Discover new features and options to enhance your content creation projects including a new attachments editor, new Result Screen options, Show Forward after scrolling, bulk renaming of LOs, and much more!
Backend enhancements
Bulk Renaming of LOs
With Avallain Author Release 37, it is now possible to to use the LO renaming functionality to remove parts of the LO name or LO title.
Previously the Replace with field required a value with a length of at least two characters.
New Attachments editor
Avallain Author Release 37 introduces a new attachment editor. The attachment editor provides a better overview of all the properties of an attachment and in addition allows content creators to add simple formatting (i.e. bold, italics, underline or strikethrough) to the attachment label.
LO Metadata
LO Metadata is now stored with an associated attribute that describes the position of the metadata item in the original metadata schema. The order attribute is provided for all elements in the metadata schema that have an enumerable position within it.
In other words, group and item elements will always have an order attribute and value elements will have order attributes if its value is selected from a list.
Consumers of the metadata (e.g. the hosting environment of the LO) can use the order attribute to display metadata in the same order as in the original schema.
Project Options
New option: Access to Structures
The new Project Option Access to Structures allows Project Managers to define which roles have access to the Structures tab. The new option mirrors the functionality already available to restrict access to publishing.
Until now, all roles had access to the Structures tab. This new option has been added to all Product Types and all Projects and all roles have been given access. Project Managers can restrict access if they so choose.
LO and Global Options
New Options: Results Screen & End Results: Default Screen
In order to provide more flexibility for displaying scores and other analytical data, Release 37 introduces two new options that allow content creators to define multiple end result screens displaying different sets of data.
Up until now, the last activity of an LO was automatically the End Result Screen if the option End Result Screen had been enabled. Now, the new Activity Type option Results Screen allows content creators to mark multiple Present:Present:Present activity as End Result Screen.
Which End Result Screen is used depends on the new LO Option End Results: Default Screen. If set to 1, the first End Result Screen is used, if set to 2 the second is used etc.
Using Content Profiles, or overwritable options, hosting environments can switch between End Result Screens, thereby showing different information in different circumstances.
New option value After Scrolling for Show Forward
Avallain Author already offers many different ways to restrict when learners can move to the next activity. Learners can be forced to answer all questions in an activity (by using Show Forward with After all answers) or they might be required to press Check Answers first (by using Show Forward with After Check Answers).
With Release 37, content creators have an additional choice: They can prevent learners from accessing the next activity unless the learners have scrolled to the bottom of the current activity by using Show Forward with the new option value After Scrolling.
This can be useful for activities whose content does not fit into an activity without scrolling, such as long texts where learners are expected to finish reading before moving on to the next activity. This can also be useful if an activity contains more questions than can be displayed without scrolling. Disabling the Forward button until the learners have scrolled to the bottom of the activity will ensure that learners at least see all the text or all the questions of the current activity.
Syntax
Avallain Author Release 37 introduces three new syntax tags. One of these tags (timeout) is for the Intro screen, one for the End Result Screen (passmark) and one can be used in both the Intro and End Result Screen (submissions).
Timeout
The new syntax tag timeout can be used in the Intro screen. It will display the time allocated to learners for completing the LO using LO option Exams Timer.
Passmark
The new syntax tag passmark can be used in the End Result Screen.
It allows content creators to define a threshold score and a text to display if the learner has passed that threshold and another if not.
The syntax tag can be used both as a standalone tag with the threshold score referencing the score achieved for the whole LO or it can be used within a foreachinteraction loop with the threshold applying to the score of each activity.
Submissions
The new syntax tag submissions can be used in both the Intro screen and the End Result Screen.
It displays different texts to the learner depending on how many submissions remain for the current LO. Content creators can display one text if the learner has more than one submission left, another text if the learner has only one submission left and a third if the learner has no more submissions left.
The number of remaining submissions can be shown using a special keyword within the text.
Watch the webinar recording
Learn more about this release’s new features by watching the recording of the webinar held by our in-house experts.
Boost the power of content creation even further with the all-new Design Package Mercury Vertical, custom design package colours per project or LO, new LO and Global Options for configuring the behaviour of visual elements, and more.
Star Feature
Brand new Design Package Mercury Vertical
Avallain Author Release 36 further expands the possibilities of user experience with the new Design Package Mercury Vertical, with which learners can scroll through all activities in an LO top to bottom.
This new design package is particularly useful for mobile-first learning experiences, and it’s fully compatible with all layouts and devices.
And we have very good news for all clients that use Avallain Magnet, our all-in-one learning management system and learning experience platform: Mercury Vertical will be fully supported for use in your Magnet-powered platform by the end of June.
Please note: If you want to use Mercury Vertical and it is not available yet in your projects in Avallain Author, please get in touch with your contact person at Avallain.
Backend Enhancements
New process to create users in Author
From Avallain Author Release 36 onwards, admins will be able to create new users by simply entering their email address, username, first name and surname.
New users will receive an email with a link to activate their Avallain Author account and enter the password they wish to use. After completing this process, users will be able to log in immediately.
In addition, as a measure to further increase the security of the tool, the system will only allow the creation of passwords with at least 8 characters, one digit and one capital letter.
This new method to create users benefits both admins and content creators, and further enhances the security and privacy of each user’s data.
Step 1: Create a new user and insert their full name and email address
Step 2: Users receive an email with a link to activate their account and assign a password to it
Step 3: Users activate their account and assign a password, following the system’s requirements
Design Packages
Design Package colours can now be configured per project or LO
Avallain Author Release 36 enables content creators to apply Design Package colours either on a project level from the Project Settings/Global Options, or for LOs individually directly from LO Options in the Edit screen.
The new option can be found as Design Package Options, and replaces the former Themes option. Primary, secondary and tertiary colours can be indicated in the panel using HEX colour codes.
Important:
The number of colours available and the effect this configuration has on the LO will depend on each Design Package. For example, in the Design Package “Mercury”, the primary colour in Design Package Options will correspond to buttons and other interactive elements, and the secondary colour will determine backgrounds and navigation bars. The tertiary colour will affect some additional icons in the interface.
When using this new option, the colours indicated in Design Package Options will be superimposed on the colours defined in the platform where the LOs are published.
