Four tools and four projects in fourteen weeks: a recap of my learning journey into eLearning Authoring Tools.
- Laura Perry
- Dec 15, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 19
Read about the semester I spent with eLearning Authoring: What I did, and What I learned
No journey into the world of instructional design is complete without a scan of the eLearning authoring tools the professionals use to create interactive online learning experiences. This is evident as one sees open job postings on LinkedIn, or follows discussions in Facebook group postings. This inspired me to propose this topic for my last three credits of formal education as a graduate student of instructional design and educational technology. The MS IDET at @SUNY Potsdam program offers space for students to create a tech product of their choosing and design. With this, I jumped at the chance to take a deep dive into the world of elearning authoring tools.
My objectives were to:
Develop proficiency in using common eLearning authoring tools.
Demonstrate the ability to incorporate multimedia elements effectively.
Apply instructional design principles to eLearning content creation.
Create engaging and interactive eLearning experiences.
I selected eLearning authoring tools, Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, and H5P based on their market share (Kiran 2023) and availability. I utilized free trials, online support documentation and communities, along with plenty of trial and error, in order to learn by doing in each of the platforms. My goal was to create digital products to be published in a format for sharing with others. These products are now linked from my LearnwithLaura online projects portfolio.
Check the following for highlights from my learning journey into eLearning Authoring tools
Storyline 360 is essentially a blank slate where one ‘codes’ the experience in a series of slides. In stark contrast, Rise 360 is form based, which means the creator can choose from a series of pre-built forms, populate with content, build interactions and then go from there.
Rise was a great place to start. With its large template gallery, and drag and drop elements, it can be used to build robust learning experiences including multi topic courses, etc. It is also a place you can import something you create in Storyline (perhaps a future project idea). View this video tour of the experience I created which shows others what Rise looks like from the user standpoint, and a few insights from the developer standpoint.
Storyline is for the programmer in us. Starting from a slides format, the interactivity is built within an interface to create variables and conditions and triggers. I played around with creating a personality quiz which was ultimately unsuccessful, and finally settled on an interactive slide that demonstrated various states of items on slide which changed with each avatar’s response. Here is a voiceover screen cast to walk the observer through the elements of the slide design and interactive. 2:33 min. This exploration gave me an appreciation for the quantity of work required to create these assets, along with the high level of skills required to do it well. More practice and continued trials are required for me which would ultimately bring greater proficiency and likely open more opportunities for productive learning experiences.
H5P takes a respectable place in the lineup of eLearning platforms with use for interactives inside a Learning Management System (LMS) or hosted elsewhere. H5P, is an open source eLearning authoring tool available as a plug in on the web. My institution has a local instance of H5P installed into our learning management system, Moodle, which allowed me to create using the tool. There are dozens of interactive activity types, with help files and samples to reference. Here is a screen cast to review the product and the developer interface so you can see how the digital object is created. Considerable time is required to learn the interface, and much testing is required in order to get desired results.
Adobe Captivate turned out to be the most fun to create in. In some ways, Captivate combines Storyline 360 and Rise, in the way you use blocks or forms to create content on a slide, and then you customize the way the block appears by programming settings and features. I found the amount of time it takes to create content on the slide is quick, and the bulk of the designer’s time is spent customizing the presentation. Once I gained the ability to build content using blocks, I was off to the races using pre-built templates with a range of slide types. I incorporated several different slide types to demonstrate the range of options, including quiz activities and software simulations.
Laura’s Hot Takes:
Now that I’ve spent this time with eLearning authoring tools, getting to know how they work, including some their quarks and their ‘that’s so cool’ features, I have the following thoughts to share.
eLearning Authoring is a way to bring a lesson to life for learners:
When we think of instructional materials, our thoughts might go to chalk boards, overhead projectors, text books, standardized testing, powerpoint slides, flash cards, library, internet, and the list goes on. With the avalanche of content available and the growing pile of knowledge we need to pass from one to another, eLearning creates another medium where educators can package instruction using learning theory into an online experience designed for the learner to consume and engage on their own. There may be learning activities adjacent to the experience that involve the teacher and or peers, but for the most part the eLearning object creates a personal learning experience that is containerized, scalable and independent of human intervention. Take for example, the San Antonio Missions eLearning experience that I created using Captivate this semester. The experience gave me the opportunity to package information and experiences I wanted others to learn about into a self contained experience that will be available now and into the future. Similar to a book, journal article or presentation, an eLearning object creates a collection of information for learners to experience. Different that these resources, eLearning extends the experience with interactives and assessments contained within the experience. This challenges the learner to go beyond simply absorbing, but also ‘doing’ or engaging in meaningful activities that help with retention and future application.
