seminar learning system Seminar Author and Learning System are products of Information Transfer LLP.

seminar learning system Seminar Author and Learning System are products of Information Transfer LLP. Burleigh House 15 Newmarket Road Cambridge UK CB5 8EG E-mail: support@seminar.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)1223 310233 www.seminar.co.uk version number 7.2

P. seminar learning system Quick Start Guide Getting started with Seminar Author 7

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Welcome Welcome to the Seminar Learning System. Seminar gives you tools and software to create professional-looking, instructionally-sound e-learning straight out of the box. Easy to use, Seminar takes care of the technical side of e-learning so you can concentrate on writing a great course. This Quick Start guide shows you how to: Install and set up Seminar Author Create an e-learning module Import existing material into your module Preview your module Export your module Create a quiz for your learners Create a quiz Create a survey seminar quick start page 3

Install and set up Setting up Seminar Author Install Seminar Author on the PC that you will use when creating your e-learning. Note that the learners who will be using your e-learning modules do not need to install Seminar Author. Installing Seminar Author To install the software: 1. Insert the Seminar Author CD into your CD drive. 2. If the CD does not run automatically, find setup.exe on your CD drive and double click to run it. 3. Follow the on-screen prompts. If you do not have permissions to install the software, contact your systems administrator. Launching Seminar Author To run Seminar Author, either go to the Start > Programs menu, or click on the desktop shortcut. The first time you run Seminar, you will be asked to enter your Licence Key. This is the 20-character code on the back of the CD case or in the confirmation e-mail you received. seminar quick start page 4

Creating your first e-learning module 1. Launch Seminar and click on Create a new module 2. Click on a theme design for your module. Each theme has pre-designed templates, colours and fonts to help you create great-looking e-learning modules straight away. You don t need to be a graphic designer - just choose a theme and enjoy creating professional-looking modules. 3. Type in a title for your module and click OK. Create e-learning 4. The main Seminar screen displays your new module, set up and ready for you to start work. seminar quick start page 5

Create e-learning Writing your e-learning module Finding your way around Seminar Let s look at the Seminar 7 screen: The largest area of the screen is the Editing pane. This is where you design your module s pages and see what the fi nished pages will look like. Along the top runs the Seminar toolbar. Its buttons let you perform actions like adding different types of pages, and adding features to them. The buttons you see depend on whether you are viewing or editing a page. To the left is the Module map. This shows the organisation of all the pages in your module, and highlights the page you are currently viewing or editing. You can point and click in this area to move around the module. seminar quick start page 6

Create e-learning Adding a page 1. To add a standard page to your module, click the Standard button on the Seminar toolbar. 2. Select one of the layouts for your new page, and click OK. 3. Your new page opens in the Editing pane for you to start adding your content. 4. Once you have fi nished adding content to your page, click the Save button in the Seminar toolbar. If this is a new page, Seminar prompts you to give it a title. Your new page appears in the Module map to the left. seminar quick start page 7

Create e-learning Adding text To add text to your page, click in a Text Box on the screen. The cursor starts to blink. Simply start typing your text into the box. Text boxes come with the colour and size of text pre-loaded - it s part of the design theme that you chose at the start. We recommend that you use these colours and sizes to give a professional look to your module. However, you can easily change the appearance of text by highlighting it and using the formatting toolbar at the top right of the screen. You can also change the size and position of your text box. Simply click on one of the edge markers and drag the box to the size you want, or drag the whole box to a new position. seminar quick start page 8

Create e-learning Adding a picture To add a picture to the page, click in a Graphic Box on the screen. You will see two tabs appear at the top right hand corner of the box. 1. Click on the picture icon to add a graphic. 2. Browse to a folder on your computer where you have a suitable graphic. Click on the graphic and click Open. Hint: use the Thumbnails view of your fi les to help you choose. 3. Seminar s Picture editor allows you to crop or fi t your picture to the size of the graphics box. When the area you want to use is highlighted in the box, click OK. The picture is automatically inserted onto your page. seminar quick start page 9

