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Is Captivate the right product for me?

Guest
Mar 26, 2012 Mar 26, 2012

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I am a college student, albeit an older one and I have previous IT experience as a network admin. I only say this so you know I'm not a total noob. So what I would like to do is become a course designer/creator for an adult/corporate audience. I am trying to teach myself various things as my school doesn't offer any classes on this sort of thing. I am pretty adept at Power Point animations and I have also been using a cloud-based service called Prezi to create a US citizenship informational class (more of a presentation, really). My goal is to make a few classes as a sort of e-portfolio for after graduation using 3 or 4 platforms. My next project is an English as a Second Language (ESL) class.

There are SO many different Adobe products that all look awesome in their own ways but of course they are expensive and I will be buying any software out of my own poor pockets. Additionally, I want to attend some instructor-led training at an Adobe training center in order to learn whatever product I use correctly. So, before I go to all that expense, do you guys think Captivate is the way to go? I mean, there's Authorware, the e-learning suite, Dreamweaver by itself, Presenter, etc. Based on my description of my goals, which product should I focus my time and money on?

Thanks for all advice.

- Roberta

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Advocate , Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

I'm a big fan of lynda.com's course, but it's geared mainly towards people who are new to captivate (at least the Cp4 course).  Not sure what your knowledge level is, but you can view a few of the chapters for free, and usually they have a 7 day trial so you can knock out a good portion (if not all) of that course if you have the time to commit.

it's pretty inexpensive even including the exercise files.  My suggestion to people is always get the basic stuff you can learn on your own as cheaply as

...

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Community Expert ,
Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

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Hello and welcome to the forum,

Since you are a college student, for the moment I do think you can have Adobe software at an educational price. If not, please use the possibility to download fully functional trial software for 1 month. Captivate also exist with a monthly subscription fee as well.

You are referring to tools (except Authorware that is not upgraded or enhanced anymore - too bad) that are mostly presentation based. If you are serious about creating interactive tutorials, software trainings/assessments and want branching possibilities Captivate is a better tool IMO. Its learning curve is steeper than Articulate suite's. Even better is the eLearning Suite where Captivate plays its central role but that has great Adobe software on board that integrates with Captivate: Photoshop, Audition, Acrobat, Flash are my favourites, but you'll get Dreamweaver, Adobe Media Encoder, Presenter (plugin for PPT), and Device Central as well. And some integration possibilities (like the awesome roundtripping with source file in Photoshop, and roundtripping with Audtion for audio clips) only exist in the eLearning Suite. I'd recommend to download the suite and try it out for one month.

Hope this isn't making it more confusing,


Lilybiri

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Guest
Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

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Thanks, Lilybiri<http://forums.adobe.com/people/Lilybiri> for the information.

Yes, I am pretty sure I can get academic pricing but then the instructor-led training session I want to attend through one of Adobe's education partners is over $800, so all together, it is an expensive endeavor. I don't mind this, I know education isn't cheap, but I just want to make sure I aim my resources and time in the right direction.

Your explanation was very helpful and I'm feeling a little less ambivalent now... thanks! I also appreciate your comment about Articulate. I had considered learning it first, but in the basic research I have done it does seem like the industry favors Captivate. Would you agree?

Does anyone else have any thoughts on the suitability of Captivate for my situation?

Thanks again to all for any advice.

-  Roberta

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Community Expert ,
Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

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Hi again,

I never spent one dime for training, couldn't afford it as well. There are quite a lot of free resources around (on-demand seminars, Adobe TV, blogs - I'm blogging as well). And I learned most by visiting this forum.

In the latest reports of eLearning Guild Captivate is still number one, not Articulate. There are also new applications available (zebrazapps) or sorting soon (Storyline). Really recommend you to have a look at this report and at a recent discussion on Linkedin about elearning software (group eLearning Guild).

Lilybiri

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Guest
Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

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Thanks, Lilybiri. I will look for those reports and discussions. Really appreciate your help... thanks for taking the time to respond.

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LEGEND ,
Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

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Hi there

At the risk of sounding totally self-centered, I offer an inexpensive "learn it yourself" eBook.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

Captivate Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form

Adobe Certified Captivate Training

SorcerStone Blog

Captivate eBooks

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Guest
Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

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Thanks, Rick. Can you post a link?

