e-Learning Blog
3 Quick Tips for Customizing Your Snap! by Lectora Table of Contents
Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning software makes it easy to quickly customize your rapid e‑Learning courses and presentations using the Slide Explorer. The Slide Explorer is the organizational “hub” for your Snap! by Lectora® course or PowerPoint to Flash creations. This is where you can customize your table of contents, rename and reorganize slides and indicate navigation and branching for your content.
Within the Slide Explorer, you’ll find customization options for the Snap! by Lectora table of contents. The table of contents displays the structure of all your slides and how they relate to one another within your course to give learners a better overall picture of the content as they progress through the course.
These simple steps included in the tips below make it easy to customize your table of contents for your learners. Change the slide title, slide level and hide slides from the table of contents – all within the Snap! by Lectora Slide Explorer. *These tips are only necessary to apply if you choose to display your table of contents upon publishing.
1. Re-name Your Slides: Provide your learners with more detail about the course with short, descriptive slide titles aside from “Slide 1,” “Slide 2,” etc. You can name by topic, chapter title, goal, objective or any number of ideas.
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How to Change the Slide title: Find the slide in the TOC Slide Title column within the Slide Explorer. Once you click on a slide title, you can then edit it to display what you choose.
2. Define the Overall Course Structure: You can change the slide level in the table of contents to indicate where a particular slide fits in the overall structure of your course. This is useful when you want to organize your slide by unit, then by chapter, then by section and so on, for each part of your course.
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How to Change the Slide Level: In the Slide Explorer, find the slide you would like to change, then, click the left or right arrows within the TOC Slide Level column to set the slide’s level.
3. Decide What Is Visible to Learners: Since each slide is included in the table of contents by default, you can choose to hide a slide from the learner’s view. You may want to hide a slide if you don’t want a learner to know the location of quizzes in the course, for example.
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How to Hide Slides from the Table of Contents: To do this, simply locate the slide in the TOC Slide Title column in the Slide Explorer and check the “Hide in TOC” box.
Note - you do not have to display the table of contents if you do not want to; it is a matter of preference. If you want to display the table of contents to your learners, make sure that when you publish, you check the box next to “Info Pane” in Advanced settings so your TOC is visible.
The simplest customizations to your Snap! by Lectora courses can make a big difference your learners’ experiences. As course creators, you may know and understand the structure of your course, but for a learner who is new to the material, a table of contents can provide a great guide to the course.
Haven’t tried Snap! by Lectora? Download your free 30-day trial today to transform your PowerPoint presentations into interactive, exciting Flash experiences.
e-Learning Blog
Only 26 Spots Left - 2012 Lectora User Conference!
The 2012 Lectora User Conference in Chicago is just 3 weeks away – and there are ONLY 26 spots left. Looking to spice up your Snap! by Lectora® rapid e-Learning courses and PowerPoint presentations? Want to super-charge your Snap! Empower™ Flash animations? This is your chance.
Act fast - space is filling quickly and the deadline to reserve your room at the Downtown Chicago Marriott Magnificent Mile, the official conference hotel and the heart of all the action, expires next Monday, May 7.
Don’t miss your opportunity to take a deep dive into rapid e-Learning demonstrations, tips and presentations showcased by e-Learning industry gurus. These expert sessions will have you crafting your rapid e-Learning super skills in no time:
Snap, Crackle, Pop! Making Snap! Sizzle
This session, led by Mark Simon from HiMark Solutions, will show you how to use Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower together to create engaging e-Learning that ends the “death by PowerPoint” epidemic. Learn more about Mark Simon and this session here.
Creating Scenario Based Training with Snap! by Lectora
James Anderson III from RTS Answers will teach you how to build a highly interactive rapid e-Learning module with Snap! by Lectora and will highlight best practices for scenario based learning. Learn more about James Anderson and this session here.
Lectora “Empowered:” Playing to Their Strengths
Jameka Gillenwater and Dustin Shell from Computer Lab will show you how to customize Snap! Empower templates to create e-Learning courses in a snap. Learn more about Jameka Gillenwater, Dustin Shell and their session here.