Create e-learning Adding a hotspot Hotspots create interactivity on your pages. A hotspot is an area of the screen that causes something to happen when the user clicks it, or rolls their mouse over it. You can put a hotspot anywhere on your page, usually on top of graphics or text. Hints: Make sure the hotspot is big enough for users to click on easily. If you are positioning a hotspot over a word or phrase, change the colour of the text to let users know where to click. Click on the hotspot s Properties tab to see more options. To add a hotspot: 1. Click on the Hotspot button in the Seminar toolbar. 2. Your cursor changes to a cross. Click on your page and drag the mouse to draw a box over the area you want to be hot. 3. When you release the mouse button, you are asked to choose the action you want the hotspot to trigger. For example, if you want the hotspot to popup a text box, select Popup text and click OK. 4. Your text popup box appears. Type your text into the popup box. You can drag its edges to change its size. Hints: To change the look of a popup box, click on the hotspot to launch the popup box, then right click on the popup box itself and select Properties from the drop-down menu. seminar quick start page 10

Create e-learning Adding a question page Seminar makes it easy to write good questions. It handles the behaviour of question pages automatically using its intelligent templates. You simply write the questions, set the answer, and Seminar does the rest. First, decide the type of question you want to add. 1. On the Seminar toolbar, click the button for that question type. 2. Select the page layout you want to use and click OK. 3. Seminar automatically generates a page and takes you into Edit mode, ready to start typing your question. 4. Write the question, and click the button against the correct answer. 5. You can also click the speech bubble to view and change the standard message that appears in the feedback box. Here s an example using a multiple choice page: seminar quick start page 11

Import existing material Importing existing material into your module How to re-use existing material To save time, you may want to re-use some existing training material you have in a PowerPoint presentation, Word document or another Seminar module. You can easily import this material into your e-learning module. To import material from PowerPoint: 1. From the Menu bar, go to Insert. 2. Select Import PowerPoint. 3. Browse to your PowerPoint presentation and click OK. 4. Select the slides you want to import from the list, and click OK. 5. Seminar automatically creates a page from each slide, with the graphics and text ready for you to edit. 6. Remember to add interaction to the material by adding hotspots or inserting new question pages. To import text from a Word document: You can copy text straight from Word documents into Seminar pages by copying the text in Word (Ctrl+C) and then pasting it into a Seminar Text Box (Ctrl+V). To re-use pages from another Seminar module: 1. From the Menu bar, go to Insert. 2. Select Import Pages. 3. Browse to the Seminar module that contains the pages you want to import. 4. Select the pages you want from the list, and click OK. 5. Seminar creates a copy of the pages in your new module. Note: You cannot import pages created in a previous version of Seminar straight into a Seminar 7 module. To do this, first open the old module in Seminar 7. You will be asked to confirm that you want to create a new version of your old module. Click OK. You can then import pages from the Seminar 7 version of your module. seminar quick start page 12

Preview module Previewing your module It s useful to be able to run your module exactly as your learners will see it. Seminar s Preview button lets you do this, quickly and easily. 1. Click the Preview button. 2. Seminar launches a new window showing the module as the user would experience it, at the page you re currently viewing in the Editing pane. 3. Explore the pages, testing out the features you have added, such as questions and hotspots. 4. Close the window to return to the Editing pane. Hint: Try to imagine that you are a learner seeing the pages for the fi rst time. You might consider the following: Are your instructions clear? Does the information fl ow easily from one screen to the next? Have you broken up the information so there is a manageable amount on each screen? Have you added enough interaction to make the content engaging? seminar quick start page 13

