We were honoured to have Jeff Brooks and
Audrey Dalton travel all the way from Colorado Springs to
present to the eLATED community. The presentation was engaging and entertaining
with lots of opportunities to see how companies are using CodeBaby in their
e-learning.
Learning
Theory
The theory of avatars for learning and in
the workplace has largely been developed by Byron Reeves at Stanford.
The
Software
The product that allows you to create and
edit characters is called, Production Studio.
CodeBaby characters built in Production
Studio can be used in virtually any course authoring tool, as the CodeBaby
character can be imported as a .swf file. This format is ubiquitous and can be
imported to any course authoring tool such as Flash, Captivate, Lectora, Articulate,
etc.
They can be utilized in content that is
posted on an LMS, an online LMS such as Moodle or offline (CD-ROMs).
Avatars can be switched easily. An
“auto-lipsynch” feature accelerates development and is also helpful when
releasing the same course in different languages as the auto-lipsynch feature
will automatically make adjustments.
There are a library of stock characters
that have 300+ existing moves. Characters can be customized by yourself or for
more extensive customizations, CodeBaby can customize a character. You can have
an avatar wear your uniform and make specific movements or you can have a
totally custom character built to look like your CEO.
Audio is KEY to a good production
and good results. Some companies have built their own studios.
EXAMPLES
Example
1 – Taco Bell Customer Service
Taco Bell created
customer service training for its front-line staff.
Taco Bell used CodeBaby
avatars to train over 150,000 staff. Simply saving 15% on travel, Taco Bell
estimates they save $1.4 million per training hour.
The background used was an existing mock-up
of a Taco Bell restaurant that the developers got from their engineering dept.
Example
2 – Telstra Telecommunications
Created a character called “Lily” which was
used in their training for 40,000 employees. The training was instructing
employees on how to engage with social media. A “comic book” look was developed
in Flash and the CodeBaby character was imported.
Example
3 - Cyber Security Training for the US Air Force
Tier 1 built a cyber-security training
module using branching scenarios with avatars, including some credible
authority figures.
In this course the learner interacts with
the Codebaby characters
Layering with images and video can be an
effective way of developing e-learning around your CodeBaby character. There
are no real limits except those of the authoring tool you select. Production
studio allows you to create backgrounds for your avatar. You can also use Green
Screen if you want to have video behind your avatar.
Panning, close-ups, cuts are all available
when you create in Production Studio.
Soft-skills
Training
Soft-skills training is very effective with
CodeBaby characters. It is better and easier to model behaviour than actual
humans. The messaging/instruction coming from a CodeBaby character will always
be totally standardized, unlike a team of trainers.
Example
4 – BF Goodrich Sales Training
BF Goodrich increased sales by 8% based on
the training they took that featured CodeBaby characters.
Example
5 – Grant Thornton Organizational Change
Grant Thornton used CodeBaby characters in
their training for an auditing system change. The training went out to 12,000
auditors in 12 countries. The CodeBaby characters kept their interest for the
entire length of the training.
Humour was used to good effect in this
training.Several characters were used including a
host, an experienced expert and a newer employee.
Q+A
- Mobile Learning? There’s nothing to prevent CodeBaby characters
to be used in mobile learning, as long as your phone runs .flv files. Not
many companies have gone this way so far, but some are moving in this
direction now.
- Bandwidth? About the same as running video.
- Logos? Can be added. Only cost a few hundred dollars for that
customization.
- Props? There are a library of stock props for use. You can do
your own small customizations or CodeBaby can do larger ones.
- Used in Education? Yes. Some higher ed, some high school and
some elementary. Each has its own considerations and uses.
- Price? Sold per computer, not per person.
