Using SDs as the LMS Document

Summary SDs (Strategy Documents) can be used as learning management system (LMS) modules instead of traditional flat documents. You organise the content under collapsible topic headers, add icons, images and videos, and learners ask questions in the chat beside each section, where the module owner answers and other learners can read the answer. Sections can be made visible only for a particular site. Learners work through the module at their own pace, in an interactive, multimedia document.

Steps

Note. Using SDs as the LMS document moves training from a flat document to a more contextual one, with all the information and resources at the learner's fingertips. Learners can strike up a conversation with the module owner, which new learners can review, so everyone learns together. Because SDs are a rich, multimedia environment, you can also add videos directly inside the document: either insert a link to a video or embed the actual video. Text and video together make powerful learning documents.

Step 1

Open the SD you are using as the module. The education icon, a grey graduation cap below the members icon at the top left of the SD, shows that the SD is connected to the LMS.

Step 2

With SDs as training modules, make the most of these SD elements: topic headers, notes and fast notes. They are the first three buttons in the row of purple buttons above the SD's section headers: topic header (a numbered list), note (a pencil) and fast notes (two pages).

Step 3

Drop them into the SD: click and hold an element's button, drag it into the SD and let go. The SD Elements module covers adding elements.

Step 4

Add icons to your topic headers to give the module some life. The Add any Image as a Section Header Icon module covers how.

Step 5

Organise all the relevant information under the topic headers, to keep the SD or module tidy. Clicking the dropdown arrow at the left of a topic header's row reveals the information filed under it.

Step 6

This lets learners take in the information at their own pace and digest it in bite-sized pieces.

Step 7

When learners have finished digesting one section, they move on to the next.

Step 8

One of the key benefits of using SDs as an LMS document is that the SD is also a live communication platform. A learner with a question clicks the chat icon (a speech bubble) at the right end of the relevant section's row, and sends the question to the SD or module owner for an answer. Other learners with the same question don't need to ask again: they open the chat, see the existing discussion and find the answer straight away. This saves everyone time and makes learning more efficient.

Site-specific sections

Step 9

When an SD is used as an LMS module across several branches, some parts may need to be site-specific. You can set certain sections to be visible only for a particular site.

Step 10

Click the dropdown arrow next to the note you want to assign: it is at the right end of the note's text, just left of the Action By column. A list of sites opens.

Step 11

Select the site from the list. The note is then visible only for that site.

Adding context and video

Step 12

You can also give section headers more context, such as images, videos and extra information, to guide the reader. A section header with extra information shows an orange info icon at the right end of its row. The Info Icons module covers how to add it.

Step 13

Embed videos into the document, so learners can read about a topic and then deepen their understanding with a visual demonstration. For example, embed a video under the instructions it demonstrates: learners read the instructions, then click the expand button to watch the demonstration.

Tip. To see how a module works for the learner, the Module Learning - Desktop module covers it.