Export module Exporting your module Once you are happy with your module, it s time to export it so that you can share it with others. Seminar s Export Wizard gives you lots of ways to do this. 1. From the Menu bar, go to File and select Export... to launch the Export Wizard. 2. The Export Wizard s top tabs show you all your export options. Option Script CD Web pages LMS MySeminar What it does Produces a Word document containing all the text in your module. Exports the module so it can be run on a CD or network. Exports the module so it can be run over the web or your intranet using Internet Explorer. Exports the module so it can be run on a SCORM- Conformant Learning Management System. Exports and uploads your module to your secure private space on the internet, for review. 3. When the export is complete, the wizard lets you Go to the folder containing your results, or Preview the exported module. Hint: If you see the Warnings button, click it for more details there may be corrections to make to your module. seminar quick start page 14

Export module Exporting a script A script of your module, in the form of a Word document (.rtf), can be useful during the review process. Of course, the best way for someone to review the module is by trying it in action (see Exporting to MySeminar on page 19). However, scripts can be convenient for reviewers to add their comments and corrections, or to check the answers to a set of questions. You can also run a spell-check on the document to check all the text. The Word document is stored in the export location shown. You can change this location by clicking on the browse button. Export options: You can include an image of each Seminar screen in the document. This can help reviewers recognise where the exported text belongs. You can also select the size of the screen image. Be aware that larger images, although clearer, may make your document rather large for sending by email. Note: When reviewing the script, bear in mind that the text is intentionally shown plain, without the formatting and positioning that you see in the finished module. To see what the text looks like, refer to the page image or the live module. seminar quick start page 15

Export module Exporting for CD or network You can share your e-learning module on a CD or over your network using Seminar s Presenter software. You simply export the module along with Presenter, and copy it onto a CD or to a location on your network. Export options: Learners running the module from a CD or over your network will need to use Presenter to see the module. Check the Include Presenter box to add a copy of Presenter to your export. If you want the learners scores and usage to be recorded in a spreadsheet compatible file (.csv), check the Record scores and usage box and set a location for the file. This could be the user s My Documents folder, or an accessible network folder. The exported module is stored in the export location shown. You can change this location by clicking the browse button on the right. Finally, burn the exported module onto a CD following your standard procedure, or copy the exported module to the preferred location on your network. seminar quick start page 16

Export module Exporting for Web If you don t have a formal Learning Management System (LMS), you can deliver your modules as free-standing interactive web pages which can be viewed through an Internet Explorer web browser. The learner launches the module either from your intranet or over the internet. Export options: If your servers have been set up with the appropriate files, your learners usage and scores can be recorded in a single file in a central location. If this is the case, check the Record scores and usage box. Your technical or IT department will need to set up the relevant permissions and assist you with loading the module onto your servers. More technical information can be found in the Seminar Author Help file. seminar quick start page 17

Export module Exporting for LMS The smartest way of delivering your Seminar modules is through a Learning Management System (LMS), such as the Seminar Learning Centre or Knowledge Centre. An LMS lets you assign your courses to learners, and track and report on user performance and course usage. Export options: Select your LMS from the drop-down list. Seminar modules work on most SCORM 1.2-conformant LMSs. For certain types of LMS, the Advanced button becomes active to allow you to set more detailed SCORM parameters. The module is exported as a zip file, which can be loaded onto your LMS in the normal way. seminar quick start page 18

Export module Exporting to MySeminar MySeminar is the quick and easy way to share and review your Seminar modules online - no technical knowledge required! Your Partner Support Plan includes your MySeminar configuration details. Before you export a module to MySeminar, you will be asked to configure it by clicking on the.myseminar file supplied by your Support Plan. Seminar automatically uploads a working copy of your module to the secure MySeminar website. When done, a screen gives you the link to follow to see your module up and running. You can also easily email the link to others in your organisation for review. seminar quick start page 19

