Summary
Authoring tools: what they are
Authoring tools refer to the tools that enable the creation of an E-learning course; they are software and services aimed at creating, managing, and publishing content .
The content created is uploaded to LMSs (Learning Management Systems) ready for user enjoyment.
One of the most impactful aspects of authoring tools is the ability to diversify the user experience through the variety of multimedia content available.
Then among the strengths of authoring tools is the ability to include and compose different elements for creating an E-learning course: text, graphics, audio, video, animation.
The ‘ instructioal designer is supported in the creative process by the flexibility of autorhing tools, which allow a priori evaluation of the format best suited to the course objectives and user characteristics. Needless to say, this aspect generates benefits in terms of engagement and learning experience.
In fact, users can go beyond the limitation of enjoying text or PowerPoint documents and trespass into a more immersive and interactive experience.
Authoring tools can be used for projects of varying size and scope, from microlearning to more complex and articulated pathways. The content produced can be stand-alone items or integrated with other course units.
Everything that is made must then be packaged in a format that can be used with ease and immediacy, possibly without resorting to the installation of additional software.
Authoring tools, in fact, are designed as support in the creation of content that is accessible and compatible with all devices.
Learning objects produced through the use of authoring tools are compatible with the universal SCORM standard so as to ensure portability of content units to all LMS platforms that are themselves compatible.
Authoring tool: historical background
It was 2004 when Mike Alcock, CEO of Gomo Learning, and his team developed the first server-based e-learning authoring system: Atlantic Link.
On the occasion of this news he wrote an article whose title hints at its tone: “Atlantic Link announces the death of client-side authoring.” It was basically the prediction that stand-alone desktop tools had come to the end of their days, supplanted by the cloud-based products that were increasingly gaining momentum.
At the time of these reflections, in fact, the cloud was conquering many business sectors, just think of Google Docs for one, while E-learning was beginning to show some distress related to the limitations of stand-alone products that had to be downloaded, installed and used by developers producing isolated and disconnected content.
In this scenario, the advantages of a cloud-based E-learning architecture begin to emerge:
- Collaborative development: multiple developers, placed at will in the world, can work together to produce courses;
- Content management: courses can be updated from any physical location, all it takes is an Internet connection, enabling instant review, quality control and distribution;
- Server-based authoring: all content is automatically created on the E-learning server.
Corollary to this cascade of benefits were also highlighted the economic benefits associated with a dramatic reduction in IT support costs and a general increase in product scalability.
What has changed since then?
Returning to the present: what has changed since the time of these considerations?
Certainly not the nature of authoring tools, but rather the big picture of distribution since there were no tablets or smartphones in 2004.
Another advantage of many authoring tools emerges here: the courses they enable are responsive (i.e., usable from any device).
Since it was clearly not versatile to produce three different versions for a course-one desktop, one for the tablet, and one for the smartphone, or even multiple versions for tablets and smartphones, since screen sizes vary by brand and model; the real innovation in E-learning was, therefore, to create authoring tools capable of producing adaptive and responsive content, content therefore that already understood the target device and automatically adapted for an engaging, comprehensive and above all effective user experience.
Authoring tools: how they work
We have seen that authoring tools have three main functions: creating, managing and publishing content for E-learning.
An authoring tool provides audio and video elements to support and in integration with the texts. It also allows for the inclusion of animations as well as interactions that enable the user to have a more immersive and active learning experience. Another strength of authoring tools is the ability to do quality graphic design. Complementing this overview of opportunities is the ability to create quizzes to verify learning outcomes, with the option to include feedback to make the user’s learning process more complete.
Let’s quickly zoom in on some features that make the operation of authoring tools more understandable:
- Compatibility with a multitude of platforms: authoring tools are designed to produce content units in line with E-learning standards;
- Easy to use: content produced by Instructional Designer and Content Developer is characterized by high ease of use for users;
- Diversification: content can be viewed on a large number of devices and applications;
- Aesthetic adaptability: content can be adapted to the specific style of the platforms from which it can be enjoyed.
It seems quite clear that the range of functionality is extensive and varied for the creation of increasingly user-friendly E-learning pathways.
Authoring tool: versions and types
At present, the market offers different types of authoring tools depending on the needs and objectives of the E-learning pathway.
Authoring tool Saas: also referred to as cloud based, they are, precisely, accessible from the cloud, which makes them immediate and agile to use; think of smart working cases, for example. They are also unrivaled in terms of accessibility: a simple log-in is all that is needed, without the need to install additional software.
