Lesson Builder Overview
Lesson Builder is the design surface in Skyllful Studio where Replicas, prompts, and controls become a Lesson, and this overview explains what a Lesson is made of, where it sits in your Learning Program, and what you can build there.
What is Lesson Builder?
Lesson Builder is where the pieces you have already made come together. You bring in the Replicas built from your captured screens, write the prompt that tells the Learner what to do, mark the control they are meant to act on, and set which modes the Lesson offers. The result is training that moves the way the real application moves, which is what makes it transfer to the job.
You reach Lesson Builder through your Learning Program's Courses Overview screen. Select a Course, then a Module, then either open an existing Lesson or use the [+] in the Lessons panel to start a new one.
What is a Lesson made of?
Part |
What it is |
|---|---|
| Steps | The individual moments in a Lesson. Each step is normally one action the Learner takes. |
| Replicas | The interactive copies of your application screens. One screen sits on each step. |
| Screen prompts | The on-screen guidance for the step, made up of the step Description and the spotlight and dialog styling around it. |
| Controls | The button or text entry field on the Replica that the Learner is meant to act on. Every step needs at least one entry in Selected Controls. |
| Lesson modes | The ways a Learner can experience the same Lesson: Talkthrough, Walkthrough, Practice, Knowledge Check, and Video. |
Where do Lessons sit in your Learning Program?
Level |
What it holds |
|---|---|
| Learning Program | The top-level container for a body of training. Screens, videos, users, and settings all belong to it. |
| Course | A group of related Modules inside a Learning Program. |
| Module | A group of related Lessons inside a Course. |
| Lesson | A single interactive learning unit. |
A Learning Program has to exist before you can build a Lesson, because the Course and Module you file the Lesson under live inside it.
What can you do in Lesson Builder?
Capability |
What it does |
|---|---|
| Assemble steps | Add, duplicate, archive, and reorder the steps that make up the Lesson. |
| Place a screen on a step | Pull a Replica in from the Screen Library or upload a new screen. |
| Add controls | Mark the button or field on the Replica that the step is about, using Add Control and Selected Controls. |
| Write and style prompts | Enter the step Description and set the spotlight and dialog styling, then copy that styling to every other step. |
| Develop the modes | Customize the Talkthrough, Walkthrough, Practice, Knowledge Check, Quick Reference Guide, and Video content assets for each step. |
| Include or exclude a step per mode | Leave a step out of individual modes when it does not apply to them. |
| Preview | Open Preview to see the Lesson as a Learner would, or Toggle Preview to check a single prompt in place. |
| Review the history | Read the Changelog panel to see every version, who edited it, and how many edits each version carried. |
| Publish a version | Use Publish Version to make a specific version of the Lesson eligible for Assignments. |
| Generate Thumbnail | Produce a thumbnail image for the Lesson instead of uploading one. |
Note: Publishing a Lesson makes it eligible to be assigned. Learners see it only once it is part of an active Assignment.
Where do you find things on the screen?
Lesson Builder puts two scopes on one screen. The area above the first step and the bar along the bottom act on the whole Lesson. The step cards below act only on the step you are working in.
That distinction is worth learning early, because most Lesson Builder mistakes come from mixing the two up. For the full tour of both layers, and the list of control pairs that are easy to confuse, see Navigate the Lesson Builder Screen.
What if Lesson Builder does not work as expected?
Symptom |
What to do |
|---|---|
| The edit pencil on a screen is greyed out | That screen is used by a published Lesson. Hover over the pencil to see how many lessons the screen is used in. |
| Update stays greyed out | Nothing on the Lesson has changed yet. It becomes available as soon as you edit something. |
If you need help, start with your manager, then your Local Administrator. If additional assistance is needed, your Local Administrator can submit a support ticket to Skyllful.
Skyllful Knowledge Base | Content Developers, Instructional Designers