eLearning is becoming the new normal of teaching and learning for most organizations.
Instructors are able to create their own eLearning courses for learners to enjoy and use. We have access to a multitude of learning materials that can be used to build information-rich training content. Think of how beneficial it could be to create a training course specific to your organization’s needs. But doing so requires a robust, feature-packed authoring tool as the bare minimum.
Choosing the right authoring tool can be quite a task and you want to get it right so it fits your needs and preferences. It should allow you to create interactive exercises like polls, surveys, and quizzes like Articulate Quizmaker does.
But there are more things that an authoring tool should be able to do to ensure that you create an effective online course. Here is a list of features that you should look for in your authoring tool.
1. Intuitive user interface
Having an authoring tool full of features is not the deal we are looking for. We want an authoring tool that has easy-to-use features. What would be the point in having such features when your users cannot use them? Simplicity is the key. Therefore, maybe, the most crucial component of any sort of software is an intuitive user interface.
The work of an eLearning authoring tool is that it allows you and your team of instructional designers to quickly develop a huge number of course materials for your eLearning platform. This becomes very difficult if you have to spend your time learning how to use the platform’s potential.
2. Continuous scrolling
Only a few people are likely to click on a link and wait for it to load before scrolling down the page. Our patience with regard to network buffering is notoriously low as a result of the time spent on social media and cell phones. This is typical of almost all smartphone users today.
Continuous scrolling equips your learners with a more familiar interface. It may also provide you with an excellent opportunity to include more advanced elements, such as parallax screens and scroll-activated animations, into your eLearning course and make it more exciting.
3. Collaborative features
If your workforce is geographically dispersed, chances are your instructional designers are working from diverse locations as well. The point is, if your learners can study from anywhere and at any time, it is only reasonable to treat your instructional designers with the same expectation.
A connection-friendly, collaborative authoring tool will assist you in accomplishing this. The advantages of collaboration, however, go beyond simply allowing your designers to work from their favorite coffee shop.
With collaboration potential, you can hire the top instructional designers in the world to work on your course content, or just assist your current designers in connecting with subject matter experts in another location and build a dream team to work on your e-course.
4. Multiple distribution options
One of the greatest benefits you can take out from online courses is that they can be accessed at any point at any location. Learners have no excuse to ignore the information if they use an authoring platform that provides many distribution possibilities. You can send it to them through email, embed it in a class website, or share it on social media. This is a necessary feature for eLearning authoring tools.
Moreover, you have the liberty to choose which format you want to share the information in. it could be PDF, HTML5, Flash, or even a Microsoft Powerpoint presentation. It depends on your needs and what resources you and your learners have access to.
5. Consistency
When your learners open a new lesson, they should be able to identify it as yours right away. You need a writing tool that allows you to maintain some level of uniformity in each lesson you develop.
This teaches them how to study the subject and where to obtain the knowledge they need. Consistency is essential whether you use an authoring tool that allows you to develop your own template or a program with premade options.
There is no single feature that decides which authoring tool is the best. To make good use of any authoring tool, you must have a support team to rely on who will be able to assist you in creating your online course. When choosing the correct one for your firm, make sure to read the reviews about the support quality and turnaround time.
