AICC Subcommittee Working Group Meeting€¦ · Web view7 AICC Subcommittee Working Group Meeting Meeting Minutes January 28th - February 1st, 2008 San Jose, California USA. 8 Jan

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AICC Subcommittee Working Group MeetingMeeting MinutesJanuary 28th - February 1st, 2008San Jose, California USA

8 Jan 2008Welcome and Intro - Neil Cramer, NWANeil, the chairman of the AICC welcomed the participants to the Adobe-hosted meeting in San Jose, California.

Management and Processes -- Bruce Perrin - BoeingBruce reviewed the activities of the subcommittee since it was founded in 2001.Bruce described the charter of the committee - Essentially the committee is chartered to help describe and determine what goes into good CBT.

Bruce described a study that began in 1998. It was to determine the value of virtual environments and virtual humans in training scenarios. First results showed that immersive training was much less effective than desktop training.

Bruce is proposing a focus on training evaluation for the subcommittee.He feels there is a need to develop guidelines and recommendations for evaluation – both formative evaluations and summative evaluations.

There is also a need to develop guidelines and recommendations for the use of technologies/interventions of concern to the community.

Bruce then presented several issues he thought might be of interest to AICC members.There was a discussion of those issues and additional issues for consideration.

CMI Working Group/Independent Test Lab - Bill McDonald - Alteon/BoeingBill described the activities currently going on in the CMI group.Most of the presentation focused on the CSA (content services architecture) effort. It will fix the cross-domain issue plus a number of other things.

The CSA discussion has focused on scope and use cases. The use case discussion was continued at this meeting. Once the use cases seem complete, we need to ask ourselves, do we have participation from all the roles in the use cases.

1From www.aicc.org/docs/meetings/28jan2008/minutes.htm 20 March 2008

Ed Cohen has built a use case analysis for discussion. He made a presentation to cover this. It begins with rolesContent producerContent service providerLMSLearnerIt also has functionality Entitlement Purchasing Version management Student statusIt includes sales models (relationships between the following) Content producer Content service provider LMS LearnerIt includes license models (relationship between the following) Content producer Content service provider LMS LearnerEd then presented some use cases from other industries and how they relate to the training industry..A discussion ensued asking some questions.Is there too much scope creep in this project?Finishing the complex use cases - what is the payback?How do we move forward?How far beyond solving technical issues need we go?How do we narrow the scope of the project?

Going forward we will try to prioritize the business relationships - then identify technical solutions to those relationships that are most important.

Bill reviewed the list of participants in the CSA effort. He identified for each participant, what role they play. The question he was trying to answer, “Are there roles in Ed's case studies that are not represented?”

Bill reviewed the WISL RFP.WISL scope covered Content publisher to content consumer communicationWISL decided on significant pain points that they would attempt to offer solutions to: Cross domain Catalog synchronizationLess agreed upon pain points are Enhanced data communication (data model lacking)


Backward compatibility - leverage existing products Web services

Metadata Working Group - Bill Shook - BoeingBill Shook briefly described the AICC metadata extensions to the IEEE LOM (Learning Object Metadata).

Bill brought up the question of do we need an AGR?

Bill suggested there should be an AGR and he has worked on a draft.The draft was discussed, plus an earlier draft that was presented at our Phoenix meeting. A few additions were suggested for the original draft, which will be presented at the next meeting for approval.

Smart Graphics and Airbus - Jean Louis Bravo - AirbusJean Louis provided a brief history of smart graphics at Airbus. They are using their 3rd generation smart graphics currently. It is based on the SVG standard.

They are now working on another solution because of the lack of acceptance of SVG in the Windows world. Airbus has decided that Silverlight 1.1 would be a good format to migrate to.

Jean Louis demonstrated some simple examples of using Silverlight for interactive graphics.

Update on LETSI and the LETSI Technical Working Group - Avron Barr, ADLSCORM has had strategic impact world wide.

LETSI was created to unburden the ADL which is not positioned to support and move SCORM forward.LETSI is currently trying to figure out what the next SCORM will be. Teams are being formed to determine what functionality should be in the new SCORM.Goals for this new SCORM have been determined.One year from now, LETSI will start building the new SCORM. This means looking for the standards that will meet the new functionality defined for the new SCORM.

Communication and Industry Affairs Subcommittee - Tom King - AICCiLearn Forum plugfest will include a Pens component. In additional support of this plugfest, we now have a French version of the Pens specification.

Montreal eLearning Plugfest on May 5 has asked for AICC participation.