Media collection is more than half the battle:
A wise ID will plan before creating their next eLearning object by collecting or creating in advance the final media to be used in the experience. It is far more efficient to create a library, with the appropriate rights of images, videos, questions, content, links, and more that you can draw from as you are writing. Massive delays and distractions come from surfing around for that perfect image or video to insert when creating the experience. Ideally designers create a story board and a complete script before going to production. The storyboard can start to indicate the overall feel, and the types of resources you’ll need. Time spent up front to collect the resources with source and organization info will pay dividends later as you are producing the final product for your learners.
Make it Accessible:
Designers need to make design and production choices that make eLearning accessible to learners with a range of abilities. The urgency and relevance of this amplified in order to meet the coming U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accessibility guidelines (WCET 2024) This includes creating experiences that are readable by screen readers, can be navigated by keyboard and include captions for hearing impairments, and there are more. Choosing accessible color contrast and maintaining clear, simple design choices as not avoid cogitative overload are other considerations designers are to make. These choices are deliberate, and must be adopted by the creator. While all the tools I worked in had accessibility tools available within the tools menus, none of them required their use. And there is a bit of a learning curve to do it well inside the various tools. With practice, comes improvement but it is the attention to these important details that will set the professional product above the elementary one.
ChatGPT and other AI is the IDs friend for developing content, assessment questions, and more:
As I built these hypothetical learning experiences, I found myself turning to ChatGPT for help to create content that I could plug into the eLearning experience. Whether it was drafting learning objectives, introductions, summary statements, descriptors, or quiz questions, it proved to be extremely helpful for beginning the creative process, and for filling the content gap. With even greater practice, I can see AI helping the ID to increase productivity, creativity and efficiency.
Lastly, why elearning?
Popular commercial eLearning platforms like Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storyline have revolutionized the way organizations deliver online learning experiences. These tools are specifically designed to create interactive, media-rich content tailored to diverse learning needs, offering advantages over general presentation tools like Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint.
Advantages of eLearning Platforms
One of the primary benefits of Captivate and Storyline is their interactivity. These platforms allow creators to develop simulations, branching scenarios, and quizzes, enabling learners to engage with content actively. For example, learners can navigate decision-making exercises that adapt based on their choices, fostering a more immersive learning experience. Additionally, these platforms support SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) compliance, making it easier to integrate with Learning Management Systems (LMS) for tracking learner progress and completion rates (eLearning Industry, 2023).
Moreover, tools like Storyline have intuitive interfaces and drag-and-drop functionality, reducing the technical barrier for non-developers. Captivate excels in creating responsive designs for mobile learning, addressing the increasing need for on-the-go access to training materials.
Limitations Compared to Presentation Tools
However, commercial eLearning tools come with drawbacks. They have steep learning curves for beginners and require significant time and effort to master advanced features. They also come with a hefty price tag, which limits availability to those with a return on investment. In contrast, Google Slides and PowerPoint are user-friendly, accessible, and quick to deploy, making them ideal for simpler content delivery. Additionally, commercial platforms often involve higher licensing costs, which can be a barrier for smaller organizations or educators with limited budgets.
Furthermore, while tools like PowerPoint can now support basic interactivity through hyperlinks and add-ins, they lack the sophistication and data tracking capabilities of eLearning platforms.
Conclusion
While commercial eLearning platforms offer unparalleled customization and engagement opportunities, they require careful consideration of the audience, budget, and technical expertise available. Balancing the needs of the learners and the organization will guide the optimal choice.
Parting Thoughts
As I say goodbye (once again) to SUNY Potsdam, I am overcome with gratitude for having had this transformational experience. I am excited by the concepts I’ve learned, the expertise I’ve gained, the activities I’ve completed, the confidence I’ve gained and the relationships we’ve created together. I’ve enjoyed this journey and am a little sad to see it end. As students, we are permitted an innocence that gives us space to explore and freedom to experiment. I am grateful for being reminded to explore with innocence and freedom. I also know more profoundly than when I began this journey that we learn by doing; which is to say committing to and relating to current knowledge, experimenting, reflecting, growing – and then putting that on repeat is the secret to successful lifelong learning. And with that, looking forward to the next leg of my journey.
Resources:
Gutierrex, Karla “Article: A Quick, No-Nonsense Guide to Basic Instructional Design Theory “ May 2014.
Smith, Robert, Utah State University Course: Developing Elearning Content with Articulate Storyline, (ITL425/625) robert.smith@usu.edu
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