Introduction
Ever thought about what makes eLearning development really effective? It’s often down to authoring tools! These tools are crucial because they make creating eLearning courses much easier and faster. They allow you to design interactive and engaging courses, which makes the learning experience more dynamic. With the increasing need for eLearning, these tools have become must-haves!
What is an eLearning Authoring Tool?
An eLearning authoring tool is a software to develop online learning courses. These materials can include a variety such as online courses, videos, quizzes, and interactive simulations often delivered through Learning Management Systems (LMSs) or the web.
In many instances, it's more precise to describe "an authoring tool" as a comprehensive suite of tools housed together, designed to handle most tasks in an eLearning designer’s kitty.
What are the Benefits of using eLearning Authoring Tools?
Ever wondered how eLearning authoring tools can transform your course creation process? These tools are game-changers, but you might be asking, "What makes them so special?" These tools have a lot more to offer than just basic functionality. They streamline the entire process, making it easier to design, develop, and deliver engaging content. But what exactly sets them apart and makes them so essential?
To get the inside scoop on their amazing advantages, check out the infographic below. It’s packed with insights on how these tools can elevate your eLearning game!
What are the Best eLearning Authoring Tools?
Selecting the right eLearning authoring tool can be overwhelming given the multitude of options available. With so many choices, narrowing down the best one for your eLearning needs becomes a challenge. To simplify this process, here’s a curated list of top eLearning authoring tools that stand out for their features, ease of use, and effectiveness.
- Articulate Storyline 360
- Articulate Rise 360
- iSpring Suite
- dominKnow | ONE
- Gomo
- Elucidat
- Easygenerator
- Evolve
How to Choose an eLearning Authoring Tool?
Selecting the best eLearning authoring tool can be a bit overwhelming with so many options out there, each boasting its own unique features and benefits. Luckily, there’s a tool designed to help you navigate this process, the ‘Authoring Tool Finder’ which can simplify your search by matching your specific needs with the right authoring tool. And voila! Now the task of selecting the right authoring tool has been made simpler. Don’t believe us? Then check Authoring Tool Finder yourself.
Here’s a video highlighting how Authoring Tool Finder can be a game-changer.
Now that you have a way to streamline the selection process, let’s dive into the key considerations you should keep in mind when choosing an ideal eLearning authoring tool for your custom eLearning needs.
1. Ease of Use
The tool should have an intuitive interface that accommodates both novice and experienced users.
2. Features and Capabilities
Assess the features offered, such as multimedia integration, interactivity options, assessment creation, and templates. Ensure the tool meets your content creation needs.
3. Compatibility and Integration
Check if the tool integrates with your existing Learning Management System (LMS) and supports various file formats.
4. Customization and Flexibility
Look for tools that allow customization to match your branding and design preferences.
5. Scalability
Ensure the tool can handle the scale of your projects, whether for a small team or a large organization.
Rapid eLearning Authoring Tools
- Popular Authoring Tools for eLearning Development
- Considerations to Choose Rapid Authoring Tools
- GenAI Tools
- And More!
6. Cost and Licensing
Evaluate the pricing model, including any subscription fees, one-time purchases, or additional costs for features or support.
7. Support and Training
Consider the availability of customer support, training resources, and a user community for assistance.
8. Reporting and Analytics
Determine if the tool provides robust reporting and analytics to track learner progress and effectiveness.
9. Responsiveness
Ensure that the tool produces content that is accessible and functional on multiple devices and screen sizes.
10. Security and Compliance
Verify that the tool meets any necessary security and compliance standards relevant to your industry or organization.
11. AI Integration
Explore if the tool incorporates AI features because AI can enhance the eLearning experience by personalizing content, predicting learner needs, and streamlining development processes.
12. Multilingual Support
Ensure the tool supports multiple languages to cater to a global audience, making content accessible to learners in different regions.
Want to delve deeper into each consideration? Read this insightful blog: How to Select the Best eLearning Authoring Tools for Training Development
What are the Categories of eLearning Authoring Tools?
When it comes to developing eLearning content, choosing the right authoring tool is crucial for efficiency and effectiveness. eLearning authoring tools come in two primary categories:
1. Desktop Authoring Tools
These are software applications installed directly on your computer. They offer a range of features for creating eLearning content offline, and often provide more robust functionalities and customization options.
