12 Nov
Over the years, effective training content used to be a challenging task but with the rise of e-learning technologies, creating course material has become easier than ever. One of the things that have changed effective eLearning is SCORM authoring tools.
The SCORM authoring tools need to have important features that will allow for its effective use. The tool is shared with all employees of a company, irrespective of their age, location, or the device they use. Whether you are considering acquiring a new authoring tool or planning to replace an existing one, you need to choose a reliable one. Else, you end up with a tool that will create more problems than it will solve. Well, according to a recent study, one way to decide the right SCORM authoring tool is by conducting a needs assessment. After that, you need to opt for the one that provides solutions for your e-learning needs. That said, let’s have a quick look at some of the must-have features of SCORM authoring tools below.
Top Features You Need In An SCORM Authoring Tool
User-friendly Interface
If I want to get an authoring tool, one of the features I’d prioritize is having a tool with an intuitive user interface. Not everybody is tech-savvy, so the ability for all employees irrespective of their age to be able to use the tool is essential.
The SCORM authoring tool must be flexible to design effective training content with good workflow. When designing a large course material, it is very important because it saves time and energy. Since the ability to design course material in a short period is vital, you must consider this feature before opting for an authoring tool.
Individual online assessment features
This feature is crucial to help in the assessment of learners. It gives an evaluation of what the employee already knows, what they have learned in the course, how much of the course material they can retain, and their progress.
SCORM authoring tool with this feature helps to determine the effectiveness of the course material. Also, it’s a good way to get feedback from employees.
The features like quizzes (form-based question, open question, multiple retry attempts, feedback), course assessment (question bank, random questions), scoring (negative scoring, badges), analytics (reporting and tracking) are good ways to access employees.
Collaborative factor
e-Learning involves many different people living in different geographical locations. As such, it will be very important to carry all participants along throughout the course, irrespective of where they live.
When providing a course material you should be able to provide standardized course content that all participants can flow with. A collaboration friendly authoring tool will enable you to create this.
When considering a SCORM authoring tool, you might want to consider the following:
- Review the system with feedbacks
- Provide multi-language support to enable you to create a course in different languages.
- Have shared resources and share options (email, links, social media)
- Provide co-authoring and author control.
- Have user roles and
- Have versioning
Templates and themes
Your design should have a consistent look and a nice feel. This can be achieved by using a template that will help you when designing many course content for the same participants. Consistent look and feel will keep your audience’s attention focused on the course, rather than being distracted by different designs.
Since most SCORM authoring tools come with many different template designs, you should consider the one that can edit templates and design custom templates. With this, you will be able to make a consistent design that tells more about your brand.
Apart from that, you may consider having an authoring tool with the ability to import and install pre-built templates from other programs as well.
Administration
Administration features enable you to organize your course training tailored in a way that will make all participants flow with it. A well-organized administration will help you to easily set your preferences when designing your course content.
The administration features will also make it easier for you to set the tool and quickly get started with it.
A good SCORM authoring tool should be able to have:
- Language setting option.
- Flexible workspace setup that is easy to navigate with movable windows and dockable panels
- Preview and view preference.
- Auto recovery to prevent loss of saved and unsaved courses.
- Roles and permission
- Security
Publishing
There may be a need for you to publish your course in different formats based on your needs. So, before choosing a SCORM authoring tool, you need to check what your design needs. These requirements should be compliant with your Learning Management System (LMS).
The most common LMS compliant standards are SCORM and Tin Can API. Apart from that, other common formats include PDF, Word, Flash, HTML5, iOS, Android, CD, file, cloud-based, and Microsoft Powerpoint.
Conclusion
We’d like to also stress the importance of a good support structure. Irrespective of whether you are an expert or a novice, you will benefit from help from a good SCORM authoring tool brand. Some brands provide support in the form of live chat support, phone support, training video guides, and community forums that enable you to get troubleshooting help or ask questions. Some would even allow you to use the demo version, for you to try out their tools. This should be a major factor when choosing an authoring tool.
Whatever authoring tool you choose, make sure that you create an effective workflow for managing feedback for your SCORM courses. If you have not given zipBoard a try yet for improving your eLearning reviews and QA process, give it a try! Learn more about zipBoard’s (eLearning review and QA features) or sign up directly for the product here.
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