Author: Yerbol Adamov

Gamification features and many new ways to individualise Learning Objects, with the help of a plethora of new options and functions for creators of digital educational content. After introducing Karaoke in 4.11, Avallain Author 4.12 now offers an additional Activity Type for gamified learning: “Hangman”. In addition, content creators gain access to multiple new options they can use to create bespoke learning environments for an even more individual learning experience.

New Activity Type: “Hangman”

Learning Objects can now include a Hangman-style puzzle game in which learners are required to choose from among various letters to fill the gaps in a short phrase or text. Correct answers are automatically revealed while incorrect choices use up one of a predetermined number of chances until either the correct answer is revealed in its entirety or the learner runs out of attempts.

This new Activity Type can be used to improve learner motivation through gamification. Content creators can determine how many chances learners get to guess correctly and they can choose at which point the correct answer is revealed and scored. The “Hangman” Activity Type is fully customisable using the Design Packages, allowing content creators to set up a large number of different games using the same game logic.

Avallain Author’s Enterprise clients are free to change the name, as the traditional label “Hangman” can be seen as politically incorrect. This feature actually applies to all Activity Types, so users can further individualise their authoring experience and align it to their business culture.

New Option: Reset Whole LO

Offer your learners a do-over using this new option. When enabled, learners can choose to reset all activities within a Learning Object by clicking on a single button. They are then taken back to the beginning of the very first interactive activity of the Learning Object. This option saves time when choosing to re-do an entire Learning Object.

New Syntax: Item-specific feedback per attempt

Avallain Author users can now use the Check Max Attempts option to determine item-specific text feedback. Learners receive this feedback when they reach certain thresholds. For example, when a learner still hasn’t found the solution after the third attempt, the feedback might provide more specific clues to the correct answer to give them that final ‘push’ and an adaptive learning experience.

New Values: Send Scores

Content creators can now limit how many times learners are allowed to submit their scores. The new options include unlimited submissions as well as one submission only. Thus, users of Avallain Author can choose whether learners will need to make every submission count or get to try again and again.

New enhancements: eBook linking, fluid learning environments and improved Metadata Editor

Avallain Author version 4.12 also includes several general enhancements designed to allow content creators and learners to fully express their creativity:

• The new Content Message syntax enables Avallain Author users to link to specific eBook pages from within a Learning Object as long as both are mounted within the Avallain Unity Platform.
• When integrated into the Avallain Unity Platform, learners can now go back and forth between Learning Objects using a single button. Thus, moving between Learning Objects is now easier than ever and provides a smooth experience when navigating through the learning software.
• The Learning Object Metadata Editor has been enhanced to give content creators the ability to modify multiple instances of metadata simultaneously. In addition, the user interface has been simplified and streamlined to enable more efficiency when creating or editing metadata.   

New enhancements are on the horizon

Avallain Author version 4.12 is bigger and better than ever thanks to a multitude of new activities, options and improvements. “That’s what it’s all about,” says Max Bondi, Product Manager Avallain Author. “With every new version, Avallain Author has become more powerful, more sophisticated and more accessible. Likewise, the learning objects created by our customers have become ever more effective and innovative at teaching learners all over the world. We are sure that “Hangman” and all of the other enhancements in this version will once again inspire content creators to create the best e-learning materials they can. We will be taking a good look at how they use the new functionalities and use their feedback to further enhance the program with Avallain Author 4.13, coming in three months.”

More options mean more individualised learning experiences. Avallain Author update 4.10 demonstrated this by giving content creators more creative freedom when designing text boxes and feedback dialogue. Among other enhancements, Avallain Author version 4.11 now focuses on new options to plot out individual paths that learners can take through the materials.

New Option: Adaptive Learning

With Avallain Author version 4.11, content creators can further individualise their learners’ learning experiences according to each student’s personal progress: Using the LO Option Show Forward, content creators can lead learners to different screens according to their performance on the current screen.

For example, learners who score below 50 % can be sent to an additional screen for further revision, while learners scoring above that margin will be moved on to the next part of the exercise. This allows learners to organically improve upon subjects they struggle with while other learners can quickly move past exercises at which they already excel.

