view scripts, access the property editor,
show the Tool Palette, open the Command Window, and much more. All without having to
reopen your book inside of Instructor. "Assistant™-only" users will not
have these features, but will be able to take advantage of virtually all the rest of the
Plug-In capabilities.
- User Properties Editor. View and edit user properties at the book, background, page, and
object level.
- "Resource Finder" tool for locating the objects using a particular shared
script, menubar, bitmap, icon, or cursor resource.
- Magnification Tool. Zoom in and out in author or reader mode. Select a particular object
to zoom in on.
- Name all objects of a particular type (fields, buttons, lines, etc.) automatically.
- Create fields, buttons, or combo boxes with a particular font, color, name, and many
other characteristics. Save these settings as styles to be used at any time.
- "Compact" feature saves your book with an optional second name and then
re-saves it as the original name with the click of one button.
- Export all bitmap resources and then launch Palette Optimizer.
- Import all bitmaps or icons from a particular directory as resources of a book.
- Create a Spell Checking File that contains all text in your book for spell checking in
your favorite word processor.
- Show and hide objects -- either all together or by particular object type.
Plug-In Pro™ adds the power of content editors. These editors are great for
editing the content of all fields on a page in on central window. In addition, Plug-In
Pro™ has the ability to store all content externally. This means that you can have a
multilingual application that switches languages on the fly.
For more information on the Platte Canyon Plug-Ins, go to: http://www.plattecanyon.com/pluginpro.aspx
Progress Tracker™
Platte Progress Tracker™ tracks students and much more! Here's the typical
experience of someone using YOUR training enhanced by the Platte Canyon's Progress
Tracker™:
- The users start the training that you created.
- They see a log-in screen with their name either in the main name window or in the
drop-down box where it can be easily clicked. If it's a first-time user, the name can be
entered manually.
- They are then given the option to return to the last page viewed or go to the main start
page.
- As they go through YOUR training, they see a page that they want to mark. They bring up
the book-mark feature where they can mark the page to return to later. All of the other
bookmarks that they entered are displayed here too.
- If they want to find a page on a particular subject, they can call up the index of all
pages in your application and go to whichever one they want.
- Now, they navigate to your table of contents page. They immediately see which sections
they have completed by looking at the navigation buttons.
- They take a minute to bring up the screen that reports on their progress throughout the
course. In addition to showing sections completed, they also see scores on section quizzes
and the amount of time they spent in each section.
- Now, it's time for them to take a certification test on your training material. They
click the "Take a Test" button. As the developer, you have specified how many
questions will be presented on the test. You have also created the "test pool."
This test pool contains as many questions as you want. Each time a student presses the
"Take a Test" button, a new test is created by pulling questions from the test
pool.
- After the test, they see their results. They can navigate to the pages that address the
topics covered on any test question.
- If you had the Tracker Administrator™, the manager could look at reports on all
students who have taken the course via your Local Area Network. If you had multiple
courses that used Progress Tracker™, you could see information on all students on all
courses.
- If you had the Test Tracker™, you could see detailed information on student
performance for each question. You could see the amount of time they took to answer each
question and much more.
- If you had the Tracker Navigator™, each type of student (beginner, experienced,
manager) could have a customized path through your training where they would see only the
pages that applied to them.
Progress Tracker™ FAMILY
Harness the power of the Platte Canyon Progress Tracker™ Family of products and
offer truly exceptional computer based training. For more information go to:
http://www.plattecanyon.com/tracker
OTHER PRODUCTS
Platte Canyon Controller™ - Navigate to pages in different ToolBook applications
in a presentation.
Learning and Mastering ToolBook Instructor™ 6 - Available September, 1998.
We're pleased to announce that we will develop a new student tracking product which we
are tentatively calling the "TBK Tracker™." The product will address
ToolBook CBT configurations that are not well suited for our Progress Tracker™ family
of products. Specifically, the TBK Tracker™ will have the ability to assign and track
courses consisting of a set of "lessons" which are each separate ToolBook files.
Users will have a central login to the course as a whole. Data will be stored in binary
format for added security. Stay tuned for more details.