This is an example of the design package default colours
In the LO Option Design Package Options you can insert the HEX codes
This is how the LO looks with the custom design package colours applied via the new LO Option
LO & Global Options
New LO Option Confirm Before Submit
The new LO Option Confirm Before Submit allows content creators to decide whether to display the Submit confirmation dialogue before submitting an LO, without relying on the Design Package to determine this behaviour.
This way, content creators can select to always display the confirmation dialogue, to disable this notification entirely, or to show it only when there are unanswered questions in the LO.
New LO Option See Answers Automatic
Avallain Author Release 36 introduces a new Global Option called See Answers Automatic, which enables content creators to show the answers of an activity without the learner needing to click a button.
This means that, for example, when the Global Option See Answers is set as On, and the new LO Option See Answers Automatic is enabled, learners will see the answers of the activity after clicking Submit or Check Answers.
Watch the webinar recording
Learn more about this release’s new features by watching the recording of the webinar held by our in-house experts.
Further streamline your online authoring operation with enhanced tools and features like the new Background Jobs tab for Administrators, the new option to share all media assets from one project to another, and the brand new Global Option Reading Speed.
Backend Enhancements
New Background Jobs tab for Administrators
In Avallain Author Release 35, users with the role of Administrator will have access to a new tab called Background Jobs, which provides an overview of all the jobs taking place in the background; for example, Design Pack compilations, Learning Object copying and publishing jobs.
In this new tab, Administrators will be able to find the ID, description, as well as the status of each background job, thus offering an even greater and more centralised control of the tool’s operation.
Watch the video to find the new tab
Media Library
New option to share all media assets from one project to another
Avallain Author Release 35 introduces a new and much anticipated Media Library feature, with which it is now possible to share all one project’s assets with another project.
To do this, users only need to click on the Share all assets button on the left-hand side of the screen. This will open a pop-up window, where it is easy to choose the destination project for the assets. When ready, simply click on Share, and all the media assets contained in the source project will be shared with the target project.
Watch how to do this
LO & Global Options
Brand new Global Option Reading Speed
Avallain Author Release 35 introduces the new Global Option Reading Speed, which provides the ability to estimate the time required for a student to read the text in, and complete, an activity. Users can configure the Design Package or LMS, and display this information to students.
This functionality can be configured by Administrators and Project Managers, by setting the number of words a learner in a set demographic group can read per minute, thus providing valuable insights into the learning process.
Along with the new Global Option Reading Speed, Avallain Author Release 35 adds a new setting called Duration Multiplier, available in the Master and Project Activity Types tabs, depending on the user role.
To obtain the estimated time required to read the text in an activity, Avallain Author performs the following process:
All words in the activity are automatically counted.
You need to define a value for Global Option Reading Speed. To do this, go to Project Settings and then to the Global Options tab. There you will find a field next to Global Option Reading Speed to insert the desired value.
The total number of words in the activity is divided by the value previously defined for the Global Option Reading Speed.
The result of this is multiplied by 60, and then by the value indicated in each Activity Type in the Duration Modifier option.
Finally, the system adds the duration in seconds of the audio and video files contained in each activity. The result obtained is the estimated time required to read and complete the entire activity.
An example of this process would look like this:
1. An activity contains 250 words of text as well as a video of 100 seconds duration. In this case, the Reading Speed is set to 200 in the project, and the Duration Modifier of the activity is 1.5.
2. The time estimate would be calculated like this: ((250 / 200)* 60)* 1.5)+ 100= 212.5 seconds of time estimate.
3. The time estimate is stored in each activity, and can be displayed through additional configuration to the platform or the Design Package in use.
For more information on how to implement this feature, please consult Customer Success.
Watch how to set the value for the Global Option Reading Speed and the Duration Modifier
New custom text on LO Option Feedback Bands
Avallain Author Release 35 introduces customised text for each submission in the LO OptionFeedback Bands, increasing the personalisation of the teaching and learning experience.
With Feedback Bands, users can include feedback text in the End Result Screen, customised according to the score obtained in the activity.
The new feature can be used when there are more than one submission. It makes it possible to add text customised according to the number of times each activity was submitted as well as the score.
To do this, set the LO Option Submissions to two or more submissions. A dropdown menu is enabled below each Feedback Band text, which allows custom text to be inserted for each submission.
Watch how to set up custom text for Feedback Bands
Enhanced Preview behaviour of LO Option Close After Submit
In Avallain Author Release 35, when the LO Option Close After Submit is enabled, the Preview iframe screen will simulate the same behaviour of the LO when using the Submit button in an LMS, such as Avallain Magnet.
When Submit is clicked, the LO Preview in Author will now close, providing greater visibility to users whether the behaviour of the LO Option Close After Submit is as expected.
Watch an example of this behaviour
Thumbnails can be displayed in the Copyright Information dialogue
As part of the new features included in Avallain Author Release 35, it is now possible to configure Design Packages to display thumbnails in the Copyright Information dialogue.
For more information on how to configure and edit a Design Package, refer to Customer Success.
New Global Option SCORM Review Mode
Avallain Author Release 35 introduces the new Global Option SCORM Review Mode, which allows specifying whether a LO published via any SCORM publishing target should follow the standard SCORM behaviour or not when reopening the LO in Review mode.
By setting the Global Option to the value Do Not Restore, the LO will follow the standard SCORM behaviour and will not restore any user data when opening the LO in Review mode. In the case of setting the LO Option to the value Restore Answers, the LO will restore user data such as scores and progress when opened in Review mode.
Watch the webinar recording
Learn more about this release’s new features by watching the recording of the webinar held by our in-house experts.
Exceed the standards of eLearning content creation with powerful new Author eBook features, extended management capabilities, and major performance and responsiveness optimisations.
Star Feature: Author eBooks
New MercuryBook responsive design package
Avallain Author Release 34 brings one of the most anticipated new features for users, introducing the fully responsive eBook design package, MercuryBook.
The implementation of this new design package further extends the capabilities of the learning content created in Avallain Author, making Author eBooks fully responsive and compatible with any touch device such as tablets and phones.
In this way, Author eBooks gains even more ground in the eLearning field, offering full functionality and flexibility in responsive learning environments and platforms, such as our highly rated platform Avallain Magnet and the powerful Avallain Unity.
Structures Generated From Author eBooks
Author eBooks continues its development and expansion of capabilities by now offering the possibility to create structures in Avallain Author from the eBook content.
