If you’ve just completed our Certified Articulate Rise training, congratulations! You’re now equipped to build sleek, responsive courses with Articulate Rise 360. But what’s next?
While Rise offers a clean, structured experience ideal for modern learners, pairing it with Articulate Storyline unlocks an entirely new layer of interactivity and customisation. The secret? Storyline blocks.
These versatile blocks allow you to insert interactive slides created in Storyline directly into your Rise courses giving you the best of both worlds: structured learning flow and custom interactivity.
Here’s why we always recommend following Rise training with Storyline training—and how you can start using Storyline blocks today to elevate your eLearning design.
What Is a Storyline Block?
A Storyline block is a content block within Rise 360 that displays a published Articulate Storyline slide or interaction. Think of it like embedding a mini-app or simulation into your Rise course.
You can create the interaction in Storyline, publish it to Review 360, and then simply drop it into Rise as a block. Learners won’t even know they’ve switched tools, it’s seamless.
Why Use Articulate Storyline Blocks in Rise?
While Rise is brilliant for structured content, knowledge checks, and responsive design, there are times when your learning objectives call for something more tailored.
Here’s where Storyline steps in:
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Customised interactivity: Create unique drag-and-drops, clickable simulations, and role-play scenarios that go far beyond Rise’s native capabilities.
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Deeper engagement: Storyline blocks allow for decision-making tasks, guided feedback, and branching, which keep learners immersed.
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Personalised learner takeaways: Use Storyline to create activities where learners input reflections, goals, or responses and then download them as a branded PDF. Whether it’s journaling, action planning, or a personalised summary, it gives learners something tangible to walk away with—making the learning more memorable and meaningful.
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Visual storytelling: Animate complex ideas or systems, then import them as engaging, self-contained blocks. You get the polish of a video, with the interactivity and branding of an eLearning tool.
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Scenario-based learning: Build branching scenarios where learners make choices and see consequences. Ideal for ethics, leadership, customer service or compliance training where decisions matter and grey areas need exploring.
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Gamified knowledge checks: Add a layer of fun and motivation with points, badges, timers, or levels. These interactive, game-like elements help reinforce learning without it feeling like a formal test.
Use Case 1: Reflection Exercises with Free Text and Takeaway PDFs
In Rise, it’s easy to pose a reflective question. But what if you want the learner to write an open response, receive automated feedback, and download their reflection to keep?
That’s exactly what a Storyline block can do.
Using Storyline’s text entry fields, variables, and print-to-PDF triggers, you can create a journaling activity or self-assessment tool that adds real meaning to learning.
Real-world examples:
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Healthcare sector: After a module on empathy in patient care, nurses write a reflection on how they will apply the “3-minute listening rule” in daily practice.
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Corporate leadership: Managers complete a values alignment activity and download their personal leadership action plan to use in performance reviews.
Use Case 2: Animated Explainers That Reinforce Key Concepts
Say you’re trying to explain a process—something that needs more than bullet points and static images.
Build a short animation in Storyline using motion paths, timed layers, and voiceover. Then publish it as a block in Rise. It will display just like a native video, but with cleaner branding, better control, and without the need for external editing tools.
Real-world examples:
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Government compliance: A short animation explains the flow of a procurement approval process, showing who approves what, when, and why.
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Manufacturing: An animated explainer visualises the lock-out tag-out safety procedure before machinery maintenance, complete with labels and cues.
Use Case 3: Interactive Decision-Making Scenarios
When training involves navigating complex decisions—such as ethical dilemmas, customer service responses, or leadership choices, Storyline allows you to build branching scenarios. Learners choose from multiple paths and see consequences unfold, all within a Rise module.
Real-world examples:
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HR and workplace culture: A workplace behaviour module presents a scenario involving casual sexism. Learners choose how to respond and receive feedback based on organisational values.
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Call centres: A simulation allows customer service reps to handle a tricky complaint call. Their choices affect customer satisfaction, which is tracked throughout the activity.
Use Case 4: Gamified Knowledge Checks
Add a layer of fun and motivation to your Rise courses by embedding gamified activities built in Storyline. Create quizzes with points, badges, timers, or levels to encourage replaying and deeper engagement. These interactive games reinforce learning without feeling like traditional tests and they sit seamlessly inside your Rise lessons.
Real-world examples:
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Emergency services: A fire warden refresher course includes a timed drag-and-drop game to match hazards with the correct extinguisher, with bonus points for speed.
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Cybersecurity training: Learners play a short “Spot the Phish” game, earning stars as they correctly identify suspicious emails.
Why Learn Storyline After Rise?
If you’ve mastered Rise, you’re halfway there. Learning Storyline next gives you the power to:
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Solve creative challenges when Rise falls short
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Offer more flexible solutions for different learner needs
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Future-proof your design skills with more control over interactivity
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Stand out as a content creator who can combine structure and creativity
Many organisations start with Rise for speed and scale but it’s Storyline that lets you push the creative boundaries and build courses that stick.
Watch the Webinar: Articulate Rise + Storyline in Action
Want to see these ideas brought to life? We recently hosted a webinar showcasing how to blend Rise and Storyline seamlessly complete with real use cases and live demos.
Watch now: Using Storyline Blocks in Rise – Webinar Replay
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’ve completed our Certified Articulate Rise Training, the natural next step is Certified Storyline Training. Whether you want to learn the basics or go all the way to advanced interactions, our workshops are hands-on, practical, and focused on real-life scenarios.
Explore our upcoming training dates and start building the kind of eLearning that makes people stop and interact not just click through.
