Kineo's five decision points for rapid e-learning authoring tools

Considering an authoring tool for rapid e-learning? Bamboozled by the marketing hype? Confused by the dizzying array of options? Kineo lends some help this month by identifying the five key considerations for selecting authoring tools.

[ClickPress, Mon Oct 30 2006] Kineo has identified the five key issues that anyone thinking of buying an authoring tool should work through:

1. What’s your budget? A key influencer. Generally, the more collaborative, server-based tools will cost you more.
2. What’s your skill base? Some tools have a ring of familiarity, being based on desktop applications such as PowerPoint. Others have their own interface to learn. What’s the trade-off between simplicity and power for you?
3. What’s your ambition? What will you actually use this tool for? Simple, static content or more involved simulations and interactions? The more ambitious you are about how you present your learning, the more high-end the tool will need to be.
4. Systems training and beyond? Few tools handle both soft skills and systems training. Which is going to be your primary usage?
5. What’s your business imperative? What reporting information will your business expect? If you are designing training which needs to be tracked and logged, your authoring tool will need to produce SCORM or AICC compliant training.


Matt Fox, Kineo Partner, sounded a ‘health warning’ in conjunction with these considerations:
“No matter what tool you choose, one truth remains constant: outputs are only as good as inputs. Focusing on engaging learning design, well-written content that gets to the heart of the issue, and intelligent use of graphics and media all make more of a difference to your e-learning than your choice of tool. Kineo’s Rapid E-learning Service will help you ensure those fundamentals are in place, to support any tool usage.”

You can read the full list of considerations, and access free and unbiased reviews of a wide range of authoring tools, on the Kineo website.

Kineo will unveil its new rapid e-learning service, the most comprehensive and pragmatic set of end-to-end resources for rapid e-learning available anywhere, in early November.

About Kineo

Kineo is a leading e-learning consultancy focused on accelerating performance through rapid e-learning.

Our services include: consultancy on how to incorporate rapid e-learning into organisations, rapid e-learning development to deliver effective e-learning in as little as three weeks, rapid capability building to bring design and development skills into teams, and rapid e-learning support services and hosting. Founded in November 2005 by Matthew Fox, Mark Harrison, Steve Rayson and Stephen Walsh, Kineo is a limited liability partnership with offices in Brighton. Our client list includes six FTSE 100 companies and some of the best public sector and voluntary organisations in the UK.

We have a press centre for journalists on our website and are always happy to help with stories and provide commentary on the latest developments in e-learning and blended learning. Our Knowledge Centre provides monthly updates on the latest in learning. More at the Kineo website.