This user guide was last updated in October 2022

This is the User Guide for Causeway 2.3.  It is intended for Authors using Causeway to create bespoke learning packages and supersedes previous guides

You can access topics of interest using the navigation panel on the left.

Each topic area may contain all or some of the following:

• Written guidelines on how to use the particular feature 
• A video guide demonstrating the feature and how to use it
• Worked examples
• An outline of any Tips, Tricks and Traps to be aware of
• A summary document which can be downloaded or viewed inline.

In addition from time to time we will add articles about the online learning creation process.

Please note that this User Guide is a dynamic document which will be incrementally updated with extra articles and information as it becomes available.

This user guide is for the Causeway Digital Authoring Platform version 2.3  first released in October 2022.
The 5 videos below give an overview of the changes and improvements that have been made:

• Recording Audio
• Separator Bar and Reference Element
• Importing PowerPoint slide deck
• Caption positioning within the Image Element
• Uploading & Displaying Files i.e.  Word, PDF etc.

Recording Audio

Video overview of the simple logging in process:

When you click on the "forgot password" button you will be asked to enter your email

There are a few things worth bearing in mind before you start to develop a learning package. Apart from the topic itself you will need to think about your learners / audience and the learning objectives.

Assembling your resources

You can of course open Causeway and start writing your content directly into Causeway, but an initial plan will make the process easier. You might want to have some or all of the following resources to hand:

•  The text you are going to use
• Questions and assessments
• Media such as still images, videos, animations or audio files

Points to remember

Creating effective e-learning starts with engaging your learners with language. When people feel that you’re giving them information that’s interesting, relevant, and personal, they’re much more likely to listen and keep listening. As you’re writing for e-learning, stay conversational by following these basic rules of thumb.

• First, use contractions to keep your writing warm and human. Writing that connects with people is more effective, note that good  e-learning reaches people on an emotional level. For example, instead of giving quiz feedback such as “That is not correct,” try using something more human and helpful such as “Sorry. That’s not quite right. Here’s a better way to solve the problem.”

• Address the learner as an individual.  Instead of sharing learning objectives in a passive way, such as “After this course, the learner will be able to (insert objective here),” try rephrasing it to something more personal, such as “Completing this course will help you (insert objective)” or “Imagine if you could (insert objective).”

• Keep your content concise to enhance readability. For instance, when providing instructions, instead of saying “Position the cursor to hover over the adjacent text-entry field before clicking to enter text” try using “Hover your mouse over the text field. Click to enter text.”

Just as you engage learners with your writing, you also need to engage them with activity—or, more accurately, interactivity. Interactions that engage are ones that give learners the opportunity to discover, explore, or connect with content in a meaningful way. 

• Unlike the passive experience of listening to or reading information, meaningful interactions are engaging because your learners learn by doing. They’re tapping the screen. Moving objects around on the screen. Making choices that keep their brains working. Not only is learning by doing a more engaging way to learn, it’s also an experience that your learners are more likely to retain and apply later. This does not need to be super complex.

• If you require more complex interactions you can help give your learners much needed practice with solving problems or making important decisions in a safe, meaningful way.

• First and foremost, stay focused on the learner. As with writing, you need to consider your learners’ needs when designing interactions: who they are, what they really need to learn, and what challenges they face. In short, make your interactions relevant. You can  provide the learners with helpful feedback based on their selected responses, you can help them learn from their mistakes in a consequence-free environment.

We all prefer the experience of exploring and interacting with things that are visually appealing. Building a course with great visual design makes the learning experience more compelling. It invites learners to dig in and explore.

• First, try to logically group elements on the screen. The logical grouping of items is known in the graphic design world as the principle of “proximity.” By placing like elements together and different ones apart, you’re helping to create a sense of order for learners.

• The principle of subtraction is another grouping concept to keep in mind. When the screens of your courses are cluttered with too many objects, even if they’re logically grouped, it’s hard for learners’ brains to organize the information and make connections. 

• Use images or video clips wherever possible to help set the scene. This will engage your learners more than words will. 

There is a quick tour of the package manager in the video below:

The Opening Banner Menu has a number of buttons.

User Name:- This displays your name, the down arrow to the right gives access to the logout button.

Clicking on this exits the system.

Having logged in, the system opens on the Package Manager screen, initially this screen will have no packages.

By running the cursor over the fields displayed you can see the active buttons on the screen, in addition to the user name the following fields are active.