WATS and CATS. We have been given the opportunity to present at WATS and we have been asked to provide bi-monthly articles for CAT.Website updates AdSense is working well


Added AICC Forum AdSense placements WEO work (Search Engine Optimization) was described in Tom's presentation. Is it time to do a "D" check on the web site? Does it need a major update?

29 Jan 2008Chairman's Report - Neil Cramer - NWAThe AICC is switching all its membership billing to its fiscal year. Jack Hyde will be taking on the responsibility of billing and tracking finances.

The executive committee voted to eliminate the Communications subcommittee. Those duties and responsibilities will now be performed by the AICC technical staff. Tom King will become a technical staff member performing that role.

The AICC will continue to support LETSI and the ISO SC36. Now that the financial picture has improved, we will be sending Jack Hyde to the next LETSI and ISO meetings which will be held back-to-back in Korea in March.

The AICC will be making a presentation this year at the WATS conference, which several AICC members will be attending. The presentation will highlight the fact that this is the 20th year of the AICC existence.

Next meetings: June 16 - 20, Hamburg Germany, hosted by Airbus Sep 29 - Oct 3, Louisville Kentucky, hosted by UPS Jan 2009 - tentatively scheduled for Miami, hosted by Alteon.

The executive committee decided to raise the meeting fee to $125 per person, starting at the June meeting in Germany.

The AICC membership then voted unanimously to approve the addition of the LCMS checklist to AGR 012.

Welcome from Adobe - Don Walker, Sr Director PPBU, AdobeAdobe's mission is to revolutionize how the world engages with ideas and information.Don then reviewed a timeline of adobe's history, and how it now has over 75 products. He also discussed channels and forms of engagement, and briefly discussed a new product, Adobe AIR.

He then discussed the relationship of Adobe products to eLearning and the ISD process, and introduced Ellen Wagner, the director of eLearning at Adobe, and Tom Persons an Adobe eLearning evangelist.

Microsoft ESP as a Revolutionary Aviation Training Platform - Scott Andersen, MicrosoftScott introduced ESP as a new era in visual simulation. ESP sort of sprung from the military wanting to use gaming, and more specifically, Microsoft Flight Simulator to do


training. MS Flight Simulator is not designed for commercial (or military) use. As a result MS developed ESP.

ESP is a simulator development platform. It provides the world (or a simulation of same). This includes 3D graphics and data for all airports, locations of all cities, key landmarks in these cities, topography, weather modeling, and support for the dynamics of flight. The out of the box ESP also include sample aircraft simulations for a 737-800, Cesna 72, F18 and some others - although it does not include modeling all the systems in these airplanes (such as the FMS, Autoflight system ,etc.)

Scott then discussed the components that simulate the world, and how they can be augmented by the user/simulation developer. For instance, you can create a cockpit with every switch and light working just as it would in the airplane. You can add reverse engineered system behavior, or use airplane code (as in the case of the Honeywell FMS simulation). You can create missions and training scenarios with trigger boxes. When the plane flies through a trigger box, you program what happens.

It also supports multi-players -- the number being dependant on the power of the server. It also contains ATC controller data. It supports a shared cockpit mode where 2 or more people can be in and manipulate the same airplane (from different terminals).

The simulations built on ESP can get FAA/JAR approval for any level of simulation, up to and including full flight simulation. The product supports 5 levels of complexity. Out of the box: This is light weight simulation. Add hardware: This enables the creation of part task oriented trainers. Cockpit seat oriented hardware. This enables the creation of fixed based trainers with varying degrees of fidelity (it all depends on the simulation code that is added by the user of the product). Flat panel crew orientation: This involves simulating the cockpit with displays and touch screens. Full motion simulation.

ESP has an API for communicating with outside programs, such as CBT as well as outside hardware.

The cost is dependent on the user's volume license - it can vary from $500 for a low cost student seat to $900 for a low volume instructor's seat. Once the engine is on the computer, that seat can run an infinite number of simulations and scenarios at no additional cost to Microsoft (the simulation vendor of course can charge for his simulations running on the platform any way he chooses.)

Version 1 came out this month (January 2008). Version 2 is scheduled for late 2009, and version 3 in 2011 or 2012.

Graphics are brought in from any editor that will export into a BGL format.


Adobe Acrobat 3D - Rak Bhalla This product is all about repurposing 3D assets to maximize their value to a company.

A recent survey revealed that best-in-class companies tend to leverage their 3D design data by using it in may places, not just engineering.