With this new functionality it is possible to automatically generate courses from Author eBooks by creating a structure based on the eBook content. This structure can then be published on platforms compatible with Avallain Author structures, such as Avallain Magnet and Avallain Unity.
How does it work?
When creating or editing a structure in Avallain Author, it is now possible to select the Fetch eBook option, located at the top right of the screen. Thanks to an intuitive menu, you can easily choose the eBook from which to generate the structure.
Structures created from an eBook read the table of contents and automatically generate folders that reflect the pages referenced in the table of contents. All LOs, audio files, and videos in the eBooks that use hotspots will be included in the respective folder of the structure in the order in which they appear in the eBook.
At the end of the process, the structure can be published directly or downloaded, in the same way as any other structure created in Avallain Author.
Note: In order to enable this functionality to work correctly, make sure to set the Structure metadata value to “Key+value pairs only” in the Metadata tab in Project Settings.
Watch how to generate structures from Author eBooks.
Backend Enhancements
Visual and functional optimisations for locked options
Avallain Author Release 34 comes with visual and functional enhancements for locked options to provide further information to users and further streamline content creation and editing management at the project and LO level.
Options locked by Content Profiles
As part of the improvements made, now if an option has been locked due to a default content profile setting, it will display a red lock icon. Users will be able to hover over the icon, and it will display a tooltip with a detailed explanation of why the option is locked.
In case a default content profile has not been selected, users will also be able to see in the tooltip the current value of the option in the project settings.
Locking options in the Project Settings
Starting with Avallain Author Release 34, those options locked in the Project Settings will show a grey lock, making them easily distinguishable from options locked by a default content profile.
In addition, when locking options from Project Settings, a dialogue box will appear informing users that this will not change the option in existing LOs.
Locking options while using the Apply dialogue
Furthermore, it is now possible to lock options from the Apply dialogue in Project Settings by enabling the checkbox “Lock option to this value”, located to the right side of the screen.
Note: Options already locked will not show this checkbox.
Media Library
New “Asset bulk edit limit” setting
Avallain Author Release 34 further enhances the efficiency of asset management in the Media Library. To this purpose, a new Admin setting called “Asset bulk edit limit” limits the number of assets that can be edited at the same time when using the bulk asset metadata editor.
By defining a limit to the number of bulk editable assets, possible performance issues for the user, which can occur when editing large numbers of assets at once, are prevented.
LO & Global options
LO Option Close After Submit now works with Submit and Send Scores buttons
As part of the further enhancements to arrive along with Avallain Release 34, the LO Option Close After Submit, which already works with the Submit button, has been extended to work with the Send Scores button, as well. Close After Submit now works the same with both buttons.
So, just as with Submit, if Send Scores is clicked, the LO will be submitted and the scores sent, and then the LO will close.
Note: Remember that this functionality cannot be previewed in Avallain Author.
A new line weight selector can be added to Global Option Annotation Tools
Avallain Author Release 34 extends the options available in the Global Option Annotation Tools: it is now possible to include a line weight selector for the pen tool.
Note: To enable these updates on the Annotation Tools Global Option, it is necessary to make adjustments to the Design Pack. For more information, please refer to the User Guide or contact our Customer Success Team.
Design Packages
Further responsiveness compatibility with Activity Classes
Avallain Author Release 34 introduces optimisations to responsive design packages, extending their compatibility and performance to Activity Classes Identify:Mark:Wordsnake (Activity Type Wordsnake), as well as to Identify:Select:Linking Lines (Activity Type Linking lines), and Identify:Select:Linking Multiple Lines (Activity Type Linking Multiple Lines):
Identify:Mark:Wordsnake ( Activity Type Wordsnake) contains now a resizeable canvas on which the wordsnake is displayed.
Identify:Select:Linking Lines (Activity Type Linking lines) and Identify:Select:Linking Multiple Lines (Activity Type Linking Multiple Lines) have been further optimised with a new configuration option to allow design packages to override the option “Link Behaviour”. Now it is possible to enable “Touch” behaviour for touch-screen devices and “Drag” for others.
New design package compilation process
To further enhance the performance of the system and the user experience, starting with Avallain Author Release 34, design packages are no longer automatically compiled as a background operation with Preview.
Now, design packages will be manually compiled on the Design Packages page using the Compile action button. This allows the Admin user to update design package tags and compile in the same place.
This change will significantly improve the performance of Avallain Author when previewing an LO, especially for design packages with a long chain of inheritance. Now, when users preview an LO, no automatic compilation will take place and, with this, LOs will no longer be blocked by this process, ensuring no delays and further improved performance and reliability for editors.
How does it work?
There are additional features for Customised Design Packs. When Admin users click Compile, the dialogue will show a list of projects containing customisations. Users can then choose to compile some, all or none of the customisations. If customisations are left uncompiled at this point, then the system will notify when a new version is ready for compilation by showing a notification on the Work packages screen of those projects. Depending on the user’s role, the following applies:
All standard and customised parent and children design packages can be compiled by Admins from the Design Packages page, using the Compile button to the right of the screen.
Project Managers can only compile customisable design packages, by clicking on Customisation in the Design Package page, and after validating any customisation made to the design package.
New validation feature in Design Package Customisation
As part of the newly established compilation process, Avallain Author Release 34 introduces a new feature with which the Design Package Customisation option validates all custom CSS code added to the design package.
With this new functionality, the system will detect and notify the user of any error in the code, including the line where it was found, giving users the possibility to quickly and easily resolve the issue.
Once the CCS code has been validated and saved, users can compile it and see it reflected on the design package.
Watch how to validate and compile custom design packages as a Project Manager.
Watch the webinar recording
Learn more about this release’s new features by watching the recording of the webinar held by our in-house experts.
Let Avallain Author take you to the top of your game with the new Contents page, a greater responsive performance of media and Design Packs, brand new LO and Global Options, YouTube video embedding, and more.
Star Feature
New Contents page
As part of the ongoing enhancements to further improve workflow efficiency when working with Avallain Author, the top menu now includes a new tab called Contents, which gives you access to an additional page listing all Learning Objects (LOs) across the projects the current user has access to.
When first entering this new page, users will see a list of all the LOs they have been working on. For ease of use, filters and sorting can be used as well as keyword searches to find the desired content more quickly. Similarly, the list can be extended to all LOs accessible to the user.
