Contents
Do NOT upload video
Video should be hosted on Panopto or Youtube.
What is Xerte? (pronounced zer-tee)
View examples by selecting links below:
Various page types, especially interactive page types
Hotspot Connector example | Clinical appraisal
Uni of Cardiff tutorials | Deltion College (Dutch)
Objectives
If we have time:
UoYTutorial
After logging into Xerte, you will see a Workspace.
On the right, click on Create (Xerte Online Toolkit).
Use the dropdown to choose UoYTutorial.
Name the file UoYTutorial and then click Create.
You will then have a copy of UoYTutorial in your workspace.
Editing a project
Enable pop-ups if asked.
Xerte page basics
It helps to have the editor and the preview pane side by side.
After every change you make, click Publish, and Shift-Play or Refresh the preview pane .
1. Select a page to edit.
2. Shift-Play to see the learning object in the preview pane.
3. Preview pane. You can navigate to a specific page.
1
Play and Publish buttons
Publish regularly!
2
Method 1: Edit, Publish, Shift-Play
Edit, Publish, Shift-Play (press Shift key and click Play) will open up the current page in the preview window.
Method 2: Edit, Publish, Refresh
An alternative workflow if you have the editor and preview window side by side (see slide 13-14):
After publishing, select the preview window and Refresh or Reload the window.
This will update the page you are already on.
Method 2: Arrange your window so you can see both Editor and preview pane.
Arrange the Play page so you can see what happens when you edit in the editor. (cont’d)
Method 2: Refresh
Select a page, then:
What happens if you press Play instead? (see speaker notes)
Press Ctrl-R to refresh the play pane. Or Right-click and Reload.
Hamburger menu
Edit a page
Notice the + sign next to certain page types. This expands so you can see further nested pages.
Edit a page - editor
Open the text editor toolbar..
Edit a page - add a picture from the media library
Add a picture - double-click the picture to add it.
Edit a page - upload a picture
Upload the picture, then double-click to add it.
Remember to Publish, Play or Refresh
Edit, Publish, Shift-Play to view the current page in the preview window.
Edit a page - Image Properties
Add alternative text.
Make width 100% and press tab to confirm.
Press OK
Edit a page - add a style
Select some text and use the Styles dropdown to choose a style. Page 4 in the Tutorial object shows you the different styles available.
Optional Properties
Each page type has different optional properties you can add to a page.
For example:
Add a background to the Games > Hangman page.
(Use the Banner.jpg image from the media library.)
Multi-Navigator types
Change the navigator page type, publish and shift-play to see your options for that page.
Tasks 1 and 2
Task 1: duplicate a page and then delete it
Task 2: add and try to edit a new page (whatever you fancy trying out)
Task 3: rearrange the pages in your project
Task 3a: Change project navigation
Task 4: Close the project (after Publishing) and share it (slides 26-29)
Copying a page from another project
Say I want to import a page from hotspot object to UoY Tutorial object (Fig 1)
The imported page will be listed at the bottom of your project page.
Fig 1
Fig 2
Create new object,
Make object public and
embed in vle
Create new object and make public
to see its project properties. Click Access and tick Public. Confirm by clicking Change Access.
You can remove public access by checking private if you want to keep your work private until you’re ready.
5
Embed code for vle 1/2
Publish and close the editor window to return to the Project Editor page.
6
Copy the embed code.
In the VLE, build content > item > and select the html button. Paste the code in here, update and submit.
Options for embedded object 2/2
You should add some instructions above the embedded object, allowing users to open the object in a new window. You should also adjust the width of the object so it’s 100% in the html code.
Tidying up files 1/2
Go to your workspace
If you are in the habit of duplicating projects to create new ones, you can soon have many files that are clogging up the server that are not in use. Get in the habit of tidying up the files to help Xerte run more smoothly.
Kindly remove any projects you are not using - select a project and use the Bin icon to trash it. (More on next slide.)
Tidying up files 2/2
You also have to empty your bin (sorry, I know!) regularly to truly empty and clear space on the server.
Select the Recycle Bin in your Workspace and click the Bin icon.
Share or give a project
You can share a project with someone if you wish for them to edit the same project as yourself. You cannot both edit at the same time. Go to Project Properties > Shared Settings and type the name of the person you wish to share with. Make them a Co-author (no need to save).
If you want them to have a separate copy of your project, give them your project. Type the person’s name and select from the list that appears.
Exporting
To export: (1) is your learning object, whatever its title is. Then follow the steps.
