Our guest contributor takes a look at Adobe Captivate.

Virtual teams. Virtual workspaces. Remote workers, like myself, do everything virtually. The rise in the virtual workspace presents a lot of challenges in finding training resources. Even if you do not work virtually, quality-training resources can still be hard to come by. With many companies cutting back, training dollars are now considered “discretionary spending” and face-to-face training is being cut left and right. There is also the dilemma of people being overextended in their jobs. Time for training is virtually nil. So, people are forced to find other ways to get the development they need. They turn to, you guessed it, virtual training!

As a provider of virtual training to a large pool of remote project managers, I can tell you, getting them quality training is tough! It’s a logistics nightmare to provide live training to people across multiple time zones. You are forced into positions of constantly inconveniencing someone. Oh, and the tools? PowerPoint and a virtual meeting room? Yeah, that makes for some exciting learning! And then there is that problem of overextension. My project managers just don’t have the time to sit in class after class. Even if the information is stuff they need to do their jobs. What’s a virtual trainer to do? 

While not everything can be taught using Computer Based Training (CBTs), some things can be taught very effectively. Everything from Project Management methodologies to software can be packaged for self-paced eLearning. But how can it be done so that it is both informative and creative? Let’s face it, some CBTs are as exciting as watching golf on TV.

Adobe Captivate 4

Enter, Adobe's Captivate 4. Recently, I had the chance to explore this comprehensive eLearning tool, and I must say, while there were some small irritants, overall, I am hooked. As the website says, this tool goes beyond simple screen capture. Gone are the stale PowerPoint presentations, and in are actual demonstrations. Although, if you want, you can convert those old PowerPoint presentations to Adobe Flash using the tool. Although, I highly recommend that you don’t.

This tool gives you creative power! I have only skimmed the surface of its capabilities. Already though, I know that it is capable of interactive software demonstrations either by recording live or through event-based screen capture, scenario simulations, and quizzing. Adding audio is also a possibility. Captivate lets you get creative with your content. Building in clickable hotspots, images, videos, etc gives the training developer a way to make the training truly interactive. You can build in links to other spots in the presentation or take the user out to other websites. Forcing this interaction can be key in keeping a trainee’s attention. If all you are making them do is read, they will not retain as much and you end up creating even more of a training need.

One of the greatest features of Captivate is the timing ability. Basically, you can stage each ‘slide’ to have the different items occur at different times. Maybe you move a text box or image on to a slide four seconds after it is displayed. Or have a question fade in before a user goes on in the presentation. The key is that every item on a slide can be timed differently if you choose.

There are some small irritants in using Captivate. One is in effectively using the timing function. I realized right away that a slide preview with timing applied often looks different when published. This may indeed be part of my own learning curve in using the tool but in speaking with another user, he also noted that this was the hardest part to master. Most of the interface is intuitive and most of the commands users are accustomed to using in Microsoft products are there. Simple things like copying and pasting can be done with ease. Although it does take time to learn some of the terminology differences if you are used to living in PowerPoint. 

As I said, I have only scratched the surface of what this eLearining tool can do, but I’m excited to do more now that I have one 20-slide package completed. Finally, I feel freed from my PowerPoint oppression! After years of stuck in that rut, Captivate has again sparked my creativity. If only for that reason, I highly recommend giving it a try.

- A. Valliere -

Angela Valliere has fourteen years experience providing IT and training support for corporations like General Motors, Dow Chemical, and York International. Currently Angela is working with the Navy Marine Corps Account Program Office which oversees 500+ project managers. She can be reached via email.