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Selecting an Online Course Authoring System:
Corporate Markets:
If you currently administer an instructor-led
or CD-ROM computer-based training (CBT) program you are probably considering how some of
your program mix might be better developed and deployed using the power of the Internet or
your company intranet.
Many instructor-led courses are being considered for conversion to
electronic or distance delivery. A recent HRD survey by the American Society for Training
and Development predicts that by the year 2000 only an estimated 54.8% of training will be
instructor-led, compared to 80% in 1996. By contrast, the market for training delivered
via new technologies is expected to go from 10% in 1996 to over 35% by the year 2000.
Web-Based Training (WBT) is expected to account for a sizable portion of these electronic
course developments and conversions.
Web-Based Training, or Internet-Based Training
(IBT) as it is
sometimes called, is abuzz with hot new course authoring products and distance delivery
systems that promise to electrify your training program, overnight -- in same cases, for
very little in the way of capital outlay. Many training departments are sold on the
concept of WBT/IBT as a possible cost-effective part of their instructional mix. Yet
confusion remains about the best way to get a course online and operational. The question:
which WBT product fits your unique instructional needs and technology infrastructure, at a
price and learning curve that your training division can honestly afford?
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Not Just New Products - New Instructional Potential
Companies like Macromedia, Aimtech, and Asymetrix, producers of an
older generation of powerhouse CBT multimedia authoring systems like
Authorware, Toolbook,
and IconAuthor, have developed Net-enabled editions of their classic authoring systems.
Many training departments are using the Net-enabled editions of these old favorites with
great success.
One major factor that limits the older generation of CBT/WBT
authoring systems is that CBT and WBT are not necessarily instructional twins. In terms of
instructional power, multimedia CBT authoring systems like ToolBook and Authorware were
built based on the assumption that learning would occur in a state of solitary
confinement. The learner would sit alone at his or her PC, clicking through instructional
pages, getting automated feedback until the program detected that an acceptable level of
competency had been achieved. With CBT, interaction occurred primarily on one level:
between learner and content.
The Internet allows for an expanded instructional approach because
it supports many more levels of interaction. An Internet-delivered course can easily break
the CBT sentence of solitary confinement. Hypertext (HTML) and Java, the dynamic languages
of the World Wide Web, allow learners to experience instruction on three levels: 1)
between learner and content (e.g., taking a server-graded pop quiz online); 2) between
learner and instructor (e.g., e-mailing or chatting in real-time with the instructor for
special help); and 3) between learners (e.g., electronic bulletin boards where groups
gather to brainstorm issues).
In terms of instructional power, a new generation of distance
learning products are breaking the CBT instructional mold by centering the power of online
learning in the interactive or collaborative potential of the Net. The big buzzword that
defines online learning is "collaboration." A new generation of collaborative
course authoring and delivery systems -- Symposium, TopClass, and LearningSpace among the
top contenders -- allow instructors to build richly interactive classrooms.
TopClass, for
example, supports not only an HTML-based course authoring system, but built-in
asynchronous message boards where classmates can gather to dialogue about course issues
and team projects. Centra’s Symposium is an instructor-led collaborative system that
supports real-time audio chat in an electronic classroom environment as well as real-time
application sharing and asynchronous threaded discussion boards. Symposium also allows
learners to revert back to stand-alone CBT exercises, presentations, and tutorials once
live class sessions are completed.
The amount of collaboration that an online system allows should not
be the only deciding factor in choosing a system. In fact, in some cases, such as the
mastery of concrete concepts, collaboration may be just another razzle-dazzle feature, not
at all essential to the instructional process. How do you know which online system best
suites your needs? What should you be looking for in a system? High-powered video
potential? Or a collaborative learning structure? The golden rule: the delivery system you
select should be capable of delivering the kind of instruction that best suits your
educational needs at a price that your company can afford.
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Step 1: Assess In-House Capabilities
Course Development Skills
Stand-up trainers are skilled at developing and presenting their
curriculum "live," but most do not have backgrounds in developing curriculum for
computer-based delivery (instructional design and flowcharting) or in computer
programming. If you intend to rely primarily on subject matter experts (SMEs) rather than
instructional design and programming teams to develop your WBT, look for authoring systems
that have low learning curves relative to instructional design and programming -- or
prepare to budget for extensive training in these areas to bring your SMEs up to speed.
