With some figures suggesting that around 30 million presentations are created daily, Microsoft PowerPoint still reigns supreme in many businesses. When there’s all this content out there, converting it to elearning might feel like a quick win. But what might get lost in the transition? Can you maintain your impact and even amplify it? In this PowerPoint to SCORM guide, discover how to transform your passive slides into interactive elearning content that really resonates.

What is SCORM, and why is it important?

Before jumping into the PowerPoint to SCORM conversion process, let’s get clear on why you’d want to do it in the first place. 

SCORM stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model. Once your PowerPoint is SCORM compliant, it can run from Learning Management Systems (LMSs) that are compatible with SCORM. 

SCORM’s tracking capabilities offer invaluable insights into how employees engage with their training. No longer tied to scheduled classroom sessions, employees can launch your learning content anytime, anywhere. Your LMS will track their progress, completion, assessment results, and, in some cases, more detailed analytics on learner engagement.

Want to find out more about SCORM and the benefits it offers? Check out our What is SCORM? blog.

Why converting PowerPoint to SCORM alone isn’t enough

Of course, what engages learners isn’t how they access training. It’s the interaction they have with the content that delivers real impact. This interaction needs to be timely, relevant and – most importantly – inspire action in the real world. 

When used in face-to-face or virtual classroom training, PowerPoint presentations provide prompts and visual aids. They help learners keep up and join in with group activity. If used effectively, slides won’t contain everything that happens in the classroom. So, simply putting this existing content online often misses the context, examples, and interactivity that brings classroom training to life. 

A PowerPoint deck without a presenter loses its power, which is where elearning software comes in. Using an authoring tool empowers you to transform flat and uninspiring slides into engaging digital content. But it’s a mistake to think this just happens at the click of a button. To deliver learning retention and performance improvement, follow these steps for effective PowerPoint to SCORM conversion.

Preparing your PowerPoint for conversion

As with any training project, preparation is key. Don’t rush into converting your PowerPoint. Make sure you: 

• Identify your objectives: Start by getting clear on what you want your learners to be able to do or know after completing the elearning course. Once you’ve identified your learning objectives, you can design your interactive elements to meet those goals. 
• Consider the changing environment: The strategies that engage learners in a classroom may not be effective (or even possible) in elearning. Identify opportunities to introduce meaningful interactions and multimedia to replace human elements. 
• Review your content: Without a trainer reading the room, learners can switch off. Avoid information overload by trying to capture everything from the classroom. Pick the PowerPoint slides that will have the most impact. Keep the text concise and use visuals to explain concepts. Once you’ve made these changes, check there’s still a logical flow.

Step-by-step guide to convert PowerPoint to SCORM

Feeling prepared and ready to convert your PowerPoints into engaging online training? Let’s get started…

1. Choose the right authoring tool

It goes without saying, the tools you use for SCORM conversion can make or break your digital learning. There’s certainly no shortage of great software for you to choose from. So, where should you start?

Here’s a quick overview of the most popular tools:

• Elucidat: A user-friendly, cloud-based tool for creating quality workplace learning at scale. Whether it’s quick quizzes or social polling, it makes a range of interactions accessible to authors of all skill levels.

• Articulate Storyline 360: A suite of tools for creating different types of digital learning. You can add various interactions, but it has a steep learning curve and some collaborative limitations.

• iSpring Suite: An authoring tool that integrates directly with PowerPoint. It allows you to add branching scenarios and audio recordings, though may offer less innovative interaction than other platforms.

• Adobe Captivate: A desktop application known for advanced capabilities, particularly in simulations. 

• Lectora Online: A cloud-based tool that enhances PowerPoint with advanced interactions and scenarios. It can be a powerful tool but requires a bit more expertise.

For a more in-depth review, read the full comparison in this review of the top elearning authoring tools.

2. Import your PowerPoint file

Select an authoring tool with PowerPoint import capabilities and you can say goodbye to tedious manual content transfer. Each tool will have a slightly different import process, but it usually involves similar steps. 

Here’s how it works in Elucidat:

• Step 1: Choose the PowerPoint file for conversion. 
• Step 2: Select the images you want to keep.
• Step 3: Import! 

It takes a few moments to build your course, ready for you to reformat, restructure, and turn it into a great learning experience. 

Still not sure how to get started with your conversion? Check out our PowerPoint Import walkthrough.

3. Add interactive elements

You’ve already considered how interactivity will best meet your learning objectives. Now, it’s time to get interactive in your tool. 

From a simple question to more complex branching scenarios, there isn’t one right way to use the media and interactivity. Here are three examples to get you inspired.

Create participation

Whether in a classroom or online, active learning and practice are the building blocks of effective learning. So how can you translate the group discussion and activity of your face-to-face training to your elearning? Including questions is critical to get your learners reflecting, trying, practicing, and comparing their thinking.

This example of guided self-reflection encourages learners to stop, reflect, and commit to actions they’ll take forward with their team. Social polling appeals to people’s natural curiosity as they can compare their responses to those of their peers.

Explore the example

Tell stories

Great trainers pack their sessions with real-life case studies, examples, and stories that connect with their learners. Don’t lose this in the move to elearning. Adding elements of digital storytelling connects hearts and heads. It helps people understand how they can apply their new knowledge and skills and the impact it will have in the real world. 

This scenario-based learning hooks you in and immerses you in the story. You can make decisions and see the outcome of your choices. 

Explore the example

Add in multimedia content

Bringing even the most complex content to life, video and audio can help maintain the human element in your digital learning. Don’t think of these as standalone. Get learners to reflect on what they’ve seen or heard and put what they’ve learned into practice. A well-chosen combination of content and interactions will produce learning with impact.

This quick guide example is designed to be part of an onboarding campaign for new starters. It provides upfront information before a video demonstrates the task at hand. The guide ends with real-world actions to take on the shop floor during their first shift. 

Explore the example

4. Export as a SCORM package

Happy that your content looks polished and packed with interactivity? When you’re ready, export your SCORM package. 

The process varies by tool but generally involves similar steps. Here’s how it works in Elucidat:

• Step 1: Create a new release for your project. 
• Step 2: Select SCORM as your release mode.
  Note: Other tools might also ask you to choose a SCORM format, such as SCORM 1.2 or SCORM 2004.
• Step 3: Download! 

Top tip: Optimize your SCORM files for size and speed to reduce the file size and load time, and enhance performance.

For more tips, explore our SCORM export walkthrough article.

