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Expert Author
Expert Author
What's New in Expert Author Version 3.0
Enhancements to the Authoring Experience
  • Capture features used to capture functioning menus, toolbars, and "document" objects - including lists, edit fields, text labels, buttons, areas with rollover and selection states, and more. (learn more)
  • Bitmap capture supported within Expert Author (learn more)
  • Enhanced multi-path interaction wizard (learn more)
  • Simultaneously move and hide multiple document objects (learn more)
  • Export Views and Components so they can be added to a library and imported into other lessons (learn more)
  • Export a lesson's narrative text, make changes to it, and then import it back into the lesson (learn more)
  • Enable, disable, and add a checkmark to menu items while working in the Timeline (learn more)
  • New caret object used to place a seemingly "live" caret in the Document (learn more)
  • Replace a defined Display with the previous Display (learn more)
  • Replace the current Display with any other Display (learn more)
  • Enhanced audio indexing (learn more)
  • Ability to simulate unique or custom menu styles (learn more)
  • Lessons are now stored in a single file -- allowing for easy transport (learn more)
  • Getting Started dialog box at startup for quicker access to helpful features (learn more)
  • Additional drag-and-drop support (learn more)
Enhanced 508 Compliance
  • Sophisticated screen reader support (learn more)
  • Enhanced keyboard navigation allows student to navigate the entire lesson interface without using the mouse (learn more)
  • Alternate keyboard interactions created automatically for menu and dialog box interactions (learn more)
  • Tooltip support for toolbar buttons and document objects (learn more)
Enhancements to the Learning Experience
Enhanced AICC and SCORM Support
 
Enhancements to the Authoring Experience
Sophisticated menu, toolbar, and "document object" capture capability
Expert Author includes a capture feature that enables you to capture all of the interactive components and objects directly from the live application - including functioning menus, toolbars, and the interactive objects found in the "document" area of the application. Examples of interactive document objects are lists, edit fields, text labels, buttons, areas with rollover and selection states, just to name a few.

It takes less than 30 seconds to capture a complete menu system, a functioning toolbar, or the interactive "document" area of the application - including all of the functioning objects contained in the document area. Once captured, each of the interactive components can be used in the current lesson, or any other lesson.
Bitmap capture supported within Expert Author
Expert Author enables you to capture bitmaps of the application you are simulating, assuming the application is running on your computer. The capture feature supports ten different types of capture, including object, area, entire window, and active window.
Ability to create multiple interactions (branching) at a single point in the lesson
The ability to create more than one interaction at a given point in the lesson, which is often referred to as "branching," has been extended in version 3.0. It is now possible to create up to four types of interactions at a single point in the lesson. The four types of interactions that can occur at the same point in a lesson are Full Menu Interaction, Toolbar Item Selection, Document Object Selection, and Keystroke. This feature enables you to create a situation where the student can use multiple methods to reach a goal. For instance, you could enable the student to copy the selected item to the Clipboard by (a) choosing the Edit, Copy command, (b) clicking on the Copy toolbar button, or (c) pressing Ctrl+C on the keyboard.
Ability to simultaneously move and hide multiple document objects
You can now "group" multiple document objects, and then simultaneously move all of the grouped objects to a new location on the Display simply by changing a single x and/or y coordinate. This feature is particularly helpful when you are using multiple objects to simulate a structure, like a Task Pane in Office XP, and you want to move the objects -- as a group -- to a new location on the Display. Once the objects have been grouped, you can move all of the objects in the group simply by displaying the Group dialog box and changing the x and/or y coordinate.
Ability to export views and components so they can be imported into other lessons and stored for future use
The Import/Export feature is very powerful because it lets you quickly use components (menus, toolbars, documents, and status bars) and views in other lessons. This feature provides you with the foundation you need to work in a collaborative authoring environment. Once a component or view has been “exported,” it can be used in another lesson, organized and stored with other packages for future use, or e-mailed to other authors to be included in their lessons.
Ability to export a lesson's narrative text, make changes to it, and then import it back into the lesson
Expert Author has always enabled you to create a new lesson by importing a written narrative, commonly referred to as a storyboard, or written script. You can now also export a lesson's narrative text, and then import it again after you have made changes to it. This feature is helpful when you (a) are involved in an editorial/review process, (b) discover that the narrative text needs more work than you choose to do in the narrative text editor, (c) are localizing a lessons narrative text, or (d) have finished the lesson and are ready to prepare the narrative text for audio recording.
Ability to alter menu item properties while working in the Timeline
You can now change certain menu item properties while working in the Timeline. You can enable, disable, and "check" a menu item while in Author mode. This is great for those situations where the properties of one or more menu items should change from one step to the next. For instance, there are times when a check mark should be displayed next to a menu item because of an interaction that was just performed. You can now enable, disable, and check a menu item while working in the Timeline simply by clicking on the Edit Display tab, and then displaying the Menu Item Properties dialog box.
New caret object used to place a seemingly "live" caret anywhere in the document
Prior to Expert Author version 3.0, the only time a live caret would appear on the Display was when an interaction involving text entry was waiting to be performed. The new caret object enables you to associate a seemingly live caret with any object on the Display, which means you can display the caret on every Display in a lesson, if you wish.
Ability to replace a defined Display with the previous Display
It is now very easy to replace the current Display with the previous Display. Expert Author has always supported the ability to define a new Display by using the previous Display, but until version 3.0 you could not use the previous Display to "redefine" an existing Display.
Ability to replace the current Display with any other Display
You can now quickly replace the current Display with any other Display in the lesson, as long as the steps containing the Displays are of the same step type. For instance, you cannot use the Display in a Summary Step to replace the Display in a Standard Simulation step.
Enhanced audio indexing capability
Two new controls have been added to the Audio Properties dialog box that enable you to "mark" the points in the audio file where the audio should begin and end for each step or interaction. This feature has simplified the process used to associate audio with a step, and the interactions in a step. You start by clicking on the Play button to hear the selected audio file. While listening to the audio, click on the Mark button when you hear the beginning of the audio, and again when you hear the end of the audio.
Ability to simulate non-standard, custom menu bars and pull-down menus
Expert Author has always enabled you to accurately simulate menu bars and pull-down menus, assuming they were 95, 97, or XP style menu bars and pull-down menus.