New Syntax: Karaoke

Avallain Author 4.10 encouraged learners to let their voices be heard – version 4.11 teaches them how to sing: Content creators can now highlight song lyrics progressively in sync with a chosen piece of music. The lyrics can be highlighted either sentence by sentence, word by word, syllable by syllable or letter by letter. This is ideal for language courses, as it allows learners to playfully internalise different aspects of a language, such as vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. For increased customisation options, various highlighting styles and colours can be chosen via the Design Pack.

New Option Value: Try again: Hide at 100 %

When creating Learning Objects with the option Try Again, content creators can now make Avallain Author automatically hide the Try Again button once learners have achieved 100 % – even if they still have attempts left. This improves self-paced learning, as learners who achieve 100 % at a task can move on to the following exercises quicker.

New functionality: Design Pack customisation

Content creators with the Project Manager role can now make small adjustments to the look and feel of learning materials, such as changing a logo or introducing new icons without replacing the entire Design Pack. This can significantly improve workflow, as individual design elements may be changed quickly and easily without altering the overall design.

New functionality: Publishing with individual Design Packs

Avallain Author 4.11 includes a new function which allows content creators to export Learning Objects together with the Design Packs which were assigned to them in Avallain Author. Multiple Learning Objects can be exported and published together, and the correct Design Packs will be automatically applied to them. This vastly improves the workflow when publishing multiple Learning Objects using different Design Packs within the same project.

New Bookmaker functionality: Pen and highlighter tool thickness

When working on eBooks, content creators can now choose the thickness of the highlighter tool. This opens up new ways to structure highlights in eBooks. For example, content creators may choose to use different pen sizes and colours to differentiate information pertaining to specific subjects within an eBook.

More options for greater creative freedom and individualised learning

Avallain Author 4.11 is all about allowing content creators to further personalise their learning materials. “Individualisation is key to learning success,” says Max Bondi, Product Manager Avallain Author. “That is why the most recent version of Avallain Author focuses on giving content creators more options to plot out adaptive learning paths for their learners to take. We already look forward to seeing in which new directions our customers will take their learners using these new options and functionalities.”

The next version of Avallain Author will be rolled out in 12 weeks. It will build upon our customers’ feedback on the changes made in this update.

Three months ago, Avallain reimagined digital maths learning by including full GeoGebra support in Avallain Author. Now, with the release of Avallain Author version 4.10, another innovation is at hand: The all-new Activity Type Voice which checks and marks recorded learner speech automatically. Together with a plethora of additional options and enhancements, this allows Avallain Author 4.10 users to create highly individualised learning experiences in all areas of digital education.

New Activity Type: Voice

Avallain Author’s new Activity Type Voice gives content creators who have purchased the corresponding 3rd-party license the ability to create speech recording activities which are automatically checked, providing instant feedback. AI-based algorithms identify and understand recorded speech, intelligently comparing it to the desired pronunciation. Even better: The program gives automatic feedback by turning words green if they were pronounced correctly. This immediate feedback is invaluable in preventing learners from turning the occasional mistake into an ingrained pronunciation error.

More options

Existing functionalities have also received several additions and enhancements in Avallain Author 4.10:

New values for Reveal Object

Whenever learners need to go through the materials step-by-step, the Global Option Reveal Object comes into play. Avallain Author 4.10 features two values to provide a high versatility:

• Progressive reveal: This allows learners to progressively reveal text passages by clicking on a corresponding button.
• Progressive plus hide: In addition to revealing text, this value also allows it to be hidden again.

Furthermore, it is now possible to group several paragraphs of hidden text so that they appear together when using the two values.

This option is particularly useful for complex multi-step exercises as it allows learners to go through and understand each step individually.

New LO Option Check Answers Display

Direct feedback is essential during the teaching process, but sometimes, immediate feedback might not be required or desirable. Thus, Avallain Author 4.10 allows content creators to suppress the feedback dialogue which is displayed when learners click on the “Check Answer” button.