Rak proceeded to introduce the product - Acrobat 3D. It is a superset of all acrobat products. It converts multiple CAD formats to compressed PDF that can be viewed with any free Acrobat reader.

He then demonstrated the use of Acrobat 3D. He showed some examples of how the resulting PDF can be used.

1. An interactive order form for parts in a brake assembly.2. Service manuals for service personnel with 3D images embedded.3. Embedded Flash animations working with the images and interactive questions.

These types of interactive training manuals can also report to an LMS with AICC or SCORM student data.

Rak then demonstrated how to take a PowerPoint presentation and embed 3D graphics in it. He then exported the PowerPoint presentation to create a PDF. Inside the PDF he then showed how to create links to different views of the same object. The result is that instead of requiring 10 (or more) PowerPoint frames for each link to a different view of the same object, only one page is needed with the links to 10 different views of the same 3D graphic.

Managing e-Learning for Aviation Training with ATMS - Bill Carson, AQT SolutionsBill Carson described ATMS. ATMS was created to solve problems in aviation training. So it includes: Currency - schedules training and manages expirations Compliance - ensures FAR, JAR, etc are met.Communication - insures trainers and instructors know where they are scheduled.The system also integrates with crew scheduling and manpower planning. It can also schedule classrooms, FTD, simulator, and CBT/WBT.

Simulation-Based Training - Andy Moon - AerosimSimulation based training includes a Virtual Flight Deck (VFD) and Virtual Procedures Training (VPT). VFD - the cockpit is represented on the computer screen or multiple screens.VPT - integrates hardware and screens with touch.

VFD integrates interactive schematics with the cockpit simulation and allows lessons, free play with the simulation, and snapshots of a given instant in a simulation scenario.


Andy then went on to describe the training Aerosim is working on with Northwest Airlines. The NWA training is divided into Lessons, Modules, Topics, and Sections. Modules are comparable to what the AICC refers to as Assignable Units (or AUs). These are the segments that report student data to the LMS.

NWA puts the course built with Aerosim tools on a 4 gig thumb drive. The content and the student records are stored on the thumb drive. No runtimes or other software need be on the student hard disk. The entire program runs from the thumb drive. This solves multiple configuration problems. When the student connects with the LMS on the internet, the student data will automatically be uploaded from the thumb drive.

30 Jan 2008Adobe Acrobat Connect Overview and Look Forward - Peter Ryce - AdobeThe goal is to solve on-line communication problems. The faster you can communicate, the more successful you can be. Peter showed a graph with the vertical axis labeled effectives and the bottom labeled cost. The most effective, but highest cost communication is person to person (upper right of the graph). Adobe tries to get as close as possible to that person to person experience with Connect - at a much lower cost.

Adobe PresenterAdobe Presenter may be bought as a stand-alone product or as a part of a connect suite of applications. Presenter uses PowerPoint for on-line presentations, because PowerPoint is so familiar to so many developers. The construction of the presentation is the same as if the developer were in PowerPoint itself - because he is in PowerPoint. However, the PowerPoint files are converted to Flash format by Presenter. Thus they become much more lightweight and easily delivered over the Web with a product like Connect.

Peter then showed some examples that were developed with Presenter to demonstrate how sophisticated the end product could become. Presenter allows the addition of questions and reporting student activity back to an LMS if desired - using AICC or SCORM protocols. Connect can act as a mini LMS and record student data.

Essentially the developer lives inside a PowerPoint environment as he builds his presentation/training. What Present does is add metadata with questions, branching, etc information.

Adobe Acrobat Connect Meeting RoomConnect eliminates many barriers to the entire on-line learning environment - the only thing required on a machine is the Flash player.

During an on-line presentation, all the slides are being converted to Flash frames on the fly, thus taking much less bandwidth than sending a full screen image. Future frames are sent and cached during the presentation so only a few bites are needed to synchronize progress of all the viewers with what is being presented. Hence, Connect can even work on a dial-up connection. Even live video is converted to Flash.


The Connect Meeting Room can be ready for meetings with virtually no notes - 30 seconds. The room is always there, so you do not have to schedule around it. All training materials can be in the room and ready to use anytime. The meeting room can be scheduled or ad hoc.

You can also record a meeting - the recording is automatically indexed so it is easier to find a particular segment of a previous meeting. You can also play a previous meeting just as if you were there.

Connect can be purchased to run on your own server, or you can by it hosted by Adobe.