Using Expert Author version 3.0, you can also simulate virtually any "custom" menu bar and pull-down menu. This is accomplished by enabling you to control all of the characteristics associated with the states of each item on a menu bar and pull-down menu. Among these characteristics are background images, background colors, border style and color, and text color. Additional characteristics are the height of each menu item, and the width and color of the checkmark area.
Lessons are now stored in a single file
In previous versions of Expert Author, the data associated with a single lesson was stored in several files. This made it difficult for an author to locate the files, and then gather them together to be zipped or moved to another location. All of the data associated with a lesson are now stored in a single, compressed file. It is now very easy to locate and transport a lesson. This makes it much easier to share lessons in a collaborative environment where multiple authors are working on the same project.
Getting Started dialog box at startup for quicker access to helpful features
The Getting Started dialog box provides you with a single location where you can create a new lesson, open an existing lesson, or access the Help system.
Additional drag-and-drop support
You can now drag-and-drop a lesson file onto Expert Author to open a lesson. You can also drag-and-drop bitmap files onto Expert Author and the files will be added to the lesson.
Enhanced 508 Compliance
Sophisticated screen reader support
Interactive lessons created with Expert Author provide an ideal interactive learning environment for blind or vision-impaired learners because screen readers can read the entire lesson interface, and the interactive content.
Enhanced interface navigation using the keyboard
Students can now navigate the entire lesson interface without using the mouse. By using the keyboard alone, it is now possible to:
  • Advance to the next step by pressing the Ctrl + Shift + right arrow keys.
  • Go back one step by pressing the Ctrl + Shift + left arrow keys.
  • Display the Options dialog box by pressing the Ctrl + Shift + O keys.
  • Quit the lesson by pressing the Ctrl + Shift + Q keys.
  • Navigate all of Expert Author's dialog boxes, prompts, and messages by using the standard Windows navigation keys.
Alternate keyboard navigation for menu and dialog box interactions
Students can now navigate all simulated menus and dialog boxes by using the keyboard, just as they could in the real application. And, Expert Author creates the alternate keyboard interactions automatically.
Tooltip support for toolbar buttons and document objects
You can now easily add tooltips to toolbar buttons and document objects. The tooltip text for a toolbar button or document object is simply another property of the button or object. Tooltips are important accessibility features because they are read aloud by screen readers.
Enhancements to the Learning Experience
Ability to create multiple interactions at a single point in the lesson
The ability to create more than one interaction at a given point in the lesson, which is often referred to as "branching," has been extended in version 3.0. It is now possible to create up to four types of interactions at a single point in the lesson. The four types of interactions that can occur at the same point in a lesson are Full Menu Interaction, Toolbar Item Selection, Document Object Selection, and Keystroke. This feature enables you to create a situation where the student can use multiple methods to reach a goal. For instance, you could enable the student to copy the selected item to the Clipboard by (a) choosing the Edit, Copy command, (b) clicking on the Copy toolbar button, or (c) pressing Ctrl+C on the keyboard.
New multiple response quiz type
It is now very easy to create multiple response quiz questions. Multiple response quizzes are tracked and scored, and the results are passed back to the LMS using the same AICC/SCORM conformant methods used by all of the other quiz types.
Lessons are smaller and load faster
Lessons created using Expert Author have always been very small -- often under 100K for a 12-minute, 35-step lesson. Lessons created using version 3.0 are even smaller because unused assets are now being removed when a lesson is built. This is done automatically -- there is no additional work required by the author.
Enhanced AICC and SCORM support
AICC level 2 support with objectives
If you are building a lesson and you choose to create AICC level 2 files, the Lesson Builder wizard will ask for the lesson's objectives, which are then written to the appropriate AICC file. When the lesson or course is imported into an AICC compliant Learning Management System (LMS), the objectives are imported and used appropriately.
SCORM 1.2 manifest and meta-data
If you are building a lesson and you choose to create SCORM files, the Lesson Builder wizard will create the manifest and meta-data, and write them to the appropriate file. When the lesson is imported into a SCORM compliant Learning Management System (LMS), the manifest and meta-data are imported and used appropriately.
AICC HACP support
The HACP interface is now available when a lesson is launched. When a lesson is launched, it will first try to locate and use the CMI API. If the CMI API is not available, the lesson will attempt to establish a dialog with the server using the HACP interface.

 
   
 
   
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