Many of you have undoubtedly received your OnLine Learning '98 schedule. We hope that
you will join us for one or all of our hands-on learning labs on the first day of the
conference (Wed., September 23rd). You will have the opportunity to sit at high-powered
computers and try out all the products yourself. Here is the schedule (all on Wednesday):
1:00 - 2:00, "Learning & Mastering ToolBook Instructor™ 6 CBT" by
Dr. Jeffrey Zink
2:30 - 3:30, "Add Sophisticated Student Tracking to ToolBook Applications" by
Jeff Rhodes
4:00 - 5:00, "Increase Your ToolBook Development Productivity" [featuring the
Plug-In Pro™] by Chris Bell
We hope that all of you attending the OnLine Learning '98 show will also come visit our
booth. It is number 300, just off to your left when you enter the exhibition hall. We'll
be demonstrating "Learning & Mastering ToolBook Instructor™ 6", the
Tracker family of products, the Plug-In Pro™, the Controller™, and more.
And as if you won't have seen us enough, we hope that you can attend Jeff's technical
session:
1:30 - 2:30 (Thursday): "Developing a "How to Use ToolBook' product: A Case
Study."
This session will look at the most interesting aspects of the new 'Instructor™ 6'
CBT - advanced software simulation, a brand new technique/tool for creating 'screen cam'
type demonstrations from within ToolBook, the use of the Microsoft Agent ActiveX control,
creating cool interactions with OpenScript, lessons learned, and much more.
Due to scheduling error, please note that this session is being moved to Thursday,
September 23rd from the Wednesday time slot shown in the brochure.
OptiBiz Solutions is a premiere developer of online training and computer-based
training (CBT) solutions. Based in San Jose, California, OptiBiz offers custom training
applications that are characterized by strong interface and sophisticated instructional
design.
OptiBiz uses Platte Canyon's products to round-out its feature-rich training
applications. Joe NguyenLe, President of OptiBiz, used other authoring tools like Apple
Media Tools, Macromedia Director and Authorware before switching to ToolBook in 1996.
Platte Canyon benefited from Joe's user interface mastery earlier this year when he
redesigned the Progress Tracker™ dialog boxes (such as the log-in box).
In this virtual world of software development, we at Platte Canyon have never had the
opportunity to shake Joe's hand in person. All communication has been done via telephone
and the Internet. We look forward to finally meeting him a conference later this year. You
can contact Joe at: jnguyenle@optibiz.com.
Once again, most of the tips for this issue are related to the "Learning &
Mastering ToolBook Instructor™ 6" project.
We had a very complicated "arrange objects" CBT question and thought,
"wouldn't it be nice to have a 'Show Answers' button to put all the objects into
their right places?" It was a little hairy, but once that script worked, we decided
to expand it to "Order Text" questions as well. Here's the script (implemented
as a shared script of a 'Show Answers' button):
to handle buttonClick
local object questionID
local stack objectList, answerList
local tempAnswerArray[][]
local word numAnswers
local int numDifferentAnswers
local point answerPosition
local long num, num2, num3
local answerIndex[][]
local string objectName,questionType
questionID = getQuestionID(this page)
tempAnswerArray = asym_wid_ansArray of questionID
questionType = ASYM_WID_QType of questionID
conditions
when questionType = "ORDEROBJ"
numAnswers = item 1 of dimensions(tempAnswerArray)
numDifferentAnswers = 0
step num from 1 to numAnswers
objectName = tempAnswerArray[num][1]
if ASYM_ItemOffset(objectName,answerList) = 0
push objectName onto answerList
end if
push num onto ASYM_WID_ResponseIDs of questionID -- so answer will be scored correct
end step
while answerList <> null
pop answerList into objectName
objectList = ASYM_GetObjectListByName(this page,"",FALSE,objectName)
while objectList <> null
pop objectList
if ASYM_WID_ResetPosition of it <> null
position of it = ASYM_WID_ResetPosition of it
end if
end while
end while
when questionType = "ORDERTEXT"
text of field "dragText" of questionID = tempAnswerArray[1][1]
end conditions
if isObject (field "feedback" of this page)
text of field "feedback" of this page = null
end if
end buttonClick
Notice that this script uses our getQuestionID() function. Here it is:
to get getQuestionID page pageID, string allQuestions
local stack widgetList, questionList
local string questionID,qName
if "tb60r.sbk" is not in sysBooks
push "tb60r.sbk" onto sysBooks
end if
widgetList = ASYM_CollectWidgets(pageID)
while widgetList <> null
pop widgetList
qName = tbk_wid_name of it
if (qName contains "ASYM_Q" OR qName = "Fill-In Hotword")
questionID = it
if allQuestions = null
return questionID
else
push questionID onto questionList
end if
end if
end while
return questionList
end getQuestionID
The rest of the examples for this issue are "clean-up" scripts used to help
ensure that our alpha release didn't have obvious errors.