Despite the marketing cry that this-or-that authoring system
requires "no programming skills!" all higher level programs require advanced
abilities to write and/or alter code if you hope to tap their full instructional
potential. The more power a system promises for building custom applications that support
"fat media," like video and animation, the more programming and design skills
your course development team must possess. Consider carefully how much time you want your
course developers to spend mastering an authoring system as opposed to developing and
delivering their course loads.
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Quick-Start Options
Several systems stand out as "quick start" possibilities
for SMEs with limited programming or CBT instructional design knowledge. Digital Trainer
is the quickest system to master. If you seek to author simple, tutorial-style courses,
and want your course developers isolated from the advanced flowcharting and icon-based
methods of course development used in more sophisticated design systems like
Authorware,
and IBTauthor, DigitalTrainer is a good first-level authoring option. Digital Trainer
isolates course developers from code and flowcharting by presenting a simple toolbar of
options that makes developing auto-tutorials as easy as working within a drag-and-drop
desktop publishing program.
Two other first-rate programs that enjoy much more power than
DigitalTrainer for custom design, yet can be mastered at the entry level with a week or so
of dedicated practice, are Toolbook and QuestNet+. QuestNet+, a Windows-based development
tool, features floating toolbar WISYWIG visual authoring. For course authors who know C
programming, QuestNet+ allows for the extended development of courses that support
advanced animation and visual effects. Toolbook is less powerful than
QuestNet+, but
remains an excellent all-around choice for SME’s because it features an
easy-to-understand book metaphor and comes with course templates and widgets for
quick-start authoring.
TopClass, selected by "PC Week" labs as their number one,
all-around authoring system in 1997, also insulates SMEs from flowcharting and scripting.
One of the first systems designed specifically to deliver training using the collaborative
potential of the Web, TopClass lets stand-up instructors quickly assemble courses by
transferring existing notes, syllabus, reading assignments, and group hand-outs into an
online format that is as easy to author in as the successive frames of a WYSIWYG Web page.
TopClass is a serious, cost-attractive option for anyone seeking to transfer
instructor-led training to an online collaborative platform.
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Consider Current Investments
Companies who’ve done extensive CBT/CD-ROM development may
already be heavily invested in the older generation of benchmark authoring systems.
Toolbook, Authorware, and IconAuthor are among the most widely adopted older generation
systems for CBT, with editions recently launched for operations in an online environment.
If you’re already invested in a system for CBT, and it works well for your needs,
consider pledging allegiance to that system for the time being to save on retraining and
retooling -- unless your educational content or the needs of your end-users clearly
dictate otherwise.
Systems like Authorware allow for older generation CBT/CD-ROM
training developed within them to be treated with Macromedia’s Shockwave system -- or
"shocked" as it is termed -- so that they can be accessed from any standard Web
browser, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. Developers can use high-power multimedia
systems like Authorware to develop either CD-ROM or WBT, or a unique hybrid of both.
Because Authorware is an established program, many newer delivery systems have been
designed so that Authorware learning modules can be easily imported into them. In fact,
some newer collaborative systems, like Symposium, have been designed not so much to
"author" tutorial style courses as they have been to allow for the import and
sequencing of courses built in established CBT systems, like Authorware and PowerPoint,
into the overall flow of their electronic classroom structure.
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Assess Development & Deployment Infrastructure
If possible, select an authoring system that "fits" your
existing technology infrastructure. Consult with your information technology team to
determine which systems you can support with the least amount of new capital outlay. There
is no sense in buying the latest bells and whistles if they won’t run -- and well --
on your infrastructure. Lotus’ LearningSpace, for example, allows instructors to
build a rich collaborative learning environment, and is fairly easy for SME’s to
master, but deployment requires a Lotus Domino server. (Students can access courses via a
Web browser, but developers and administrators must operate within a Lotus Notes
environment.) TopClass, another collaborative system, enjoys many of the same
instructional features as LearningSpace, but in contrast is operational across a plethora
of platforms, and is easier to learn and navigate than the Lotus database structure.
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Step 2: Assess Learning Content Needs
Not all educational content is identical. Design and
delivery should follow the demands of your content rather than the desires of your design
team to use a new system because it boasts a "cooler" animated spin feature for
the company logo. We are a TV society. Every one loves to see movies embedded in
educational content, but given the bandwidth considerations of the Internet make sure that
movies, audio, and animation serve clear educational purposes rather than acting primarily
as artistic embellishments. Decide, given your delivery infrastructure, which course
authoring systems can best deliver your essential multimedia elements.
