Transform PowerPoint and Video into Trackable eLearning with Lectora

Remember that show, Fixer Upper? I think we were all mildly obsessed with Chip and Joanna Gaines. They would transform dilapidated kitchens full of mismatched appliances, dated cabinets, and stoves that only worked on Wednesdays. It’s sorta like the magic Lectora can wield with run-of-the-mill PowerPoint presentations.

What’s Lectora? I’m glad you asked. Lectora is a rapid eLearning development tool that enables users to create interactive, accessible online courses for desktop and mobile. Available as both a desktop and online solution, Lectora supports text, animation, audio, video, simulations, branching, quizzes, and more—all without having to write a single line of code. With it, you can also convert PowerPoint presentations and videos into interactive, trackable eLearning courses.

In a recent webinar, From Static to Dynamic: Transforming PowerPoint and Videos into Trackable eLearning, industry experts Dan Richards, vice president of professional services at Interactive Advantage, and Chris Paxton, owner and senior developer at D3 Training Solutions, unpacked exactly how to use Lectora to breathe new life into static content.

Converting PowerPoint Content with Precision

You can transform existing PowerPoint slides into effective, trackable eLearning courses. With a bit of preparation and Lectora’s import feature, you can easily convert PowerPoint presentations into eLearning.

To start, clean up your PowerPoint before importing. That means:

• Remove or group master slide elements to avoid clutter in Lectora.
• Delete unnecessary slides (like instructor notes or legal disclaimers).
• Remove unlicensed images and placeholder content.
• Clear speaker notes that may interfere with developer annotations in Lectora.

Once prepped, you can import slides using the “Tools” or “File” menus. You’ll be prompted to configure settings such as page size, image format, and whether transitions or table formats should be carried over. One standout feature in recent updates is the ability to prevent automatic slide advancement using the spacebar, which is a game-changer for course designers who had to fix this manually in the past. Lectora also has more sophisticated ways to control image types, shape grouping, and share object inheritance, helping to streamline your content and reduce post-import edits.

Planning for a Seamless Experience

Here’s a bit of a cheat code: add vertical space in your PowerPoint slides before you import them. By increasing the slide height, you create breathing room for navigation buttons and branding elements in your final eLearning course, without distorting your original design. A bit of simple math (or help from a calculator) can make this step effortless and impactful. Once imported into Lectora, you can apply branded themes, add interactivity, and ensure alignment with your organization’s style guide. The end result is a course that looks and functions like it was built from scratch.

Interactive Video Made Easy

Like Fixer Upper magic, Lectora can turn passive video content into active learning experiences. Using a prebuilt template, you can insert videos, embed timed quiz questions, and even require correct answers before a learner is permitted to move on. It’s a fun and practical way to make recorded webinars or lectures more engaging and trackable, which is perfect for compliance or skills-based training.

And all of this can be easily customized and templated with your company’s logo and color scheme. Then, save it as a reusable course template.

Deploying to the LMS with SCORM

All that’s left is to publish. With Lectora, it's easy to create SCORM-compliant packages that track learner progress, quiz scores, and completion. Just follow three essential steps:

1. Set your project type to SCORM.
2. Include an exit button with a “Close” action.
3. Add an action to mark the course as “completed” when learners reach the final page or meet desired conditions.