Adobe Flex and AIR Overview - Lee Brimelow - Adobe

Adobe FlexFlex 3 is a structured development framework for creating long-term training programs that may be delivered as Flash files. You can use Flex Builder IDE which uses MXML, ActionScript, and Flex class libraries to compile into a SWF file. Then the program runs in a browser just liked Flash files.

The benefits of Flex are Rich library of UI controls Powerful Eclipse based IDEFlex builder runs inside Eclipse

Lee then showed some examples of Flex applications. Flex was invented because Flash development is very complex. Flex simplifies the development of applications. Buzzword - an online word processor developed with Flex. Sherwin-Williams - color visualizer/configurator. You can select colors for a house or rooms in your house.

Adobe AIRAIR allows Web developers to use existing technologies to build and deploy rich internet applications to the desktop. It leverages Flash, HTML, and PDF to create desktop apps. The result is an AIR file - a sort of Zip file. After sending over the internet it can be installed at which time it becomes an .exe file (on Windows). However the app does need an AIR runtime to work on the computer.

The AIR feature set includes Network detection File I/O Custom window chrome Multi-windows Native menu Drag & drop and clipboard System trey and dock Notification


Application/installer signer Application icons File type registrations Background applications And moreTools to create AIR applications include Fl, Fx, and Dw.

AIR apps can Integrate with other desktop apps Use local resources like the hard disk Run apps in the background Maintain a persistent connect with the user Allow a fully customized user interface.AIR 1.0 will be released in Feb 2008.

Lee then showed a couple of examples of applications that have been built in AIR.Digimix - an audio mixing toolEbay - a desktop version of Ebay. It can get system level notifications when things happen, so the user can get real time updates on auctions. It offers several enhancements over an in-browser use of Ebay. AIR has a built in HTML renderer, so the user of this app can see seller generated adds for auction sales items.

AIR has no graphic design tools inside. You must import graphics from Photoshop or Flash.

Informal Learning on the Spot Using FlockPod - Ms Janhavi Padture - HarbingerFlockPod is a social interaction pod for informal learning. eLearning is getting more important but there are concerns about learner disengagement and a lack of interactivity.

According to a study by Capital Works, 70% of learning is informal. Forrester Research on informal learning studied two cases where companies introduced informal learning - Reuters and Subaru.

eLearning today includes LMS/LCMS, authoring tools, live collaboration tools (virtual classroom), and Web 2.0 - wikis, blogs, podcasts, and social networks. But there is no informal learning technology.

That is what FlockPad is all about. It enables user generated content, and extends formal learning with informal approaches.

FlockPod is a widget that floats on top of any web page. 5 different interactions are available on FlockPod. The objective is to encourage social learning and enable content augmentation. The Flocktiviies include Links FAQ Debates and discussions


Tag cloud - shared search Surveys

It uses the SaaS model (software as a service). To work with FlockPod all you need is a browser and Flash on your machine. An administrator can create a pod and assign a pod manager for each pod that he creates. He can also have managers of multiple pods with separate managers for each pod under other pods.

A single sign-on can enable access to multiple FlockPods. There can be public and private FlockPods.

Advantages of FlockPods include Help learners break out of self study silo. Add FlockPod to an LMS. Conduct on the spot user surveys. Prototyping. Maintain deployed courses. Gain insights about content from contributions. Benefit from collective wisdom. Rank information relevancy. Harness user generated knowledge.

SumTotal: Sum Total Training - Bill Docherty - SumTotalBill provided a little SumTotal background. Click2Learn merged with Docent to form SumTotal in 2004. Then Pathlore was acquired in 2005, and MindSolve was acquired in 2006. SumTotal now has over 820 employees all over the world.

LMS market drivers include Talent management- recruitment, performance, learning, compensation. SaaS (software as a service)Talent management is a growing market. It has grown about 17% a year since 2004.

LMS is a core market for SumTotal but performance and compensation management were acquired with MindSolve.

SumTotal has about 1500 customers. It also has enterprise solutions and on-demand solutions that include: Total LMS Total CMS Total Performance Total Compensation

SumTotal products support standards, including AICC, SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004, and Skilsoft OLSA.


Learning Industry ObservationsThere is a need to focus on improving existing LMS capabilities.There is interest in delivering content to mobile devices.There is wider adoption of LCMS.The capture and re-use of tacit knowledge is still a big challenge.

Oracle: Trends Driving Oracle's Product Strategy - Jonathan Vinoskey, OracleThere are three key trends.

1. Engagement: 90% of engaged employees will stay on the job. However 70% of non engaged employees will also stay on the job. Learning opportunities enhance engagement. 1 out of 5 workers are highly disengaged.

