Smart phones and tablets have changed the way people learn. The power of these nifty gadgets is helping them move from formal learning to an anytime and anywhere learning environment. The spike in the trends of "Just in Time" and "On Demand" learning have also increased the demand for deploying learning snacklets to mobile devices.
These trends have made it essential for e-learning professionals to learn how to create m-learning courses. As always, there are different people with different requirements. Some want to create mobile learning courses, specifically designed for mobile devices. Some want to reuse existing e-learning courses and transform them to m-learning courses, and there are others who wish to make their existing e-learning courses available on mobile devices as well.
Adobe Captivate 7 is a rapid authoring tool, which allows the authors to create simulations, compliance training courses, scenario-based courses, video-based courses, process trainings, assessments, and so on. It is now also capable of creating m-learning courses by allowing you to publish your courses in HTML5 format and create web apps.
In this book, Damien has done a great job of explaining how to use Adobe Captivate 7 for creating m-learning courses. He has provided a step-by-step procedure on how to create mobile-friendly screencasts, interactive simulations, and quizzes. He has covered all of the nuances and best practices for optimizing an existing project for mobile, and publishing it as an HTML5 course or a web application.
So, if you are an e-learning professional and have been using Captivate for years for creating e-learning courses, this book will help you easily transition to m-learning development using the very same tool. Happy learning!
About the Author
Damien Bruyndonckx , trained as an elementary school teacher, began his career teaching French as a foreign language in two elementary public schools of Louisiana, USA. In 2001, he came back to his home country, Belgium, and began to work as an IT trainer. He soon acquired the title of Adobe Certified Instructor on Dreamweaver, Coldfusion, Acrobat, and Captivate, which allowed him to work for various Adobe authorized training centers in Europe, and participate in many web and e-learning related projects for countless customers.
In 2009, Damien went back to teaching in a school. He now works at IHECS, a higher education school of communications, based in Brussels, where he teaches multimedia and serves as the e-learning coordinator of the school. Thanks to his work at IHECS, Damien became an Adobe Education Leader in November 2011.
Damien also has his own company that provides Adobe Training and e-learning consultancy.
Damien is the author of Mastering Adobe Captivate 6 published by Packt Publishing in August 2012. He lives in Thuin (Belgium) with his girlfriend and his two children. Damien is a big time music lover, and occasionally works as a sound and light technician in the entertainment industry.
Twitter: @damienbkx
Website: http://www.dbr-training.eu
Acknowledgement
With the release of this book, a new adventure comes to an end. This one was made of hard work, heavy thinking, and deep moments of doubts. But, as with every adventure in life, it was also made of great collaboration, encounters and love. At the end of the road, when you finally hold the book in your hands, you only remember those great people you worked with and who dedicated part of their time and expertise to the project.
I would like to thank my editors at Packt Publishing for their continuous support and mentoring during the entire writing process. Harsha and Deenar, knowing that you were just an e-mail away was really reassuring for me. Many thanks to you!
I would also like to recognize the work of my reviewers. Anita, Lieve, and Joe are among the greatest Captivate minds I know. It was an honor to have them onboard this project. They have my deep appreciation for the work done with this book and with the entire Captivate community.
Speaking of the community, I would like to recognize the work of those individuals that spend some of their free time writing Captivate tutorials, blog posts, forum replies, and so on. These boys and girls have been my real Captivate teachers, and without their input, I would never have been able to become a Captivate expert. I dedicate this book to all those who make the Captivate community a very active, focused, and truly knowledgeable community.
My thoughts also go to the Captivate team in India that is working really hard to create and enhance Captivate on a daily basis. Special thanks to Allen, Pooja, Vish, Shammeer, Akshay, and to everyone else in their respective teams. I have full respect for the work they are doing.
Finally, my thoughts go to those who share my life on a daily basis. They had to cope with my insane working hours and my "out of this world" preoccupations while I was writing this book. Thanks you Celine, Antoine, and Sophie for your patience and understanding. I couldn't do it without you all.
About the Reviewers
Joe Ganci is an e-learning consultant with a long track record. Since 1983, Joe's design approaches and his expert use of development tools have helped many to improve their e-learning design and development. Joe's personal and hands-on style has his services constantly in demand, and he is privileged to have visited many clients all over the world. He has taught people for many years at client sites, and has taught at many learning conferences, where he has often served as a keynote speaker. Joe is on a mission to improve the quality of e-learning with practical approaches that work.