When I was growing up, my mother warned me never to discussthree subjects with anyone: politics, religion, and eLearning authoring tools.She said no matter what you say, those who disagree with you will just dig intheir heels and refuse to admit they’re wrong. OK, maybe she didn’t mentionauthoring tools, but she might as well have for all of the arguments I seem towitness between those who love one tool over another. Besides, she’ll tell youthat I often didn’t listen to her advice.
Among the vendors and the tool users
From my vantage point as one who reviews tools on a regularbasis and who uses many of them in day-to-day development, I have seen someinteresting facts.
I have witnessed tool vendors who:
- Try to convince everyone that their tool is theonly one you’ll ever need
- Are perplexed as to why their tool hasn’t takenover the market
- Spy on their competitors by signing up for betaprograms under false pretenses
- Think everyone is a programmer, so their toolrequires a computer science degree (these are few)
- Think everyone hates programming, so they limittheir tool so anyone can use it (these are many)
Among tool users, I have seen:
- Blog entries from those with a clearly nefariousagenda, trashing a new tool version without actually having spent any time usingit
- Unbridled excitement by folks who have just beenshown a demo of a tool and are convinced it will change their lives (or atleast their careers)
- Those who will defend the choice of theirfavorite authoring tool to the death
- Those who constantly switch tools because theybecome frustrated very quickly with each one, always convinced that the nextone will prove to be The One
Let it go
All tools eventually reach EOL (end of life). The typicaluser hopes that a tool will go through several versions and stagger on foryears before eventually it can no longer withstand changes in technology or inthe marketplace. However, many of the tools that were very popular 20 yearsago, 15 years ago, 10 years ago are no longer used, even those that used to bemost popular. All eLearning developers must take it upon themselves not to gettoo complacent. They should always be looking at what else they can learn tokeep themselves alive in a changing market. I have seen too many who have heldonto a dying authoring tool way past the time they should have let go becausethey had invested so many years in learning that tool that they found itdifficult to learn something new. Or maybe they’re just lazy.
The reviewer’s dilemma
As one who has always guarded his reputation about his lackof bias regarding eLearning tools, for very good reasons, it should surprisenobody that I do use some tools more than others. I have my favorites, but Iwill be the first to admit that I’ll drop a tool in favor of another whenworking on a project if I see good reason to do so. I don’t believe in makingany tool try to do it all because none can. At last count, there are millionsof tools … okay, thousands … no, wait, it just seems that way. However, thereare at least a couple of hundred, of which most are completely unknown and barely register a blip in the market.
One of the biggest reasons I guard my impartiality is that Iam hired often to help organizations choose the best tool for them. Let meshare with you some of the questions I ask to help me determine what torecommend in the reports I write for them. I hope these will also help you tofigure out which tool will best serve you. Don’t be afraid to make a list ofyour answers to these questions (and add your own questions and answers). Asktool vendors to respond to your questions and see how well their answers matchyour needs.
Some of the questions I ask
- What types of eLearning do you regularly create?Choices include software simulations, self-paced conceptual learning,case-based scenarios, and other types.
- What types of media do you need to include?
- What types of interactivity do you want forlearners?
- What type of progress tracking and analytics doyou have to implement? This goes beyond SCORM/AICC/the Experience API and triesto ascertain the actual data to track.
- Do you need the tool to show “live” websiteswithin eLearning?
- Do you want the tool to be very simple to use,knowing that this will limit the number of features it offer, or would yourather it have a lot of features that may take some time to learn?
- How much do you need the tool to importPowerPoint?
- How important is it that the tool makes it easyto develop eLearning in multiple languages?
- How important is it that the tool supportaccessibility options for those with disabilities?
- Do you want the tool to be based in PowerPoint,a tool you install, or a tool that is in the cloud, or does it not matter toyou?
- Describe the types of support for mobiledelivery of eLearning you need.
- What types of quiz questions must be supported?
- Do you need quizzes to be able to draw fromquestions banks or pools randomly?
- Do you need the tool to play well with othertools you use?
- Do you need it to support a scripting language,like JavaScript?
- Do you want it to have built-in libraries ofhuman characters and other media assets?
- Do you need it to also support publishing toprinted materials, self-running videos, classroom resources, and more?
- Do you need a lot of external support, such astraining classes, books you can purchase, online support, and so on?
- Keeping in mind that sometimes expensive toolssave a lot labor hours while free or cheap tools require a lot more authoringtime, do you have a price point for tool purchase?
- How important is it to you that the company thatsells a tool is well known and financially stable?
The answers to those questions may lead to manymore questions I will typically ask, but the above represents my startingpoint. What types of questions do you find yourself asking when researchingtools? Be sure to add them in the Comments below.