Testing and publishing SCORM content

Your download isn’t the end of the story. Eliminate avoidable errors before you release your content by taking time to test your SCORM package. 

A good Quality Assurance (QA) process can make or break your digital learning. This requires:

• Resource: It’s easy to miss mistakes in your own work. If you can, get someone else to QA your work. If that’s not feasible, put it aside so you can return with fresh eyes.

• Reviews: You can’t review everything at once. If you’re focusing on testing buttons, you’re not paying attention to the flow of content. So, do at least two separate end-to-end reviews: one for content and the other for functionality.

• Time: There’s no hard rule for allocating time for QA. But if you have around 30 minutes of content, it’s worth allowing 90 minutes or more for your reviews.

Once you’re done, you should be ready to publish a SCORM package that meets standards, works as expected, and provides a great learning experience. 

Spot a rogue typo after it’s live? Don’t worry, with some authoring tools like Elucidat you can seamlessly update your SCORM with a re-release option.

Summary

Increased flexibility, tracking capability, enhanced analytics… with so many benefits, it’s not surprising that more and more classroom training is being converted to elearning. But if you’re going to deliver impactful learning, you can’t just rush into a quick PowerPoint to SCORM conversion. 

Without a trainer, PowerPoint decks lose their power. You need to use an authoring tool to introduce interactivity that supports an effective digital learning experience. 

Remember, this isn’t just about clicks. It’s about engaging learners through active participation and connection. There isn’t one way to do this. Use a variety of approaches by incorporating visual and multimedia content. Get creative, and take advantage of the interactive features available to you for a more engaging experience.

Converting PowerPoint to SCORM with Elucidat

With Elucidat’s PowerPoint Import feature, you can easily convert static PowerPoint presentations into SCORM-compliant elearning. Plus, you can track learner progress and engagement, ensuring your elearning content is impactful and measurable. Ready to start producing some great SCORM-compliant digital learning? Book a demo of Elucidat, and we’ll get your free trial off to a flying start!

In the rapidly evolving world of digital learning, online courses have revolutionized how knowledge is shared and acquired. This transformation has led to a surge in demand for efficient course creation software, enabling course creators to easily produce, manage, and distribute impactful digital learning content.

However, the many options available can make choosing the right course creation software an overwhelming task. This comprehensive guide will help clarify what course creation software is, what features to consider, and spotlight ten leading software solutions in the market. Doing so aims to help you find the best course creation software that aligns perfectly with your digital learning needs and aspirations.

What is course creation software?

At its core, course creation softwares, also known as online course builders, are a specialized set of tools that enable users to design, create, manage, and distribute online courses. These platforms offer an end-to-end solution that significantly simplifies the entire learning process, from creating engaging online course content to delivering it, managing users, and tracking their progress. 

The beauty of online course creation software lies in its ability to enable the creation of interactive, immersive, and engaging content without requiring you to be tech-savvy. Whether you’re an individual instructor brimming with knowledge to share or a large organization aiming to train your workforce, the best platform for creating online training is one that syncs perfectly with your unique needs and goals. Great course creation software ensures a seamless, enriching experience for the course creator and the learner, leading to enhanced learning outcomes.

What should you look for in course creation software?

Choosing the right course creation platform is akin to finding the perfect pair of shoes – it should fit well, be comfortable, and serve the purpose. Here are several key factors to consider when choosing a course creation software:

• Ease of use: Prioritizing ease of use ensures that you can create and manage courses efficiently, regardless of the technical expertise of you and your team. An intuitive and user-friendly platform allows you to focus on content creation and delivery, enabling a seamless and enjoyable experience for course creators and learners.
• Affordability: Consider the pricing structure and scalability of the platform, determining whether it aligns with your budget and growth plans. Some platforms offer tiered pricing plans or subscription models, so assess which option suits your needs best.
• Scalability: If you have aspirations of scaling up your digital learning initiatives, choosing a course creation platform that grows seamlessly with your needs is vital. It should be capable of streamlining course editing, upkeeping, and localization.
• Course engagement features: By selecting a course creation platform that offers engagement features, you can create an interactive and immersive learning experience, keeping learners motivated, involved, and committed to the course. Consider personalization options, collaboration tools, interactive elements and more. 
• Assessment and progress tracking: Look for features that enable you to create assessments, polls, and quizzes for driving engagement, as well as the ability to track and analyze learners’ progress and performance. This helps you evaluate their understanding and identify areas for development.
• Integration and compatibility: Consider whether the platform integrates well with other tools and systems you use, such as Learning Management Systems (LMSs). Compatibility with popular file formats (e.g., SCORM or xAPI) is also important for seamless content distribution and interoperability.
• Responsive support team: Evaluate the level of support and resources the platform provides. This may include documentation, tutorials, and customer support channels. Adequate support ensures you can troubleshoot issues and maximize the platform’s potential.

Who can use course creation software?

As the digital learning sphere becomes increasingly vital to company growth, course creation software stands out as a key enabler for various stakeholders. This versatile tool is designed to cater to the unique needs of professionals who are tasked with the role of fostering knowledge and enhancing skills in the workplace. Let’s delve into the roles that can harness the power of course creation software to drive corporate learning objectives.

Learning Designers

Learning designers in the corporate world often grapple with the challenge of creating content that’s both engaging and aligned with business goals. Course creation software offers them a robust suite of tools to craft impactful digital learning modules. From interactive simulations to branching scenarios, learning designers can utilize these platforms to deliver rich learning experiences that drive employee engagement and retention, thereby translating complex business concepts into digestible learning interventions.

L&D Managers

For L&D managers, course creation software is a strategic asset. It’s a platform from which they can launch and manage corporate learning initiatives, ensuring that educational programs not only meet compliance standards but also advance the company’s strategic objectives. With functionalities that allow for real-time tracking and analytics, L&D managers can gauge the effectiveness of training, tailor programs to address specific competency gaps, and measure the ROI of learning initiatives.

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

SMEs are often the linchpins of corporate learning, holding the specialized knowledge that sets a company apart. Course creation software empowers these experts to share their insights without the need for deep technical know-how in digital learning development. With user-friendly interfaces, SMEs can swiftly create or contribute to content, facilitating the rapid sharing of expertise across the organization. This accessibility ensures that valuable know-how is captured and made available, enhancing the collective intelligence of the business.

The best course creation software

With these considerations in mind, let’s dive deep into the world of course creation software. This section outlines the top-notch software options available in the market, aimed to assist you in creating engaging learning content and course content.