Developing Pedagogically Sound Interactive Modules with Snap! by Lectora & Snap! Empower
This session, led by Jane Peller and Barry Schaeffer from Northeastern Illinois University, will demonstrate how to create interesting, informative and pedagogically sound modules using Snap! by Lectora, Snap! Empower and other free tools. Learn more about Jane Peller, Barry Schaeffer and their session here.
Turbo Charge Your Content with Snap! by Lectora & Snap! Empower
Jaime Hale, software trainer at Trivantis, will show you how to turbo charge your PowerPoint presentations with interactive Flash components, imported video, synchronized narration, branching navigation and much more. You will learn how to use the many features of Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower to create the “wow” factor you want in your rapid e-Learning courses and presentations.
For the full Lectora User Conference schedule, information about the world renowned keynote presenters, unique networking opportunities and to register for the event, please visit: 2012 Lectora User Conference.
See why the Lectora User Conference is the best value in e-Learning and draws hundreds of e‑Learning professionals from around the world!
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
e-Learning Blog
Free Tools to Increase Productivity
Who couldn’t use a little bit more time in their day? When you’re an e-Learning rockstar busy creating rapid e-Learning magic, time can fly by in the blink of an eye. With this week’s fantastic, free Friday Finds, we’re highlighting five great tools that will stretch your time to keep your rapid e-Learning masterpiece on pace.
Dropbox
Dropbox is a great way to keep your files organized quickly and easily. This service allows users to save items to their “dropbox” while simultaneously saving them to computers, phones and the Dropbox website for consistency. With Dropbox, you no longer have to deal with multiple versions of the same files, or waste time emailing yourself updated files. You can also invite your team to review specific files and folders for easy feedback collection.
FindThatFile
When you’re in a bind and are unable to locate a particular file, try FindThatFile! This service performs a comprehensive sweep of the internet to pinpoint exactly what file you’re looking for.
wetransfer
For the annoying and sometimes frustrating times when your work is just too big to send via email, take advantage of the capabilities of wetransfer. This service makes it super simple to send your content to anyone with an email address, just upload and send away.
Evernote
As your online notebook, Evernote makes organizing easy. With the ability to include items from websites, and create your own notes, Evernote is a great note-taking tool for marking important online resources. Keep yourself organized by filing items into different notebooks and categories that you can set up to your liking. Best of all, this app synchs with your computer and phone for awesomely easy access anywhere.
On the Clock app - $3.99
While not quite a free find, this popular app is a big time saver with a little cost. On the Clock is easy to use, and perfect for keeping all of your projects organized. On the Clock is compatible with iPhones and iPads.
Take advantage of these great finds to keep you on track and organized so you can maximize your productivity and keep your e-Learning content in tip-top shape. Do you have any free tools that you like to use to help keep you on track?
Haven’t had a chance to check out the amazing capabilities of $99 Snap! by Lectora® rapid e-Learning software or Snap! EmpowerTM Flash interactions builder yet? Download a free 30-day trial to get started creating rapid e-Learning masterpieces today.
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
e-Learning Blog
Must Haves for Rapid e-Learning Development
Today, rapid e-Learning software gives designers the opportunity to create out of this world e-Learning courses while using multiple types of media. This may sound like a time-consuming task, but there are some quick and easy ways to use numerous tools, save time and create engaging presentations all at once. Here are a few must have tips and tools to consider when creating your rapid e-Learning masterpiece:
Infographics
Information overload is a common trend in e-Learning. Sharing too much information can cause learners to become overwhelmed causing them to miss essential content they need to know. Using visuals to convey critical information helps learners connect with this information, and focus on key points. Infographics are a fantastic tool to implement in to your e-Learning to share all the information you need to communicate while focusing on key points in a visual way.