Has anyone ever taken the instructor-led training? I feel like my learning style plus my desire to get up and running quickly (plus the lack of any help on my campus) are all leading me to some in-person training. I don't mind paying for stuff that's worth it!

Thanks.

- Roberta

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Advocate ,
Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

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I'm a big fan of lynda.com's course, but it's geared mainly towards people who are new to captivate (at least the Cp4 course).  Not sure what your knowledge level is, but you can view a few of the chapters for free, and usually they have a 7 day trial so you can knock out a good portion (if not all) of that course if you have the time to commit.

it's pretty inexpensive even including the exercise files.  My suggestion to people is always get the basic stuff you can learn on your own as cheaply as possible, then pay for the 1:1 training for the advanced stuff.

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Guest
Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

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Thanks AndyKingInOC. That Lynda.com site looks pretty awesome. I will definitely look more into that. I am completely new to Captivate, though reasonably tech-savy due to my previous IT background. The idea of getting all the easy stuff front loaded so I can get the most out of any one on one training is a great point.

Most appreciated.

- Roberta

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LEGEND ,
Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

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Hi Roberta

Indeed I can. And I did if you look at what I wrote. It's part of my sig lines. I also offer certified training if you really want an instructor led, 1 on 1 experience.

Actually I'm sitting in the Toronto, Canada airport waiting for a flight home from a private engagement where I was delivering basic Captivate training to a group of 12.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

Captivate Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form

Adobe Certified Captivate Training

SorcerStone Blog

Captivate eBooks

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Guest
Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

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Great, Rick. Thanks.

I will want some instructor-led training but I am going to front-load as much as I can first, as Lilybiri suggested. There is some training coming up in Atlanta, GA soon that I think I'll sign up for since that is the closest place for me to do it.

I'm going to check out your e-book and also try out lynda.com's Captivate course, as AndyKingInOC suggested and, once I get as much as I can under my belt, then I'm going to get some live training (definitely my preferred learning style).

Do you ever teach at the Adobe certified training center in ATL?

Thanks to every one!

- Roberta

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LEGEND ,
Mar 27, 2012 Mar 27, 2012

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Hello again Roberta

I'm always baffled with folks that seem insistent on paying what a training center wants and traveling to the center. I've facilitated loads of classes virtually where we connect via screen sharing and I mentor as we go along and ultimately you end up with a better and more personalized result. You may ask questions at any time if you like, just like the classroom. But if you feel you must travel, pay extra and get dumped into a public class with however many others that may be present, it's your money and your time.

Just a heads up on this. Don't be surprised if you sign up for a class and you think you will be traveling only to discover that the class is later canceled. The way these training centers work is that they "bait the hook" by saying a class is scheduled for an arbitrary date. Then they sit back, wait and see how many folks express interest. Here's the kicker.

If not enough sign up, they cancel the class plain and simple and leave you hanging where you thought a class was going to happen. If enough folks do sign up, they then work their list of possible instructors to find one that will come and deliver the class. I'm one of several they may use. I'm certified by Adobe for RoboHelp and for Captivate.

Some training centers regularly use instructors that, while are certainly certified by Adobe, they aren't certified for Captivate. They may be certified for some other Adobe product such as Flash or Photoshop. This means that these instructors don't know the ins and outs of Captivate and will will essentially just read you the book.

Indeed I've facilitated many classes in Atlanta as well as many other locations for many different training companies.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

Captivate Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form

Adobe Certified Captivate Training

SorcerStone Blog

Captivate eBooks

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Guest
Mar 28, 2012 Mar 28, 2012

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Interesting... I am intrigued by this now. Usually I much prefer sitting in a classroom, taking notes and asking questions, but if it is as you say, I may reconsider how I go about getting my training.

I took a quick look at your Show Me site and I have some questions. Should we take the discussion off the board and email/talk privately? I'll send you a quick note via the Show Me contact form.

Thanks!

- Roberta

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LEGEND ,
Mar 28, 2012 Mar 28, 2012

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Hi Roberta

Send to rstone75 (at) kc (dot) rr (dot) com.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

Captivate Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form

Adobe Certified Captivate Training

SorcerStone Blog

Captivate eBooks

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Guest
Mar 28, 2012 Mar 28, 2012

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Rick, the contact form on the Show Me site errored out and when I tried to email the webmaster, I got a Daemon error that the email was rejected.

I'd rather not post my email address in the forum. How can I contact you? Thanks.

Roberta

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