RISE(ing) To The Occasion

What is RISE 360?

I first learned about RISE when I was an out-of-work learning designer going on a string of job interviews, and having to constantly create mock-ups of learning solutions. Though I would end up using Storyline mostly (which I will cover in a future newsletter), I learned a great deal about RISE in the process.

RISE 360 is a web-based authoring tool. It's a tool I use to create online learning solutions for the end-users.

Now, let's see what Articulate says…

"Rise 360 is a web app that lets you create beautiful, fully-responsive courses fast. Rise 360 courses use the latest web technologies, so they automatically adapt to any device, no extra work required. Rise 360 is responsive authoring the way it should be."

As part of the broader Articulate 360 suite, RISE has built-in templates and some cool new features that I like.

I will also explore some key features, benefits, and some of the things I find useful.

I am fully aware that RISE does have its cons. However, today's newsletter will be an introduction/overview. There will be more articles on RISE in the future, and we can hash it all out.

I can’t just start off bashing RISE! Violence is never the answer.

Let’s all get along. Let’s not compare (at least for the first round HAHA).

Bone Thugs & Harmony

While editing this newsletter, the Mariah Carey "Breakdown" video, featuring Bones Thugs & Harmony started playing on YouTube. I love that song, but the thing that got me hooked is the word "features" because I'm about to write about some RISE features.

Upon further inspection, the song got me thinking about commonalities with RISE.

Collaboration - Mimi and BT&H were an unlikely collab, yet it worked, really well! So, if the rappers and the pop princess can create a hit song, you could potentially create a good learning solution with your stakeholders.

Scalability - in 1997, Mariah was the Hip Hop/R&B cross-over queen with mass appeal. Get a feature on a Carey track, and your music reaches a bigger audience. RISE can scale your learning solutions, just like Jay-Z scored his first Billboard Hot 100 #1 with a feature on Mariah’s “Heartbreaker” in 1999.

However, I digress…

Let’s get into features!

According to the Oxford Dictionary, "feature" is a distinctive attribute or aspect of something. For example, "a well-appointed house with interesting decorative features".

In the case of the song, Bone Thugs adds a distinctive sound for sure. Mariah is matching their cadence and flow while keeping it pop-friendly. And just like the "thugs" added their flavour to the song, these features give RISE 360 some spice.

"Gonna break you down"

These are some of the features I like and make use of when creating online courses/learning solutions in RISE.

When I heard the term “responsive design” for the first time, I didn’t quite understand it. When I had some knowledge, I understood (at a high level) that a website could be viewed on both desktop and mobile devices.

Courses built with RISE automatically adapt to any device, whether it's a desktop, tablet, or smartphone. This ensures that learners have a seamless experience regardless of how they access the content.

If you want to add some user engagement, or interaction, RISE provides a variety of interactive content options. These include quizzes, knowledge checks, interactive timelines, flashcards, and labeled graphics.

This interactive content allows you to create your scenarios, choose your characters and backgrounds too.

RISE does offer some control by allowing you to upload your multimedia content such as images, videos, and even audio files.

I like this because it has given me the freedom to create images in Adobe Illustrator, and integrate them with the interactive content blocks. This does support and helps the creation of more engaging learning experiences.

Sharing is caring! I like that RISE also includes collaboration capabilities that allow multiple stakeholders to review and provide feedback on courses. You can offer feedback within the course, and respond to the reviewer.

Feedback is super important, and I like that RISE now has a new feature they're testing, whereby you can request feedback, and you get a notification from the reviewer once complete.

As an extra touch, I've created a tiny "how-to" guide, to show stakeholders how they can provide feedback in RISE. I find it helps, especially for those who have not worked with the tool before.

"Well, I guess I'm trying to be nonchalant about it…"

But let's try not be nonchalant about some of the benefits of RISE! There are still some good ones here.

They can be improved upon, and trust me, other authoring tools have done just that, picked up the torch and ran. But, if you have the license, and it is what the company has, then use it.

I don't get sponsored or paid to say any of this, but all the organisations I've been a part of, have used Articulate RISE. This has had both a positive and negative on my tool development.

On the positive side, I've been able to work the tool and use it to the maximum capabilities. On the negative side, I would say it has hindered my learning and use of other tools.

But, for the purposes of this introduction to RISE, I am very familiar and comfortable with both Storyline and RISE and therefore I have found these things to be beneficial.

For example:

I've worked in fast-paced environments, and because things move so rapidly, the advantage of RISE templates means I can create learning a bit faster. Now, let's be clear, rolling out training faster doesn't make it better. It just means you have the ability to roll it out, and faster.

I mentioned above that "sharing is caring", and another nice benefit is that you can scale your learning solutions across the organisation. Whether it's onboarding new employees, updating existing staff, or providing ongoing professional development, you can use RISE to create a learning experience.

Another benefit is the interactive elements and multimedia support in RISE, that contribute to a more engaging learning experience.

"I be feeling like you're breaking me down"

I'm still breaking down RISE 360, and since I've already mentioned some of the features and benefits, I thought I would add a couple of extra highlights.

As part of the Articulate 360 suite, RISE integrates seamlessly with other tools like Storyline 360 and Review 360. This integration provides a comprehensive e-learning solution that covers all aspects of course development, from creation to review and deployment.

I quite enjoy "e-learning heroes"! Articulate has a strong user community and support system. Course creators can access a wealth of resources, including tutorials, forums, and customer support, ensuring they have the help they need to create effective courses.

There are regular updates, adding new features and improvements based on user feedback.

"It's over, it's ending here"

RISE is a user-friendly platform for creating engaging, responsive, and interactive online learning solutions and courses.

Whether for corporate training, educational institutions, or personal development, RISE provides some of the tools needed to create impactful and dynamic learning content.

I will continue writing more about RISE! What are your thoughts on RISE, let me know!

See you next Saturday.