• Package Manager    -  Lists the packages in your  folder. 
• Help and Support     - Access to online support
• Contact.                       - Submit an inquiry to the Causeway Support team
•        - Switch the Causeway environment to another language. 

Package Manager Banner                 

Search    -  When there are multiple packages in your folder this facility enables the Author to  search for a particular package. This is based on the package name or on the tags set in the package settings.

[Import a Package]  - This facility enables the importation of Causeway packages that have previously been exported in SCORM format.

[New Feature] It is now possible to import a PowerPoint file into Causeway. Use the browse facility to navigate to your .pptx file and press [Save]. The Powerpoint file is loaded into Causeway, each slide is added as an image element. If the Powerpoint slide pack has an audio track then this is automatically added. Having imported the slides it is possible to incorporate other element such as MCQs, Word Match etc in the newly created Causeway package. 

[Create a Package]   -  This enables an Author to start building a package from scratch

Package Manager

Each package is identified and the following fields are displayed

Status: 

Package Name:  Polyarthritis v2

Package Information 

Blue Circle      the number of chapters in the package

Green Circle    the number of pages in the package

Yellow Circle   the number of elements in the package    

Action icon: this gives access to the tools available to manipulate the package. When this is clicked the following menu appears.

Show   - If the package has been published then this option launches the package in a new browser window.

Edit      - Opens the package in edit mode.

Delete  - Deletes the package. (Should be used with care)

Export - Exports the package in a zip file in SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004 or HTML format.

Preview - Displays the package in preview mode.

Copy       - Creates a copy of the package in the Authors package catalogue.

When a package is created from scratch the following screen appears:

It is now possible to record an audio description for any of the Causeway elements. The following icon   is located in the bottom right hand corner. When this is clicked the following appears on the screen.

When you press Record; the recording toolbar  will record your input until you press the black button to stop the recording. When this happens  the following appears , the green triangle will play back whatever you have recorded. If you are unhappy with the content the X will delete the audio track and you can re-record if you wish.

When a learner encounters an element with an added audio tracked the  icon appears in the top right hand corner of the element. When the students clicks on this icon. the following appears

 and the  audio is played when the triangle is clicked.

An author can test these features with the preview options before the package is published or exported.

When a caption is available within an element, then it can be edited to improve the layout and display

i.e.

by clicking on the  icon the following menu is displayed.

These options allow the use of Bold, Italics, Underscore, Font size, URL, Font Colour, Text position and Special Characters within the caption

i.e.

The Author adds elements to their learning package by double  clicking on the element they want to insert. This adds the element to the bottom of the page they are currently on. Elements can be re-ordered on a page by dragging them to the position required using the  icon. Do not forget to save your work when you have completed the task.. The element types available are listed below.

Moving Elements  to a Different Page

An element can be moved to another page by dragging it  from the edit panel to a page listed on the navigation panel. Press [Save] . The moved element will have been positioned at the bottom of this new page. Click on the selected page and position the element as required.

Duplicating Elements

When you have saved your edits you can create a duplicate by clicking the  icon. The copied element is added at the bottom of the page. This can be renamed , moved, edited as required.

 Remember to press [Save]

The Comment element can be added when the Author wants to add additional information to the Package. The text block is tagged with Comment label in the published package.

Upload Files

• Use File/Media to upload files (e.g.. Word, PDF, PowerPoint etc. ) into Causeway which students can then either download onto their own computers or view inline as PDFs within Causeway.
• This element also enables an Author to upload video or audio files. Most of the standard formats are supported.

VIDEO PLAYER FORMATS (File/Media Element)

video/mp4 (generally .mp4 file extension)
video/x-m4v (generally .m4v file extension)
video/webm (generally .webm file extension) 
video/ogg (generally .ogg file extension) 

If the user uploads a file with one of the following video mime-types:

video/x-ms-asf (generally .asf or .wmv file extension)
video/x-flv (generally .flv file extension)
video/quicktime (generally .mov file extension)
video/x-msvideo (generally .avi file extension)

then the file will be automatically transcoded by causeway into .mp4 format for native playback

Other formats e.g. open office etc. can also be loaded

Note:

When a file is being loaded a progress bar is displayed.

When a non media file is uploaded the author can decide whether they want the learner to see the contents of the  file online as well as download the original file format.