Customized Texts and Images
Bring activity to your content while sharing visuals that grabs your audience’s attention by integrating customized text and images to jazz up your courses. Flash animation is just one way to bring your presentation to life, and is a quick and easy way to add instant interaction with your learners and get them engaged quickly. Customizing your texts and graphics lets your presentation shine and become more than just words on a screen. It gives it personality and helps create a connection with your audience.
Audio
Authoring tools today make it super simple to use multimedia in a variety of ways. Your courses can not only include animated text and images, but you can also use music, videos and even narration to give your content that extra eye and ear appeal to your learners. Adding sound to your presentation can enhance the interactivity and effectiveness to your content. Whether it is background music or a sound played when someone answers the question correctly, these small add-ons can zest up your presentation quickly.
Social Media
Create even more engagement with learners by offering them access to share with others through social media outlets. This gives learners the opportunity to share key learning with one another by posting and answering questions, providing insight and communicating additional resources. There are many social media outlets that you can use to help increase the interactivity between learners. Whether it is a special hashtag created on Twitter or a group on Facebook or LinkedIn, each outlet has advantages to keep your learners interacting and interested.
All of these must haves are just a few great ways that you can add a spark and interaction to your presentations. Use these tools and tips as a springboard for your organization to consider when looking for that something extra in your rapid e-Learning courses. To make your presentation the most effective, make sure you utilize each element with your brand in mind and use meaningful content to share with your audience. Think about each of these ideas and how it can effectively fit into your e-Learning presentation.
Interested in adding more spark to your presentations? Download a free 30-day trial of Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning software and Snap! Empower Flash interactions builder today!
e-Learning Blog
10 Tips to Create Bite-Size Rapid e-Learning
To not only grab your learners’ attention and keep them focused, is crucial for successful PowerPoint to Flash courses. Online learners typically complete courses in bite-size pieces and in multiple chunks of time. To really engage learners every step of the way, structure the content in a way that adapts to their learning styles and the way they retain information. Just as the learning material itself is very important, so too is the way that it is structured.
Breaking down an e-Learning course into “bite-size chunks,” or sections, makes it much easier to digest, easier to understand and easier to remember. According to George Miller’s Information Processing Theory, also known as “chunking,” short-term memory and the attention span are limited to processing and retaining information in chunks or sections.
Janet Symmons, B. Ed, offers advice for chunking in her blog, “E-learning Curriculum Design – Learning Chunks” that support this theory:
“Good curriculum designers create an outline of the topic and then break the topic into bricks. These bricks consist of many learning chunks. Each learning chunk must have reinforced a specific point and each learning chunk should build on previous learning chunks.”
Splitting up sections into bite-size pieces creates structure and eliminates monotony. Symmons suggests ending each chunk with a variety of interactive components to continuously engage learners. If learners apply the knowledge they are presented through activities such as videos, group discussions, quizzes, etc., they are not only more engaged, but more likely to retain the information long-term.
Below are 10 ideas to help deliver your rapid e-Learning courses in bite-size chunks that will draw learners in and keep them interested:
- Videos – YouTube videos and videos created by companies and organizations provide a clear view into your learning material and set a scene for understanding that goes beyond just text and images. With Snap! by Lectora®, you can instantly add a YouTube video with the click of a button.
- Podcasts and Screencasts – These video and audio recordings are great tools to demonstrate detailed processes such as navigating a new software or technological platform.
- Group discussions – Nothing beats an opportunity to post questions, provide answers and share knowledge with peers and experts. This human interaction creates a real-life atmosphere to engage learners in the content and help them learn material along the way.
- Games – Toss in a little fun along the way for your learners. A little friendly competition can really liven up an online course. Check out the Snap! Empower™ games for a very quick way to create fun, simple games for your learners: Snap! Empower Flash games.
- Quizzes – Of course quizzes and tests assess learner understanding, but they also encourage them to find the correct answers if they do not know them by digging deeper into the materials. Chose from a variety of dynamic quizzes in both Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower.
- Infographics– The rise of the infographic gives us a very cool way to display data, detailed processes and complex information in a fun, unique way.