Importing
Importing an object (see slide 34 on exporting)
Follow the steps below to import a Xerte archive file.
The object is likely to be at the bottom of your list of projects.
Video demo
When you close the editor window, you return to the Projects pane.
View the Demo video under Resources for an overview.
Resize pictures on Xerte
Right-click any picture and choose Image Properties.
Browse Server.
View by list and spot the items with large file sizes.
Right-click the image and choose Resize.
Make the picture size smaller (maximum 800px wide) and save.
extras
How to hide footer / show only one page 1/3
If you hide the footer, the user will only see the page they land on and cannot navigate elsewhere. This can be useful if you want to display only one interaction on the vle, for instance.
&hide=bottom
Options are
hide=top,bottom,both,none
Eg
Note carefully where to insert the code.
How to hide footer / show only one page 2/3
To show just one of the pages, you add the following
#resume=1
where 1 is the page.
On blackboard the code will usually change to this after you submit or save it:
Don’t worry, it still works.
If this doesn’t work, see How to edit the code or Connector pages for two different solutions.
How to Edit the code 3/3
Your url may be something like this
src="https://learningapps.co.uk/futureteacher/play_33#resume=1"
You need to change the text from ‘play’ to play.php?template_id=33&hide=bottom#resume=1 where the id is the number of your resource which is 33 in this example. In the example in the picture, id=1984.
Connector page
Connector page: navigate to certain pages only 1/3
Try out a connector page to see what we will be building.
To allow a user to navigate to only pages�1, 3 and 5, for instance, you must first �turn off the footer for the whole learning �object:
Connector page: navigate to certain pages only 2/3
Now add a connector page
This will appear as a new page on the left menu.
Connector page: navigate to certain pages only 3/3
Repeat for each menu item you wish to add. See next slide for how to add ‘back to menu’ link.
Back to menu link
Each page you jump to should have a way �to get back to the menu.
Go to the page (eg Invitation card inside) �and
Repeat for each page that needs a link back to the menu page.
Conditional progress
Conditional progress 1 of 3
If you want to prevent people from jumping to the end and leaving your learning object without any regard for how much effort you’ve put into making it, you’ve come to the right slide.
Ideally, you need to implement the ideas from Cathy Moore’s blog about designing effective elearning. Her pearls of wisdom will help you to design material that learners don’t want to miss!
In the meantime, let’s learn to prevent users from mindlessly clicking the Next button...
Conditional progress 2 of 3
Conditional progress 3 of 3
Title page animation
Title page animation
See the code in speaker notes.
Note that this animation is only possible in Title page type.
You can change the duration of the fade by choosing a different amount of time for the fadein transition.
Online audio recorder (outputs mp3)
Extras
Copyright footer 1/3
You can create a copyright footer by adding the script optional property to the learning object.
Instructions on the next slide!
Copyright footer 2/3
// JavaScript / jQuery
$( "#x_footerProgress p" ).replaceWith( "<p class=ctext>© University of York 2024</p>" );
$( ".pbContainer").remove();
Copyright footer - sizing 3/3
If the footer text is looking a bit large, you can make it smaller by changing the style of the footer text.
p.ctext{
font-size:0.9em;
padding-top:15px;
}
Link to another page
Create your ‘button’ and select the text.
Click the Xerte page link button.
From the dropdown, choose the page to link to.
Reminders for lilian
__x__Show landing page of xerte editor and selecting object, edit.
__x__Pop ups
___giving projects
___removing media not used in project
Old training slides
Drag and drop page type
Get to know the features of the page editor in the next few slides.
Edit some text, then Publish and refresh the Play pane to check your updates.
3
Drag and drop page type
3
Select the word or words that become the gap. Right-click and Mark Word.
Drag and drop page type
3
Drag and drop page type
3
Change the background picture.
This is an optional property you add to the page editor from the panel on the right.
If you can’t see it, add it.
Try deleting it, then adding it back.
Change this drag and drop into a drop down.
(more accessible)
Drop down page type 1/2
Drop down
4
Drop down page type 2/2
The words in the drop down
5
Try adding a simple title page, a media page and a navigator page to your current object.
Pause and reflect
Which is the editor pane?
Which is the Play or Preview pane?
How should you preview your changes after editing?
A
B
Answers
Which is the editor pane?
Which is the Play or Preview pane?
How should you preview your changes after editing?
Click Publish, select the preview pane, press Ctrl-R or F5