At present, the best and most versatile systems for delivering
customized animation and video rich training from the Web may be the Macromedia family of
older generation products like the Authorware Suite with Director (a high-power animation
and sequencing program) bundled in, with the option to create and "shock"
CD-ROMs using Authorware and the Shockwave plug-in that Macromedia pioneered.
Don't overlook the mix-and-match option to create custom hybrid
course systems. Toolbook was designed as a CBT tool, so much of its book-like
instructional design assumes that a learner will be working in isolation, waiting for
auto-feedback prompts to move him or her along. With Toolbook, even in it’s
Web-enabled form, interaction occurs primarily on one level: between the learner and the
educational content.
But what if you already have the technology and the knowledge to use
Toolbook, and want to add collaborative features to your Net-based Toolbook course?
Perhaps you have 50 sales managers scheduled to take a Toolbook tutorial on sales
motivation over the Web. You’d like for these geographically separated managers to
stop mid-course and "gather" online to brainstorm problem sales scenarios that
they have encountered at their locations. A good solution may be to author your course in
Toolbook and add-on a separate, free-standing conferencing tool that will allow your
managers to meet on the Web mid-course to discuss their real-life problems and issues. You
could also develop the essential fact-based content inside the Toolbook tutorial interface
and import or hyperlink these tutorial pages into a collaborative delivery system, like
TopClass.
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Step 3: Assess Audience/Client Needs
Reception Capabilities
WBT is still in its infancy. Problems include the limits of the
Internet to reliably deliver multimedia, especially video and animation -- the so-called
"fat media" -- which tend to choke and challenge smaller networks and
high-traffic portions of the Internet. Streaming, a technology that allows non-text media
to be delivered in chunks only as it is needed to the recipient’s Web browser or
computer, has improved Internet-enabled video delivery, but not yet solved the problem.
Solutions to "fat media" problems for the time being include avoiding excessive
video and animation in online course development or turning to a hybrid CD-ROM/WBT option
where "fat media" is stored on a CD-ROM with Internet hyperlinks for flexible
updates to time sensitive materials. Avoiding the open traffic of the Internet and
deploying your training via the company intranet is another common ploy that will give you
more delivery power for multimedia rich instructional activities.
Never build an online course that might overshoot the technical
reception abilities of your target audience. Before you develop courses that require
specialized Web browser plug-ins to access and run, keep in mind that while many people
can use a Web browser, few may actually have the know-how to undertake tasks like
downloading and installing RealAudio (for audio reception), Acrobat’s Portable
Document File (PDF for files that download in full graphical splendor), or QuickTime (for
playing video segments). Never over-estimate the computer-savvy of your clients or
end-users. Doing so can easily result in no one being able to "view" or
"hear" your widely touted "worldwide accessible" Internet-enabled
courses.
If course access requires special browser add-ons or ancillary
programs, make sure all the receiving workstations or home/office PCs can be properly
configured before the course starts. Even in larger corporations, where state-of-the-art
equipment may be readily available, networked computers may not be universally equipped
with simple multimedia features like sound cards, or Web browser plug-ins like Neuron, the
program that makes Toolbook courseware accessible via a Web browser. If your training is
going to be delivered to multiple company locations, check with the network teams at all
receiving locations to make sure that your courseware is compatible across what may turn
out to be widely divergent desktop and network configurations. What you don’t want to
do is invest in a courseware development and deployment system only to find out that the
European sales division can’t fully access the instructional platform that
you’ve chosen or that your client can’t easily access course management
statistics because the course system you have chosen uses an odd database system for
tracking and reporting purposes.
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Course Management & Administration
While most CBT/WBT systems support an automated course management
feature, generally a server-side function that tracks and reports on student progress by
course or learning module, not all online course administrative packages are equal in
their power or potential. Consider carefully what kinds of reporting you want available to
you or your client at the end of each training activity. Macromedia’s Authorware
system has no built-in course management system, for example, but the Suite pack option
includes Pathway, for course management. Pathway, however, is an add-on, and itself runs
only on Windows, whereas Authorware, the multimedia course building software, supports
cross-platform development and deployment.
One of the most sophisticated and complex course management systems
is supported by Phoenix for Windows. Phoenix uses a relational database to automatically
track, store, and report on student online activity and progress. Custom reports can be
issued based on need-to-know requests like the amount of time it takes students to
complete a course or average group scores. Phoenix can also auto-perform complicated
assessments, like isolating test items and areas that are often missed or misconstrued by
learners, and setting up pre-tests and post-tests that help auto-graduate learners or make
remedial assignments. However, automated assessment may not suit your educational needs.