- Outside resources – Provide links to outside resources like scholarly articles, blogs, forums and organization resources to provide more in-depth information for those who would like to expand their knowledge on a topic. In Snap! by Lectora, you can either include a link, or simply attach any information you want to include right in the course.
- Questions for exploration – Pose questions to motivate learners to explore outside resources to discover the correct answer to your question and maybe find some extra helpful information along the way.
- Real-world examples – Include links to content that contain real, accurate examples of the concepts conveyed in your material for a great way to link information to things that are familiar to learners.
- Avatars – These virtual characters are a great way to interact with your learners. You can incorporate avatars in many ways, including as a “voice” to your learners, directing them to some of the ideas in the previous tips.
In addition to these tips, keep in mind that it is still critical to design an instructionally sound course aligned with your overall goals and objectives. Outline the plan for your overall structure before you begin and use bullets and numbering to keep things clear and simple - you’ll have a successful rapid e-Learning course in no time!
Do you have fantastic chunking tips or successful examples of your own? Share them with us in the comments below!
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
e-Learning Blog
Free Photo Hosting Websites for Rapid e-Learning
Do you have thousands of images stored on your computer’s hard drive? Have you thought about backing up important images recently? In this week’s Friday Find, we’re brining you three FREE online resources that you can use to host your images hassle-free. We’ve picked three of the six websites discussed in the blog post, The Best Place to Store Your JPEGs and GIFs: Six Image Hosting Sites Compared, to help you find the perfect solution to your photo hosting woes:
MediaFire
This simple, easy-to-use website acts as a secure cloud storage service and is a great repository for your photos. To get started, all you have to do is click on the folder on the home page, select your files and begin uploading in seconds. From there, you can share your content in a snap with your social network, your email contacts, or embed it into your website.
Photobucket
With billions of photos hosted, Photobucket is a popular choice for storing photos and videos. Sign up for an account, and get started uploading your photos. Photobucket even provides fun editing tools that you can use to give your photos a fresh spin.
Whether you create an account or just drag and drop your files right into their website, using Minus makes it easy to store your images. You can also pick whether you’d like your images to be private or public, depending on your preferences.
Check out the full list and pick your favorite to get started hosting your images. Not only does hosting your photos in a secure, online site free up space on your computer, it also can provide you with something you can’t put a price on - peace of mind.
Have you tried out $99 price-busting Snap! by Lectora® rapid e-Learning software or Snap! EmpowerTM Flash interactions builder? Here’s your change – download your free 30-day trial and experience the power this dynamic duo can bring to your e-Learning toolbox today.
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
e-Learning Blog
Make FREE Custom Avatars for Rapid e-Learning
If you’re looking for a way to communicate with your learners that is not only unique, but FREE, a Voki avatar is a quick and easy way to add a dynamic touch to your Snap! by Lectora® and Snap! EmpowerTM content. Voki avatars add a personalized touch to rapid e-Learning courses and provide a great way to communicate things like directions, for example, that would otherwise be purely text-based.
What’s cool about Voki: 
- Create custom avatars very quickly and choose a person, animal, “oddball” and more as your character. You can even customize their clothing, accessories, hair, etc.
- Add your own audio files to create a voice for your avatar.
- Otherwise, Voki will allow you to type in your content and an automated character will speak the part (of course, this is less personal than if you were to add your own voice, but may be valuable to some developers.)
- Upload your own image to use as a background or setting or choose from one that Voki supplies.
- Once you create your avatar, you can simply copy the embed code and pop it right onto your web page, in your content or anywhere else.
Check out this Voki avatar created in less than 5 minutes, below:
*Keep in mind, this avatar was made using only the resources within Voki to demonstrate those capabilities. It could have been much more customized using a recorded narration and custom images for the background.
5 Quick Tips for Using Avatars
- Create multiple avatars as different characters. This is great for storytelling, which will engage learners.
- Use your avatar to navigate and explain to the learner as they progress through the course.
- Your avatar can play the role of a peer that asks questions, provides topics for discussion or suggests other resources for the learner to research.
