Strategies for Converting eLearning from Flash to HTML

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In July of 2017, Adobe announced plans to “stop updating and distributing the Flash Player at the end of 2020.” At the same time, the company encouraged “content creators to migrate any existing Flash content to … open formats.”

For many larger organizations, managing the Flash-to-HTML migration will take time, which means the process of converting your relevant Flash-based eLearning courses should begin immediately. Organizations that fail to do so risk losing their content forever. The question on many minds is where to begin.

Start With a Thorough Review of Content Inventory

Organizations must first take a complete inventory of what they have. You have to go through your inventory course by course and ask yourself, “Is this content current? Can we reuse some of the existing assets?” Once you’ve reviewed and classified each course, you will have to prioritize content by putting the most critical courses at the top of your list.

For example, we offer a course inventory tool that can simplify the process for you. We use it when we consult with clients on Flash conversion strategies.

Evaluate Conversion Strategies for Each Piece of Content

Once inventory review and prioritization are completed, a conversion strategy for each course must be determined. Conversion strategies include:

• UPGRADE: Courses developed in older versions of an authoring tool are upgraded to a newer version of the same tool. The newer versions are compatible across multiple devices and browsers.
• REPURPOSE: Usable content, media, and assets originally created for Flash are repurposed in a newer version of an authoring tool.
• REIMAGINE: This start-over strategy is pursued when you don’t have the source files, content is obsolete, or you want to take advantage of the capabilities modern tools provide. This approach allows you to create memorable learning experiences that are learner-centric, relevant, accessible, and immediately applicable.

Taking the Next Step

The time to start planning is now. Yes, the challenge is big, but so is the reward. You can extend the life of your eLearning investment by using modern tools to enable your content to work on multiple devices and platforms. And following these steps allows you to do so in the most economical way.

Learn more about d’Vinci’s Flash conversion process and contact us to learn more.