Locally hosted authoring tool: this is an older version of the previous one. Since this is local hosting, it involves the purchase and installation of software on the computer. It does not allow remote fruition.
Autoring tools for multimedia E-learning: their main advantage is that they provide important support for developers’ creativity. Indeed, these are tools that offer a high level of interactivity and most importantly, their centerpiece, a wide variety of animations. They can be on cloud or hosted on local servers.
Authoring Tool for capturing and recording screenshots: here we talk about tools used to create not only simple screenshots but also real-time video recordings of what is displayed on the screen, useful for tutorials or technical simulations that, thanks to the tool, can be enriched with animations and interactions to make the user’s role more fun and participatory.
Authoring tool: features and capabilities for course development
Having come this far, it will be obvious by now that authoring tools are used to create E-learning courses by putting together their various elements (text, images, video, audio and whatnot). But how they do it, in practice, is another matter.
The first among the relevant aids is to organize content. Make the most important ones stand out and leave as corollaries the data that are yes important but would risk weighing down a lesson and would be better to be able to view at leisure, later, once the basics are learned.
The core content is thus broken down into interconnected sections, while the insights can be safely downloaded. Is this a matter of course? Perhaps, and it’s also simple, but organizing it so that the user doesn’t have to worry about anything but clicking or tapping the screen is a huge plus. Yet it is but the tip of the iceberg.
Move learning
Texts that appear and disappear synchronized with audio, animated images, photo galleries, video snippets. They are not mere embellishments but have the power to speak to the user’s brain, to engage him or her and make him or her a participant in his or her own training process. Sometimes a button to click, sometimes a panel to rotate, sometimes this is not enough; but this is not where the capabilities of an authoring tool stop.
Simulations dropped into the work environment, for hard and soft skills? You can!
Quizzes of various types, from single answer to multiple answer, from drag and drop to number sequences? Present.
Hotspot, click and reveal, downloadable content? Of course!
All done with one software.
Did someone say interaction?
Shall we organize the course around a strong plot punctuated by playful elements? Devising a storytelling with gamified elements is one thing, but building it is another! Here are authoring tools provide us with graphic elements, audio, animation, “pre-cooked” and customizable interactions to Drop the user into a fictional context; let it be a realistic fiction assimilable to his or her workplace, or a setting and plot 100% imaginarii, the authoring tools will provide developers (as well as the more curious IDs) with the tools to create an engaging and effective course.
Fruition from any platform
Among the strengths of authoring tools is the export format. Almost all of them, in fact, allow the course to be exported to one of the formats most commonly used by LMSs, whether SCORM, HTML5 or xAPI. This, together with the use of one of the many available platforms, allows anyone with the right credentials to access the course from any computer, smartphone or tablet, without having to install the software locally.
The best authoring tools available right now
Now that we’ve clarified what an authoring tool is and how it works, let’s look at the main authoring tools currently available, to understand their features and make a brief examination of their advantages and limitations.
Articulate 360
Articulate 360 is an authoring tool suite with many features. The main one concerns the creation of E-learning paths with multiple solutions depending on the intended learning objectives. The Articulate 360 suite contains within it several course-creation applications, such as Storyline and Rise, and useful functions, such as Review, which allows review of projects.
Stoyline
Storyline 360 is a widely used authoring tool among E-learning developers, which allows them to create courses with an advanced degree of customization, interactive and multimedia. With the use of triggers and variables (the programming of which does not require the developer to write code), specific reactions can be set based on user actions
Benefits
- It has a wide variety of solutions offered through its content production, editing and distribution capabilities;
- Its graphical interface is almost identical to that of powerpoint, this makes it easy to use;
- Contains a wide range of resources in the content library.
Disadvantages
- It requires specific training for full use of its features;
- It can have high costs if you need to increase content and authors;
- It does not allow changes to be made to the responsive version only.
Rise
Alongside Storyline 360, in the Articulate suite, we find Rise 360, a web tool for developing vertically scrolling courses. Rise makes it quick and easy to organize content by dividing it by blocks with different functions, with predefined interactions (click & reveal, hotspot, drag & drop, and buttons) and with quizzes.
Benefits
- It functions as a browser for both the production and fruition phases;
- It is quick and easy to use due to the drag-and-drop block construction;
- It is easy to use even for a user who is not very familiar with the digital world;
- It is aesthetically finished, so despite its simplicity it allows for courses that are pleasing to the eye;
- It is responsive;
- It is varied in both the types of content it accepts and the functionality it offers.