Create a quiz module Creating a quiz If you want to test your learners, you can easily create a quiz module. Seminar marks and scores the questions automatically. You can create two different types of quiz: Assessments and Exams. Assessments give learners one attempt at each question. Their response is marked immediately and they are shown the correct answer. This helps the learning process. Exams also give learners one attempt at each question. However, they are not given any indication of whether their answers are right or wrong as they go along. How to create a quiz 1. Create a new module in the usual way. 2. Go to Edit > Module properties and set the Run behaviour to Assessment or Exam. 3. Set any additional options you require for example, randomising the order in which the questions appear. 4. Click OK. Hints: Include a standard page at the start of a quiz, to tell the learner what to expect, and one at the end of the quiz, telling them that they have fi nished. Include a Score page or Certifi cate at the end of the quiz to display the learner s score. Give your question pages meaningful titles in the Module map this will be useful if you run detailed reporting on how learners scored for each question. Note: If you have a section which you would like to run in Learning mode, you can set it individually by clicking the relevant section in the Module map and going to Edit > Section properties. However, the overall module behaviour for a quiz should be an Assessment or Exam. seminar quick start page 20

Create a survey Creating a survey Seminar makes it easy to create surveys which gather feedback and opinions. Users are presented with questions where there is no right or wrong answer. Seminar records their responses for you to analyse. How to create a survey 1. Create a new module in the usual way. 2. Go to Edit > Module properties and select the Run behaviour tab. 3. Set the Overall run-mode to Survey and click OK. 4. When writing your question pages, you don t need to identify a correct answer or write feedback for the user. Hints: Give your pages meaningful names when you save them, to make it easier to analyse the results of your survey. For example, Was the course useful? is a better page title than Question 1. Include a standard page at the start to introduce the survey, and one at the end to thank participants for their contribution. Remember! As with any module, if you re not using an LMS to deliver your survey and you want to identify individuals responses, remember to add a sign-on page at the start. seminar quick start page 21

Seminar services When you select a Seminar e-learning product, you form a partnership with a team of training professionals, developers and consultants who ve been working in e-learning for over 20 years. We re available to help you with all aspects of working with Seminar, from technical application support to design and planning. All Seminar products include three months of full e-mail and telephone support to help get you started. But it doesn t stop there... The Partner Support Plan. We offer 1-year and 2-year Support Plans at various price points. Members of our Partner Support Plan gain access to free upgrades, discounts on services, priority telephone support, and our online user group with free exclusive extras. A support plan could save you time and money in all areas of your development programme. Training days and workshops. We bring years of e-learning experience to our training. Our training days and workshops not only cover how to use the software, but how to use it effectively and efficiently. We ll introduce instructional design techniques your learners will appreciate and we will help you plan your content development process. Custom designs and themes. Seminar Author is delivered with a large selection of stunning templates and designs. However we can also create custom designs to match your corporate branding or the theme of your module. You ll work directly with a designer who will deliver Flash animations, custom backgrounds, buttons and template layouts to meet your specification. Seminar s HeadStart service. If time pressures won t allow you to meet all your e-learning deadlines, Seminar HeadStart can help. Our award-winning authors have created hundreds of modules and can work to very short timescales when necessary. You supply the source content materials and learning objectives, and we ll supply a professionally designed and written module. We can also help you deliver the course, track it, keep records and build your capability to update the courses internally. seminar quick start page 22

Learning management services. You may already use a system to track and report on training - maybe your HR system, or a Learning Management System. Seminar products use industry standard technology and are likely to plug and play with your own systems. If your IT department requires more advanced interoperability, our Seminar software development team has extensive experience in building custom interfaces to clients requirements. Please contact us to discuss any questions you may have regarding IT compatibility. Ready for launch communication workshop. Our Ready for launch communication workshop is designed to help organisations launching a new e-learning initiative. We ll identify the key stakeholders in your e-learning initiative, expose any obstacles to success, and write a communication plan to help you get the return on investment that e-learning promises. Contact us to learn more about any of our Seminar services: support@seminar.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)1223 310233 We ll be happy to help. seminar quick start page 23