1. Elucidat

Known for its powerful course authoring tool functionalities and extensive features, Elucidat has gained the trust of enterprise organizations around the globe. The authoring software enables the creation of impactful elearning courses at scale but also empowers any author, regardless of their technical prowess, to produce high-quality digital learning content. 

Pros:

• User-friendly with a minimal learning curve, allowing beginners and experts alike to use it efficiently
• Offers extensive customization options to help your courses stand out and reflect your unique style
• Provides powerful analytics tools, offering insights into learner engagement and course performance
• Offers a cloud-based solution for easy collaboration, perfect for team-based course creation

Cons:

• As the tool is built for enterprise it is not the best for small organizations or individual educators looking for cost-effective solutions
• Not the ideal solution for software simulation 

2. Articulate 360

Articulate 360 is a comprehensive suite of course creation tools that offers a solution for every step of the course development process. It’s favored by many professionals due to its flagship Storyline 360 product which has been a key player in the course creation space for many years.

Pros:

• Provides a full suite of course development tools, including Storyline 360 for course creation, Rise 360 for responsive course building, Review 360 for project feedback, and Reach 360 as a delivery platform
• Offers an extensive content library with thousands of customizable course templates and assets

Cons:

• It can be expensive for individuals or small organizations
• The learning curve can be steep for beginners due to the wide array of tools and features

3. iSpring

iSpring is a robust online course builder software designed for ease of use. Its user-friendly interface makes it an excellent choice for beginners, yet it still packs a punch with a wealth of advanced features.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface makes it easy to create courses, even for beginners
• Offers a variety of interactive features such as quizzes, dialog simulations, and interactive videos to engage learners

Cons:

• Primarily a PowerPoint-based tool, which may limit creativity and flexibility in course design
• Advanced analytics and reporting are limited in the basic plan

4. Adobe Captivate

Adobe Captivate is a feature-rich course creation platform known for its capabilities in creating highly interactive elearning content. It’s a preferred choice for experienced course creators and designers who seek flexibility and advanced functionalities.

Pros:

• Allows for the creation of software simulations
• Offers a wide range of interactive elements and quizzing options to make learning engaging

Cons:

• Steeper learning curve, especially for those not familiar with Adobe software
• Lack of supporting services, onboarding materials and help material

5. Thinkific

Thinkific, a well-reputed course creation software, is ideal for beginners and experienced course creators alike. With an array of features designed to support course creators at every stage of the journey.

Pros:

• Comes with an intuitive, drag-and-drop course builder, making course creation a breeze
• Supports various multimedia content formats, from video lectures and downloadable resources to interactive quizzes, fostering an immersive learning environment
• Allows the creation of quizzes, surveys, and assignments, enhancing learner engagement and understanding

Cons:

• Some advanced features, which can power up your courses, are available only in higher-priced plans
• Offers limited customization options compared to other platforms, which could be a limiting factor if you want to give your courses a unique look and feel

6. Teachable

Teachable, a widely-used course creation software, cleverly combines ease-of-use with powerful course creation capabilities. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or a novice with a passion for sharing your knowledge, Teachable provides the perfect platform to create and sell online courses.

Pros:

• Boasts built-in marketing and sales tools, empowering you to effectively promote and sell your courses
• Supports various content formats, allowing you to cater to different learning preferences and needs
• Offers customizable course pages, giving you the freedom to design your course the way you envision it
• Provides excellent customer support, ensuring your course creation journey is smooth and hassle-free

Cons:

• The basic plan charges transaction fees, which could affect your course revenue
• Limited options for automated student interactions, which could potentially impact learner engagement

7. Kajabi

If you’re looking for more than just course creation software, Kajabi is your answer. It’s an all-in-one platform offering website building, email marketing, and customer management features, making it a comprehensive solution for online educators and businesses.

Pros:

• A comprehensive platform covering not just course creation but also marketing and business management, saving you the hassle of integrating multiple platforms
• Boasts advanced automation capabilities, enhancing efficiency and allowing you to automate repetitive tasks
• Excellent customization features to help your courses stand out and create a consistent brand identity

Cons:

• The higher price point may not suit all budgets, making it less suitable for educators or small organizations with a tight budget
• The wide range of features can overwhelm users looking for a simpler, more focused course creation platform

8. Podia

If you’re a creator seeking to sell not just online courses but also memberships and digital downloads, Podia is an excellent choice. With a clean and user-friendly interface, Podia simplifies the course creation and selling process.

Pros:

• Offers unlimited courses, customers, and bandwidth in all plans, providing excellent scalability as your business grows
• Doesn’t charge additional transaction fees, ensuring that you keep all of your course sales revenue
• Built-in email marketing tools make communicating with your learners and building your community easy

Cons:

• Lacks advanced quiz and assessment features, which may be a hindrance if you wish to incorporate such elements in your course
• Does not offer certificate capabilities, which can be a drawback if your learners expect course completion certificates

9. LearnDash

LearnDash is a WordPress-based course creation platform that offers a robust suite of features and a high degree of customization. If you have a WordPress website and want to add an online course component, LearnDash is an excellent choice.

Pros:

• Fully compatible with WordPress, allowing seamless integration with your existing website
• Comes with advanced quizzing features, fostering an engaging and interactive learning experience
• Supports course content dripping and prerequisite lessons, which aids in structuring your courses effectively

Cons:

• The need for WordPress might be a disadvantage for those who don’t have a WordPress website or are unfamiliar with it
• The cost of third-party plugins can add to the overall cost of the platform

10. Coursecraft

Coursecraft is a platform designed for simplicity and ease of use. It’s a great choice for beginners looking for an easy-to-use tool to create and sell their online courses.

Pros:

• Offers a clean, user-friendly interface that makes course creation easy, even for beginners
• Provides a built-in sales and landing page builder, simplifying the process of marketing your courses

Cons:

• Lacks advanced features such as quizzes and certificates, which might be a limitation for some course creators
• The free plan charges a high transaction fee, which can reduce your course sales earnings

Need a hand comparing software? Let this handy comparison template do the heavy lifting for you. 

Conclusion

Choosing the right course creation software is a vital step in the journey of digital learning. The software you select will significantly influence the quality of your digital courses, the experience you provide to your learners, and the overall effectiveness of your elearning initiatives. Therefore, it’s crucial to analyze your options thoroughly and select a tool that aligns with your unique needs and goals in the realm of digital learning.

