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Session Lessons: Stocking the e-Learning Toolbox
October 01, 2008
When it comes to the tools used to develop training and online e-learning, more is not necessarily better. Here's how to evaluate and choose the right tools for your organization.
By Frank Nguyen
I admit it. I love tools. While my wife is poring over the weekly specials at the grocery store, you will find me searching the local hardware store’s circular for the newest gadget to add to my toolbox. Who cares if I don’t really need a nuclear-powered flux capacitor? The more tools and the more obscure, the better.
However, when it comes to the tools used to develop training and online e-learning, the same rules do not apply. According to The eLearning Guild’s most recent authoring survey, there are currently 1,054 tools to develop e-learning, offered by 609 vendors. To adopt even half of these tools, your organization would need a BIG toolbox (and deep pockets).
Training organizations need a better way to decide which authoring tools fit their specific needs, which are best, which are most costeffective, and ultimately which to purchase. Figure 1 (right) illustrates a process your organization can use to make sense of the thousands of tools currently available. The process seeks to answer some fundamental questions that are required to establish a strong strategy to author e-learning courses:
Step 1: What type of content do your learners require to perform their job? What materials (paper or electronic) are available now to support the transition to e-learning?
Step 2: What types of e-learning do you need as support for the learners and the content? Do you need Web-based training courses learners can access and complete individually? Maybe synchronous virtual classrooms where learners meet at the same time with an instructor online would be more appropriate. Perhaps you need a complex simulation of a system or real-world environment where learners can safely interact with the tools and people they eventually will use on the job. Maybe a simple wiki where learners and experts can document their knowledge would suffice.
Step 3: What tools are available? In particular, which tools are best suited to support the types of e-learning identified in Step 2?
Step 4: What kind of skill set is required to use the tools you've selected? Will your designers and trainers require training on the tools? Will you need to hire new employees or a vendor to support the development? Are the tools simple enough that experts or even average users can use them?
With more than 1,000 different authoring and development tools on the market, the process of selecting authoring tools to address your business needs can be a daunting and confusing experience. Table 1 (left) summarizes the different types of tools identified by The e-Learning Guild.
After analyzing the content your organization trains on,
you can use this table to identify the e-learning options and select tools that best match your needs. For example, if your organization typically trains customer service agents, then you should pursue soft skills simulation tools. If your learners are primarily responsible for operating equipment and building product, then a courseware authoring tool complemented by animation and video media tools may be appropriate.
Many authoring tools and combinations exist to satisfy your specific e-learning needs. To learn more about these options and other aspects of the e-learning process, refer to The eLearning Guild's "Authoring & Development Tools 360" report. Also, a panel of authors and experts will dig deeper into all four steps of the e-learning authoring process during the Authoring and Development Tools Symposium at the DevLearn 2008 Conference & Expo.
Frank Nguyen is an assistant professor of educational technology at San Diego State University. For the last 10 years, he has developed learning and performance solutions for various Fortune 500 companies. He is coauthor of "Efficiency in Learning" (Jossey Bass, 2006), and has written articles
on e-learning, instructional design, and performance
support.
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