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Note: Karen Eddleman contributed to this article.
You may wish to prepare zip files for distributing your e-learning program. A variety of zip utilities are available for this job, including WinZip and PKZIP archival programs. Zip utilities compress the files that contain the programming for your e-learning program by removing unnecessary “space” and redundant information so that the archived, or zipped, file takes up the least amount of space on disk and requires less bandwidth if sent as an email attachment. If a learner needs to install the e-learning program, the installation program will unzip the file so that the system properly displays it.
The installation program creates directories and other files on the user’s computer for storing the learning program and “unzips” the zip file and stores it in one of those directories. The installation program should also give learners the opportunity to save the program in a different location than the one suggested. The installation program should have an intuitive name, such as install or setup, so users can start the installation process by typing as little as possible.
If the installation process takes more than a minute, you might also include status messages to learners and other “distractors” to maintain their attention and enthusiasm. For example, the status messages might tell learners the extent of the installation already complete. Use a graphical device, such as a bar chart that gets increasingly full as the installation progresses. You might also include “advertisements” that appear during installation and whet users’ appetite for the information by calling attention to features that learners might benefit from but would not easily find. Last, include key messages, such as instructions to register the software and explaining the benefits of doing so.
General Resources on Designing E-Learning | Supplemental Resources for the book Designing E-Learning | Chapter 11 | Links | Glossary