Simplifying Variables for Better E-Learning

Why variables are simpler than they look

At a workshop on variables, one attendee said her biggest takeaway was to avoid using them. It got a laugh, but the reaction made sense, especially for a new person.

Variables look like a programming concept at first, but the logic behind them is straightforward once you know the pattern.

What a variable is

Think of a variable as an empty bucket. The bucket collects something during the course. Once it has something in it, you can use that value to do something else.

In e-learning, that value might be a learner’s name, a count of how many items they clicked, or a record of which path they took. The bucket just holds the information until you need it.

The three types of variables

Most authoring tools work with three kinds of variables. Each holds a different type of value.

• Number: stores a count or calculation, like how many correct answers a learner has given
• Text: stores a string of characters, like a learner’s name or a typed response
• True/False: stores a yes-or-no state, often used to track whether something happened

The types are sometimes interchangeable. You could track a yes/no state with a number just as easily as with a True/False variable. Pick whatever makes the logic clearest.

Two common examples worth trying first

Two of the most common uses for variables are displaying a learner’s name and counting clicks. Both appear frequently in real courses and help illustrate how the system works.

For a name variable, a learner types their name on the first screen. You store that input in a text variable. On any later screen, you reference the variable and Storyline fills in the name automatically.

View the example.

For a counting variable, you start a number variable at zero. Every time a learner clicks something you want to track, a trigger adds 1 to the variable. When the count hits a threshold, another trigger fires feedback or changes an object’s state.

View the example.

The three-step process for using variables

Every variable follows the same pattern, regardless of what it does.

• Create the variable. Give it a name, choose a type, and set a starting value if needed.

• Adjust the value. A learner action triggers a change to the variable, like incrementing a counter or storing text input.

• Use the value. Another trigger reads the variable and does something with it, like showing a layer or displaying a learner’s name.

That’s the whole system. Everything else is a variation on these three steps. If you want to learn more check out the resources in the e-learning community. There’s some introductory training and a bunch of examples in the weekly challenges.

Get comfortable through practice

Getting comfortable with variables means giving yourself a real goal and working through how to reach it. Try collecting a learner’s name and displaying it on a later screen. Then control navigation with a variable, and then track correct selections during an activity. Each practice round makes the next course you build a little more dynamic.