Contents can be sorted by name, title, project, and the last time they were updated, and also filtered by project and assignee, or whether the LO was edited by the current user.
Additionally, clicking on the title of an LO from the list opens it for editing, and through the action menu of each entry, the LO can be previewed, assigned, and commented on. Also, the project containing the LO can be easily accessed by clicking on the name of the project in the list or through the action menu.
Activity Classes
New automatic score functionality using graphs with Input:Completion:MathsQuizzes (Activity Type Maths Quizzes)
Avallain Author Release 33 offers an even higher level of compatibility and integration with Wiris Quizzes and the Activity Class Input:Completion:MathsQuizzes (Activity Type Maths Quizzes), by upgrading its support to automatic score questions using graphs.
This new functionality provides extended possibilities for use cases such as curve sketching or answering geometry questions.
Returning dropped tiles to the pool in Order:Sort:BoxDrop (Activity Type Box Drop)
It is now possible to return a dropped tile to the tile pool when using the Activity Class Order:Sort:BoxDrop (Acivity Type Box Drop). So if learners need to correct their answer, they can simply click on the placed tile.
Backend Enhancements
More information from tile tooltips in Projects page
The new release makes it even simpler to get information about each project to which you have access. Now, from the Projects page, in the tooltip that displays when hovering over the ⓘ icon in the top left corner of a tile, you can easily see a list of the roles you currently have in the respective project.
Further improvements to Content Profiles
Avallain Author Release 33 further extends the functionality of Content Profiles, launched in the previous release.
Among the improvements implemented, assigned Content Profiles are now preserved when copying LOs. In addition, it is now the selected default content profile that will display when an LO is previewed, either in a new tab or on the Work Packages screen.
Warning notifications when publishing sets of LOs with multiple Design Packs
In order to further provide useful information during the authoring process, now when publishing a set of LOs with more than one Design Pack, the publishing dialogue will display a warning message alerting the user about this.
From this warning dialogue, users can open a sub-dialogue listing the LOs and their different Design Packs in order to decide whether to cancel and make adjustments, or publish the LOs as they are, or publish them all with the same DP.
LO import further improvements
The LO Import function has been improved in Avallain Author Release 33, making this feature even more robust and user-friendly. Amongst various enhancements, importing eBooks has been improved by replacing the links in External hotspots pointing to content not available in the target project with the first LO found in a project. This will ensure that imported eBooks can still be opened and edited after being imported.
In addition, in environments that do not allow uploading media (such as some stage environments), it is now possible to replace assets in an LO with assets already existing in the target project during the import of the LO, in order to further facilitate the reviewing and editing of the LO.
New column in the Users report
The Users report now has a new column, Status, allowing to sort the users into active and inactive users.
Extended information in the Users Overview
The users listing available to Admins now shows the role for Project Overseers in the Roles column.
LO Creation & Editing
New YouTube video embedding
With Avallain Author Release 33 it is now possible to embed videos from YouTube directly in LOs. To embed such videos, you only need to copy the embed code from the sharing dialogue on YouTube, and paste it into a rich text area in Author after switching to Source view.
Additionally, if you need to change the dimensions of the embedded video, you can simply edit the height and width attributes of the embed code.
Furtherly improved responsiveness in inserted media
Avallain Author Release 33 further improves the managing and support of responsive behaviour of media assets. When inserting media to an LO, it is now possible to leave the dimensions parameters (width and height) empty. The asset will then display at 100% of the available width in both standard and responsive Design Packs.
Media Library
Further improvements to the subtitles and transcript editor
As of this release, the preview of synchronised Subtitles and Transcripts has been improved. The editor now highlights the current timestamp and it is also possible to navigate using the timestamps.
Improved error tolerance when uploading assets
Avallain Author Release 33 has improved the handling of error during uploads to the Media Library. Previously, any error in the metadata prevented processing and use of the asset. Now, the processing will continue and the user will receive a report detailing the location and nature of the error. The asset will be useable in Learning Objects.
Design Packs
Streamlined styling and enhanced support for localisation using the i18next framework
In an ongoing effort to further streamline how Design Packs can style content and to give them even greater flexibility, the following improvements have been implemented:
Input:Creative:Free Writing 2 columns (Activity Type Free Writing 2 Col) has been enhanced with improved templates, allowing Design Packs to style the question options displayed in an activity as tabs.
Order:Match:Text Gap (Activity Type Gapfill Drag) and Order:Sort:Sorting (Activity Type Grouping) now have consistent templating for their drag elements, easing the styling made by Design Packs.
In addition to these changes, Avallain Author Release 33 includes improvements in localisation, particularly plurals in the i18next framework, so that elements such as the text associated with timers are adjusted automatically between singular and plural (e.g., “1 minute” and “2 minutes”).
LO & Global Options
Score Calculation Global Option has been extended to Identify:Select:Checkbox (Activity Type Multiple Choice)
With Avallain Author Release 33 we further extend the scope of the Activity Type Option Score Calculation, and now it covers Identify:Select:Checkbox (Activity Type Multiple Choice).
This option is extremely useful in combination with the Activity Type Option Checkbox Selections. For example, up until now, when Checkbox Selections was set to “All”, the user was able to select all answer options, but the score was calculated by subtracting the incorrect choices. Now, the scoring behaviour can be set independently using the option Score Calculations.
Note:
For previously created LOs that are using the option Checkbox Selection set as “All”, the new option “Score Calculations” has been set to the value “Subtract incorrect” automatically (see screen 4 in the video below).
If the option Checkbox Selection is set as “All”, and Score Calculation is not set to “Subtract Incorrect”, learners can select all available checkboxes and obtain a score of 100% (see screen 3 in the video below).
Guided validation using Check Answers Instant and “Automatic” option value
The new option value “Automatic” for the Global Option Check Answers Instant allows learners to obtain a guided validation of the activities they have completed. If enabled, correct answers will be automatically validated and kept, while wrong answers will be marked as incorrect and removed after a short interval.
This option enables a fluent and engaging validation process for learners, while offering them the possibility to quickly learn whether their answers are correct or not. It also provides content creators with the possibility of, for example, using it for live demos or practice screens before real tests.
New Global Option: Media Playback Limit
Avallain Author Release 33 comes with a new Global Option called Media Playback Limit that allows you to limit the number of times a video or audio file can be played in an activity. Content creators can set a limit from one up to five times to play the file. After that number of plays has been reached by learners, the Play button will be disabled.