Remember, the best course creation software is the one that fulfills your requirements, matches your budget, and aligns with your vision of delivering impactful digital learning.

Course creation with Elucidat

Whether you’re designing comprehensive courses or focusing on engaging gamification and microlearning elements, Elucidat has got you covered.

Elucidat goes beyond just being a course creation tool. It’s a trusted partner in your elearning journey. With sophisticated collaboration tools, customizable user permissions, and refined access controls, you have everything you need to create impactful elearning content. 

Find out how Elucidat can take course creation to the next level and book a demo today.

With the rising need to develop digital training materials, tools that facilitate the creation of captivating elearning courses at speed are in high demand. Rapid authoring tools, such as Elucidat, feature extensive functionalities that can save you both time and money. Find out more about these types of authoring software and the features to consider when exploring which one is right for you.

What are rapid elearning authoring tools?

A rapid authoring tool is a piece of software designed to help elearning professionals swiftly create impactful, online training courses. These tools are equipped with numerous built-in functionalities that simplify the lives of online course designers. 

These particular authoring tools provide essential features for producing high-quality elearning courses quickly, all while requiring minimal effort to learn and navigate. Moreover, they offer convenient time-saving options such as drag-and-drop functionality and a variety of pre-designed templates that can be branded and styled to suit the needs of your business. 

Rapid authoring tools eliminate the requirement for coding skills and expertise in multimedia tools. This empowers subject matter experts (SMEs) and learning and development professionals with limited programming knowledge, to maximize their capabilities.

By utilizing quick-to-create tools as part of a business training platform, a diverse range of corporate elearning courses can be developed effortlessly, spanning everything from basic quizzes to interactive scenarios. These tools enable quick and efficient course creation, allowing for seamless and accelerated elearning development.

What types of rapid elearning authoring tools are there?

There are 3 main types of rapid content development tools to consider, namely:

1. PowerPoint plug-ins
2. Desktop-based authoring tools
3. Cloud-based authoring tools

Here, we’ll take a closer look at each type. 

Powerpoint add-ins

These authoring tools seamlessly integrate with Microsoft PowerPoint as plug-ins, making them incredibly user-friendly with minimal learning curves. They enable the creation of uncomplicated digital learning materials with basic interactive elements.

Desktop-based authoring tools

These authoring tools are widely employed for elearning design and development. They require installation on your computer. Offering an array of features, they are ideal for crafting courses with advanced interactivity and extensive customization. It’s also important to remember that all files are saved locally, so version management can be problematic.

Cloud-based authoring tools 

These online authoring tools operate on the cloud and are accessible via your internet browser. They are typically provided as Software as a Service (SaaS) and require licensing. Cloud-based tools facilitate collaborative authoring, allowing multiple individuals to log in and work on the tool simultaneously.

When should you use rapid authoring tools for elearning?

When there is a need to develop elearning courses within limited timeframes, quick and easy authoring tools can be a valuable asset. For example, Elucidat’s intuitive interface, pre-built templates, and drag-and-drop functionality enables quick content creation, reducing the time and effort required for course development.

Rapid authoring tools are also well-suited for iterative development processes. They allow for easy content updates, revisions, and enhancements, ensuring that elearning courses can be quickly modified and refined based on feedback or changing requirements.

When creating self-paced or microlearning courses, rapid authoring tools provide a convenient and efficient way to structure and present bite-sized content. These tools often include features that support interactive elements, assessments, and multimedia integration, enhancing the overall learning experience.

What to look for in rapid authoring tools

Rapid elearning tools come with their own range of features. When choosing the right platform, there are some particular inclusions that you’ll want to consider. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the most prominent things to look for. 

Responsive and mobile-friendly elearning

In today’s landscape, learners expect course materials to be responsive, allowing them to access content across multiple devices. This responsiveness is crucial as it enables learners to engage with the material anytime and from anywhere. 

When designing rapid courses that can be seamlessly accessed on various mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets, it becomes imperative to utilize authoring tools with built-in responsiveness.

User-friendly interface

When considering any software or tool, the presence of a user-friendly interface holds paramount importance. Without an interface that is easy to navigate, the utilization of an authoring tool becomes challenging, leading to limitations. 

Opting for an authoring tool with a simplified interface allows for effortless usage by individuals across the organization. By doing so, all authors can fully harness the potential of the tool.

Pre-built templates & interactions

Quizzes and gamified materials are highly enjoyable and effective learning methods. However, creating these quizzes from scratch can be a time-intensive process. Rapid elearning authoring tools can significantly streamline this task. 

An ideal rapid authoring tool also provides customization options to tailor assessments to the specific and unique learning needs of your employees. By finding an authoring tool that offers both ready-to-use templates and a library of question interaction types, along with the flexibility to customize them, you can make a well-informed choice. 

This ensures that you can create engaging quizzes that align perfectly with your employees’ learning requirements.

Benefits of rapid elearning development

There are a number of benefits of rapid elearning development for both learners and organizations. Here are 3 benefits to keep in mind. 

Saves time, money, and effort

Rapid elearning courses are not bound by limitations of time and budget. They are typically created using existing resources, such as templates, storyboards, and other relevant materials. Consequently, rapid elearning courses offer a cost-effective solution, allowing for efficient development and timely delivery even within tight deadlines.

Ease of use

Rapid elearning makes it incredibly easy for enabling both experienced and non-experienced authors to create quality content, meaning you can deliver content to learners when and where they need it.

Aids in information retention

Engaging learners and enhancing their information retention is typically the top priority for delivering a successful learning experience. Rapid elearning takes this a step further by leveraging microlearning techniques, enabling the delivery of just-in-time training in the process. 

In impactful elearning courses, extraneous data is stripped away, leaving behind only the most relevant and valuable information for learners to easily consume and effectively retain.

Rapid elearning development drawbacks

Of course, where there are pros there’s also cons to consider. Here’s a look at some drawbacks of rapid elearning development. 

Runs the risk of becoming dull or generic

As elearning courses often rely on pre-made graphics and templates, there is a risk of modules becoming monotonous over time. When an organization possesses an extensive library of elearning modules, learners may gradually lose interest due to the repetitive use of imagery or graphics. This is why intuitive rapid authoring tools, such as Elucidat, make it easy to create unique authoring in a flash. 

Less customization

The speed and efficiency of a rapid elearning authoring tool primarily stems from its user-friendly interface. These tools provide a wide range of pre-existing templates, themes, and assets that accelerate the course material creation process.