- Use avatars to emphasize important training words, phrases and concepts to engage audio learners. This also helps to establish the correct pronunciation when dealing with technical terms.
- Avatars can also be a great way to include fun or useful facts and resources as the learner progresses to break up a content-heavy course.
Avatars are a fun, effective way to engage learners. While not every course, client or company will be a good match for these virtual characters, avatars can be a fantastic, free way to add even more excitement to your Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower rapid e-Learning content!
This week's Friday Fan is comes from an e-Learning guru, full of rapid e-Learning wisdom:@msimon14: "Won an argument today when I proposed using #Lectora #Empower for my next #eLearning project. I said, 'It's $99.' End of argument."
Who's going to argue with that one? Thanks Mark, looking forward to your upcoming 2012 Lectora User Conference presentation featuring tips for Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower!
Want another rapid e-Learning freebie? Download your 30-day free e-Learning software trial of Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower today!
e-Learning Blog
Lectora User Conference Showcase: Jameka Gillenwater and Dustin Shell
Want to learn how to take your rapid e-Learning interactivity to the next level and say good-bye to blah PowerPoint presentations? You’re in luck – with the out of this world tips and tricks you’ll learn from Jameka Gillenwater and Dustin Shell during their hands-on session at the upcoming 2012 Lectora User Conference, you’ll be leaving your old PowerPoint presentations in the past.
Session Information
Lectora "Empowered": Playing to their strengths
Jameka Gillenwater, TiER1 Performance Solutions
Dustin Shell, TiER1 Performance Solutions
In this hands-on session, Jameka and Dustin will lead you on a guided journey to learn how you can tailor Snap! EmpowerTM templates to meet your e-Learning needs and fit your workflow – in a snap! Working with pre-built Lectora® and Snap! Empower files; attendees of Jameka and Dustin’s session will quickly realize that crafting quality interactions does not necessarily require a lot of time, expense or development skill.
Experience
Jameka is a Consultant for TiER1 Performance Solutions, and specializes in instructional design, development, and technical writing. She has nine years of experience as an e-Learning Developer and Instructional Designer, using a variety of tools to boost the e-Learning experience. Additionally, she has experience in multimedia design and website development. As a consultant, she has worked in a wide range of industries, including restaurant, retail, security and health care. Jameka became interested in multimedia design and its potential to be harnessed for training and educational purposes as an undergraduate student studying Telecommunications. Jameka has a Master of Science degree in Instructional System Design.
Dustin is an Instructional Design Consultant at TiER1 Performance Solutions, working with a team of experts to craft individual learning and technology solutions for organizations and individuals alike. Previously, Dustin was an Instructional Technologist at the University of Cincinnati, and collaborated with faculty to produce physical and virtual learning environments. With a background in audio and video production, e-Learning development, learning space design and control system programming, Dustin is also a Certified Technology Specialist and a certified Quality Matters reviewer. Dustin has a Master’s degree in Instructional Design and Technology.
Why You Should Attend
The Lectora "Empowered": Playing to their strengths session is perfect for Lectora and Snap! Empower users that are looking to add a dose of learner engagement to their projects and pump-up their interactive learning objects. As you learn how to couple the power of Lectora with Snap! Empower, this session will leave you empowered to create awesome templates that fit your individual needs, as well as a host of other important e-Learning know-how’s.
Excited for the 2012 Lectora User Conference? This is an e-Learning event that you won’t want to miss. To learn more, check out the full conference schedule, and reserve your space, visit the Lectora User Conference website.
Get started creating fantastic PowerPoint to Flash masterpieces instantaneously, and download your free 30-day trial of Snap! by Lectora® and Snap Empower today!
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Stephanie Johnson is the Marketing Assistant at Trivantis Corporation. She is a graduate of Michigan State University, with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communication and History.
e-Learning Blog
Put the POW in your PowerPoint Presentations with Comics
This week’s Friday Finds will punch up your Snap! by Lectora® and Snap! EmpowerTM content with some very cool comic and cartoon themes for rapid e-Learning. Let your creativity soar as you create your superhero, villain, characters and storylines to entertain your audience in a very bold way.