Disadvantages
- It offers a low level of customization;
- It is limited in capacity on the final evaluation front;
- It has a high auto-save rate, which can be a problem if you decide to restore a previous status;
- It is very expensive.
Adobe Captivate
Authoring tool intended for a user experience on mobile devices. It presents a rich feature structure.
Benefits
- Provides the ability to create customized interactions;
- Includes an editor deputed to simulations recordings;
- It also includes features for virtual reality training tracks.
Disadvantages
- Need to have basic graphic design and programming skills.
- Content updates often present difficulties;
- Ensures little reliability of responsive function (they are almost exclusively mobile).
iSpring Suite
Again, we are talking about a multifunctional tool for creating customizable and interactive learning experiences.
Benefits
- It is adaptable to major LMS platforms;
- It is easy to use, thanks in part to integration with PowerPoint
- Offers a wide range of E-learning resources within it: quizzes, scenarios, characters.
Disadvantages
- It constrains the user to always start with PowerPoint and always have it installed on the computer from which they intend to work;
Given the many features available one would expect the integration of Virtual Reality and interactive videos, which are unfortunately lacking.
Lectora Inspire
This authoring tool has many features similar to those of its predecessors, but differs in that it includes external services in its package.
Benefits
- It offers solutions that contemplate different learning styles with capabilities for personalized interactions;
- Allows access to useful resources such as the content library, dialog simulator, and video editor;
- Offers the ability to create courses in Virtual Reality.
Disadvantages
- It has an unintuitive interface;
- It has a reduced recording capacity that limits audio and video functions;
- It does not currently have an iOS version, which automatically cuts off a segment of users;
- It presents little practicality in updating existing courses.
Elucidat
Elucidat is cloud-based software that is quick and easy to use. Whether you decide to start from a pregenerated template or create one from scratch, this tool offers the developer many possibilities by relying on a WYSIWIG (What You See Is What You Get) interface. Again, the course, once exported, is responsive.
Benefits
- It is quick and easy to use;
- It is also an ideal software for novices;
- It allows agile, concurrent collaboration on the same project;
- Includes monitoring and tracking tools.
Disadvantages
- It has a low level of interactivity;
- It has little flexibility, so little opportunity to intervene and change what is available;
- It is very expensive.
Easygenerator
As the name already suggests, Easygenerator is all about simplicity: of use, aesthetics, and available elements. For the more experienced, a course developed with Easygenerator might seem far too simple, whereas it is ideal for those who aim to produce a lot of content that is well polished but certainly won’t make their eyes glaze over at its final appearance.
Benefits
- It is user friendly thanks to a very intuitive drag-and-drop system and requires no code;
- It offers a wide variety of templates, editable and reusable;
- It has a dedicated monitoring panel that can come connected to the LMS.
Disadvantages
- It has low interactivity;
- It has a low level of customization of interactions and interface;
- The feature/price ratio is very inconvenient.
domiKnow
Our latest authoring tool is geared toward large companies and for teams collaborating on the same project. It offers many features and a high level of customization, thanks in part to internal software that allows editing on different content.
Benefits
- It is easy to use;
- Streamlines timelines by allowing multiple developers to collaborate on the same course;
- It ensures a levated level of customization;
- It is responsive;
- It has internal features to facilitate localizations.
Disadvantages
- It has a very high per capita cost;
- At first glance, it may take some time to learn its way around its development environment;
- Its operation may require the use of a very powerful computer.
But are there free authoring tools for E-learning?
After this roundup of authoring tools, we are sure that the question has crossed your mind at least once. In fact, if you wanted to test yourself, without taking out subscriptions, it is definitely an alternative to consider. We try to guide you among those that can bring the most benefits to your E-learning development.
iSpring
No, this is not a mistake. iSpring also has a free version with which to make your courses in SCORM format. Since it is free, it obviously has limited functionality, but this also translates into lightness and agility. Ideal for developing short courses (it is limited to 15 slides per course) and as a training ground for novices.
AdaptiveU
Moving from on-premises to cloud-based tools, we find AdaptiveU, a practical, agile suite that allows you to organize content to create courses that are fast, interactive, and responsive (i.e., work well on whatever device they are being enjoyed).
Unfortunately, the price to pay is the inability to edit templates or export courses outside the platform, as well as a limit set at two courses beyond which it becomes necessary to pay to continue.
Adapt
Unlike the previous tools, whose design is heavily influenced by PowerPoint, Adapt offers a creation and user experience based on a more html page-like appearance. It is less interactive and more oriented toward handling large masses of information. Appropriate plugins allow customization of the interface and content, although this aspect requires notions of software development, repositories and databases, which may not be within the reach of all E-learning developers.