2. Integration of Recruiting, Career development, Performance, and Succession. Learning must be integrated with all of these.

3. Informal Learning. Employees learn from each other.

A very interesting discussion followed covering a wide range of topics. The value of IM circles was described and challenged. A Googling verses metadata discussion. Mining IM's pros and cons. How do you find company wisdom? How intrusive can a company be on its employees? You should have been here.

Rapid Simulation Development - Ken Speru, HumentumThe Humentum product provides an opportunity to create decision trees without programming. It can capture tacit knowledge and pass it on.

We learn from experience. So create simulations to replicate experience.Ken showed an example from the pharmaceutical industry. Compliance is not a problem in this industry. All salesmen know the rules. But they still may not follow the rules. So the challenge of compliance training is to motivate compliant behavior. In this example we see how an experience may be captured, not just knowledge. This is one of the powers of story telling.

Simulations are about critical thinking. You can capture scenarios that force you to 1 Think2 Experience the consequences3 Interact and feedback.

Simulations can provide an opportunity to try things out. You capture information in Excel. Start with the story - no branching - just the straight thru story. Then plug the story into "TrackBuilder" - the simulation authoring platform. TrackBuilder then publishes to a Flash program.

Ken then showed another example involving a call center.

Simulation in 5 steps.


1. Design a scorecard: Goals and boundaries for capturing content. What are you measuring?

2. Establish storyline/events: Challenges - Who are you interacting with?3. Create a cast and background: Provide context.4. Enable triggering: Provide consequences and feedback.5. Apply scoring.

Platform architecture. TrackBuilder is on an access database. It is a series of media assets. Three simulations can be seen on the Web showing you how to build simulations.www.trackbuilder.net/TBAIwww.trackbuilder.net/TBSAwww.trackbuilder.net/TBGS

31 Jan 2008Authorware End-of-Development: Current Status and Future Direction - Ellen Wagner, Adobe.Agenda Review decision Update on response to concerns Review data from AICC survey Have an opportunity to vent

Background on Authorware.In 1991 three companies came together to form Macromedia. Authorware existed for about 5 years before that.

Enterprises with complex training needs depend on Authorware. The demand for Authorware has been declining for about 11 years. The focus of the training community has shifted to the Web and Flash.

Adobe announced the end of Authorware development on August 3, 2007.Adobe underestimated the impact of the decision on large enterprise customers. It also underestimated the ongoing need for file format conversion, migration advisement, enablement, and support as a result of the first decision affecting business customers.

What Adobe is doing about it?

1. Focus on extending the value of the current Authorware investments with an eLearning roadmap.

2. Must address current concerns while building a bridge to the next wave of Web 2.0 authoring tools.

3. Nov - Announced a 6-point response plan with a commitment to update the status on January of 2008 - namely now.

The 6-Point Plan:


1. Business continuity. Engineering has been brought back to "extend the tail" focusing on the player. Adobe has also contracted with Tom King to advise on eLearning and the standards community.

2. File Conversion. Will Adobe support Authorware 2 files? Maybe. UPS actually learned from the Adobe experience. (The question asked by sr. management was how this will impact the entire company? UPS had to audit the whole company to see what software is used by the many parts of the company. In the future, the impact of such decisions can be assessed more easily.) Adobe has to reach out to organizations to give customers a range of options to respond to conversion needs. Already some white papers have been produced - for instance one with SumTotoal indicating how to migrate to Toolbook. (Neil - Is there a central place for this information? No you need to look at multiple places to see all these posts. AICC website will be one place. But we need a resource hub where you can get a sort of overview of what's being done and what's available. Do we have telecoms? Do we have a wiki? How do we do this?)

3. Migration. From Authorware to what? There are certainly Presenter, Connect, Captivate, Flash, Acrobat/Acrobat 3d, and Flex possibilities. (ed. Note: all of these are coincidentally Adobe products) What products and combinations of products best meet the customer's needs?

4. Next Generation Enterprise Content Authoring. Companies have an opportunity to move on to the next big thing. We have currently 2 authoring levels – 1) high level tools and 2) programming. The niche filled by Authorware was between those two. Without Authorware, we need something now between the two levels.

5. Enablement. Provide training and templates to address new authoring skills. 6. Community and Communication. AICC, ADL, and LETSI are communities to

maintain communication with. The first annual Adobe Learning Summit was Nov 8-9, 2007. In 2008 Adobe will have another Learning Summit. There are white papers at www.adobe.com. Coming in 2008 is the creation of an eLearning advisory council/technical working group.

