Author

Ken Hubbell
www.williambellfive.com

    
  3D eLearning Now!  
 

 

e-Learning is easier to distribute, faster to update, accessible 24 x 7 and more engaging for the student, so why are companies still producing e-Learning as if it were a glorified textbook?

So-called “soft skills” have been matched with computer-based training (CBT) for over a decade. Using software to simulate or emulate other software is fairly easy. A few screen shots, a highlight box, the user “enters” data and you have it. “Hard skills” like how to repair an engine or how to operate a backhoe are a little more difficult. Even site orientation for new employees has been out of the realm of e-Learning, until now.
Technology-based Instruction

The following is paraphrased from the Sharable Courseware Object Reference Model (SCORM) document published by the Advanced Distance Learning (ADL) team.
Technology-based instructional design has had a significant impact on the process of developing courseware as well as student performance results. There have been numerous studies showing the results to be significant in both areas. Costs have been reduced as much as 60 percent in some cases. Retention rates are increased by up to 30 percent and the amount of teaching time required is reduced by about 30 percent. These percentages are a direct result of students seeing, hearing and performing operations as they are taught.

SCORM is based on the philosophy that all content is modular and will be distributed over an Intra or Internet Web-based system. The benefits of computer-based training and interactive multimedia come from compelling content which engages the student and current instructional material the use of learning management systems (LMS) which focus materials for each student individually. With the promise of reduced costs and better quality training, technology-based instruction has found a place in industry.
       
So, What is the Holdup?
       
Adoption of e-Learning as the true “killer application” of the Internet has been rapid. Yet, the media types used in electronic courses developed for the Web and CDs have not evolved past those that have been available through traditional learning delivery methods. These media types are text, 2D pictures, audio, animations and video. Creating “tailored” learning from these static media types is very limited. Ultra rich, dynamic, interactive 3D is poised for explosive development and inclusion as a media type by e-Learning developers. Unfortunately, until now the process for creating these learning materials can be daunting.

Interactive 3D e-Learning has traditionally involved several steps:

1) Creating the subject matter in 3D, using a CAD or modeling tool
2) Importing the model into an authoring software
3) Writing code to integrate the 3D model to the rest of the CBT material
4) Creating a user interface to engage the user with the 3D content
5) Encapsulating the finished product for distribution
6) Ensuring support for content playback

These steps are on top of the standard needs analysis and course development practices that have been established for CBT over the past several years.

Most course developers have little or no background in the areas of 3D modeling and CAD. Fortunately, these skills can be readily contracted and, in many cases, the 3D CAD models may be available from the client. Unfortunately, converting the model into an interactive simulation or emulation of the actual product is a little more complicated, involving complex programming in 3D that even many of the most seasoned multimedia developers find difficult.
  William Bell Five, Inc. is simplifying the process of bringing 3D into e-learning courseware through the use of an in-house 3D authoring system. Our course developers or our staff and media partners:

1) make 3D models interactive using SIMply Publish
2) export the 3D scene via the Shockwave Publishing wizard SIMply Publish
3) access Macromedia™ Authorware’s Knowledge Object library and drag the WB5 3DSpeedAuthor Knowledge Object into the course flowline
4) link data from the simulation to other learning material
5) save the file and run the application.

The process to include interactive 3D or simulation from within Authorware courseware is that easy.
 
“The highly visual 3D content generated using William Bell Five's technology mimics the experience of hands-on training, which is deemed best by instructional designers,” said Christian Vescia, senior product manager at Macromedia. Continuing, Vescia stated, “The time and budget pressures on course designers generally limit the use of new technologies. SIMply Publish makes it possible to publish to Shockwave through a wizard and the WB5 3DSpeedAuthor Knowledge Object makes embedding the 3D content incredibly simple.”

The content is encapsulated into a Macromedia™ Shockwave file that has a defined application programming interface (API). These “learning modules” can be used wherever needed: Web pages, Authorware presentations, Macromedia™ Director applications, etc. Shockwave’s installation base of over 200 million on Windows® and Apple® platforms makes distribution virtually unlimited.

   
Where Do We Go from Here?  
       
Now that the process for generating interactive 3D enriched e-Learning has been simplified, it no longer takes a staff of C++ programmers to develop engaging experiences for training. Reduced development cycles will make just-in-time training a reality. Knowledge transfer is going to reach a new era. e-Learning just may be the “killer-app” of this century.
       
Ken Hubbell, was VP and Executive Producer for NxView Technologies, Incorporated and acted as the lead consultant for NxView’s Creative Services division. He was one of the companies leading strategists for interactive technology. He is now President of his own multimedia consulting company,William Bell Five, Inc., where he has continued development of NxView Studio as a custom, in-house, advanced rapid simulation development tool.

Click here to contact Ken.