Additional editable text boxes for LO Option Show Submit

To fully individualise Learning Objects, the LO Option Show Submit now enables content creators to customise five text boxes:

• Submit button
• Dialogue heading
• Dialogue message
• Confirm button
• Cancel button

This option also allows for individual customising of the tooltip dialogue to suit the needs of specific learning audiences and scenarios.

eBook history function

When authoring eBooks, content creators now have the option of switching to previous versions of the same book by choosing from a list. Thus, mistakes during the authoring process can be easily corrected, making the entire process more efficient.

Deleting individual pages from eBooks

When authoring an eBook, it may be necessary to delete individual pages. Avallain Author now provides content creators with the ability to simply delete such pages completely from the book as well as the option to also delete any solutions pages linked to the deleted page. All following pages are automatically moved forward without breaking any embedded hotspots or audios, ensuring coherence.

Avallain Author 4.10 – the most advanced authoring experience yet

By adding the new Activity Type Voice and several advanced options, Avallain once again uses cutting-edge digital technology to realise the wishes of Avallain Author customers all over the world.

“With Avallain Author 4.10, we make eBook authoring easier than ever and help cut the workload of teachers as well as engage learners by having speech exercises checked and marked automatically by the program,” says Max Bondi, Product Manager Avallain Author. “This enables our customers to create truly unique, individualised and effective learning activities for their learners. We are looking forward to seeing in which direction they will take Avallain Author with their upcoming feedback. The next batch of new features is going to be released in less than 12 weeks.”

It has only been three months since Avallain introduced language switching, video subtitles and many other useful features in Avallain Author version 4.8. Since then, our customers have not only been asking for new options and Activity Type variants to further individualise their users’ learning experience, but for enhanced maths options as well. Thus, seamless GeoGebra integration is becoming a reality with Avallain Author version 4.9.

More options to enhance the learning experience

This time, the focus of the Avallain Author update lies on taking the next big step towards the future when it comes to teaching and learning mathematics in the digital age, and on making things easier for content creators and learners alike.

Autocorrect

The existing Text Correction Activity Type asks learner to both identify and correct mistakes in text. In the spirit of providing even more flexibility to realise various didactic concepts, Avallain Author 4.9 introduces Autocorrect exercises. This new Activity Type only requires learners to find mistakes and corrects them automatically. This enables our customers to train their learners’ ability to understand written text, audios, videos or images and recognise mistakes.

Flash first answer

This new Specific Option allows exercises to automatically display the first answer. Content creators can set the duration for this on a millisecond scale to suit the individual needs of specific learners or groups. For example, an answer might be displayed long enough to be clearly recognised, so as to help the learner understand what they are supposed to do in the exercise. Or the correct answer may only be flashed for a few milliseconds to motivate the learners when starting into a new exercise.

GeoGebra

The world’s leading dynamic mathematics software is now seamlessly integrated into Avallain Author. After purchasing the third-party licence and enabling GeoGebra in the Project Settings, it can be accessed via an icon in all of Avallain Author’s text editors without losing focus. This makes it much quicker and more efficient to add mathematical elements such as

• Graphs
• Formulae
• Dynamic grids

Even better: GeoGebra objects can be embedded in any existing Activity Type. This allows the Activity Type to be validated and scored like normal, despite having GeoGebra objects embedded.

Customised colour codes for marking

The Activity Type Marking (Highlighting) can now employ a wide variety of custom colours in the Design Package. Content creators can even define “named colours”, specifying a particular colour for particular categories and labels (nouns, verbs and so on). If these exact category names are then used in the Syntax of an activity, the colours are automatically applied. This serves to streamline production workflow and increase efficiency.

Various other features included in version 4.9

Avallain Author 4.9 also includes smaller changes and enhancements such as the ability to easily copy and paste Bookmarker Hotspots from one page to another.

All of these changes,” says Max Bondi, Product Manager Avallain Author, “are aimed at improving both our customers’ workflow and, in turn, the learning experience of their users. We are eager to see this newest version of Avallain Author bring e-learning to a new level and we look forward to hearing from our customers about it. Once the jump to 4.10 happens in 12 weeks’ time, they will be happy to find much of their feedback incorporated into this new version of Avallain Author as well.

Once again, we at Avallain have listened closely to our customers’ feedback, implementing suggestions with the latest update to the industry-leading authoring solution Avallain Author. Version 4.7 introduced all-new features for creating new types of engaging learning materials, such as dialogue recording capabilities and the new Proofing Activity Type. This time around, our clients have been asking us to include additional options to further individualise existing activity types – and Avallain Author version 4.8 delivers.

Enhancing learning materials

The new features introduced with Avallain Author 4.8 are focused on providing content creators with additional options. This includes greater possibilities when designing for mobile devices and international audiences:

Language Switch

Avallain Author users can now give learners the ability to change languages via a drop-down-menu quickly. The static text of an activity, including Rubric, Supplements, Attachments, Hints and Activity Feedback, and even the text entered in the content area for specific Activity Types such as Gap Text or Radio Buttons, can be translated into as many languages as the content creators wish. Adapting content to the international market has never been easier.

Question Display

Version 4.8 adds two new values to this Specific Option, allowing our users to set two new behaviours for activities:

“Show next”: After selecting an answer (Radio Buttons) or checking the maximum number of answers (Checkboxes), follow-up questions are automatically displayed underneath the previous question.

“Show next and hide current one on click”: This option functions as the “Show next” option, except it replaces previous questions with new ones instead of displaying new questions underneath old ones.

Both of these options are particularly useful for learners using mobile devices, as they can move from question to question without having their screens cluttered. Thus, learners are not overwhelmed with questions and feel more motivated to answer them.

Order Dependency

This Content Area Option is now also available for learning activities using Radio Buttons. The option gives content creators the ability to create chains of questions dependent on each other: To gain full points, learners must answer the first question correctly and show that they have gained an evidence-based understanding of the topic at hand.

Video subtitles

Today’s learners demand even more sophisticated content. Motion video content, in particular, has become more and more important and thus, Avallain Author 4.8 now includes options for video subtitles for which we have improved the Design Pack support:

“Subtitles”: This option draws from the script of the video to display synchronised subtitles.

“Transcript”: This option opens the transcript and highlights the parts that are spoken in real time.In addition to helping learners digest the information contained in a video, these options are particularly useful for language courses, as they allow learners to follow active speech even more precisely.

Numerous additional improvements

Avallain Author 4.8 also includes a number of features aimed at improving usability and workflow for our clients. One example which Max Bondi, Product Manager Avallain Author, points out, is working with third-party resources:

“Third-party compatibility is especially relevant to content creators drawing from previously developed materials. Thus, version 4.8 now allows our users to include digital learning materials which were not created with Avallain Author as hotspots in e-books, or resources within desktop or mobile apps. Users who do not have the time to use our conversion and migration possibilities to optimise their long-term content strategy can easily include legacy materials quickly whenever the market requires it.”

Aside from new features, Avallain Author 4.8 also includes many overall improvements to its performance and security, as Max Bondi points out:

“All-in-all, we have included about 240 code improvements in this version of our authoring tool. We are certain our customers will use both the new options as well as the countless overall improvements to provide learners with the best learning experience yet.”

With the next update to Avallain Author scheduled to release in only 12 weeks, Avallain is sure to include any feedback our users may have regarding version 4.8.

Avallain is launching a new strategic proof-of-concept project together with Springer Campus, part of Springer Nature and renowned provider of correspondence courses as well as adult education materials.

Using the powerful and highly flexible authoring tool Avallain Author, the partners will jointly enhance already existing course materials and expand them with contemporary activity types and a modernised design.

An experienced partner for Springer Campus

Springer Campus offers a wide range of correspondence and certificate courses, allowing learners to do anything from attaining a Bachelor’s degree in web and media informatics to becoming a certified junior programmer. All of these courses employ a blended learning approach combining classroom sessions at renowned universities with distance learning and e-learning elements. Thus, they are ideally suited for the educational needs of learners in full-time employment.

“Cooperating with our partners at several renowned universities, we have used this approach to create distance learning courses which combine high-quality materials with an individualised didactic design. With this strategy, we have achieved a particularly high level of participant satisfaction,” says Merlet Behncke-Braunbeck, Executive Editor for correspondence courses and adult education at Springer Campus. “To maintain this high standard of quality, our e-learning solutions use best-of-breed solutions exclusively”, she explains, “and thus, we were immediately impressed by Avallain Author.”