Bill McDonald suggested that a textual description of interactivity in a lesson could be a helpful intermediate. This textual description would be valuable if available to go into an authoring system and be able to be exported from an authoring system. It would be an invaluable tool to insulate business from the pain of authoring tools disappearing.

Fred Banks: Will new tools be more cost effective or less? Are we going to need 2 or more tools to accomplish the same training tasks? Ans: Cost effective and capability are a moving target. In the future we may not want to accomplish the same tasks.

For any product, there are maintenance points: points at which you must do something just to maintain the operation of the product. You cannot buy a house and never paint it. That maintenance point, whatever it might be caused by, may be the opportunity to migrate to a new tool.

George Uhrich: We have studied conversions and come to some realizations. You normally do not want to just convert. It is more likely that you will want to modernize the


content. Maybe the problem is media going from 640x480 to higher resolution. Or maybe going from bitmaps to vector graphics.

Schawn Thropp: Is there a possible common courseware interchange language that would capture maybe 80% of the logic. Ans. Tyde Richards: We have lived through a number of solutions that never gained enough traction. First there was ScriptX, then a few years later TickleTK, then ODF.Bill McDonald: In 1995 the AICC made an AGR (recommendation) that tool makers support an export format in text. This text would be human readable and a computer processable. This description could be unique to the vendor but it would be available to the user. It would provide the mythical 80% solution. But vendors did not support the concept. There was nothing in it for them.

Tom King then described the AICC Survey.At the St Louis meeting of the AICC (Sep) it was proposed that the AICC conduct a survey to gather information on how the Adobe decision impacts businesses.

The result gathered information from 35 different companies. Not all are aviation oriented companies. The results can be found at http://www.aicc.org/docs/misc/AICC-Report-Final-Aw_Impacts.pdf

Data includesSize of organization respondingHow long they have been using Authorware based contentSize of content catalogEstimates of investment in man years for Authorware coursewareLearners using content per monthContent delivered via internet vs localDoes content require software augmentation?How damaging is it if Authorware becomes unusableHow will you manage or reduce risk?Have Adobe actions affected decisions for selecting another Adobe application?And many more.

Fred Banks: Authorware 8 was going to include an Authorware to SWF player. The option to create SWF files would allow us to maintain and move forward.Ellen Wagner. It is not trivial to make it work. Extensions make a SWF player problematic. It is not a current priority of the engineering support effort.

Neil Cramer: Can you assure us that the Authorware file will be able to play in VISTA?Ellen: Yes. There is a 90% chance that we can supply that.

Dave Jacobson: At least 50% of Authorware lessons do not have extensions. So a SWF conversion would be able to handle 50% just fine.


Adobe is currently working on runtime support for Vista and IE 7. It is in pre alpha and not tested yet.

Bill McDonald: Is there a notion as to when you will be able to make a definite statement?Ellen Wagner: Adobe will support the player. But we cannot commit to adapting to 3 years of MS service pack changes. Maybe a year of engineering support, maybe more. It depends on the customer base and feedback.

Fred Banks: Moving on. Note that Authoware add-ons like API's, DLL's, and ODBC calls etc are much less important now than when they were invented.

Next Steps:Concepts of source code, object code, run time, external resources, and export formats need to be explored.Shawn Thropp: Need a central hub where AICC, ADL, etc can point to as a source of good data.Maybe we should take the survey again (ADL) to get more information on the impact, and tactical decision help. We could raise awareness/visibility. Maybe it needs to be more diagnostic than alarmist. It could answer questions like, "Which is more important, running in VISTA or running in IE 7?"

Tom K: Is anyone interested in once or twice a month teleconference on these issues? We can avoid the 6 month to 2 year silence cycle.

Ellen W: The next Adobe eLearning summit will be around November 10, 2008.

Tom K: A next step would be to create a working group with Adobe support but not Adobe leadership. It could work on getting samples. It could become a collection point for samples, ideas, etc.

Bill M: The AICC wants to collect issues. Send us your problems. [email protected]

Tom K: Would like to see a knowledge base. Consolidate multiple inputs into a searchable knowledgebase.

Mike Sharp: What will be done in the future to avoid this problem? Will new tools have export capability? Will new Adobe tools consider this?

There are at least two sets of responsibilities:Adobe: Summit and Boards.AICC: Futures, an AGR on the subject, White papers, and themes for future meetings.

