Tracking user scores and data in Articulate Online is a very simple process as long as you understand the difference between public content, private content, and guestbooks.
Public content
Public content is exactly what it sounds like…public content. This means that anyone with a direct link to the content itself can access it. Keep in mind that if someone accesses a public content item via the direct link, they will not be required to log into your Articulate Online account. Thus, when you run a report on that content item, their attempt may show up as “anonymous” instead of an actual first and last name.
If you insist on keeping your content public, I recommend that you only do so in the following situations:
- Surveys – In most cases, surveys can be anonymous and still be effective. For example, if you are trying to find out if your employees like the new cafeteria vendor or even the new CEO, it might be best to keep the survey anonymous.
- Knowledge Checks – Are you trying just to get an idea as to how much your employees or students know about a certain subject? Create a “knowledge check” in Quizmaker, list it as a public content item, and then email invitations to your users. Using knowledge checks is a great way to determine if there is a need to create a full-blown course on a specific subject.
- Other content / Engage interactions / Quizmaker quizzes that do not require a need to know who actually accessed the content. This will likely need to be determined by you…the e-learning designer.
Private Content
If you need a way to ensure that your users’ scores are linked to actual user accounts, then you’ll want to make your content Private. When a user tries to directly access the content through a link or button that you provide, that user will be required to log into the Articulate Online system. Thus, when they access the content, their progress and their scores for that content item will be tracked.
Guestbooks
Guestbooks are used to provide supplemental information about the people accessing content in your Articulate Online account. They should not be used an alternate means of attempting to track a specific user’s score. Rather, they should be used in the following situations:
Public Content – Using guestbooks with surveys, knowledge checks, and other content is a great way to ensure that a specific person has completed the content without associating their name to specific responses. This not only keeps the attempt anonymous, but also helps you track whether or not someone has accessed it.
Private Content – Using guestbooks with private content is a great way of getting additional information about the people accessing your content without having to customize the content itself. Without guestbooks, you would need to add additional questions to your survey or quizzes to get additional information about the user. However, by using the guestbook feature, you can request (or require) a wide range of information, including:
- Company
- Job Title
- Department
- Phone
- Cell
- Fax
- Address and more
Summary
If you need to track users and their scores in Articulate Online, be sure to do the following in order:
If it’s not necessary to link a specific user to their progress of a specific item, then set the content up as public. Finally, be sure to use guestbooks only as a means to get additional information about your users instead of as a means of tracking progress.