Storyline - Articulate

What is Articulate Storyline

Articulate Storyline is a Windows desktop application for authoring interactive modules. These modules can be exported and used in OWL through the Lessons Tool or the SCORM tool. Articulate storyline supports branching, quiz questions, video, and audio. It easily creates modules based off of powerpoint presentations.

What is the purpose of Articulate Storyline

The purpose of Articulate Storyline is to provide information to students in an engaging way and then to allow them to check that knowledge with integrated activities. This becomes useful for delivering lectures and training to students.

While the SCORM tool makes it possible for grades from an articulate storyline module to be entered automatically into the gradebook, this should be approached cautiously. Failing to thoroughly test the articulate module with OWL may result in incorrect scores being published.

How to use Articulate Storyline

This tool must be purchased from articulate and downloaded to a desktop computer. The articulate interface is similar to the Microsoft PowerPoint interface. Modules can be created based on a PowerPoint presentation or from scratch using images, text, shapes, audio, and video files.

When the instructor is happy with the presentation, it can be exported. Since Flash is now deprecated, exporting as HTML5 is strongly recommended. If exporting for SCORM, the target file format is SCORM 2004, 3rd edition.

Where to find Support

This tool is not centrally supported

Help and Documentation

Tool Evaluation

Functionality

Rating	Rationale
	Scale The tool can be scaled to accommodate any size class but lacks flexibility to create smaller sub-groups or communities of practice.
	Ease of Use The tool has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate and personalize.
	Tech Support/Help Availability Support through the eLearning Heros forums is readily available and aids users in troubleshooting tasks or solving problems experienced.
	Hypermediality The tool allows users to communicate through different channels (audio, visual, textual) and allows for non-sequential, flexible/adaptive engagement with material.

Accessibility

Rating	Rationale
	AODA Friendly The tool fully supports compliance with AODA standards for accessibility (W3 WAI), and makes it easy for materials to be made AODA-friendly. See more information on Storyline Accessibility.
	User-focused participation The tool is designed to address the needs of diverse users, their various literacies, and capabilities, thereby widening opportunities for participation in learning.
	Required Equipment Proper use of the tool does not require equipment other than a computer and access to the internet.

Technical

Rating	Rationale
	OWL Integration The tool can be embedded and fully integrated into OWL maintaining full functionality of the tool.
	Operating Systems Users are limited to using the tool through the Windows operating system or a virtual machine that supports Windows.
	Web Browser The modules created by the tool can be accessed by any modern, up to date browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc...)
	Additional Tech Requirements The tool requires the instructor to download software. The students are able to access the content without any downloads.

Mobile Design

Rating	Rationale
	Mobile Operating Systems Modules can be access via the web browser on any mobile device. A mobile application is not required.
	Mobile Functionality Storyline modules are responsive for different devices.
	Offline Access Storyline modules can be created offline using desktop software. However, the modules cannot be accessed online without an internet connection.

Usage and Account Set Up

Rating	Rationale
	Sign Up/Sign In An instructor account/login is required but students are not required to create an external account or additional log in.
	Cost of Use Use of the tool requires a paid subscription.
	Archiving, Saving, and Exporting Data There are limitations to archiving, saving, or importing/exporting content or activity data
	Data Privacy and Ownership Users maintain ownership and copyright of their intellectual property/data; the user can keep data private and decide if/how data is to be shared

Social Presence

Rating	Rationale
	Collaboration This tool is not intended to promote collaboration.
	User Accountability Instructors cannot control student anonymity and there is no technical solution for holding users accountable to their actions. With this noted, Students' actions are limited to those the instructor provides.
	Diffusion Student familiarity with the tool is likely mixed, some will lack basic technical competence with its functions.

Instructor Presence

Rating	Rationale
	Facilitation The tool has not been designed to support an instructor’s an instructor’s ability to be present with students via active management, monitoring, and engagement
	Customization Tool is adaptable to its environment: easily customized to suit the classroom context and targeted learning outcomes
	Learning Analytics Instructor can monitor students’ performance on limited measures

Cognitive Presence

Rating	Rationale
	Enhancement of Cognitive Task(s) The tool enables functional improvement to engagement in the targeted cognitive task(s)
	Higher Order Thinking The tool may engage students in higher order thinking skills (given significant consideration to design, facilitation, and direction from instructor)
	Feedback on Learning Opportunities for receiving formative feedback on learning are available, but infrequent or limited (i.e. poor opportunities for tracking performance, monitoring improvement, testing knowledge on a regular basis)

Security and Privacy

This tool has not been formally reviewed by Western’s Technology Risk Assessment Committee

Security and Privacy Flags

Last Updated: September 16, 2020

Rubric

The eLearning Toolkit Evaluations are made available under the terms of the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence

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Credits

Ratings icons are based off images made by authors on Freepik, Zurb, and Icomoon and licensed by CC BY 3.0

Articulate Storyline is a Windows desktop application that allows instructors to create interactive modules for students. These modules can be embedded in OWL Lessons or used through the OWL SCORM player.

Learning Module Creation Tools

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