Courtesy of some e-Learning superheroes themselves, check out these free tools for designing your very own comics and cartoons to put right in your PowerPoint presentations, Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower creations!
1. Toondoo - suggested by Jane Hart in her Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies “Top 100 Tools” list.
2. Design Comics - suggested by Connie Malamed on her the eLearning Coach blog.
For some creative inspiration, check out this comic-inspired SlideShare.com presentation, “How to Avoid Death by PowerPoint,” the Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower team had a blast creating:
Channel your inner superhero and create some cool comics or cartoons to really put the POW in your PowerPoint presentations. Of course, these aren’t ideal for every project, but are a unique breath of fresh air for some of your lighter courses. With Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower, your e-Learning content will engage and entertain like never before!
Haven't tried the latest rapid e-Learning software or Flash interactions builder? Get started with your 30-day free e-Learning software trial of Snap! by Lectora and Snap! Empower today!
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
e-Learning Blog
2012 Lectora User Conference Showcase: James Anderson III
Burst out of the page-turning box of boring PowerPoint presentations with interactive capabilities in Snap! by Lectora. Take some tips from James Anderson III during his hands-on session at the 2012 Lectora User Conference that will open up a world of engaging, effective, non-linear rapid e-Learning content for your learners.
Session Information
Creating Scenario Based Training with Snap! by Lectora
James Anderson III, RTS Answers
In this session, James will teach you how to easily leverage Snap! by Lectora to build an interactive e-Learning module. This 75-minute hands-on demonstration includes how to create branching scenarios in your rapid e-Learning content along with some best practices for scenario-based learning.
Experience
James is a performance improvement and training practitioner, consultant and researcher knowledgeable in e-Learning and blended learning solutions as well as formal and informal learning. He has a wide variety of experience creating e-Learning content and actively participates in research projects in the area of training and performance improvement.
Expertise
From blog posts to conference presentations, James has a very successful track record creating exciting, interactive rapid e-Learning content with Snap! by Lectora. In fact, James just recently presented tips for using Snap! by Lectora yesterday at the widely popular e-Learning conference, ASTD TeckKnowledge 2012.
In addition to conference presentations, James created not just one blog, but a four part blog series, “So You Want to Create Rapid e-Learning in Snap! by Lectora?” for the Snap! by Lectora Rapid e-Learning Round-up blog. These popular posts provide detailed instruction for creating non-linear, engaging Snap! by Lectora courses. Check out James’ series for some great tips:
That’s not all – James even generously shared his detailed step-by-step instructions on how to save Snap! by Lectora survey data to a Google Docs spreadsheet – what a Snap! by Lectora rock star! Find his instructions here.
Why You Should Attend
James says, “A few people have asked me, ‘Why do you advocate so strongly for this product?’. Snap! [by Lectora] is just one of the tools in my tool chest. Lectora came out with the first powerful rapid e-Learning development tool, which is on par with Adobe Presenter and Articulate Presenter – for a fraction of the cost… $99. I can definitely appreciate a low cost and powerful tool.” Attending this valuable session seems like a no-brainer!
In addition to the dozens of highly anticipated e-Learning sessions and learning opportunities, 2012 Lectora User Conference attendees will also get to let loose right in the heart of downtown Chicago with fun networking events. The conference kicks off on May 22 with a unique 1920’s Speakeasy Opening Reception and closes with a fantastic Chicago Blues Closing Celebration on Thursday, May 24.
For the full conference schedule and to learn more about the keynote speakers, presentations, to register and more, please visit: 2012 Lectora User Conference.
Want to take your PowerPoint presentations to new heights? Download your 30-day free e-Learning software trial of Snap! by Lectora rapid e-Learning software today!
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Molly Horn is a Content Evangelist at Trivantis Corporation. She graduated from University of Cincinnati with a degree in Communication and focus in Public Relations. |