Since most fields should be activated in our CBT, we search the book and jump to any
pages with unactivated fields to take a look. We then use the Plug-In Pro™ field
editors to set all fields on the page to activated in one "swoop."
step num from (pageNumber of this page + 1) to pageCount of this book
fieldList = getObjectList(page num, "field", false)
while fieldList <> null
pop fieldList
if activated of it = false
go to page num
request (name of it)
break step
end if
end while
end step
This script goes through the book and sets any button that has a borderStyle of none
(typically this is a button with a graphic in it that looks like a button) to be excluded
from the tab order. This avoids the dotted "focus" lines around graphical
buttons.
step num from (pageNumber of this page + 1) to pageCount of this book
buttonList = getObjectList(page num, "button", false)
while buttonList <> null
pop buttonList
if (borderStyle of it = "none" AND excludeTab of it = false AND enabled of it = true)
excludeTab of it = true
end if
end while
end step
Until next time, Happy "OpenScripting." - Jeff
Platte Canyon is at many of the training and development conferences that occur in the
industry. Come see us at any of the following events:
Learning Technology Conference
(Formerly Interactive 98)
Session: "CBT Authoring Plug-Ins as Time (and Headache) Savers"
Session 511, Tuesday, June 16; 1:20 - 2:30 PM.
Atlanta, June 15 - 17
More info: http://www.learningtechnology.com/
Chris and Jeff will also be hosting a Director Special Interest Breakfast on Monday (June
15) and a ToolBook Breakfast on Tuesday (June 16)
OnLine Learning '98 European Conference
(Formerly Asymetrix European Developer's Conference)
Keynote Session: "Past, Present and Future: A Trip down ToolBook's Memory Lane"
Presentation: "Using Instructor™ To Create Software Training: A Case
Study."
Exhibiting Platte Canyon Products.
Cheltenham & Gloucester College of H.E
United Kingdom, July 21 - 23
On Line Learning '98
(Formerly Asymetrix Developer's Conference)
Silver Sponsor
Learning Laboratory (Wed, Sep 23) featuring hands-on demonstrations of Platte Canyon
products.
Wednesday, September 23
1:00 - 2:00, "Learning & Mastering ToolBook Instructor™ 6 CBT" by
Dr. Jeffrey Zink
2:30 - 3:30, "Add Sophisticated Student Tracking to ToolBook Applications" by
Jeff Rhodes
4:00 - 5:00, "Increase Your ToolBook Development Productivity" [featuring the
Plug-In Pro™] by Chris Bell
Thursday, September 24
1:30 - 2:30: "Developing a "How to Use ToolBook' product: A Case Study"
by Jeff Rhodes
Also Impromptu Sessions at the Platte Canyon Booth (#300) in the Exhibit Hall
Anaheim
September 23 - 25
Learning Technology Conference (Fall)
October 5 - 7, 1998
Anaheim, California
"Developing Computer-Based Training to Teach ToolBook: A Case Study in Effective
Design" by Jeff Rhodes
- OnLine Learning '98 Conference Preview
- OnLine Learning '98 - European Conference Report
- ActiveX and Instructor: What's the Buzz?
- Notes from the Underground by Jeffrey Zink
- OpenScript tips from Jeff Rhodes
- TBK Tracker™ Update
- Focus on a Platte Canyon Customer
Suggestions for articles or proposals for article
submissions are welcome. Send information to
EP@plattecanyon.com. Back issues of the EnterPage are
available at
http://www.plattecanyon.com/enterpage.aspx.
The EnterPage is distributed 4 times a year, with occasional special issues.
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