Converting Flash to HTML5 elearning

Woman converting Flash to html5 elearning

eLearning content built in Flash won’t be usable soon. Sometime in 2020, browsers will cease to display Flash content, rendering these modules useless to learners, and leaving administrators with a raft of seemingly intractable problems.

Your course of action

Devising a course of action may seem daunting and unclear, but it needn’t be. Below we describe an easy-to-understand process designed to ensure your success.

Some background knowledge: Flash vs HTML5

The successor to Flash is HTML5, a modern open technology that works well with mobile phones (including iphones), allows for WCAG compliance and a high level of accessibility (including screen readers), and requires no plugins (unlike Flash). All browsers display it, and its functionality is expanding.

The Process

Step 1: Identify your Flash modules

Flash modules, when viewed in your LMS, can look like HTML5 modules and can be difficult to identify. Some ways are:

  • Right clicking to see if the menu has an item that says ‘Flash’
  • Checking that the file in the browser is a .swf
  • Checking the SCORM package contain a .swf

Or you can try opening it on an iPhone or iPad. If it doesn’t work, it’s probably Flash.

Step 2: Find the source files

99% of Flash modules are created in rapid authoring environments like Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate. These ‘source files’ used to develop the modules can sometimes be re-exported in HTML5 to work without Flash. Source files speed up the process enormously.

Other digital resources that may have been embedded in the module, such as videos, animations, graphics, fonts, and audio files. Having access to these files can also help with the process.

Step 3: Organise and prioritise

Now that you’ve assembled your source files and digital resources, you’re ready to determine the way forward for each module. You might find it useful to assign the following criteria –

  • Modules with no source files or digital assets
  • Modules that do have source files
  • Modules that are still good but just need to be converted from Flash
  • Modules that are no longer effective, and need to be rebuilt and overhauled

If you have the source files, converting from Flash can be quick, otherwise it will take time to rebuild. If the module’s design and content are still relevant, it can save some time for a developer to rebuild it like-for-like. Overhauls with completely new designs will take longer. It’s important to get these underway early, usually months before launch.

Step 4: Test

Thoroughly test any converted, rebuilt, or overhauled eLearning modules, as all types are susceptible to bugs and errors. Allow yourself plenty of time for this important task, and also allow time for any bugs to be corrected.

Step 5: Add new versions to the LMS

Once the modules are ready, you’ll need to re-version them in your LMS. This may mean learners part-way through the module will be required to restart. Consider the best time to re-version, and a communication strategy that aligns with this.

Getting help

At Paperbark Innovative, we’ve supported organisations with the conversion of Flash. We can assist with identifying Flash modules, finding source files, planning and managing the process, as well as converting Flash to HTML5 like-for-like, or improving instructional design for a modern revamp. If a complete overhaul is required, we can build courses for you from scratch. Get in touch for more information.