How Can I Capture an Electronic Signature?

It’s become commonplace for businesses to accept documents signed electronically, and the same is true for e-learning courses. For example, you may have a course that includes rules or regulations that you want the learner to acknowledge, or perhaps you want to capture an electronic signature for authorization purposes. The great news is that you can do this in Articulate Storyline 360! Read on as we answer the “as heard in training” question: “How can I capture an electronic signature in my e-learning course?“

But First, Download the Exercise File!

We’ll step through a sample Storyline 360 course to demonstrate how to create an interaction that requires the learner to provide an electronic signature. If you’d like to follow along, take a moment to download the exercise file now.

When you’re ready, scroll on to begin!

Step 1

The first step is to insert a Short-Answer Survey slide. This will create a blank text-entry input (or field) where the learner can type their name. A related text-entry variable is automatically generated.

1) Next, switch to Slide View and rename variables and objects on the timeline. This makes it easier to configure the related triggers you’ll need to create later. In our example, the Text Entry input and related variable have been renamed “Signature.”

2) On the Question Tools | Design tab, modify the Require option to “User May skip.” Don’t worry – in steps 3 and 4 we’re going to add some triggers that prevent the learner from entering the course without authorization!

Step 2

The next step is to build the slide to include the necessary text and instructions. In our example, we used the text formatting tools to change the font type and size of the text-entry field. We selected a script-style font to give the appearance of an actual signature!

Step 3

Next, create a button for the learner to decline authorization. In our example, we added a trigger to the button to redirect the learner to another slide, bypassing all of the course content. This slide displays a message confirming that the learner will exit the course without receiving credit for completion.

Step 4

Now, add a Reminder layer. We want this layer to display if the learner selects Next without entering a signature or declining authorization. For our Reminder layer, we added a shape and an icon to highlight where the learner needs to sign.

Step 5

Next, open the slide layer properties to change the slide navigation controls.

1) Select the Next button, and deselect the Submit button.

2) Add two triggers to the Next button:

• Trigger 1: Submit Short Answer 1 > When the user clicks or swipes next. This trigger reports the survey to a Results slide, if necessary.
• Trigger 2: Jump to slide > next slide > When the user clicks or swipes next >  If Signature is not equal to value (blank) > Else: Show layer Reminder. This trigger  prevents the learner from progressing in the course unless a signature is provided, and shows the Reminder layer to encourage the learner to enter a name.

Step 6

Last, if you need to capture the names entered in the Signature text-entry input in your LMS, add a Survey Results slide. This slide can be in a separate scene and removed from the menu so the learner does not see it, but it’s necessary in order to report the information to the LMS.

So that’s one method of capturing electronic signatures. However, as we always say, there’s often more than one way to do something in Storyline 360. Have you ever used electronic signatures in an e-learning course? If so, let us know how you did it, we’d love to hear from you!

Now, Here Are Some Quick Links!

For more information on some of the features that were mentioned in this post, check out the posts below from Articulate.

Storyline 360: Working with the Timeline (Renaming Objects)

Storyline 360: Working with Variables

Storyline 360: Using the Font Formatting Options

Storyline 360: Working with Layers (Adding Layers)

Storyline 360: Adding Result Slides

Storyline 360: Customizing the Menu (Removing Items from the Menu)

That’s all for now … signing off!

~ Tara