Collaborative, instructor-led systems like LearningSpace support individualized instructor
feedback, mentoring, and coaching.
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Step 4: Ready! Set! Test Run
Never buy blind. Once you know the parameters of your
desired system in terms of in-house development abilities, multimedia development and
delivery, and your technological infrastructure, take your top three contenders for a test
run. Testing an authoring system is easy. Most courseware companies have free demo
versions available for download from their Web sites. Additionally, many companies house
sample courses, hands-on tutorials, and white papers in their online product showcases.
The best way to fully test a system is to pilot design and deploy a small course that
mimics your essential needs in all areas. A pilot launch is the ultimate test of a system
and how it will, in reality, match your unique instructional needs.
If you want to talk to people who have been through the adoption and
deployment process -- you will probably find this kind of real-life input invaluable in
making a final comparative analysis -- the Internet supports several active, open
discussion lists and electronic forums where experienced developers and instructional
designers congregate to discuss the real-life pros and cons of online instructional
systems in action.
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10 Top Online Course Development & Delivery
Systems
Macromedia
http://www.macromedia.com
800-457-1774
Major Features: CBT benchmark tool; CD-ROM/Internet hybrids;
Content easily exportable to other systems; Shockwave for the delivery of streaming video
and multimedia; No built-in collaborative features; Course administration only through
Pathway add-on
Learning Curve: Medium-High
Programming: Object-oriented authoring by icons in a
flowchart; Director uses Lingo programming with a steep learning curve
Development: Windows, Macintosh
Deployment: Windows 3.1/95/NT/3.5.1/4.0; Macintosh 7.5.1 or
higher; Pathway runs on Windows only
Cost: $1,999
Authorware; $2,999 for Suite that includes
Director (animation), Pathway (course administration), and supporting programs
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MicroMedium
http://www.micromedium.com
800-561-2098
Major Features: Creation of simple e-books (electronic
tutorial books) for delivery over the Internet or via e-mail; Familiar card-like interface
facilitates creation of simple tutorials; Video streaming support; Limited options for
custom/animated content; No collaborative features, except built-in e-mail
Learning Curve: Low
Programming: Visual floating toolbar authoring
Development: Windows 3.1/95/NT
Deployment: Windows 3.1/95/NT
Cost: $279.99 Standard edition; $975.99 Corporate edition;
$395.99 Performance pack
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Docent Software
http://www.docent.com
650-813-6200
Major Features: CD-ROM and WBT deployment; Familiar
frame-style graphical interface; Auto-graduation of learners; Built-in e-mail note
capacity between learners and instructor; IBTreporter for course management and student
reports
Learning Curve: Medium
Programming: Drag and drop authoring in HTML editor via
IBToutliner
Development: Windows 95/NT; Mac support planned
Deployment: Windows 95/NT Server 32MB or more; Mac, Unix
support planned
Cost: $995 Standard simple version; Up to $20,000 for network
packages for multiple authors, users, and servers
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Aimtech Corporation
http://www.aimtech.corp
800-289-2884
Major Features: Benchmark CBT tool; Hybrid Internet-linked
CD-ROMS, CBT/WBT deployment; Downloadable files as needed; Integrated authoring and
debugging; Easy integration of existing databases; Streaming media
Learning Curve: Medium-High
Programming: Icon-based, drag and drop flowchart,
object-oriented creation of Java applications, HTML
Development: Windows 95/NT 4.0
Deployment: Windows 95/NT, OS/2, Unix, Mac
Cost: $3,995 Standard edition
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Lotus Development Corporation
http://www.lotus.com/learningspace
800-346-6409
Major Features: Instructor-led, asynchronous collaborative
learning system; Uses 5 powerful interconnected Lotus databases for full course delivery
and powerful administration; Supports peer-to-peer project work and e-mail; Personalized
instructor-student assessment; Future support of real-time interaction planned through
add-on whiteboards and videoconferencing
Learning Curve: Medium
Programming: Java-Based with templates and wizards
Development: Lotus Notes, Macintosh 7.1/7.5, Windows 95/NT
Deployment: Lotus Domino-supported server
Cost: $547 1 master (author/instructor) license; $440 10
end-user license; Custom pricing packages available based on different master and end-user
profiles
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Pathlore Corporation
http://www.pathlore.com
888-PATHLORE
Major Features: CBT/WBT options; Superior built-in course
management and record-keeping; Streaming courseware reduces network traffic;
Auto-graduation of learners to remedial or advanced study; Multiple team authoring from
remote locations; No collaborative features; Better import and sequencing than multimedia
authoring features
Learning Curve: Medium-High
Programming: Point and click content creation, import, and
sequencing via built-in Course Outliner
Development: Windows 95/NT/Workgroups/3.1, OS/2 (Win-OS/2)
Deployment: Windows NT, UNIX, Netware, OS/2
Cost: $2,995 Stand-alone; $10,000 Networked version with 500
users
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Allen Communications
http://www.allencomm.com/
800-325-7850
Major Features: Peer-to-peer capabilities for team training
simulations; Six animation types; Over 130 special visual/learning effects; Runs multiple
animations; Designer’s Edge purchased separately to assist in the instructional
design/storyboarding process
Learning Curve: Medium-High (For custom C-programming
options)
Programming: C-based language (ANSI standards) embedded;
Supports "paste-in" special codes and programs; C-Coach for easy script
selections by non-programmers
Development: Windows 3.1 or higher
Deployment: Networks equipped with TCP.IP protocol
Cost: $2,495 unlimited run-time license; $1,995-$2,495
Designer’s Edge; $1,495 Network edition for 100 students
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Centra Software, Inc.
http://www.centra.com
888-547-6300
Major Features: Real-time, instructor-led collaborative
learning via integrated multi-way audio conferencing, pop testing, application sharing,
collaborative whiteboards, breakout rooms, threaded discussion boards, and text-based
chat; Option to revert to CBT and asynchronous discussion boards following real-time
sessions
Learning Curve: Medium-High
Programming: Java-Based
Development: Windows
Deployment: Windows NT 4.0
Cost: $35,000 Symposium server; Supports up to 50 concurrent
users and includes one Symposium Course Builder license; Additional licenses at $2,995.
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Asymetrix Corporation
http://www.asymetrix.com
800-448-6543
Major Features: CBT benchmark system; CD-ROM/Internet
hybrids; Familiar book-like lay-out; Easy-to-navigate graphical interfaces and design
templates; No built-in collaborative tools; Streaming audio and video with Neuron browser
plug-in; Internet course management via Librarian add-on.
Learning Curve: Low-Medium
Programming: English-like OpenScript; Drag and drop HTML and
Java
Development: Windows 95/3.1/NT
Deployment: Windows NT; Solaris Unix with database management
software (Librarian)
Cost: $1,995 Instructor; $3,000 per server for Librarian
course management, plus graduated registered per user charges.
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WBT Systems
http://www.wbtsystems.com
415-392-7951
Major Features: Integrated course development, delivery, and
management in an asynchronous collaborative environment; Automatic graduation of learners
based on testing by the server with options for personalized assessment by instructor;
Collaborative e-mail and message boards for students to communicate with each other and
the instructor.
Learning Curve: Low
Programming: HTML
Development: Online with any standard Web browser
Deployment: UNIX, Windows NT/95, Mac, Solaris, Linux
Cost: $1,295 annual corporate license (25 users); $1,775
annual corporate license (50 users)
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Web-Based Training Electronic Discussion
Forums
In addition to the open resources listed below, visit
the Web sites of companies like Asymetrix, Macromedia, and WBTSystems to participate in
product-specific developer’s forums and browse product specific archives and reports.
Discussion Lists
- Association for Educational Communication & Technology
(AECT-L)
To subscribe send the e-mail message "subscribe AECT-L" to listserv@wvnvm.wvnet.edu
- AWARE-List - Macromedia’s Authorware System
To subscribe send the e-mail message "subscribe aware your name" to listserv@cc1.kuleuven.ac.be
- TopClass Discussion List
To subscribe send the e-mail message "subscribe TopClass-Talk your email
address" to listserv@wbtsystems.com
- World Wide Web Courseware Development List - WWWDev
To subscribe send the e-mail message "subscribe WWWDEV your name" to listserv@unb.ca
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Usenet Newsgroups & Asynchronous Discussion Forums
Discussion of Macromedia’s Authorware system.
Discussion of Macromedia’s Director system.
Discussion of multimedia applications and authoring systems.
- The Sloan Foundation - Asynchronous Learning Networks Web
http://www.aln.org/alnweb/nfindex.html
Open discussion forums on asynchronous online learning. Research journal, industry news,
and product reviews.
- Web-Based Training Information Center - Open Forums
http://www.filename.com/wbt/index.html
Open discussion forums for WBT developers, designers, and training executives.
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