The AICC has an address: [email protected]. If you want to participate in a work group on Authorware, send us an email.


Using XML-Based State-Engine-Driven Instructional Interactions in Flash – David Castillo, Concurrent TechnologiesDavid talked about the three main components of a simulation-based training system: Student, Instructor, and the Simulation.

He then went into the anatomy of a reusable object. In his simulation world he can reuse lamps (2 states), switches/buttons (2 states), 3-position/multi-position selectors, dials, digital readouts, barrel dials, gages, etc.

Tools that he has developed to help him in his development of a simulation (based on a state network) is

1. Run time visualization tool – what does the state network look like at any given time, and

2. Event recorder – a run time record.

Lessons learned from building simulations:

1. Skinning: Recommends use of custom components rather than trying to use generic components with Flash skins.

2. Live preview: An essential part of the development environment.3. Helper icons: invaluable.4. Instructional cues: important to have.

Architecture – 3 layers:

1. User interface2. Control object3. Model layer

He then showed and demonstrated a state chart example – a stop watch.

David then discussed the state engine development process. First is the base network with states, transitions, and triggers. Next are the actions: 1) internal, 2) on enter, 3) on leave, and 4) activities. The state engine development process is then one of event management.

He identified 4 levels of interactivity:

1. Page turner2. Some degree of choice3. More choices4. Simulation

He then described a chart that shows when you need each level.


Finally, David described what he calls the presentation engine. Here everything is defined in XML (including the operation of the state engine). The player pulls in the XML document and uses it to create the program.

Authorware Transformation – Robby Robson, Eduworks and Kris Rockwell, Hybrid Learning Systems.Robby described a vision – the transformation of content, not just the conversion from Authorware to a different set of tools.The process of transformation requires that you

1. Understand2. Export3. Convert4. Enhance5. Update, and 6. Publish

He then provided a description of his vision of the next generation of eLearning.

First Generation of eLearning Next Generation of eLearning

Whole courses with linear sequencing Granular and adaptive learning

Developed by highly skilled staff Developed and evolved by a community

Single context and prupose Adaptable to multiple contexts and purposes

Hard to find Tagged and searchable

Hard coded Multiple layers

Proprietary delivery platform Open standards and interoperability

The next gen content will include layers:

1. Content – just one layer2. Presentation3. Structure4. Context5. Pedagogy

Standards and best practices will be an important part of the next gen of eLearning.


Authorware conversion is the process of providing a new copy of old courseware.Transformation involves adding value to the old courseware. The result of transformation is

1. Durability – because of the standard formats2. Portability – again standards (like SCORM)3. Reusability – because of separate layers4. Discoverability – metadata tagging5. Maintainability – not dependant on a single tool6. Learnility – enabled by the pedagogic layer

Steps (back to the beginning of the presentation:

1. Understand – the content, presentation, structure and pedagogy in the learning experience.

2. Export3. Convert – to DHTML or other standard presentation format.4. Enhance – add metadata, objectives, ISD strategy, etc.5. Update, and 6. Publish

Transformation involves taking content out of existing files and putting it in a repository. Understanding how the course is structured, then rebuilding the content and the structure.

This cannot all be automated. It takes work. Especially if external assets are to be used. An additional challenge is to make the content usable in different formats, such as DHTML and DITA (an XML architecture for technical information.)

Robby and Kris then showed a conversion example – live –using a Java program to covert segments of an Authorware lesson to DHTML. Robby then demonstrated the use of an Eduware tool called Tenario.

Best Practices on Courseware Conversion – Abhijit Navale, Hurix LearningAuthorware – what next? The options:

1. Leave it as it is2. Convert it as is3. Convert it enhanced4. Convert it re-vamped – create a different learning experience for the student.

The decision is a business one that depends on a number of factors.

1. By when?2. How? What process?3. Predictable and certain?4. To what?


5. At what cost?

It is possible to take Authorware courseware and add features, with high maintainability, aligned with the latest company training model, multiple output formats, and using best practices.

The Hurix approach has been followed for a number of customers with 100’s of hours of courseware. Hurix has been converting Authorware for about four years. It has converted over a 1000 hours. During that period Hurix has evolved a model of analysis called the 3-Dimensional ConCube analysis model – because analysis is critical.After the analysis you then determine the customer’s needs – edits or enhancements?An XML approach makes courseware flexible.Hurix has experienced consultants in Courseware conversion. They can make conversion cost effective, easy and speedy.

The overall process is to first analize, then build an external XML engine to handle the content and media, and finally you have multi-platform-ready content.

