Adobe Captivate as a Tool to Create eLearning Scenarios Matthew Duvall Drexel University United States
[email protected] This paper examines the appropriateness of Adobe Captivate 7.0 for creating eLearning scenarios to enhance online education. As part of a larger design-based research project focused on empowering pre-service teachers to use scenarios in online courses, one researcher identified key benefits and drawbacks to this software as a scenario solution. The researcher found that like any technology, Captivate has both affordances and constraints, but is a valid option for creating scenarios in specific contexts. Objectives This paper examines the appropriateness of Adobe Captivate 7.0 for creating eLearning scenarios to enhance online education. By creating a tutorial that will be used as part of a larger design-based research project focused on empowering pre-service teachers to use scenarios in online courses, one researcher identified key benefits and drawbacks to this software as a scenario solution. The researcher is a graduate student with five years' previous experience as a high school teacher and more than ten years' experience as a computer programmer. The research team selected Adobe Captivate because it is a popular software application that is often mentioned for creating eLearning content. This paper addresses two questions: (1) What are affordances of Adobe Captivate 7.0 for creating scenarios? (2) What are its constraints? Background Online learning is a growing trend in higher education. In 2011, for example, 7 million students in the US alone were enrolled in at least one online course, accounting for 32% of total enrollment at those institutions, up from just 10% in 2002 (Allen & Seaman, 2013). However, many educational stakeholders still express doubts about the effectiveness of online courses. Some key concerns are poor retention rates, lack of innovative instructional design, and the shifting roles of teachers and learners. In a survey that included both administrators and faculty, Kim and Bonk (2006) found that in regards to online courses, most respondents "still see learning as content-driven, not based on social interactions and distributed intelligence. The emphasis remains on a knowledgetransmission approach" (Kim & Bonk, 2006, p. 25). Scenarios offer one solution to this problem. For the purposes of this paper, an eLearning scenario is any digitally developed environment that includes a description of a situation, questions with a variety of options, and feedback (more than just right/wrong) for the learner (Shepherd, 2012). Scenarios provide anchored instruction (Bransford et al., 2005) along with situated and authentic learning (Barab & Plucker, 2002; Gresalfi & Barab, 2011). Researchers have argued that learning is most effective when students collaborate to solve realistic problems in richly detailed real-world settings (Cambridge University Press, 2009). In addition to creating higher engagement in online settings, scenarios may also be appropriate in a number of learning settings, including K-12 education and workplace training.
The Captivate Tutorial Project There is no checklist of activities for creating scenarios; however, there are suggested best practices for instructional designers and teachers to follow. Quinn (2005) described an approach for creating full-fledged simulation games, but scenarios generally follow a similar process: (1) (Re-)Analysis, (2) (Re-)Specification, (3) (Re-)Implementation, and (4) (Re)Evaluation. The (Re-) is included to show that this is an iterative process, and that the steps do not necessarily occur in lock-step order. Our approach to creating a tutorial for educators interested in using Adobe Captivate to create eLearning scenarios followed a similar development cycle, as part of our larger designbased research (DBR) project (Cobb, Confrey, diSessa, Lehrer, & Schauble, 2003; Wang & Hannafin, 2005) for improving teachers' understanding of, and desire to use, scenarios in online learning. More specifically, the researcher worked with his supervising professor (a 20-year clinical professor and program director of the learning technologies program) and instructional designers from the university to create a tutorial that would be easy to understand, while still providing enough technical information to help the reader get started with Captivate—all while introducing the concept of scenarios in an informative and concise manner. The resulting product will next be used in a masters-level learning technology course, with the additional feedback leading to further evaluation and modifications. However, as part of this tutorial creation process the researcher analyzed the Adobe Captivate software for both its affordances and constraints as an application for creating eLearning scenarios. Results Affordances In terms of affordances, Captivate is a powerful and popular tool for creating online content. Its popularity means that there is a broad array of support systems available, from official Adobe video tutorials to unofficial affinity discussion boards where users trade tips and tricks. The software provides multiple ways to easily include video, animations, and other interactive visual elements that are key to learner engagement, with a built-in help system to assist with navigating these items. A key feature of Captivate is its assessment system. In addition to basic right/wrong questions and answers (which do not fit well with scenarios), it also allows for multiple answer, free text entry, and Likert-scaled responses. The application also provides a variety of feedback options, including detailed text based on user responses. Feedback is one of the most important components of scenario-based learning, because there is often not one single "right" answer, and the learner needs to be informed of the potential benefits and drawbacks to selecting different courses of action (Clark, 2013). Finally, Captivate offers educators a number of deployment options for the media they create, including YouTube videos or modules that are fully integrated into a Learning Management System such as BlackBoard. The integration with an LMS makes for easier sharing with students in online classes, and also allows the teacher to build in additional support, such as a tutorial for using the scenario or a discussion board for students to share their insights with each other. It also allows any scored assessments to be added directly to the gradebook, if desired. Constraints At the same time, there are certain aspects of Captivate that can be problematic for scenario creators. The complexity of the output available also means there is a certain amount of complexity inherent in the application. That is, a novice Captivate user will have to spend some
time simply learning how to use the technology before applying it. This is one of the reasons the researchers created a tutorial for this project; although there are a number available, none of the ones reviewed were specifically geared toward educators looking to use the software for the specific purpose of scenarios. Secondly, while there are scenario-friendly features (such as non-linear navigation and multiple-response questions) available in Captivate, the underlying perspective of the application is still very traditional and follows a more behavioristic approach. For example, the assessments are referred to in the software as "quizzes," and non-linear navigation takes a bit of effort to accomplish. Its primary design seems to be for a more straightforward, traditional "skill and drill" approach to teaching, which can make scenario creation more difficult, especially for more complex or branching scenarios. Finally, the cost of Captivate is not negligible. While there is a free 30-day trial version, the full version costs in the hundreds of dollars, a steep expense for educators who do not have a large budget to spend on such tools. Conclusion Overall, Adobe Captivate is a valid tool to use for developing scenarios, but it is not the only tool. Neither can it be said to be "the best" tool—because "best" is a term that will change depending on the individual using a tool and the context in which it is used. Instead, it might be referred to as an acceptable tool, under the right circumstances and when used by the right person(s).
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