Joe Ganci reviewed Raptivity 5.5 for Learning Solutions Magazine in April 2010 (Harbinger Raptivity: Packaged Interactivity), but the recent release of version 6.0 of the tool adds some features that are well worth a second look.
The new version is capable of publishing content for mobile phones; it includes a question bank feature; it adds an asset library; and it now includes a basic image editor. In addition, Raptivity has added Section 508c accessibility standards support for 35 of its core interaction types. Finally, Raptivity now offers an HTML5 Pack, which lets you publish the included interactions in either Flash or HTML5; this effectively extends Raptivity support to a much broader class of devices, including the iPad and iPhone, along with better support for mobile phones.
In this article, I’ll summarize each of the new features and what they mean for e-Learning developers.
Quick Raptivity recap
Raptivity is an interaction builder that comes with a basic set of interaction types (called “interactivities” by Raptivity). You can purchase additional interaction types in “packs.” Raptivity was first released in 2006 with 110 interaction templates. At last count, there are 231 templates and Harbinger has more in the works. Raptivity lets you publish the interactions as Flash (SWF) files that can be stand-alone learning spots, or you can add them to a course built with another authoring tool. Specifically, you can add Raptivity interactions to Captivate, Articulate, Lectora, ProForm, ToolBook, and virtually any authoring tool that supports Flash 8 files. You can customize each interaction for look and feel, as well as content, and many developers leverage Raptivity to save the time and expense associated with building learning interactions from scratch in their standard authoring tool, or in Flash.
Publishing content for mobile phones
The ability to publish content for mobile phones is new with Raptivity 6.0. The feature is available for all of the 35 interaction types in the “Essentials Pack.” (See Figure 1.) The option to publish as mobile output appears as an additional Output type during the publication process only for those interactions supporting mobile output.
Figure 1. Mobile output is an available option for all of the interaction types in the Essentials Pack
The following 11 interaction types support the mobile publish option:
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Brainteasers (Flash Cards, Jigsaw Puzzle – Advanced, Classification Exercise with Timed Options, Analogous Pair with Fixed Attempts)
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Presentation Aids (Dynamic Bullet List, Picture Show, Flip the Book, Rollover Word Definitions)
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Interactive Diagrams (Concentric Circles with Callouts – Advanced, Pyramid, Hub and Spokes – Advanced, Ladder Steps)
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Surveys (Generalized Survey – Advanced, Smile Sheet, Survey with Percentage Rating Scale, Survey with two-point Rating Scale)
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Overview Visuals (Buildup and Rollover, Diagram Custom Highlight – Advanced)
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Flow Diagrams (Flow Chart Presentation with Audio – Advanced, Multilevel Cycle – Practice)
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Software Simulations (Let Me Try, Screen Familiarization – Rollovers on Components Screen Familiarization Exercise, Show and Tell)
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Glossary (Glossary, Glossary – Tab Style, Search Box)
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Interactive Questions (Branching Question – Adaptive Type, Create a Tree)
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SCORM Objects (Multi-page Assessment, In-Page Test)
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Miscellaneous (FAQ – Advanced, FAQ on Demand, User Initiated Zoom in Effect)
