Are you exhausted from investing plenty of time in the creation of eLearning courses? Are you worn out paying hefty sums of money for getting those developed? In case of an affirmative response to the same, be assured that you’ve landed on the right web page as we have a pretty exciting solution to your problem, rapid authoring tools.
Yes, you read that right!
Rapid authoring tools are online training material development software that allows eLearning professionals to create web-based training courses. Boasting of numerous built-in features, these tools make the lives of course developers relatively easy. They eliminate the need for any coding skills or multimedia tool expertise for the creation of online courses easily and quickly. There are 3 different types of rapid authoring tools we want to draw your attention towards. These are Powerpoint add-ins, installation-based authoring tools, and cloud-based authoring tools. Read on to get all the details!
Powerpoint add-ins
As the name suggests, these are the plugins added to Microsoft Powerpoint. Upon successful addition, a tab on the ribbon containing the features available can be seen. One of the main benefits of using powerpoint add-ins is that it is easy to use and does not require any prior knowledge or skills and that these are comparatively cheaper as compared to the installed authoring tools.
However, there are various limitations associated with this type of rapid authoring tool. They do not support the customization of features. You can develop a basic eLearning course with this but if you want to create one with high interactivities, the tool might not be your ideal choice.
Unlike powerpoint add-ins, installation-based authoring tools are standalone tools that do not require any software to work. These need to be installed on the respective computer or laptop to work with them. Comprising a lot of built-in features, course developers can easily develop interactive courses with it.
Some of the various drawbacks of this type of authoring tool are that these are pretty expensive in comparison to powerpoint add-ins and cloud-based authoring tools and involve a bigger learning curve. Those with a sound knowledge of running a computer program can easily get their hands on it.
Cloud-based authoring tools are usually offered as Software as a Service (SaaS) and are hosted on the internet. These are usually cost-effective and are licensed on a monthly or annual subscription basis however, you might come across various eLearning authoring tools with free license as well. These tools have an edge over the other two as firstly, there is no need for any installation and users can work anytime online and second, they provide a much broader learning curve and its built-in features are enough to create engaging, user-friendly, and interactive courses quickly and efficiently.
However, the advantage of being connected to the internet can be one of its drawbacks as well because users with no connection or low bandwidth won’t be able to access it. Moreover, as these tools are cloud-based and still evolving, there are always concerns over data security.
Final thoughts
While considering the pros and cons of the aforementioned types of rapid authoring tools is one viable option when choosing an authoring tool for creating an online course, make sure to also analyze the proposed instructional strategy, learning curve, and availability of experts. So, which one from the above best suits you? Pick your choice today!