GLOMaker 3.0
Unlike previous tools, GLOMaker 3.0 also acts as a guide for the content organization and writing phase. In fact, it allows course content to be organized on predefined or customized trees, and developed according to one of the many available templates. It lends itself to accommodating a large type of learning objects and formats.
Comprehensive, free and open source, unlike iSpring it is perhaps less suitable for newcomers and requires more knowledge.
Moovly
We close our brief roundup of useful and free tools with Moovly, a video editor that allows you to create video tutorials (incorporating files of different natures) that you can export to different platforms and incorporate into your courses. With the free version, however, this will be limited to the stock material available (extensive but still not quite your own as a video or photo taken by you may be).
Likewise, once finished your video will present the watermark in overlay, which can only be removed by subscribing.
How to choose an authoring tool?
Between the paid and free ones, the number of authoring tools for E-learning is quite large. As much as the choice of a tool also depends on (but not limited to) a matter of feeling for the software, it is important both not to be rushed and not to waste too much time on monthly or weekly trials.
Before rocketing off, it is best to stop and take the time to reason about the extremes of this interaction: the software to be used and the E-learning course to be developed .
But what, then, are the aspects to be taken into consideration?
The budget
Especially in the beginning, budget is always one of the strongest discriminators. For those who are just approaching the world of E-learning and/or have a low budget, it is advisable to familiarize themselves with the dynamics of development by using a free tool (perhaps from among those mentioned above).
The fine/effort ratio
Estimating as accurately as possible the effort and the expectations placed on the development are two related aspects that can help in making the choice; because it is true what we said a moment ago about budget, but it is not a law written in stone, and if the ultimate goal is to become a skilled and experienced developer (or to form a team of skilled and experienced developers) it might be worthwhile to make some sacrifices at the beginning and go for a paid tool.
The expertise of the development team
The developer team is as important as the desired outcome: ascertaining which tools they know, which they master, and assessing what they are able to learn and in how much time will be a big help in avoiding an investment that only chases the trend of a software that is then unusable.
Interoperability
The software used and how it can be integrated with the new authoring tool can unbalance the choice significantly. Does it make sense to focus on a tool just because it is prestigious if it is then unable to support the functionality of the LMS you have or the other tools you use on a daily basis? Or, conversely, can it be a good way to get rid of outdated software and learn to work with more powerful tools?
The opinion of users
Checking the reviews and opinions of those who have used an authoring tool can be a great way to understand its strengths and smooth out its rough edges. As is increasingly the case with a wide variety of objects and services, listening to the opinions of those who have already used that tool (obviously taking care to weigh both the ovations and the condemnations) can also be helpful in gaining clarity, perhaps at an early stage.
Hands in the engine
Finally, doing some testing is essential. Without lingering too long, without trying everything right away, but by pondering the important aspects and taking an overview of the available features and evaluating how many of them can be useful to one’s work in the immediate and medium term and how many are nothing more than buttons that confuse and slow down the search for what is really relevant.
Authoring tool: what to expect in the future?
Authoring tools are invaluable tools for producing E-learning courses. This is precisely why one would be forgiven for thinking that we are looking at the final form of each, but just the small monthly updates alone make it clear that it is always possible to refine an instrument.
Perfecting, okay. But is it also possible to improve?
Like any idea that embraces technology, the drive for continuous improvement is part of the idea itself. The directions to follow are multiple and parallel. There is that of simplifying the production stage, hand in hand with raising the level of customization. It comes to be said that this inevitably leads to a burdening of software, but it only takes a modicum of historical consciousness to assess the evolution of computers and software in just the last decade (without really wanting to bother with the 1990s) to realize that before long the computing power of machines and the speed of the network will make the heaviest of current tools look like “little programs.”
LMSs will also evolve, inevitably, facilitating the transition to improvement; only a superficial improvement, however, alongside which we envisage a structural type of improvement on a double track: on the one hand, internalization in the most powerful tools of all the functions that so far have been delegated to external software, which would lead us not to a real monopoly but at least to an oligopoly of a few (but good); on the other hand, an opening to interoperability, perhaps (why not?!) with external delegation of certain more technical functionality, for better refinement and a much higher level of traceability.
Whatever direction the future takes, Frog will be there! Just as it has been there for over a decade and just as, still today, it puts its professionalism and expertise at your service in the development of your E-learning courses.
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