PharmaDigital Communications Blog

By: Nick Theriot

     I was recently forwarded an interesting thread from the LinkedIn group, “The eLearning Guild”.  Although it is a private group, joining is simple and the benefits go beyond industry advice and compelling conversation.  It is a true repository of eLearning information that has been around for quite some time.

     Here’s a quick response I wrote to a discussion group comparing Captivate, Articulate and Camtasia. This thread is a prime example of the value this group possesses. I encourage you to join and participate in the discussions. It’s hard not to find something to learn and discuss. Feel free to click on the discussion question link below to jump to the main eLearning Guild website and join.

 Group: The eLearning Guild

 Discussion: Captivate, Articulate or Camtasia? Help! Will bsomeone PLEASE tell me which one I should learn first in order to have the most marketable skills?

  “Camtasia is more of a content gathering tool. It’s super cheap on the Mac store and honestly, takes less than 5 minutes to make your own professional looking videos. I recommend getting some FinalCut (Pro or Express Experience) to beef up your video skill (having Final Cut and Camtasia on your resume can’t hurt). I’m new to creating eLearning, but was drawn into it by a client and the fact that my skill set is perfect for creating eLearning projects. I have to suggest Captivate, as it’s intuitive and set-up like all other Adobe programs. If you know any Adobe Program, then it’s not hard to learn the others. I also suggest signing up for Lynda.com for a month to take their 8-hour course. Make sure you spend the extra 10 bucks to get the downloadable files to use along with the Lynda Course. It took me about 2 weeks to learn and create a proof of concept e-Learn program. Oh, one last thing- get the PDF of the user’s guide and go to Staples and print it out- it’s a good $30 investment and reads like a help manual rather than an instruction manual.”

By: Nick Theriot

      We recently had the opportunity to test out Adobe Captivate’s HTML5 Conversion tool.  As you know, last year Adobe hit a home run with Captivate 5.5. Teamed with the Adobe Creative Suite, this eLearn application possesses the power to harness all forms of media and package them into virtually any platform.  From the latest in Flash to HTML5 output, it seems there is almost nothing the designers left out in this version of Captivate.

     At least that’s the gist of Adobe’s selling points. In reality, the HTML5 output is far from perfect and could render a great program useless in the marketplace if not updated and corrected soon.

     Aside from having the standard Adobe interface, the product is more or less self-contained. It allows for audio and video creation within the program but also allows the integration of other Adobe applications to edit or create content. The SCORM and test result tallying abilities are built in. With a few clicks, you can have a question pool of any size ready to go. Adobe allows for the customization of nearly every aspect of the eLearn project. Want background music? Just drag and drop. Want the music to pause, mute or lower in volume for a spoken word slide? Not a problem – again, it’s a case of Adobe’s easy graphical user interface and a little bit of practical computing knowledge.

     For advanced eLearn developers, this is where the rubber hits the road.  Cross platform use is nearly identical.  The only downside is that the conversion program for HTML5 works on Windows-based operating systems only.  However, checking the official Adobe forums and other popular user forums, it seems that a production Mac/PC conversion tool is soon on its way. In short, Wallaby, the codename for the experimental converter, can do some things but not everything.  It takes a skilled HTML5 coder to get the job done. It would be so nice to have Adobe address the lackluster HTML5 conversion tool.

      The bottom line, Adobe Captivate 5.5 is a solid player as an eLearn development tool.  The HTML5 converter, however, is not yet ready for prime time.

      Take a quick look at the official Captivate site and try the free 30-Day trial.

     As our Lead Project Manager, Karen is responsible for ensuring that client satisfaction is maximized and that all projects are delivered on time, on budget and with the highest quality.  She serves as the primary point of contact during the execution of a project.

     Karen has 10 years experience in executive client service and relations. She also has extensive account management experience with projects in the areas of sales training.  Most recently, Karen worked with DialogCoach.  She led a team in developing the new version of DialogCoach 5.0.  Karen also has significant expertise in applying technology tools to meet project objectives.

     Karen’s project management skills are enhanced by her assorted technology skillset.  Considered a “Power User” of most business applications, Karen’s knowledge extends to: Excel, Project, PowerPoint, Camtasia, Captivate, Articulate, RoboHelp and Publisher.

     Karen’s experience includes a great deal of success instructing and training clients on software packages and their efficient, expert use.  Working almost exclusively in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, Karen also possesses great industry insight as well as being a knowledgeable source of current industry developments and litigation.  She regularly attends the MLR (Medical, Legal, Regulatory) training programs offered by our clients so that your projects move through your internal review process smoothly and efficiently.

    PharmaDigital clients regularly request to have Karen manage their projects and we do our best to keep her with the same clients on a continuing basis.