While many authoring tools offer customization options to include branded elements like logos and themes, there are inherent limitations to maintaining the rapid nature of the tool. These limitations can potentially hinder user creativity.

Lack of complex interactivity

Rapid elearning tools may not offer advanced interactivity options compared to more sophisticated authoring tools. This limitation can hinder the creation of complex simulations, branching scenarios, or interactive assessments.

3 examples of rapid authoring tools

When it comes to speed, efficiency, and user-friendliness, authoring tools that offer quick and simple solutions take center stage. Let’s explore three of the most popular rapid authoring tools that can significantly elevate your elearning development process.

1. Elucidat

Elucidat is a cloud-based rapid authoring platform that simplifies elearning content creation. Designed for both novices and experienced designers, its intuitive interface, coupled with powerful design capabilities, offers a seamless content creation process.

Pros

• Pre-built template and advance workflows allow for rapid authoring
• Highly flexible, allowing creators to craft unique, interactive elearning modules
• Powerful auto-translation tools
• Supports collaborative work, ideal for team-based projects

Cons

• The tool is designed for enterprise organizations, therefore it might be costly for small businesses or individual creators.

2. Articulate 360 

Articulate 360 is a comprehensive authoring tool that integrates the strengths of Storyline 360 and Rise. Storyline 360 is celebrated for its ease of use and wide-ranging functionalities, while Rise is known for its emphasis on speed and simplicity. Together, they create a good solution for any elearning project.

Pros

• Rise has an Intuitive interface
• It includes a built-in library of customizable templates
• It benefits from extensive community support and resources.

Cons

• Though it includes a wide range of features, it may not provide the depth of customization options seen in some other rapid authoring tools.
• It has limited integration with third-party applications, which might limit its usefulness in more complex elearning ecosystems.

3. Easygenerator

Easygenerator is a cloud-based elearning authoring tool that empowers you to create engaging courses without any prior learning design experience.

Pros

• Beginner-friendly interface.
• Includes features like quiz creation and learner tracking.
• Supports team collaboration for course creation.

Cons

• Not as feature-rich as some other rapid authoring tools.
• Advanced users might find customization options limited.

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive comparison of authoring software, read our article comparing the best elearning tools.

Currently comparing authoring tools? Let this handy comparison template do the hard work for you.

Wrapping up rapid authoring

In simple terms, rapid elearning is an approach that centers around learning objectives while eliminating any unnecessary and unrelated elements that could potentially overwhelm elearning experiences. Its deployment, of course, is made all the easier with the right authoring tool at your disposal.

To find out how Elucidat can support quick and easy elearning development, book a demo today.

Elucidat and Lectora; two authoring tools, both recognized for outputting some of the world’s best elearning courses. But what makes them unique? What’s included with the Lectora package? And how does this compare to Elucidat’s offering – particularly when it comes to working at scale? Let’s find out…

How will we compare these authoring tools?

• Ease of use
• Quality output
• Production speed
• Scalability
• Who it’s best suited for
• Pros and cons

Comparing multiple tools? Save time with this handy authoring tool comparison template.

Is Elucidat a good alternative to Lectora?

What is Elucidat?

Elucidat is a multi-award winning, cloud-based elearning authoring tool that organizations can use to produce high-quality courses at scale, which makes it the perfect alternative to Lectora. 

Get to know Elucidat and how our authoring platform can benefit your organization in this short 3-minute video:

Ease of use

Anyone can pick up Elucidat and start authoring. It has a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) interface, so you can see exactly how your course is going to look as you build it. And the layout of each page will automatically adapt according to different devices, rather than just re-size, providing a truly responsive experience for your learners – without additional effort from you.

Novice authors might choose to start with one of our expert-designed templates from ready-made Templates, for instance to create a quiz, game, or case study. These templates come with all the pages and interactions required – all you need to do is add the text and images.

But it’s also pretty easy to build from scratch in Elucidat – simply pull in your brand style, and then combine any of the 25+ pre-built interactions and question types to create a unique learning experience. 

For teams looking to expand their production to new authors and SMEs, the Company Templates feature will help ensure quality outputs. With this approach, your L&D team can set up pre-approved, branded company templates, and pack them with inline guidance written specifically for your authors, meaning best practice and consistent learning design will be baked into all the courses your organization churns out.

Quality output 

In terms of what you can expect from an authoring side of things, Elucidat ticks all the boxes, providing staple interactions like click-to-reveals and drag and drop activities – plus carousels, timelines, and more. But you can also use Elucidat to break the mold of traditional elearning…

You can personalize your courses using a role-selector, diagnostic quiz, or interactive video, putting the learner at the center of their experience. You can also encourage them to reflect on their personal journey by including Text Input Clips, requiring them to input their thoughts and ideas, which you can play back to them later. 

Courses can also be gamified by adding features like badges and point systems, adding a competitive element to your content. 

You can even encourage your learners to think more deeply about your content by embedding social polls, where they answer a question and see how their response compares to their peers’.

Production speed

The whole development workflow in Elucidat is designed to be quick and hassle-free.

For a start, the simplicity of Elucidat means your course creation process can be as rapid or as thorough as you want it to be. In fact, ready-made Templates means you can create and publish courses four times faster than building a course from scratch.

Once a course is ready for review, you simply send an email to reviewers, inviting them to add comments directly to your content – they don’t even need to set up an Elucidat account. Multiple people can review and amend the course simultaneously, without encountering version control issues – meaning you can reduce your turnaround times in a risk-free way.

And because all content is hosted in the cloud, any updates you make to a published course will feed through instantly to your learners– regardless of where that course is hosted. This makes it super quick to correct typos, replace images, and update your text.

If you need to reach a global audience, Auto-Translate also speeds up the localization process, with the ability to translate your content instantly into one of 75 different languages, without the need to export and import anything. 

Scalability 

Elucidat is designed for organizations who need to create and manage vast amounts of content. For instance, you can also use Variations workflow to create and edit multiple courses at once. With this function, when you make changes to a “Parent Course”, these changes will be instantly pulled through toits Variations (for instance, localized versions of that course). 

What’s more, the centralized Asset Library allows you to make mass updates to images and videos that sit across several courses, for instance, if you need to update a company logo. 

Working in large teams is supported by multi-language authoring and a pricing structure that becomes more competitive the more users you have. And there are no hidden fees for things like storage.

Finally, you can remove the risk of opening up your production teams using Advanced User Management. This allows you to customize the User Roles for each person in your Elucidat account, determining who can, for example, edit your brand styles, delete projects, or upload assets, ensuring your users work to their strengths.