Uploading Files instruction video

The Header Section element enables the input of text content and several tools are available to enable the formatting of the Header

This element is used to import an image to the package using the PC’s file manager. This image is scaled to fit the page on the learner’s device. It is possible to add up to four images which can be displayed in a line.

A caption can be added to the image.

The author can also set a flag that enables the learner to use a magnifier to view the image in close detail.

Step 1 upload image from your computer:

The image tool bar is displayed on the desired image  

  Switches on the magnifier functionality for the learner.

 This toggles the position of the caption (below,left, above,right)

This optimizes the uploaded image to display in the learner's browser. This can be switched off if the author wants the image displayed in it's native resolution.

Captions

A caption can be added for each image, this can be placed above or below the image. It is also possible to display the caption to the left or right of the image. (care should be taken if this is used with multiple images).  Captions can be quite substantial and a small menu to format the content is available.  This is accessed via the  icon.

The Multiple-Choice element is very flexible and enables data to be collected about a Learner’s performance. It allows the Author to provide feedback when a correct or incorrect answer is given.

There is a flag which can be set to invite the learner to retry if they get an incorrect answer and it is possible to have more than one correct answer. If the collect learner data flag is set in Package Settings, then the Learner responses can be stored and downloaded for later analysis.  If the Package is uploaded to a Learner Management system such as Canvas or Moodle, then the Learner’s performance is automatically added to the LMS’s Grade Book

The Observation / Note element can be added when the Author wants to add additional information to the Package. The text block is tagged with Observation / Note label in the published package.

The Open Question element enables the Author to pose a question and the package will invite the Learner to type a full response. If desired the Author can provide expanded feedback in the box provided. If the collect learner data flag is set in Package Settings then the Learner response can be stored and downloaded for later analysis.

When a learner is responding to an open question. They type their response into the box and click the  button to submit their answer.

This element enables the author to build a simple ordered list of references. This can include URLs to external reference documents

The text in this field can edit by clicking on the  to give access to a set edit features.  Additional lines can be added by clicking the icon

This element places a separator bar in the body of the eLearning Package the author can specify the width of the line and the colour.  If the Hide Following Elements box is ticked, then when a learner is using the package, they have to click a box to view remaining content on that page. 

The text element enables the input of text content and several tools are available to format this and in addition there are insert tools which enable the inclusion of URLs to external web sites and external video clips such as those hosted in Youtube or Vimeo.

Note: The text editor is a simple tool that enables that creation of content that is rendered consistently clearly in a variety of browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari etc). Text can be cut and pasted into this field from other sources, such as MS Word, but this may not be rendered correctly.  It is possible to paste plain text only, this can then be styled using the editor tools. This gives a more consistent look and feel to your learning package.

Text Editor Tool Bar 

The User Details element can be inserted by the package Author and can be used to collect identification details of the Learners using the package. This would normally be positioned at the start of the package and is used in conjunction with the collect learner data flag in Package Settings. This element is useful to identify an answer script that has been generated using the Generate PDF option in Package settings or to print a learners name on a completion certificate.

The Word Match element was introduced with Causeway 2.1.  Basically this allows authors to design questions which require unprompted student input.  For example you may wish the student to come up with a single word response, such as a diagnosis, by simply asking "what is the diagnosis" and leave a text box for students to type in their answers.  You can also allow students to type in a list, or a short essay format answer, again without prompting, which the computer then "marks"  Authors furnish ranges of acceptable answers.  The video below shows how this is done:

An example of a Navigation panel

This is the authors view of the panel

Note the numbers in the circles indicate the number of elements on a page.

A learner would see this as 

Package Name

When a package is created the name is displayed in the Package Manager. To edit this name go to the Edit Package Screen.

in the top left corner the package name is displayed.

Click on the word Edit to the right of the title. 

Edit the name and press [Save] to confirm the change

Chapter and Page Names

In the navigation column place your cursor on the Chapter / Page item you want to edit.

A set of icons are displayed.

Click on the  symbol, the chapter / Page text is highllghted this can now be edited.

Press [Save] to confirm your edit.

In the navigation column place your cursor on the Chapter / Page item you want to delete.

A set of icons are displayed.

Click on the  symbol the following panel appears

Press [Delete] to confirm 

By clicking on the  to the left of the item you want move you can drag this to the desired position. This mechanism works for both Chapters and Pages.

Press [Save] to confirm the move.

Note: it also possible to drag an element from the edit panel to a different page on the navigation panel.