New LO Option: Close After Submit
As part of Avallain Author Release 33, we have integrated a new LO Option called Close After Submit. This option will close the current LO after the learner clicks the Submit button, preventing display of the dialogue listing achieved points or navigation to the End Result Screen.
This is particularly useful for situations where the intention is to present the learner with the next LO immediately after closing the current one.
Note: This LO Option only works in hosting environments.
Author Ebooks
New option value in Hotspot properties
Avallain Release 33 enables users to further edit the properties of an Author eBook Hotspot, so now they can set up linked Learning Objects to be opened in a new tab, with the option Default Target to Tab. This new value applies to the hotspot types External and Platform.
Watch the webinar recording
Learn more about this release’s new features by watching the recording of the webinar held by our in-house experts.
Rocket-fuel your content creation workflow with Content Profiles, a new Activity Class, redesigned Project settings navigation, a new Practice Screen Global Option, and much more.
Activity Classes
New Present:External:Scorable Activity Class
Avallain Author Release 32 introduces Present:External:Scorable, a new Activity Class aimed at enabling seamless and fully functional embedding of external interactive content within an activity in Avallain Author.
In this way, externally created interactive content does not need to be re-created or discarded, allowing users to use it with the same robust interactivity, workflow, administration and publishing properties of Avallain Author.
To use this Activity Class, external interactive content must be uploaded to the Media Library in zip format. If you set the media type filter to “3rd party scorable”, then all assets uploaded with that filter will be automatically tagged. Of course, you can upload without the filter and manually change the metadata setting for the files one by one.
The user can create a new LO or open an existing one, select the Activity Type Present:External:Scorable, and in the Content field click on “Add scorable file”, then select the zip file from the Media Library and insert it into the activity.
Important:
In order to work correctly, external content must communicate with the LO by implementing an API based on JSChannel. For this, it will be necessary to develop an adaptation layer to translate the external content into messages targeting the API in Avallain Author.
The look and feel of the external content cannot be modified when embedded in Avallain Author.
This Activity Class does not have Activity Type Options associated with it; however, it can be configured through Global Options in the same way as any other activity in Avallain Author.
Note: If you need support to carry out this process, do not hesitate to contact the Customer Success team.
Project settings have been redesigned to provide an even better user experience, with an interface divided into tabs for easier navigation, without the need for extensive scrolling to find the desired settings.
With this new layout, Project settings is now divided into the following categories:
Project Settings: contains configuration options related to the appearance and functionality of the project.
Project Team: enables the management and editing of users and roles within the project.
Metadata: a section dedicated to the selection of metadata schemas.
Design packages: in this tab, Design Packages desired for the project can be easily selected and applied.
Project Activity Types: allows adding and removing the Activity Types available in the project.
Global Options: in this section it is possible to add and remove Global Options, configure default option values or apply options to sets of LOs.
Publishing: add and remove publishing types, manage new Content Profiles and wrappers as well as workflow stages.
Further enhancing the content creation and workflow experience in an efficient, fast and easily manageable way, Avallain Author Release 32 introduces Content Profiles, which can be created by Admins and used by other roles to speed up the structured and automated deployment of options to LOs.
This new feature consists of a number of preset options that can be easily and automatically applied to one or a set of LOs, without the need to define these options on a case-by-case basis.
Content Profiles offer enormous possibilities for agility and efficiency in situations such as:
When creating a single LO intended to be used on different devices, in different environments or by different audiences, a specific Content Profile can be applied to run the LO, depending on each circumstance.
When there is a need to apply a unified look and feel and functionality to a large set of LOs at the same time, a Content Profile can easily be applied to all of them at once quickly, ensuring instant consistency.
Among the advantages of this new feature, content creators can apply Content Profiles to each LO freely, with the ability to preview it with any of the Content Profiles enabled for that LO.
Important:
Content Profiles only affect LO Options and Global Options.
Options set in a Content Profile will overwrite options defined individually in a LO.
Content Profiles can either encompass all Global Options or target specific functionalities such as navigation and validation.
Note: Should you need assistance in implementing Content Profiles, please do not hesitate to contact the Customer Success team.
New panels in the Project Dashboard
The Project Dashboard in Avallain Author Release 32 comes with two new panels, in order to further increase the visibility of useful information, making the management of projects and assets even more efficient.
The new panels are:
My Tasks: In this panel, users get a list of the LOs that have been assigned to them, providing an action menu for easy and quick access to each pending task.
Team Progress: This section displays the editing activity filtered by time and user. It also shows the current status of the project’s LOs, whether they are in Draft, Under Review, Approved, Exported, or without a defined status.
In addition to these two new panels, the dashboard now includes tooltips in the top right corner of each tile, with useful information about the function of each section as well as data on the activity carried out by the team on that project.
Avallain Author Release 32 extends the metadata configuration options, making it possible for Admins to manage custom metadata schemas for structures in each Product Type.
This way, Project Managers can select in the Product Type those metadata schemas that have been enabled and apply them to all structures within a project.
To further enhance metadata schema administration, now in Avallain Author structure folders will also show an additional button to quickly access the metadata editor and manage those configurable metadata schemas that have been enabled within a project.
In case you do not wish to apply configurable metadata schemas, the unstructured method of attaching key/value pairs to structures is still available to be applied by Project Managers.
Important: Switching between legacy key/value pairs and configurable metadata schemas will lead to loss of data. Using structured metadata is only recommended for new projects.
New image thumbnail full-view mode in the Media Library
As part of the updates included in Avallain Author Release 32, it is now possible to select how image thumbnails are displayed in the Media Library, either showing the full image or a cropped version.
Users can thus either display the full content of each image to, for example, distinguish similar assets easily, or use the cropped view to fill the available thumbnail space and achieve a more uniform view.
Further enhancing the user interface of Avallain Author, the icons that indicate when an option is locked or unlocked have been updated to improve their visibility.
In addition, all options, both those that are locked and those that are unlocked for the user, will now be displayed in the general list of options showing the icon corresponding to their status, either enabled or disabled for use.
In the case of users with the rights to lock or unlock options, they will be able to click on the icon and select the desired status for each option.
From Avallain Author Release 32 onwards, it will be necessary for Project Managers to set a default Design Pack for each project, in order to ensure a more streamlined and orderly content creation experience.