Who it is best for 

Elucidat is designed to be used by content creators, SMEs, and instructional designers of any experience level. It’s most beneficial for large teams looking to create a lot of content quickly, without sacrificing quality.

Main pros and cons of Elucidat

WYSIWYG interface simplifies content creation.  Content is automatically optimized for mobile view.  Offers a wide range of interaction types, supporting personalization, gamification, and social polls. Ready-made templates makes authoring 4x faster.   Company Templates allows you to onboard new authors easily.  Translate into 75 languages instantly.  Assets can be updated in several places at once.  Offers granular control over which users can do what.   Live reviews and instant publishing. Enables mass updates to course variations. Authoring interface available in nine languages. Can involve as many reviewers as you need, free of charge.

The pricing model may seem expensive for small teams with limited content. A time investment is required for novice authors to take advantage of the full toolkit. No systems training capabilities. No images/videos supplied by the tool.

Lectora review

What is Lectora?

Lectora is an authoring tool by ELB Learning. There is an online version and a desktop version of Lectora, which both come as part of ELB’s Course Authoring Gold Suite, along with ReviewLink, their online course review tool, and their inbuilt Asset Library, so we will be reviewing these products as a package. 

Ease of use

The jury is still out on just how easy Lectora is to use. On the plus side, it has a WYSIWYG interface, where everything in the middle of the screen – or “on stage” – represents what’s visible to the learners, and everything around the edges – or “off stage” – will stay hidden. This gives a full picture of what you are building as you go.

Lectora also offers over 3,500 pre-built templates for you to select and populate to create out-of-the-box courses, as well as a PowerPoint convertor, making it relatively simple to turn a PPT file into an interactive course – albeit with some manual editing.

The challenges with Lectora tend to crop up when creating more bespoke content…

Lectora’s authoring interface has been criticized over the years for being hard to navigate. Whilst ELB have been making improvements to this, it can still feel quite overwhelming; The drag-and-drop workspace and layers panel are similar to traditional design applications but aren’t intuitive for the average author. Plus, it’s easy to get lost in the numerous tabs and menus that sit “off stage”, so working from scratch and customizing content can be tricky. 

And while it can be used to create fully responsive courses, authors can expect to invest more time and effort into tweaking layouts for mobile and tablet devices than with Elucidat.    

There is a wealth of online guidance about using the tool on the ELB website, but finding the right information only adds to the complexity of onboarding.

Quality Output

It could be argued that what Lectora lacks in usability, it makes up for in scope and functionality, which help ensure good quality courses. 

For a start, the tool boasts a unique “error check” function. This handy QA feature runs before a course is published and highlights issues such as missing or repetitive content, helping to ensure quality across all your finished courses.

In terms of design options, authors can create personalized learning experiences through BranchTrack, which is used to construct branching scenarios. This gives learners the chance to apply their knowledge to role play scenarios or system simulations, allowing them to carve out their own learning journey.

Other personalization options include role selectors and diagnostic quizzes – though notably, there is no equivalent to Elucidat’s Text Input Clips. 

Similar to Elucidat, lectora offers out-of-the-box games for you to populate, helping you turn dry content into fun quizzes. 

Whatever you create, your pages are highly customizable and can be made to look however you like – once you have got the hang of the tool.

Production speed

Because of its complex interface, authoring in Lectora will typically take longer than in other tools. However, there are workarounds; You can use the ‘ModDev’ toolkit to assemble a response course in half the usual time, or select a Course Starter template, which will provide all the pages needed for a course, ready for you to populate. 

The built-in Asset Library also helps speed up the authoring process, offering icons, cut out characters, audio, video, photos and more, saving you time digging around company files and libraries to populate your course. 

However, once the first draft of a course is complete, collaboration and publishing can be a little clunky; To share the course for review, you’ll need to publish it to ReviewLink, which adds an extra step in the workflow. And when it comes to involving additional authors, simultaneous editing is not properly supported – instead, it’s recommended that authors “check in and out” their course each time they pass it on for amends. What’s more, publishing the final product for SCORM (for an LMS) or HTML (for web) involves downloading and uploading files, which can start to feel cumbersome. 

Finally, while the translation tool and multi-language publishing options are designed to speed up translations, there is no instant translation option, like there is with Elucidat.

Scalability 

Like with Elucidat, Lectora allows you to save and re-use templates and styles across courses. However, the more content you create, the harder it becomes to manage; There’s currently no asset management system in place, which means you can’t make global updates to the images or videos you embed in your courses. Plus, there is no way of updating multiple variations of a course simultaneously, for example if you have localized versions. 

In terms of costs, Lectora prices are geared towards individual users and small teams, and don’t reflect economies of scale – especially when you consider costs for additional storage. 

Who its best suited for

Small teams or individual users who have the time and budget to master the tool and create simulations, branching scenarios, or games.

Main pros and cons of Lectora

Used to build systems simulations, branching scenarios, and games.  Built-in QA checks. Built-in asset library includes templates, images, videos and more.  ReviewLink collates feedback in one central location. Can easily turn PPTs into interactive courses.  ModDev workflow speeds up authoring. Authoring possible in seven languages.  Courses are very customizable. Can involve as many reviewers as you need, free of charge.

Authoring interface is overwhelming and takes time to get used to. No central asset management. No way to make mass updates to course variations. Responsive authoring typically involves manual tweaking.   Storage limits. Relatively expensive for large numbers of users. Comparatively slow publishing, reviews, and translations.    No social polling capabilities.

Summary – is Elucidat a good alternative to Lectora?

Lectora is a very functional authoring tool that covers a lot of ground. You can use it to create systems training, simulated roleplays, quizzes, and more, all of which can be customized however you like. And whatever you choose to create, the inbuilt Asset Library and QA checker can save you time in development.

However, Lectora is not the most intuitive tool out there – it can be fiddly to use and involves a steep learning curve and lengthy onboarding process. 

Conversely, Elucidat’s simple interface makes expanding your production teams quick and easy. And, if in doubt, Company Templates will ensure all your authors are applying best practice learning design to every course. 

Elucidat also makes working at scale simple, by way of centralized Asset Management and the Variations Manager, allowing you to make mass updates to content. And of course, you can breeze through your production pipeline with streamlined reviews, updates, and translations. 

Unlike Lectora, Elucidat’s pricing structure reflects economies of scale. And there are no hidden costs for storing unexpected amounts of content. So, for enterprise organizations looking to create high quality learning experiences at scale, it’s a no-brainer.

