[Xerte] Interface Volume Control -> a wider considerationofnavigation in Xerte

Thu Mar 11 11:12:33 GMT 2010

I appreciate the points you make. Whatever facilities you build into
Xerte there will be some people who use them inappropriately. 

A large learning object which is non-linear may not be completed at one
sitting and there is no save facility in Xerte to get you back to where
you were. A page that has an input box, that allows you to type in a
page name or keyword, which Xerte then uses to take you to the page
referenced by that name or key word might be one solution. A non-linear
project could offer this at the start, to enable you to jump in at a
point that you had previously achieved. Alternatively you just keep the
non-linear bits of a project relatively short, so that starting from the
beginning is not much of a hardship.

It rather depends on the learning experience you are trying to create.

I agree there are times when you definitely want to be able to access
every / any page of a learning object in any order or sequentially and
Xerte works well for that.

There are times though - maybe as part of a learning exercise, when you
want to set the user challenges and direct their route through the
learning object based on their responses. Additionally such sequenced
learning objects can perform less as learning objects and more as
performance support resources, e.g. to guide a support person through a
trouble shooting process. In such cases you don't necessarily want the
user to be able to get at every page, just the right page at the right
time.

Right now, I would suggest creating a template that creates a navigation
structure, with links to learning objects created using the existing
templates. Then you can separate the navigation from the content - a
good thing in my view.

If I understand you correctly this is seeking to create something akin
to a contents page in a book, where you could have chapter headings and
sections within chapters, each section of which would link to a learning
object created in Toolkits (or Xerte). I agree this separates the
navigation from the content. This also facilitates the re-use of
content. A learning object that shows how to crack an egg, can be
included in separate courses on how to make pancakes and how to make a
victoria sponge (high level courses these!). It doesn't resolve the
situation in which the navigation is a core part of the learning
experience.

I remember a Chess tutor book by Lasker that worked that way. It
explained a concept then gave you a game problem to solve, after which
you were given a number of possible responses. Depending on the response
you chose you were directed to a different page of the book. Correct
responses lead you to an explanation of why the response was correct and
to the next concept. Incorrect responses lead you to a page that
explained why your solution would not work and then redirected you back
to the problem.

You can remove the various controls as you need - you just need to know
how to get at them from your code.

Is this a trade secret or would you like to reveal more :-)

I know the code I need to support a back button and a home button. How
feasible would it be to add them to the desktop Xerte interface as
additional options? How could this be done?

Kind regards

Johnathan

Johnathan Kemp
ICT Development Coordinator
Connexions Staffordshire
www.cxstaffs.co.uk <http://www.cxstaffs.co.uk/> 
01785 355714

________________________________

From: Julian Tenney [mailto:Julian.Tenney at nottingham.ac.uk] 
Sent: 11 March 2010 10:04
To: Xerte discussion list
Subject: RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control -> a wider
considerationofnavigation in Xerte

Hmm. Many questions. When things start getting non-linear it becomes
very easy for someone less skilled to create a real dogs dinner, and
there are many interface considerations: to ensure the user knows where
they are in relation to the rest of the content; that they can easily
get to the other bits; and that they know what else the learning object
contains and don't miss bits; and that they can easily return to points
of interest they've visted before.

I think there are probably two types of interface that would suit
toolkits; the linear one we have now; and a tree based structure where
the user drills down into the content, which could be n levels deep. How
the user navigates this is possible in many ways (a tree-based TOC, or
menu pages, or by answering MCQs or... well, you see the problem. How to
do it?

Right now, I would suggest creating a template that creates a navigation
structure, with links to learning objects created using the existing
templates. Then you can separate the navigation from the content - a
good thing in my view.

You can remove the various controls as you need - you just need to know
how to get at them from your code.

From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Johnathan
Kemp
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 9:48 AM
To: Xerte discussion list
Subject: RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control -> a wider consideration
ofnavigation in Xerte

There are probably many Xerte users out there who do not have access to
Flash or lack skills in using Flash. They also lack actionscript skills.
The whole idea of page templates appears to be to make things easy for
the none technical user. 

How about if the navigation could become more flexible so as to allow
none technical users the facility to customise their navigation options,
both in Xerte and in Xerte using project wide templates?