Revised and new content, created with Avallain Author

Avallain Author will be used both for revising already existing materials as well as creating entirely new courses within the e-learning area of Springer Campus’ services. This way, course participants will benefit from all the advantages of the advanced authoring tool:

• Learning materials of the highest technical and didactic quality
• Flexible learning processes and intuitive user interfaces
• Perfect integration of materials into existing e-learning structures

“Alongside its widely-recognised quality, Avallain Author’s openness to imports from existing XML sources were undoubtedly two of the main reasons for the e-learning experts at Springer Campus to choose to work with us,” says Markus Hartmann, Director of Professional Services DACH at Avallain, “though Avallain’s experience and consulting expertise probably also played their part in that decision. As a partner with extensive technological as well as editorial experience, we can react to feedback immediately and adapt Avallain Author to the requirements of Springer Campus at any time.”

Creating the future of distance learning with Springer Campus and Avallain

Course participants will probably notice the results of this proof-of-concept project very soon. Thanks to Avallain Author, the materials available will become more flexible and numerous – without losing the great didactic quality which Springer Campus stands for.

After introducing the Maths Quizzes Activity Type and enhanced feedback options in Avallain Author 4.6, today’s update to Avallain’s comprehensive authoring tool adds new Activity Types and options that put learners into a more proactive role while simultaneously improving mobile device usability. We know from listening to our customers’ feedback that many of them already have great plans for these new features.

Avallain Author 4.7 gives them the tools to provide their learners with the most individualised learning experience yet.

New Activity Types

Dialogue Recording

To allow learners to not only listen to but also produce speech as part of their digital education, Avallain Author 4.7 enhances its audio recording options by adding the ability to create dialogue using recorded speech. Thus, learners can take part in a virtual conversation with a pre-recorded partner, honing their language and social skills in virtual scenarios.

The Dialogue Recording Activity Type allows learners to record, play back and re-record their lines individually, as well as swap roles. In addition, they can play back and download the whole conversation after the recording is completed.

In order to provide even more options to individualise the learning experience, content creator can enable learners to adjust the difficulty level by hiding their lines or all lines.

Proofing

Many learners enjoy being allowed to play the part of teacher themselves. Avallain Author 4.7 introduces a new Activity Type in which users are given a text filled with mistakes that they have to identify, categorise and correct.

As of now, there are 9 categories of errors that learners can be asked to correct:

1. Capitalize
2. Lowercase
3. Add period
4. Insert
5. Remove
6. New paragraph
7. Spelling
8. Grammar
9. Indent

The total number of mistakes as well as the number identified so far are displayed to the learner. Thus, learners gain immediate feedback, which has a beneficial effect on their motivation and learning outcome.

New Options

Aside from new Activity Types, Avallain Author 4.7 also introduces various new options for already existing Activity Types, such as:

Gap Behaviour for Drag-and-Drop activities

When it comes to mobile devices, intuitive control schemes are imperative. Thus, we have introduced a new Gap Behaviour Specific Option which makes Drag-and-Drop Activity Types easier to use on touchscreens.

Using the Tap Item Behaviour, learners can simply tap on an item to automatically put it into the first free slot in the target area.

Using the Tap Target Behaviour, on the other hand, allows users to tap once on the item to select it and once again on the target area to place it.

Column headings for Linking Lines activities

This is a new option that allows content creators to create individual headings for each column in their Linking Lines activities. This means they can now use Linking Lines activities to explain even more complex topics to learners.

What the future holds for Avallain Author

Aside from these new features, Avallain Author 4.7 also introduces various smaller features such as allowing voice recording on Android and iOS devices. As always, we are confident that our customers will enjoy these new features.

“Avallain Author has gained new features and activities with every single update,” says Max Bondi, Product Manager Avallain Author, “and our customers never cease to amaze us with the creative ways in which they put these features to use. We are sure that this time will be no exception. Let’s see what we can learn from their feedback for Avallain Author 4.8, scheduled for release in only twelve weeks.”