Important: In the event that no default Design Pack is set for a project, the first Design Pack in the list will be automatically assigned.
Responsive performance in Order:Sort:Sorting Activity Class
As part of the enhancements included in Avallain Author Release 32, the Activity Class Order:Sort:Sorting has been optimised for mobile view. Design Packs can now perform responsively and decide to collapse containers, displaying a numerical indicator of how many tiles are in each container.
This further extends the responsive capabilities of this Activity Class as well as Avallain Author in general, giving content creators and users even greater possibilities to properly manage and consume learning content in several devices.
Numbered labels for mobile view in Order:Match:Text Gap (Label an image) and Input:Completion:Text Gap (Label an image)
In order to further increase the possibilities of delivering content on mobile devices from Avallain Author Release 32 onwards, we introduce the new functionality of replacing gaps with numbered labels in Order:Match:Text Gap (Label an image) as well as in Input:Completion:Text Gap (Label an image).
With this new functionality, when displaying the activity on a mobile device, gaps can be replaced by numbered labels and the labelled gaps are positioned below the image to make it easier to identify the elements in any screen dimension.
Introducing the new Global Option: Practice screen
Avallain Author Release 32 introduces a highly convenient new Global Option called Practice screen, which removes a validated and graded activity from the overall score, allowing users to perform a practice exercise without the risk of affecting their final grade in the course.
With this new Global Option, content creators gain the advantage, for example, of providing at the start of a course a clear and executable example of how the exercise should be carried out, further enhancing the user experience.
“See All Answers” and “See Next Answer” are now Global Options
In order to further increase workflow efficiency in Avallain Author, both See All Answers and See Next Answer will no longer function only as Activity-specific options, but can now be managed as Global Options and therefore configurable at the Product Type, Project, LO Options and Activity level, as well as in the newly introduced Content Profiles.
This increases the potential for increased speed and ease of configuration at both the Activity and broader levels, giving Avallain Author users greater control over the efficient creation of consistent and uniform content.
eBook enhancements
eBook Bookmaker tool now includes a record of imported page files
In order to provide users with useful information about all stages of content creation, from Avallain Author Release 32 onwards, the Bookmaker will include a log of the page files that have been imported into each eBook. These logs will be visible by clicking on the Import Log button below the file selection widget.
Watch the webinar recording
Learn more about this release’s new features by watching the recording of the webinar held by our in-house experts.
New Project Dashboard, new Activity Class, more eBook options and comprehensive UX streamlining.
Backend Enhancements
Introducing the Project Dashboard
While the new project information page is still in development, Avallain Author 31 already introduces a first glimpse of what is to come: When entering a project from the project list page, users now arrive on the project’s dashboard. The dashboard shows information on which team members (including roles) work on the project, which Activity Types are used in the project, which Design Packs are enabled and which Learning Object and Asset schemas are in use.
Switching the default Media Library
As part of our streamlining efforts, Avallain Author now displays the new version of the Media Library, introduced in earlier updates, as the default Media Library. This gives users direct access to features such as a choice of three display options (Large Tile, Small Tile, List). Avallain Author Release 31 also adds two new functions:
Ticking the “Select all” checkbox allows content creators to easily select all media assets on the current page.
When adding media assets into text boxes via the Media Library, content creators can now deselect the preset filter chips.
To make the switch from the old Media Library design and functionality as smooth as possible for content creators, the old Media Library can still be accessed via the Media Library option in the Project settings.
New options for editing Learning Objects
Avallain Author Release 31 simplifies the process of adding media from the Media Library to LOs: All assets (images, audio, video) can now be added using the same button. The dedicated “Insert Video” button has thus been removed. This also means that the Media Library will no longer open with a fixed preset filter in place, as all three types of media can be added via the same functionality now.
New Function: Bulk renaming Learning Objects
With the newest version of Avallain Author, content creators can now bulk rename Learning Objects. Simply navigate to the work package, select one or more LOs, and then use the new Rename function from the Actions menu. This will open a dialogue window for renaming all of the selected LOs.
This function allows content creators to change either the LO name, the LO title or both. Content creators can also decide whether they want to fully rename LO names/titles or simply add something to the existing name/title.
Product Builder streamlining
When creating apps or other products in the Product Builder, unwanted Content Packages can now easily be deleted via the Content Packages list. Content creators can simply hover over the package they wish to delete, then click on the bin icon which displays.
Content creators can also more easily check which version of the wrapper they are using now. The version number is displayed in the build Info dialogue.
Easier Project navigation
Avallain Author 31 allows content creators to assign images to projects which will be displayed in the list and tile views of the new Projects list page, allowing users to more easily identify individual projects visually. Content creators can assign project images via the Project settings page.
At the same time, Avallain Author Release 31 moves the Project selector drop-down menu from the Author menu into the work area and introduces new search and filter functionalities to the new Projects list page:
When using the search function, Avallain Author now shows results from both the project name and the project description.
Projects can now be filtered by Product Type and Publishing Group.
New eBook Features
Adding solution pages to PDF eBooks
Avallain Author 31 now allows content creators to add solutions pages to PDF eBooks. Simply create PDF files for each solution page, named according to the naming conventions, and put all of them into one zip file. Then, simply import the PDF to which you wish to add the solutions pages into Bookmaker, followed by the zip file. The PDF pages from the zip file are then automatically added as solutions pages.
More intuitive zoom functionality
When viewing eBooks, Avallain Author can now display a zoom slider widget to facilitate easy zooming. Please note that the widget currently works with the AvallainBook Design Pack. Custom design packs need to be adapted to use the zoom slider widget.
Easy printing functionality
Users can now print specific pages from PDF eBooks. Simply open the print dialogue and the pages currently on-screen will be pre-selected. Users can then adjust the range of pages to be printed.
New Activity Class
Adding team-oriented quiz activities
With the new Activity Class Present:Present:Quiz, any Learning Object can be turned into a quiz in which multiple teams take turns answering questions. After all questions have been answered, the scores of each team are shown on-screen.
Teams, question categories and individual questions can be selected via the Learning Object’s first activity, allowing learners to organise teams and choose which questions they would like to answer. The behaviour of the quiz can be further fine-tuned via the Activity Type options.
New LO Options
Show time spent in sections
When this new option is enabled, the End Results Screen displays a button which brings up a dialogue showing the recommended time (if set) and the actual time taken in each section of the LO.
