Authorware Conversion Notes

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Authorware Conversion Lessons Learned
Fred Banks September 30, 2009
READINESS BEGINS WITH TRAINING
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Analysis

• Sample courseware from Boeing
• F/A-18 (multiple projects)
• C-17
• F-22
• Foreign customers
• Boeing Commercial Aircraft
• Multiple programming styles and versions
• Lessons with thousands of icons and libraries

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Assumptions

• Content will be imported into the ForceTen LCMS
• Content will be packaged in ForceTen
• Media will be in a central repository
• Not everything will convert

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Authorware Icons
Display
Interaction
Motion
Calculation
Erase
Map
Wait
Digital Movie
Navigate
Sound
Framework
DVD
Decision
Knowledge Object
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Display

• Graphics
• Text
• Lines/Boxes/Circles
• Colors
• Modes
• Fills/Thickness

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Interaction

• Limited conversion
• Branching to other pages?
• Reference page
• Most were Hot Spots

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Interaction page 2

• No examples of CMI nor question types.
• No conversion

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Motion

• One example found
• Not tested

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Calculation

• Dont move this graphic
• i/o
• Calculation
• No samples of JavaScript
• Can be templated
• Not cost effective for automated conversion

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Erase

• Limited usage
• Many references to external pages
• Conversion possibilities very limited
• Erase example

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BEFORE
AFTER
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Group

• Basis for making an HTML page
• All effective lessons use group
• Creates many non-display pages
• Major decision in determining cost-effectiveness

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Wait

• Limited use
• Can get overly complex in conversion
• Another reason why we need an authoring language
• wait example

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BEFORE
AFTER
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Digital Movie

• Only one example found
• Bitmap Sequence
• Probably requires conversion to another format
• Bitmap Sequence, FLC/FLI, Director, Director
  (protected), MPEG, Video for Windows, Windows
  Media Player

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Navigate

• Found in framework icon
• No examples found to justify writing a conversion
  routine
• Better to ignore
• Gets re-done

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Sound

• Need to convert to be effective multiple formats
• AIFF, MP3, PCM, SWA, VOX, WAV
• Found WAV

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Framework

• Ignored
• Gets rebuilt in an LCMS
• May be heavily dependant on variables

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DVD

• No test cases to examine
• Outside of Web

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Decision

• Some conversion possible
• Can become very complex

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Knowledge Object

• No samples found
• May be easier to provide a template

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Other

• Transitions
• Browser issues
• Not a 1 for 1 correspondence

Example
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(shows transition fade-in)
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Summary of Problems

• Duplicate Icon and ID names
• Erases outside of current page
• Overly large pages
• Cryptic code
• 90 used databases
• Some used 2 or more types
• Custom LMS (written in AW)
• Alignment of objective information

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Solutions

• Redo by hand (i.e. Flash)
• Write an interpreter
• Requires maintaining Authorware for revisions
• Cannot reuse
• Authorware Web
• Problems in VISTA
• Conversion routine
• 70 Level 1 and Level 2
• Re-do the remaining 30
• Apply templates

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Conclusion

• Needs analysis
• Conversion of media
• No magic bullet
• Some wont convert or isnt practical.
• 100 databased
• One giant page

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(No Transcript)