How Elucidat shapes up against other tools 

• 12 Popular Elearning Authoring Tools: A review of some of the best elearning authoring tools against quality of output, speed and efficiency, and scaling up of elearning production.
• Storyline & Captivate: An evaluation on how Elucidat stacks up against Articulate Storyline 360 and Adobe Captivate.
• iSpring Suite: An exploration as to whether Elucidat can be used as an alternative to the desktop authoring suite iSpring.
• Easygenerator: A review of Elucidat against the authoring tool Easygenerator, to see why organization may choose one over the other.  
• Storyline & Rise: A comparison of Elucidat against Articulate 360’s two authoring tools. 
• Gomo Learning: A comparative review of Gomo Learning and Elucidat.
• Evolve: A side-by-side comparison of Elucidat and the cloud-based authoring tool Evolve.

Explore Elucidat 

To explore the benefits of Elucidat for yourself, book a personalized demo with one of the team, and start a free trial.

Next in our tool comparison series, we look at how Elucidat compares to Evolve. With both cloud-based authoring platforms being recognized for their speed and ease of use, why might you choose one over the other? Let’s find out…

How will we compare these authoring tools?

• Ease of use
• Quality output
• Production speed
• Scalability
• Who it’s best suited for
• Pros and cons

Comparing multiple tools? Save time with this handy authoring tool comparison template.

Evolve vs. Elucidat: At-a-glance comparison table

	Elucidat	Evolve
Solution	Cloud-based authoring tool	Cloud-based authoring tool
Digital learning formats	HTML5, SCORM (1.2, 2004), xAPI (TinCan)	HTML5, SCORM, xAPI (TinCan)
Production speed	Fast	Fast
Easy to use?	Easy	Moderately easy
Perfect for	Enterprise organizations who want to expand their authoring teams to create high-impact courses quickly and at scale.	Novice elearning authors who want to create courses quickly and smaller organizations.
Price	Contact us for pricing.	Starting at $567 per user per year.

Is Elucidat a good alternative to Evolve?

What is Elucidat?

Elucidat is a multi-award winning, cloud-based elearning authoring tool that can be used to produce high-quality courses at scale. 

With refined features like Advanced User Management and Guided Authoring, Elucidat helps teams work smarter by streamlining production and controlling outputs – without sacrificing that ‘wow factor’ that all courses should have.

Get to know Elucidat in this short 3-minute video:

Ease of use

Elucidat offers different ways of working to suit authors of all abilities, giving your organization the option to expand production.

Inexperienced authors may choose to start with one of our expert-designed templates from Learning Accelerator, for instance to create a quiz, game, or case study. Each template will include all the pages and interactions you need— simply populate them with your own text and imagery. And if you want help choosing a template, a diagnostic questionnaire will even recommend one for you.

It’s also pretty easy to build from scratch in Elucidat – simply assign your pre-made brand style, and then combine any of the 25+ pre-built interactions and question types. The intuitive interface and streamlined settings make it easy to configure your templates, without overwhelming you with extensive menus and endless customization options.  

For large and dispersed teams who want to embed quality and consistency across their courses, Guided Authoring will help support the onboarding of new authors and SMEs. With this feature, your Learning & Development team can set up pre-approved, branded company templates, and pack them with inline guidance written specifically for your authors. This makes opening up your production simple. See how cloud banking experts, nCino did just that.

Whichever authoring approach you take, because Elucidat uses a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) interface, you can see exactly how your course is going to look for learners as you build it. The layout of each page will also automatically adapt according to different devices, rather than just re-size, providing a truly responsive experience for your learners – without additional effort.  

So whatever the size of your authoring team, how diverse it is, and the level of experience your authors have, Elucidat should be simple for everyone to use. 

Quality output 

Elucidat supports forward-thinking learning design. Our authoring toolkit offers all the staple interactions you’re used to seeing, such as click-to-reveals and drag and drop questions, plus carousels, timelines, and more. But you can also leverage gamification, by adding features like badges and point systems, or personalize your content using a role-selector, diagnostic quiz, or branching scenario. 

You can even encourage your learners to think more deeply about the content by embedding social polls, where they answer a question and see how their response compares to their peers’. 

With all these options at your fingertips, you can create people-centered and contemporary learning experiences that will resonate with even the most diverse audiences.

Not to mention, all Elucidat courses are underpinned by the analytics dashboard which is powered by xAPI and gives you plenty of data to see what’s working well and where you could make changes for the future.

Production speed

Elucidat will allow your teams to develop and roll out content quickly. For a start, the simplicity of Elucidat means the authoring process can be as rapid or as thorough as you want it to be. In fact, Learning Accelerator means authors can create and publish courses quicker than ever before. 

And if you need to reach a global audience, Auto-Translate also speeds up the localization process, with the ability to translate your content instantly into one of 75 different languages, with just the click of a button.

Once a course has been created, authors can invite reviewers to add comments directly to content, without requiring them to set up an Elucidat account. Comments are easy to log and view, and multiple people can work on a course simultaneously, meaning you can reduce review timelines without compromising quality. 

Finally, because all content is hosted in the cloud, any updates that your team make to a published course will feed through instantly – regardless of whether that course is hosted via a URL or your LMS. If you are looking to change your LMS, we have a LMS comparison guide you can dive into.

Scalability 

With Elucidat, organizations can efficiently develop big chunks of content with consistent results. 

For a start, you can easily create and save bespoke templates and Brand Styles to re-use across projects. And of course, Guided Authoring will ensure authors of all abilities create courses that align with each other – and your brand. 

Managing content updates across courses is easy; the centralized Asset Library allows you to make mass updates to images and videos, for instance if you need to update your brand logo. You can also use the Variations workflow to edit multiple courses at once. With this function, when you make changes to a “Parent Course” (for instance, to the background color), these changes will be replicated in its ”child course” Variations (which could be, for instance, localized versions of that course). This way, authors benefit from speedy workflows and consistent outputs – even when there’s a surplus of courses on the go.

Working efficiently in large teams is made possible, due to the fact several authors can work on a course at once. Plus, Advanced User Management allows you to customize the User Roles for each person in your Elucidat account, determining who can, for example, edit your brand styles, delete projects, or upload assets. This means you can remove the risks of bringing colleagues from across the business into your authoring platform.

