Picking the best eLearning authoring tool for your company’s needs can be challenging. Careful deliberation and assessment of alternatives will help you find the best solution like Adobe Captivate at the lowest possible cost and in the least amount of time. Thus, let’s kick things off with a survey of the most popular types of eLearning authoring tools.
What is an eLearning authoring tool?
An e-learning authoring tool is a piece of software used to develop and distribute educational materials online. If you want to make a course on the web, you’ll need an eLearning authoring tool, like you might use Microsoft Word or PowerPoint to write documents or make presentation slides.
There may only be a few prominent companies in the word processor and presentation software markets. Still, the market for tools to build eLearning courses and materials is flooded with hundreds of options. As a result, it can be challenging for L&D experts to select the appropriate software. To help you decide, we’ve outlined the major types of authoring tools and the circumstances in which each would be useful.
PowerPoint-Based:
PowerPoint is widely used in the business world for various purposes, including developing educational materials. PowerPoint support has been incorporated into some of the most widely used authoring tools. Microsoft has responded to this problem by developing this robust add-on, which can be used to transform PowerPoint presentations into interactive online learning modules rapidly.
Most importantly, these tools provide users a sense of comfort in creating the PowerPoint presentations so prevalent in the business world. Rapid eLearning production is possible with PowerPoint-based solutions, making them a good choice for businesses that don’t have in-house experts to build training materials.
Educators can incorporate media into their lesson plans, like video lectures, dialogue simulations, and interactive quizzes, with the help of PPT add-ins.
Cloud-Based eLearning Authoring Tools:
These authoring platforms are hosted on the cloud and are sometimes called SaaS tools. As a result, there is no need to download and set up any software on your computer. After logging into the system, you’ll have access to the eLearning authoring tool’s user dashboard or interface. To that end, the platform supports mobile access, allowing you to do your duties from anywhere.
Additionally, many service providers offer free maintenance and updates. It would help if you merely contributed the periodic or annual subscription price. eLearning providers regularly update their libraries with new templates, themes, and other assets. Therefore, businesses can update their eLearning material without incurring any further fees.
Desktop-based authoring tools:
When it comes to creating online courses, authoring tools that run on a computer’s desktop are limited to desktops. Desktop writing tools are strong and complex, but they also have limitations and are considered ‘old school.’ Almost typically necessitating a software download, all data is stored locally on your PC rather than in a centralized cloud.
Multimedia eLearning Authoring Tools:
These eLearning authoring tools can be hosted on the cloud or a local server, but they all have one thing- they only deal with one component of making an eLearning course. Making animated eLearning videos or interactive presentations are only two examples. Media from other sources can be imported into most platforms, and the final product can be exported to other eLearning programs. There is typically a lot of room for innovation and customization on these sites because they focus on just one aspect of making eLearning materials.
One type of media editing software may provide many transitions and effects to choose from. One type of media editing software, such as a mockup generator, may provide many transitions and effects to choose from.
Consequently, there are no limits to what can be accomplished in terms of engagement. In addition to powerful editing and publishing facilities, most eLearning authoring platforms provide extensive asset libraries and customizable templates that speed up the creation of courses.
Standalone:
These programs are meant to be used in the creation of eLearning content. Learning how to use one of these programs can be time-consuming, and it often helps to have some familiarity with code in order to create unique interactions with the program.
However, compared to other technologies, they allow L&D developers more room for originality and flexibility, making them a good fit for businesses needing specialized learning content and advanced courses.
Conclusion
A wide variety of eLearning authoring tools are available, including locally hosted and cloud-based options. Take advantage of free trials if you’re still unsure which eLearning platform would be appropriate for your next project.
You can also research the platform’s efficacy by reading online customer reviews and product ratings.