LO Sections – Time
On the content creation side of Avallain Author 31, users can now define the recommended time for each individual LO section. This recommended time will be displayed when using the Time Spent button on the End Results Screen.
Exams Timer
Avallain Author Release 31 makes several adjustments to the Exams Timer to give more options when setting timeouts:
The Exams Timer sub-option Syntax now accepts a single integer value to only display a countdown timer without warning dialogues.
The Timeout Type option “Allow to continue negative” allows the timer to continue counting the time, even when the timeout point has already been reached. Using Design packs, the timer can be set to change colour after reaching the timeout point.
New behaviour: Hiding the Forward button
Avallain Author 31 allows content creators to hide the Forward button from learners until all (rich)textinput fields have reached minimum text requirements. This requires Show Forward to be set to “After all answers” and works with the following Activity Classes:
Present:Present:Present
Input:Creative:Extended Writing
Input:Creative:Free Writing
Extended Improvements
Changes to the LO copying function
The LO copying function has been changed to follow two basic rules:
When copying a Learning Object into a project that does not include the corresponding Activity Type, Avallain Author chooses the first instance of the Activity Class in the Project Activities list.
If there is no Activity Type of the required Activity Class present in the target project, Avallain Author will automatically add the required activity type from the source project to the Product Type and Project Activity Types lists of the target project.
Removing Adobe Flash support
Since Adobe has discontinued Adobe Flash support, Flash support is no longer available in Avallain Author for compatibility and security reasons. This also means that legacy Flash content will no longer work in Avallain Author, starting with Release 31. We strongly recommend all of our customers to delete Flash content from their learning materials or rebuild it using non-Flash solutions.
Watch the webinar recording
Learn more about this release’s new features by watching the recording of the webinar held by our in-house experts.
Greater control, efficiency and flexibility for content creation.
With Avallain Author Release 30, we focus our attention on enhancing the user experience for content creators, administrators, teachers and trainers so they can, in turn, create the best interactive content for learners. test
Creating comprehensive eBooks straight from PDF files? Check! More information in Project Reports? Check! More intuitive experience for the Media Library and user management functions? Check! With our latest update, creating learning materials with Avallain Author becomes even more streamlined and more intuitive in many different ways.
New eBook feature
Create eBooks from PDF files
One of the most frequently requested features for Avallain Author is the ability to import PDF files into the program and convert them directly into eBooks. With Avallain Author Release 30, this has become a reality. When creating eBooks, content creators now get to choose between three distinct methods:
Creating an eBook out of image files
Converting a PDF file into an eBook
Compiling multiple PDF files into a single eBook
Compared to the image-based eBook creation method, using PDF files as a basis has one significant advantage: Since PDF files can store text elements independently from image files, the resulting eBook also treats both as distinct elements. This means that teachers, trainers and learners can select, copy and paste the text from the eBook just like they would with a PDF file. In addition, the text scales much better when zooming in.
Most importantly, creating eBooks from PDF files is a great way of making learning materials more accessible to learners with visual impairments. Since text elements are stored separately from image information, standard screen reader programs can easily detect the text and read it aloud.
Backend enhancement
Getting a better overview of the Media Library
The Avallain Author Media Library can store a wide range of media, allowing content creators to quickly find whatever images, videos or audio files they need. However, once the number of media assets stored in the Media Library becomes large enough, going through search results might still take some time.
This is why Avallain Author Release 30 introduces the option of displaying pieces of media as large tiles, small tiles or as a list. Together with the new functionality which automatically adapts the number of media elements shown per row to the width of the screen, this makes it much easier to find the asset you’re looking for.
We have also added additional filters to the Media Library search function. Available filters now include “Embedded media type” and “Thumbnail media type”. And to make it easier to not only find media but also import it directly into your Learning Objects (LOs), we have added the functions “Copy Reference ID” and “Copy URL” to the dot actions menu for easy access. And when bulk uploading media assets to LOs, content creators can now de-select individual assets from the list.
New backend function for Administrators
Assign Activity Type Options
With Avallain Author version 30, Admins now have the ability to decide which Activity Type Options Project Managers can use on each Master Activity Type. This increases the control Admins have over the Master Activity Types and prevents Project Managers from accidentally using Activity Type Options which are to be avoided for the specific Project.
This change brings this particular aspect of the backend in line with how other interactions between Admins and Project Managers work in Avallain Author. Thus, it also makes working within the backend more intuitive for everyone involved.
Re-designed user management
The User Profile window has been re-designed according to user feedback. It now provides a smoother and more intuitive user experience, including a new option to change passwords directly from the same window.
This makes changing your password much more convenient, which should also lead to increased overall security, as changing your security information on a regular basis takes much less time and effort now.
More efficient comments feature
The comments function in Avallain Author now enables users to edit and delete existing comments using the dot menu on the left side of the respective comment. This allows them to clarify their comments or delete them once an issue has been resolved, improving in-team communication and speeding up problem-solving and feedback processes.
Additional information in Reports
The Project Report and Full Project Report functions have been upgraded to feature additional information which gives users on the content creation side more information than ever:
Project Reports can now include the Work Package name, screen number and Activity title
Full Project Reports can now include Work Package name, screen number, Activity title, LO options, Global options, Specific options, LO Comments and Activity Comments
Note: This information is displayed in separate columns for a clear overview. Full Project Report lists will only include Global options, Specific options and LO options if they deviate from the default options.
New function: Copy Product types
With Avallain Author Release 30, it is possible to copy product types more efficiently and quickly. Simply copy them directly on the Products types screen, as you would copy projects.
New feature: Copy-and-paste plain text only
Rich text is a text format which includes formatting information such as tags which identify bold or italicised text elements. When copying rich text, these formatting tags are also copied, often without the user realising it, and they might interfere with the proper functionality of Avallain Author Learning Objects.
Thus, we have changed the copy-and-paste functionality of Avallain Author to automatically convert rich text into plain text. This means you will need to re-apply formatting information when copying text into Avallain Author – but it also allows you to completely avoid any functionality problems which would otherwise be caused by accidentally copying incompatible tags into your Learning Objects.
New syntax tags allow content creators to chain together free writing exercises
The syntax tags #textinput# and #richtextinput# now allow content creators to define their initial content by using #showtext#.