2. Cloud-Based Authoring Tools
Cloud elearning authoring software operate online and are accessible via a web browser. They allow for collaborative development, easy updates, and access from any location.
How do Authoring Tools Enable Rapid eLearning Development?
Are you questioning whether your eLearning courses are truly effective in engaging your employees and boosting your training ROI? Rapid eLearning might be the solution you're looking for. The secret to its effectiveness lies in the use of authoring tools.
These tools come equipped with a variety of features and templates that streamline the design process, allowing you and your team to create interactive and engaging courses quickly. They can significantly enhance your course development, ensuring that your eLearning courses are both effective and efficient.
Here’s a video highlighting 6 ways rapid eLearning authoring tools simplify rapid eLearning development.
Also Read: 6 Popular eLearning Authoring Tools for Rapid eLearning Development
What are the Must-have eLearning Authoring Tools?
1. Articulate Storyline 360
Articulate Storyline 360 is widely used by eLearning professionals for its speed and ease of use in creating customized, interactive courses and is considered the most powerful eLearning course authoring tool . The platform offers an intuitive interface and a range of features designed to produce engaging eLearning experiences. Additionally, courses created with Storyline 360 are compatible with various operating systems, browsers, and screen sizes.
Here’s a video highlighting the benefits of Articulate Storyline to design custom eLearning solutions.
Few Features to List
Asset Library: Provides a diverse collection of characters and templates within the Storyline 360 content library.
360-Degree Images: Enables learners to interact with and explore content from multiple angles using hotspots and markers.
Motion Path Animations: Allows precise control over the movement of objects along non-linear paths, ensuring they follow the desired direction.
Also Read: Articulate Storyline 360 – Top-notch eLearning Development
2. Articulate Rise 360
Articulate Rise 360 is a web-based authoring tool within the Articulate 360 suite, designed for crafting visually appealing and fully responsive eLearning courses. Leveraging the latest web technologies, it automatically adjusts courses for any device. You can create and edit courses directly in your browser without needing to download additional software.
Few Features to List
Animation
Articulate Rise provides an extensive array of animation features, including 10 motion paths for dynamic object movement, which can be triggered by either the timeline or learner actions. Users can utilize 15 different entrance and exit animations such as zoom, bounce, and swivel, and apply these effects across multiple objects effortlessly using the Animation Painter. The tool also offers 17 transitions, including fade, push, and zoom, to enhance the visual appeal of slides and presentations.
Assessments for Learner Engagement
Articulate Rise 360 excels in assessment capabilities by allowing the creation of randomized quizzes from a question bank, ensuring varied and dynamic evaluations. It supports questions with multiple correct answers and custom feedback for each choice, which helps reinforce knowledge retention and learner engagement.
Accessibility in Learning
In terms of accessibility, Articulate Rise 360 adheres to WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, ensuring an inclusive learning experience. The tool supports full keyboard navigation and integrates closed captions for videos, making content accessible to a broader audience. Additionally, it translates screen reader labels into multiple languages.
Course Publishing
For course publishing, Articulate Rise 360 allows for the preview of lessons and entire courses across different devices before finalizing. Its user-friendly interface facilitates in-context feedback collection and threaded discussions, and it supports exporting courses in cmi5, xAPI, SCORM, or AICC formats for seamless LMS integration.
Also Read: Articulate Rise 360 Explained
3. Gomo
Gomo is a cloud-based authoring tool that allows collaborative course creation through its intuitive and customizable features. It enables responsive eLearning that functions seamlessly on any device and includes interactive elements to enhance learner engagement.
Few Features to List
Animations
Gomo offers an animation library and timer controls to manage how content appears to learners, enhancing visual engagement and storytelling.
Branching Scenarios
Easily create branching scenarios with display conditions and variables to track user choices and tailor the content journey according to different pathways.
Customized Themes
For a personalized look, Gomo provides a custom theme service where their design team crafts themes based on your brand guidelines.
Quizzes/Assessments
Utilize question banks in quizzes or assessments, with options for randomization and inline feedback to support learner progress and understanding.
AI-Assisted Text Generation
Automatically generate course introductions, conclusions, and learning objectives with AI, streamlining your eLearning content creation process without disrupting your workflow.
4. iSpring Suite
iSpring Suite is a comprehensively toolkit designed to create engaging training content, including videos, interactive assessments, and dialogue simulations. It produces courses that work across various devices—mobiles, tablets, laptops, and desktops—ensuring broad accessibility.