The 3 dimensions of media analysis are:

1. Screen type: static, animated, interactive, and template.2. Media complexity: 0 – no media, 1- line art or photo, 2 – complex, 3 – highly

complex.3. Media intervention: no work, need enhancements, redraw.

Once the decision is made and all the media is ready, an XML file is made. At run time, the Flash program reads the XML then goes out and gets the assets and puts them on screen and pulls in the appropriate templates to play the program.

Speed, Simplicity, Flexibility. Publishing and Managing Technical Documentation and Training Materials in the “Real World”. – Maria McGinn and Daniel Lemieux, EEDO.Maria provided an over view of an EEDO product called EEDO Publisher.It uses document authoring functions in MS Word. Thus the user is in a familiar environment. Using Word, you can create a master document and be able to output in multiple formats.

1. PowerPoint slides2. Instructor/leader guides3. Student/participant guides4. WBT (HTML)5. Job aid6. Quiz/test7. E-Reference8. Checklists


Dan then demonstrated how EEDO Publisher works. The master document has graphics, questions, everything to enable it to generate multiple documents, including PowerPoint slides, training, etc. Dan exported a couple of documents from the master in real time to show how they differed in purpose.

EEDO provides full integration with ForceTen (the EEDO LCMS). The storage of everything is a single source knowledgebase which allows the reuse of all assets.

Dan then demonstrated the ForceTen Structure Builder.


AICC Subcommittee Working Group MeetingMeeting MinutesJanuary 28th - Feburary 1st, 2008San Jose, California USA

This AICC meeting was hosted by Adobe Systems

Presentation Presenter

Monday, January 28th

Management and Processes Subcommittee Update Bruce Perrin, BoeingCMI Activities overview / CSA Discussion Bill McDonald, Alteon (Boeing

Commercial Airplanes)CSA Use Cases Ed Cohen, PlateauMetadata Working Group - IEEE LOM XML Schema and Profiling the XML binding

Bill Shook, Boeing

SVG update Jean-Louis Bravo, Airbus LETSI Update Avron Barr, ADLCommunications & Industry Affairs Subcommittees Tom King, AICC Communications

Tuesday, January 29th

Welcome from Adobe Don Walker, Sr. Director PPBU, AdobeChairman's Report Niel Cramer, AICC Chair (Northwest

Airlines)Microsoft ESP as a Revolutionary Aviation Training Platform Scott Andersen, Microsoft Adobe Acrobat 3D Rak Rbhalla, AdobeManaging e-Learning for Aviation Training with ATMS Bill Carson, AQT SolutionsAerosim Simulation Based Training VFD Andy Moon, Aerosim

Wednesday, January 30th

Adobe Connect Overview and Look Forward Peter Ryce, AdobeAdobe Flex and AIR for Rich Internet Application Lee Brimelow, Adobe Flex/Air GroupHarbinger: Informal Learning On the Spot using FlockPod (www.flockpod.com)

Ms. Janhavi Padture, Harbinger


http://adobe.com/

Sum Total: Sum Total Training Bill Docherty, Sum TotalOracle: Trends Driving Oracle's Product Strategy Jonathan Vinoskey, OracleNew Advances in Linking Excel and Flash in Delivery of Simulations

Ken Spero, Humentum

Thursday, January 31st

Authorware End-of-Life Discussions - Adobe Authorware Presentation

Ellen Wagner, Senior Director, World-Wide eLearning Solutions, Adobe

Authorware End-of-Life Discussions - Authorware Survey Summary

Tom King, AICC Communications

Authorware End-of-Life Discussions - Authorware Survey Data Tom King, AICC CommunicationsUsing XML-Based State-Engine-Driven Instructional Interactions in Flash

David Castillo, Concurrent Technologies

Authorware Conversion Robby Robson, EduworksBest Practices On Courseware Conversion Abhijit Navale, Hurix LearningSpeed, Simplicity, Flexibility. Publishing and Managing Technical Documentation and Training Materials in the “Real World”

Maria McGinn & Daniel Lemieux, EEDO

Adobe eLearning White Papers Ellen Wagner, Senior Director, World-Wide eLearning Solutions, Adobe

Friday, Feburary 1st

LETSI Discussion on Content Packaging Tyde Richards, LETSI


Documents

AICC Subcommittee Working Group Meeting€¦ · Web view7 AICC Subcommittee Working Group Meeting Meeting Minutes January 28th - February 1st, 2008 San Jose, California USA. 8 Jan