In effect, this allows content creators to chain together free writing exercises based on the initial text written by the learner. This makes it possible to have exercises where, for example, learners first write a text and then add new information to modify the text in the following exercises.
Dialogue Recording Avatars: Syntax simplification
In Dialogue Recording Activities, content creators can have the LO show an Avatar for specific persons interacting with the learner. For example, a learner may be asked to have a conversation with a fictional counterpart represented by a picture of the fictional Avatar. Previously, this was handled by including a picture of the Avatar within the syntax of the Learning Object.
With Avallain Author Release 30, this process is now much easier. Simply associate a specific character with an image as well as a Substyle in the Design Pack and the Learning Object can be set to automatically display that image whenever the Substyle is used. Thus, individual parts of a text can easily be assigned to different characters without the need to implement a new picture into the syntax every time.
Simple recording features support for apps
The integrated Product Builder can now create apps which support the Recording Audio and Playback Recorded Audio features of Avallain Author.
LOs that use such features are now fully compatible with any app created with the Product Builder, potentially increasing the target audience for your learning materials.
AvallainBase now fully translated into German
With Avallain Author Release 30, AvallainBase and all associated Design Packs are now available in German. Simply go to the Language Attributes setting and choose “DE” from the available options to turn all elements, including the UI, into a German-language user experience.
Continuously improving your user experience – with Avallain Author release 30
The latest version of Avallain Author concentrates on creating a streamlined content creation process. But, as Max Bondi, Product Manager Avallain Author, points out: “In the end, making the content creation process more intuitive is not just beneficial to content creators, Admins and Project Managers; it also increases the quality of the learning materials which are created.”
The rollout of Avallain Author Release 30 has already begun. Feel free to share your experience with us, so we can improve the software even further with Avallain Author Release 31, due to be launched in three months.
Watch the webinar recording
Learn more about this release’s new features by watching the recording of the webinar held by our in-house experts.
A brand-new visual experience and plenty of new features to create new kinds of interactive content, to display LO scores more precisely, and to manage multimedia resources more intuitively.
Backend Enhancements
Brand-new user interface design
An even clearer and more intuitive user interface that retains all previous functionalities. This makes your authoring experience easier, more efficient and enjoyable without requiring you to rethink the way you use Avallain Author.
1: The main menu has been redesigned and optimised to perform global actions like switching between projects, and managing profile access and sessions, seamlessly and intuitively
2: The Project toolbar has been separated from the header with all project editing functions, including the role switch, made available under the project name
New Media Library design
Avallain Author Release 29 provides you with an all-new design for the popular Media Library, creating an even more fluent user experience. The design will be further enhanced in upcoming releases.
Watch the video tutorial and get familiar with the New Media library:
Optimised Product Builder
The Product Builder has been updated and enhanced to provide more stability and even better performance when handling complex builds and content packages. In addition, we have added new Build Platforms for iOS and Android to ensure full compatibility with mobile environments.
Projects and assets management
Optimised Learning Object (LO) Import
When moving content between different Author installations (e.g. when exporting from stage to production), you are now provided with a report before importing the LO detailing differences between the target project and LO configuration.
Furthermore, LO Import now works around missing options and replaces indispensable missing properties such as Layouts and Design Packs with the closest available alternatives so that a fluent importing process can be ensured.
Enhanced Header Media
Avallain Author has always supported Header Audios. Now it adds Header Videos to the mix! The Option label, Header Audio, no longer say it all, and so has been renamed Header Media.
Header Media can be configured to display either an audio or a video in the header of an LO. It will play smoothly and without interruption when switching between Activities in the LO, offering new ways to create exciting lessons that keep your learners engaged.
HLS video support
Avallain Author now fully supports HLS video. This means the video player automatically (or manually) adapts to unreliable network conditions without causing user-visible playback stalling. This makes your content even more accessible on different devices and in challenging environments.
Please note: This new feature requires Design Pack support and changes to the video conversion setting in Author. Please get in touch with your contact at Avallain.
Improved design pack support
Learning Objects design customisation: The latest release extends Avallain Author design packs’ ability to customise the look and feel of your LOs with additional options such as templating support for end-result syntax, buttons markup and placement, and item state decorations.
Multi-language support for Design Packs: With Avallain Author Release 29, users can now display interface elements in multiple languages, set a default language, and enable a specific language to be selected on launch of the Learning Object.
New authoring options and Syntax
New Reveal Object functionality
You can now link the appearance of the Forward (Next) button with Reveal Object. On a Present page using Reveal Object, set Show Forward to After one answer or After all answers, and the Forward button will not enable until one or all the objects have been revealed.
Infotext: New dialog display
Release 29 provides the Global Option Show Info Text with a new value: Dialog. This enables you to show infotext content as a dialog instead of as a tooltip. Please note that this may require work on your Design Pack. Please get in touch with your contact at Avallain to learn more.
New option: End Results Button
With Release 29, you can control on which screens the End Results button displays. The Global Option, End Results Button, has two values: Every Screen and Last screen. Configure this depending on whether you want your students to review every screen before skipping back to the End Results screen, or to be able to do that whenever they like.
New End Results screen syntax
Applying metadata to categorise the activities in your LO, and combining this with new End Results screen syntax, you can display sum total scores for those categories on the End Result screen.
And that’s not all. With the use of other new syntax, you can display a visual representation of the scores. Design packs can customise the display to show different visual representations (i.e. pie charts, bars, etc).
New Activity Types
Voice Recognition Matching (Input:Match:Voice)
Authors can now create Activities that make full use of cutting-edge voice recognition technology. They can require learners to record their voice and the recording is then automatically evaluated by artificial intelligence (AI) that provides them with instant visual feedback (correct text turns green, incorrect text turns red) about their pronunciation and reading. Language learning has never been more interactive and intuitive!
Please note: Using this new Activity Type may be subject to additional fees for speech processing. Please get in touch with your contact at Avallain for more information.
Identify:Select:Radiobutton Voice
With this new Activity Type, you can create Radiobutton Activities in which the selection is made orally. The learners record their selection and groundbreaking voice recognition technology transcribes the recorded audio and gives instant feedback whether their recording matches with the right answer.
Please note: Using this new Activity Type may be subject to additional fees for speech processing. Please get in touch with your contact at Avallain for more information.
Watch the webinar recording
Learn more about this release’s new features by watching the recording of the webinar held by our in-house experts.