At present the navigation options in Xerte out of the box are limited,
kind of an all (visuals =1) or nothing (visuals = 0)

I am just finalising a page wizard that includes the capability to add
individual exit points i.e. in this case radio buttons, each of which
has a page name assigned to it in the wizard. When the learner clicks on
the radio button they are taken to the assigned page - instant
non-linear learning objects. However with the current navigation options
I have had to turn off visuals. Previous and Next buttons have little
sense in a non-linear learning object. However what are really useful
are Home and Back buttons (Back based on a LIFO queue). So to support my
wizard I have had to create a model based on an Entry Frame, that
provides user switchable navigation components (Page n of m, Home, Next,
Previous, Back, TOC, Last). The learning object creator can thus select
which navigation options are appropriate to their learning object.

If the navigation in Xerte could be set as configurable on a per button
basis, and include the volume control and also buttons for Home and Back
(I am not sure of the case for a Last button, I added it to my model for
completeness), then there would be no issue of the design of the volume
control failing to match the other controls in a custom navigation.

The next step would be to add options to page templates that would allow
as many individual page templates as possible to have one or more of
their own specified exit points which each lead to a specified page
based on the page name.

If a similar customisable navigation were added to the simple navigation
available in Frameworks then just think of the possibilities, e.g. a
linear learning object with non linear sections based on Framework
pages; Whole learning objects that had a non-linear structure;
Non-linear learning objects with some framework based sections that were
linear.

What do others think?

Kind regards

Johnathan

Johnathan Kemp
ICT Development Coordinator
Connexions Staffordshire
www.cxstaffs.co.uk <http://www.cxstaffs.co.uk/> 
01785 355714

________________________________

From: Mark Tomlinson, AC&S Ltd [mailto:mark.tomlinson at acns-group.com] 
Sent: 10 March 2010 10:36
To: 'Xerte discussion list'
Subject: RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control

If you are using a custom interface, then it won't likely 'fit in' will
it?  We use a custom interface and have coded our own volume control.

Mark

From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Johnathan
Kemp
Sent: 10 March 2010 09:21
To: Xerte discussion list
Subject: RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control

If there are a number of sound or movie files with different audio
levels then having one global sound control will not solve the problem
of having to adjust the sound each time you play one of the movies. I
don't know whether there is any way to pass a parameter to the swf that
plays the movies to adjust the initial sound level either louder than
default or lower than a default volume, though that could get
complicated.

It would be useful to have a volume control, but if it becomes part of
the controls displayed when visual is set to 1 on the interface, then
anyone not using the default interface will have to also introduce a
volume control into their interface.

If the volume control could become part of the media control bar that is
displayed when a movie or sound file is played, then this would ensure
that it was available even when the default interface was not used. The
snag here is that it would not be available for swfs where Interactivity
was set to Native swf.

Perhaps the optimum solution would be to include the volume control in
the default interface, but to provide an easy way to embed the volume
control into any custom interface that was being used when
interface.visuals = 0.

Kind regards

Johnathan

Johnathan Kemp
ICT Development Coordinator
Connexions Staffordshire
www.cxstaffs.co.uk <http://www.cxstaffs.co.uk/> 
01785 355714

________________________________

From: Adam Read [mailto:aread at marjon.ac.uk] 
Sent: 10 March 2010 08:45
To: 'Xerte discussion list'
Subject: RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control

I use the continue button, bottom right is indeed the logical place I
think.

Adam

From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
[mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] On Behalf Of Julian Tenney
Sent: 09 March 2010 21:52
To: Xerte discussion list
Subject: RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control

Could it go in the bottom toolbar, between the combos and the continue
button? I could remove the text from the continue button, to make some
space and replace it with a tooltip, and then put a volume slider in
there? Does that work?

Do people use the continue button, or the next button in the top right
more? I think the continue button is in a very logical place in the
bottom left, but I tend to use the next button. The continue button will
lose something if it gets too cramped with the other controls I think.

Not sure where else the volume control could logically go? I'm not sure
I want to interfere with the standard media controller too much - I'd
prefer one control for global sound control..?

________________________________

From: xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk on behalf of Peter Snowball
Sent: Tue 09/03/2010 12:03
To: Xerte discussion list
Subject: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control

Is it possible to add a volume control to the interface (preferable) or
movie or sound icons.  I havew a few movies and the audio volume varies.

Peter Snowball
Dept Of Economic Development
Tasmania

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This communication represents the originator's personal views and
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This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual(s) or entity(s) to whom they are addressed. All messages are monitored for virus, high risk files and inappropriate content. As a result users should be aware that this mail maybe accessed, read and the right is reserved to reject, return, remove attachments or delete if considered to be inappropriate or unsuitable. Liability cannot be accepted for any loss or damage arising from this email (or any attachments) or from scripts or any virus transmitted.

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