When an Author is developing a package, at any stage, by selecting preview on the package banner they can see what their package will look like to a learner.

When a package is published its URL can be shared with colleagues or learners. Change the status of the package by clicking on the appropriate option and Saving the package.

You can access the published package via several routes.

1.   Click on the link icon in the Published Status Box.

2. The package URL can also be found in  the General section of [Package Settings] - Cut and Paste this for distribution. 

3. Via the Show option in the Package Action menu

The URL can also be harvested when the Show option appears in the menu displayed when the action icon of the package is selected on the Package Manager screen. Action icon is on the left hand side.  

When Show is selected a new browser windowed is open and the publish package is launched. Again the URL can be harvested.

The Author can provide a description of the Learning Package in Package Settings. This can be very valuable when a Package is published and  the text forms part of the meta data which accompanies the learning content.

The Author can insert Tags (Key Words) which are used in the search box when looking for a package on the Package Manager page 

The Package Language drop down enables the Author to specify the Language used for the system instructions on the Published / Exported package.

The Published Package URL box contains the URL of the Learning Package 

When a Package has been published and the URL distributed to Learners if this check box is ticked then Learner responses are stored on the Causeway server and the Author can download these responses as an excel spreadsheet to their local PC.

Once this Settings have been set, they should be saved

Navigation Options:

0. Disable navigation panel and hide from learner

The remaining options can be set individually or in combination

1. Deactivate unvisited page links in learner navigation:- 

This enables an author to set the navigation panel so that a learner cannot jump forward in the lesson.

2. Hide navigation section by default:-

Flag set by the author allows the learner to toggle the navigation panel of and on.

3. Collapse chapter navigation:-

In a large learning package there may be multiple pages within a chapter, by setting this flag the author causes the navigation panel to collapse to chapter headings.  When the learner accesses the package, the chapters will expand to show the pages contained within.

The Author can set whether a Learner can print a PDF after they have completed the published / exported Learning Package 

The options are:-

Certificate – Confirming completion of the Package This can include the Learners name if the User Details element is included. And their score if the have answered any MCQs included in the package

Package Content – This included all content including images contained within the Package

Student Answers – This contains all the answers provided by the Learner to both MCQs and open questions

One, none or any of these options can be toggled on or off by the Author.

Once this Options have been set these should be saved

This option is also available via the Sharing icon on the Edit Package page. 

Users:- This option enables the author to share Causeway  packages with individual  colleagues.

Organisations:- With groups of colleagues within their Institution.

 Sharespaces:- With public share spaces accessible by Causeway users.

The numbers inside the circles indicate the number of times the package has been shared with other Causeway authors.

Packages shared with an Author can be accessed by clicking on

[My Packages] Tab on the Package Manager Screen and 

selecting which shared packages they want to access.

Packages Shared with the Author can be previewed or copied to their own folder

Packages can exported from the Causeway environment and these exported learning packages can be hosted in other services  such as an Learning Management system, such as Moodle or Canvas, or on a Web Server. The SCORM compliant exported content can also be imported into Causeway by other Causeway users

If a package has been exported from Causeway in SCORM format then this can be Imported with the

[Import a Package] button in the top left section of the Package Manager page. 

When the Author clicks  on this button button the following appears

Click on the [Choose file] button to navigate to the zip file containing the package you want to import. 

Press [Import] to bring the file into Causeway.

Note: This mechanism can also be used to import a PowerPoint slide deck into Causeway to create a new  Causeway package.

 at the top of the edit Panel

Users:- This option enables the author to share Causeway  packages with individual  colleagues.

Organisations:- With groups of colleagues within their Institution.

 Sharespaces:- With public share spaces accessible by Causeway users.

The numbers inside the circles indicate the number of times the package has been shared with other Causeway authors.

Packages shared with an Author can be accessed by clicking on

[My Packages] Tab on the Package Manager Screen and 

selecting which shared packages they want to access.

Packages Shared with the Author can be previewed or copied to their own folder

Create an Internal Link or Branch

In a text block anywhere in the body of the package position & click your cursor.

Go to the Navigation Panel and click on the Page you want to branch to, click on the associated   symbol.

A dynamic link is inserted into the text where your cursor is positioned.

The text associated with the link can be edited to make it more apparent to the learner.

Instructions for capturing student responses

 When you wish to capture  the responses students make when they are interacting with a Causeway package there are a number of steps to take to enable this to happen. View or download the document below to see how this is done: