Top Three (NOT) Free e-learning creation tools

Holly Whitaker
Aug 23, 2017 · 5 min read

Creating good e-learning takes time, effort and the right tools.

You get what you pay for.

This is true in all things — steak, wine, vehicles, houses, computers and the tools we use to create content for our audiences.

The bar for an e-learning experience has consistently been raised over the past ten years. Once upon a time, it was good enough to just to have an online course. Now, it has to be better than everyone elses’ AND full of bonus value that learners can’t get anywhere else.

Learners expect a lot even when they pay very little for an online learning experience.

So as educators, we need to bring our A-game when creating online learning experiences.

These tools don’t fall into the free category, but they are best in class when it comes to creating quality e-learning.

Articulate 360

Articulate 360 is PowerPoint on steroids, so if you love PowerPoint, you’ll love Articulate.

Articulate Storyline 2 has long been a favorite for creating interactive presentations, but the 360 upgrade is well worth the money. It is a subscription product now, but you can also get a perpetual license of a similar product with most of the same features, Articulate Storyline 3.

We use Articulate 360 to create elearning experiences that are “all inclusive”. For us, this means they have all of the content embedded in the module, all of the embedded quiz results are read by the e-learning delivery platform, creating a one stop module for a simple learner experience.

Interactive presentations offer learners a chance to test their knowledge and skills in a virtual environment. For example, this fall, we’ll be developing a virtual pruning exercise to include in a grape-growing course. Because it’s too risky to fail when pruning your own vines, but newbies often need more than just a series of pictures and some written descriptions about how to prune.

We’ve also made the “Mobile First” decision. This means that we are not designing with computer desktop screens in mind, and Articulate 360 has a responsive design feature built right in.

A recent Articulate 360 project viewed in the Review portal.

And if you collaborate with others who need to provide review, the review function alone is worth the price of admission.

Publish your files and upload them to your e-learning platform or to the web as HTML. Simple, fast easy — and beautiful with 360's Content Library templates. The templates from the Content Library has cut our production time by more than half.

Use Articulate 360 if you are…

This tool is for people who have time to think through and execute good elearning design, meaning the presentation of content, creating virtual practice exercises, and embedded assessments. It’s not worth the investment if you aren’t going to use it to its fullest.

You may also have to pay an e-learning developer to work with this product to get you the professional results you are looking for. Developing high-quality interactive presentations takes hours and hours, and there are many of us who are very good at it, but our time and talent come at a price.

Camtasia

Camtasia is another long-time favorite for creating elearning videos. Purchasing the software through Techsmith is pricey, but check with your IT services or your university/Agency’s software licensing office to see if you can purchase it at a discount.

The latest upgrade to Camtasia gets you closer and closer to super-professional results with this easy-to-learn tool. There are new title animations that we used to need our professional video guys to do for us, that I can now do at the click of a button.

I use Camtasia to add fancy pants intro’s and outro’s to videos that we use for course promotions, and for videos we add into courses. I create a unique look for each course’s videos so it creates a consistent experience for the learner.

If you consider screencasting to be the ideal way you capture your lectures, then this is a can’t-miss tool for you. Use your webcam and slide deck to record your lectures, then insert quiz questions to make sure people are paying attention. Add captions easily, and publish your course to your e-learning portal or to your website.

Animated intro’s and outro’s in the upgraded Camtasia.

Use Camtasia if you are…

Camtasia has a lower price point than Articulate 360, and it’s a little more difficult to learn because it’s not “just like PowerPoint”. So if you are more budget-minded and DIY, Camtasia might be a very good option for you.

Also, if you like your learners to see your shining face, and you like to quickly produce your own e-learning content — this is a great tool for you.

PowerPoint

There, I said it.

It seems like every tool is some sort of departure from PowerPoint, so let’s just say that PowerPoint is the lowest common denominator for creating e-learning. If you’re in e-learning, and you don’t know how to use this tool at all, I’d like to talk with you.

So since virtually everyone has it — and if you don’t, see my post here outlining web-based tools for creating slide decks — let me tease you about things you probably didn’t know your trusty PowerPoint would do.

  1. Record your voice directly into your slides. Use Insert>Audio and speak into your microphone. When your slides are viewed as a slideshow (so save your deck as a slideshow), your voice will be reading your slides.
  2. Create custom graphics. Insert a shape, then right click. Use the Edit Points tool to create custom graphics. As a person who does not have access to Adobe Illustrator, I can do most anything I need a graphic designer to do for me by using this technique.
  3. Create fillable infographics. Create a bunch of overlapping shapes and use the Merge Shapes options to create custom infographic icons. Insert them into a Master Slide that you’ve customized the size, then insert text placeholders for people to enter then information. Boom. Fillable infographic you can use for students to introduce themselves to others in the class.
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Holly Whitaker

Written by

I use curriculum design processes as a lever for institutional change.

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