Students take different pathways through learning content based on choices they make or their performance. Branching may consist of interactive scenarios or differentiated content.
Good practice guides and tip sheets
Good practice guides and tip sheets have been developed to support quality in both curriculum design and teaching practice. Good practice guides provide a pedagogical overview and tip sheets provide you with practical strategies and ideas for implementation.
Links to engaging content-related resources are provided below.
Camtasia is video recording and editing software that features simple drag and drop editing and libraries of effects and interactions. With Camtasia, you can record, then edit your computer screen activity, audio, and webcam input. If you capture video
footage on mobile devices or digital recorders, you can import and edit it. Camtasia is available to all staff and can be downloaded via the IDS Support Portal. Home use licences are available (request via Service One).
Camtasia is available for both Mac and Windows.
Training is available for making educational videos in Camtasia. Refer to iEnrol for scheduled and upcoming sessions
The first time you start Camtasia, the program will open a tutorial video. You can find this video again later under Help > Open Getting Started Project within Camtasia. This built-in video will give basic instructions on how to
use Camtasia
Good for
Creating interactive or differentiated video content; for example, branching video scenarios or giving the learner control of the order in which they view sections of the video content
Useful features
Interactive hotspots and timeline markers allow creation of a non-linear path through the video
Click and drag effects from library onto video timeline
Properties panel to define required actions to enter
Easy but comprehensive editing and timeline manipulations
Limitations
Considerable planning required
Can become time consuming
Cannot be hosted in Kaltura and maintain interactivity, therefore no ability to use the accessibility features or analytics in the Kaltura Media Vault
No viewing analytics within the exported video
No captions/transcripts
Cautions
Must be exported as Web Page (for Smart Player) or SCORM (for gradebook integration)
SCORM activities are generally a poor experience on mobile devices and can be incompatible
Different process to publish in FLO compared to standard video
Tips
Plan out the choices and branched pathways on a story board
Make sure your viewers won't feel lost
Camtasia project files can be large. While working on your project save your files to the hard-drive of the computer. Once complete store them on OneDrive or S: drive. Your U: drive generally wont have enough space for these large files. Having your
project files on network storage will slow editing down and can also cause crashes.
Easily creating branched content through use of triggers and linking on slide objects
Creating scenario based branched learning (eg text-based 'choose your own adventure' style narratives or scenarios where learners make a series of choices and experience the consequences as they move through the scenario)
Creating a package of content that students can navigate through in a sequence they choose
Useful features
Use action or link (from Insert menu) to link to presentation slides in required order
PowerPoint will update links if slide order is altered
Limitations
Printed or PDF cannot indicate the branching
Cautions
Interaction for branching will only be available when viewing in Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow
Must be provided as .pptx or .ppsx files
Learners must download and open the file; they cannot view it within FLO, and therefore they need PowerPoint on their computer
Mobile devices require Microsoft PowerPoint app
Tips
Careful planning is required. Use a story board to map out possible paths through the content/scenario
Create links which allow users to navigate back to previous pages
Test all possible pathways
Design so that your users won’t feel lost
When using Link to set up navigation between slides you can add a screen tip which displays when the mouse is over the link
Microsoft Office has a large amount of training and help resources and there are many third party help
resources, how-to guides, videos, tutorials that can be found by searching the web
(Note the linked Microsoft page is for windows users. The Mac PowerPoint software is so similar that these windows resources are still useful to Mac users. Mac help resources are also available)
FLO Lesson
The FLO lesson is purpose built for branching scenarios. A lesson presents a series of pages to a student who is asked to make some sort of choice underneath the content area. The choice will send them to a specific page in the Lesson. The pages in the
lesson can be either content pages with choices presented as buttons or question pages where the next page will depend on selected answer.
Good for
Mixing static content, choices and questions to determine the route the student takes through the material (eg decision or problem solving scenarios)
Useful features
Purpose built for branching scenarios
Branching can be based on a choice or based on answers to questions
Can have time limit
Can be set up as a scored activity; integrates with Gradebook
Some analytics available about student interactions with lesson
Possible to provide a progress bar and/or menu within lesson
Limitations
Requires considerable planning
Not as straightforward as some FLO tools
Limited page layout and styling options
Tips
Build all the content and question pages first, then define all the jumps and linking
Map out all possible journeys through the content
Test thoroughly and ask a colleague to review
Design your lesson pages to help your students know where they are in the lesson
Embed media (images, video, audio) in your lesson pages for rich experience
Providing differentiated feedback to students based on their answers and overall performance in the quiz
Provide struggling students with some additional resources on the basics and give high-achieving students some extension materials
Useful features
Some branching achievable through the quizzes overall feedback using grade boundaries – link from feedback to different information for different grade ranges
Use access restrictions to further content based on quiz result (Activity completion restriction)
Cautions
Quizzes with Essay type questions would need to be manually marked to activate branching based on quiz score
Tips
Use in conjunction with FLO pages/books and 'stealthed' resources/activities (resources which are available but not displayed on the homepage of your FLO site)
compacting content into one place (eg glossary of terms)
organising information (eg using categories) for efficient learning
students can interact by adding content/controlling the space
Useful features
Entries can be automatically linked where the concept words and/or phrases appear anywhere within the topic. Filter needs to be enabled and auto linking set per entry where required
Cautions
There are three settings required for auto-linking. All three must be reviewed:
Topic level – glossary auto-linking filter must be enabled
Glossary level – setting to automatically link entries must be on
Glossary entry level – each entry that will be linked must have the setting checked
Page: embedded video takes up less space than in the FLO homepage
Useful features
Links between FLO pages or between chapters within a book can be used to create branched learning and scenarios, but not with an assessable component
Use of the availability status 'Make available but not shown on topic page' (stealthed activity/resource) can control entry point
Limitations
Not assessable
Book has inbuilt navigation which would still allow linear or totally free navigation through content
Cautions
When transferring between FLO sites, all interlinked pages must be included or linkages will break. During the transfer process, It is not easy to identify interlinked pages
The Digital Content Producer is a highly talented member of the Online Learning Team in the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching, who has an extensive skillset with multimedia and digital content, and can work with you on the development of
complex digital learning resources.
If your needs are not met by the existing tools or the resource you are looking to create is complex in some way, please speak with the Learning Designer in your college about your needs
as there is some capacity for digital content production for learning and teaching.
PowerPoint
FLO Lesson
FLO Quiz
FLO Glossary 
Book 
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Digital Content Producer