Few Features to List
QuizMaker
Easily add unlimited quizzes to your courses with a range of templates to simplify the creation of interactive content.
Audio-Video Editor
This tool offers complete editing capabilities for audio and video elements, consolidating all necessary features in one place.
Content Library
Provides a wide selection of assets such as illustrations, templates, and characters to create visually appealing and interactive eLearning courses.
Character Builder
Design and customize unique characters for online courses, adjusting facial expressions, hair color, and outfits to fit various learning scenarios.
AI Assistant
Quickly generates course outlines, engaging guides, and quiz questions. AI assistant also refine text by shortening or lengthening content, simplifying language, and correcting spelling. It also enhances the visual attractiveness of your courses.
Watch this video to know how iSpring Suite can be the ideal pick for your corporate training needs.
Also Read: Elevate eLearning with iSpring Suite: A Pro's Guide
5. dominKnow | ONE
The dominKnow | ONE platform offers a suite of authoring tools suited for fast eLearning development. It includes Claro, Flow, and Capture, each providing distinct features tailored to various needs. The platform's flexibility supports responsive design and robust assessment capabilities, making it effective for creating engaging and impactful courses. Its cloud-based nature ensures ongoing accessibility and real-time updates, making it an essential tool for eLearning teams striving for excellence.
Want to know the benefits of having dominKnow as your go-to authoring tool? Watch this video.
Few Features to List
Translation
dominKnow | ONE streamlines the translation of eLearning courses through a simple three-step process, making it easy to update translated content as needed.
Accessibility
The platform adheres to industry standards for accessibility, offering features like closed captions, transcripts, and other enhancements to ensure an inclusive learning experience.
Responsiveness
dominKnow | ONE excels in creating content that is fully responsive, adapting seamlessly to any screen size. It effectively handles all interactions and animations for a smooth user experience.
Also Read: dominKnow | ONE: Best Use Cases for eLearning Development
Rapid eLearning Authoring Tools
- Popular Authoring Tools for eLearning Development
- Considerations to Choose Rapid Authoring Tools
- GenAI Tools
- And More!
Easygenerator
Easygenerator is an intuitive tool designed to streamline the creation of eLearning modules. It includes embedded templates and a pre-set framework that allows for the rapid development of customized eLearning courses, whether starting from scratch or using existing templates, while preserving brand identity. It supports SCORM and xAPI compatibility, making it easy to publish courses on any LRS, LMS, or LXP.
Few Features to List
Media Library
Easygenerator provides a centralized media library with access to images, videos, and audio files. It includes over one million stock images, allowing users to enhance courses with a fresh and engaging visual style.
Easy Translations
Easygenerator simplifies the translation process by supporting effortless conversion of course content into and from 75 languages, utilizing Amazon AWS-powered translation technology.
Here's a video explaining how Easygenerator aids eLearning translations.
Themes
The tool offers predefined design themes and also allows users to create and save custom themes. These can be applied across multiple courses to maintain a consistent and personalized appearance.
Also Read: Unlocking the Power of eLearning with Easygenerator: A Comprehensive Guide
7. Evolve
Evolve is a robust authoring tool that provides a simple and efficient method for creating elegant, professional, and responsive eLearning content, simulations, and courses. You can design a course using a template or from scratch and then apply it across various use cases.
Few Features to List
Interactive Course Creation
Evolve allows for easy integration of interactive elements like clickable features, exercises, quizzes, and simulations, enhancing learner engagement and success.
Gamification
Evolve supports adding gamification to courses, including interactive videos, point systems, badges, and competitive quizzes, to boost learner involvement.
Responsive Design
Courses made with Evolve adapt to various devices and screen sizes, ensuring a consistent learning experience on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
Collaboration Tools
Evolve offers features for collaborative course development, such as joint editing, commenting, and version control, streamlining teamwork.
8. Elucidat
Elucidat is a cloud-based authoring tool renowned for its speed in creating eLearning courses. It offers extensive customization options with highly adaptable templates for courses and assessments. This tool supports eLearning translations and the creation of responsive courses seamlessly. Additionally, it features advanced functions that significantly enhance the efficiency of developing professional eLearning content.
Watch this video to know more
Few Features to List
Variety of Templates
Elucidat offers a broad selection of ready-made templates that enhance course creation by automatically adapting content for optimal display across different views. It supports the development of tailored courses for various audiences and can create concise content suitable for microlearning modules.
Compatibility
Elucidat ensures broad compatibility with various eLearning formats, including HTML5, video, SCORM (1.2, 2004), and xAPI (TinCan). This guarantees support across all major web browsers.
Assessments and Personalized Reports
Elucidat allows for the creation of multiple sets of questions with randomized order to ensure that learners encounter different quizzes each time. It also offers the option to include diverse types of badges for recognition, beyond simple pass or fail metrics.
Also Read: How Elucidat Can Create Impactful Rapid eLearning Courses
Rapid eLearning Authoring Tools
- Popular Authoring Tools for eLearning Development
- Considerations to Choose Rapid Authoring Tools
- GenAI Tools
- And More!
How to Make the Most of eLearning Authoring Tools?
I’m sure the benefits of eLearning authoring tools discussed above made you excited to start using these eLearning development tools but are you feeling a bit lost on where to begin? Don’t worry, I’m here to help you them and make the most of their capabilities to create engaging and impactful eLearning courses.
1. Develop eLearning courses from storyboards in the tool of your choice
eLearning authoring tools streamline the process of turning detailed storyboards into interactive courses. By starting with a storyboard, which outlines the course structure, content, and interactions, you can use these tools to build and design the course exactly as envisioned. This allows for a structured approach to course creation, enabling you to incorporate multimedia elements, quizzes, and interactive features in a user-friendly environment.
2. Convert courses to a new eLearning authoring tool
If you need to transition from one eLearning authoring tool to another, these tools can help with the conversion process. This involves migrating existing content and courses into the new platform, ensuring that formatting, interactions, and multimedia elements are preserved. This feature is particularly useful when upgrading tools or adopting a platform that better suits your needs, without losing valuable content or having to rebuild courses from scratch.
3. Convert your webinar recordings to eLearning courses
Webinar recordings can be repurposed into eLearning courses using rapid authoring tools. This process involves taking recorded sessions and structuring them into an engaging learning format. By integrating interactive elements, assessments, and much more you can transform live webinar content into on-demand, enhancing the reach and usability of your content.
4. Convert PPT to eLearning courses
eLearning authoring tools can effectively convert PowerPoint presentations into interactive eLearning courses by allowing users to import PPT slides and enhance them with multimedia elements, interactive features, and assessments. These tools provide functionalities to transform static slides into engaging learning experiences.
What Makes eLearning Authoring Tools Translation-Friendly?
When developing eLearning content for global learning, the ability to seamlessly translate and adapt material is necessary, here’s when eLearning translations are crucial. Imagine you're creating an engaging eLearning course and need to make it accessible in multiple languages. Without the right tools, this process can quickly become cumbersome and error-prone.
That's where translation-friendly eLearning authoring tools come into play. They can significantly streamline the translation process, ensuring your content is not only translated accurately but also maintains its effectiveness across different languages and cultural contexts.
Want to explore the essential features that make an eLearning authoring tool translation-friendly? Here’s an interesting and helpful read: What Makes eLearning Authoring Tools Translation-Friendly
How do eLearning Authoring Tools Look in the World of AI?
As AI continues to evolve, it's increasingly shaping the future of rapid eLearning authoring tools too. AI-powered tools significantly enhance the eLearning course creation process. They streamline tasks by automating repetitive functions, which accelerates the process. With access to extensive multimedia libraries, these tools make it easier to incorporate various types of media into your content. Pre-designed templates help maintain consistency and save time on design work. The inclusion of interactive elements and eLearning assessments, boosts learner engagement, to name a few.
Here’s a list of some AI tools that can be used along with traditional authoring tools to create comprehensive eLearning courses.
- Content Creation- Co-pilot and ChatGPT
- Graphic Creation- Midjourney, Microsoft Designer and Canva
- Audio Creation- Microsoft Speech Studio, Wellsaid Labs and Amazon Polly
Parting Thoughts
eLearning authoring tools have truly transformed the eLearning industry, opening up incredible opportunities for anyone to design and deliver impactful courses. With these tools at your disposal, you can bring your ideas to life more easily than ever before, regardless of your background or expertise. If you’re eager to explore more about rapid authoring tools then download our comprehensive eBook, it’s packed with valuable insights and practical tips to guide you through the selection process and help you make the most of these powerful tools.