Who it is best for 

Elucidat is designed to be used by content creators, SMEs, and instructional designers of all different levels. It’s most beneficial for large teams looking to create a lot of content quickly, without sacrificing quality.

Main pros and cons of Elucidat

Pros

Cons

WYSIWYG interface simplifies content creation.  Content is automatically optimized for mobile view.  Offers a wide range of interaction types, enabling personalization and gamification.  Learning Accelerator makes building courses quicker than ever.   Guided Authoring allows you to expand production, whilst maintaining content quality.  Auto-Translate translates course content instantly into 75 languages.  Advanced user controls help manage large teams. Live reviews speed up the review process. Instant publishing, even to an LMS.  Variations manager enables mass updates across courses. Inbuilt data analytics help drive content improvements.

The pricing model may seem expensive for small teams with limited courses to produce. A time investment is required for novice authors to take advantage of full toolkit. No systems training capabilities. Fewer design customization options than Evolve.

Evolve review

What is Evolve?

Evolve is a cloud-based authoring tool by Intellum, that’s designed to be quick and easy to use.

Ease of use

The overall authoring experience with Evolve is relatively simple, but it can take a while to get used to.

Amongst its advantages, the tool has a user-friendly interface, where authors can easily create blocks of content and then drag and drop their chosen interaction to each block. The Quick Preview mode also allows them to see what their final course will look like as they build it. Plus, like Elucidat, content is automatically optimized for mobile.  

If authors want to start building quickly, they can select pre-built course templates. However, if they want to build from scratch, there’s a fairly steep learning curve. The extensive setting options can increase the workload, with some users reporting that the vast menus and submenus within blocks, articles, components, and pages are a little overwhelming. 

Authors will also need to get the hang of versioning as they build, as if content is accidentally deleted, they will need to revert to a previous back-up to retrieve it.

Quality output

A big selling point of Evolve is its vast authoring toolkit and flexibility. For a start, Evolve allows authors to customize pretty much anything, providing full control over even the finest design details.

Evolve also offers a competitive range of interaction types to choose from. It includes all the standard interactions but also a handful of less typical ones, such as infographics, dialogues, and social MCQs. It also has out-of-the-box interactions available to create system simulations, multi-player games, and interactive videos.

However, whilst Evolve can be used to create really engaging single courses, it’s harder to manage quality when working at a large scale. This is because there are few capabilities for implementing global updates and managing user permissions, meaning that quality can be affected when there’s a heavy production pipeline, with people losing track of what changes have been made where. 

Production speed

Evolve’s Quick Preview option and vast range of out-of-the-box interactions means it’s quick to set up a basic course. (Of course, the process is slowed down when there’s a lot of customizing to be done.)  

But unfortunately, whilst you can publish a course straight to the Intellum learning platform, course publications for other LMSs follow the traditional SCORM package-LMS route, so you’ll need to allow time between creation and launch.

Furthermore, translating content can be a clunky process, as you will need to export your files and translate them using an external tool, before importing them back into Evolve. 

Scalability 

Evolve makes it fairly easy to work across a large amount of content. Like with Elucidat, authors of this platform can easily set up and re-use templates and themes, as well as make global updates to assets.

What the tool could benefit from would be an ability to manage course variations. For instance, for authors to be able to update an image, font or color in one course and have it automatically feed into localized versions of that course.

Because it’s cloud-based, collaboration within small teams is pretty good. Evolve includes a Review and Comment feature so colleagues can add a comment to any part of a course and the elearning creator will see it instantly. Users can also invite anyone to review a course (though each reviewer will need to create an Evolve account).

However, working in large, complex teams starts to get clunky, as there is less control over user permissions than there is with Elucidat. 

Who it is best for

Overall, Evolve could be a good option for small teams of colleagues, who have simple design requirements or have been afforded the time to create highly customized courses. 

It’s not ideally placed for large teams working at scale, who need to involve lots of people in their content development.

Main pros and cons of Evolve

Pros	Cons
A WYSIWYG interface simplifies authoring.  Content is automatically optimized for different devices. Recognized for speedy authoring.  Provides a good range of out-of-the-box interaction types, including some not offered by competitors. Makes it easy to create games and simulations.  Offers highly customizable templates and themes.  Live reviews speed up production.	Setting up and customizing themes can be fiddly.  There are per user storage limits for assets.  Lack of user controls when working in large teams.  Some clunky processes e.g. course translations and localizations.  No data analytics inbuilt. Reviewers need an Evolve account set up.  Authors need to get the hang of the versioning workflow to avoid losing content.

Summary – is Elucidat a good alternative to Evolve?

Evolve is a great option for small teams of authors who are new to elearning and want to get started building courses quickly. It offers lots of pre-built interactions they can cherry pick to create a wide range of fun and contemporary learning experiences. 

For bigger employers who want to take things to the next level, Elucidat offers the same easy-to-use, cloud-based editing environment, but with the added bonus of features specifically designed for teams working at scale; the fact that it offers simplified processes for translations and localizations means it’s ideal for creating and hosting vast amounts of content. 

Elucidat is also more suitable for managing large teams of content creators; Guided Authoring and Advanced User Management enable Learning & Development teams to set up their authors for design success, and remove the risks associated with bringing in new users from across the business. 

What’s more, working at scale won’t mean saying goodbye to creativity – Elucidat offers an extensive authoring toolkit and enables authors to easily build content that will really pack a punch.  

How Elucidat shapes up against other tools 

• 12 Popular Elearning Authoring Tools: A review of some of the best elearning authoring tools against quality of output, speed and efficiency, and scaling up of elearning production.
• Storyline & Captivate: An evaluation on how Elucidat stacks up against Articulate Storyline 360 and Adobe Captivate.
• iSpring Suite: An exploration as to whether Elucidat can be used as an alternative to the desktop authoring suite iSpring.
• Easygenerator: A review of Elucidat against the authoring tool Easygenerator.  
• Storyline & Rise: A comparison of Elucidat against Articulate 360’s two authoring tools. 
• Gomo Learning: A comparative review of Gomo Learning and Elucidat.
• Lectora Online: A review of how Elucidat compares to cloud-based authoring tool Lectora Online.

Explore Elucidat 

To explore the benefits of Elucidat for yourself, book a personalized demo with one of the team, and start a free trial.

If your plan for this year is to create awesome SCORM-compliant elearning, you might be wondering what are the best SCORM authoring tools available right now. Whether you’re starting out in course creation or looking for an upgrade, our guide gives you an overview of some of the top SCORM authoring softwares. There are many platforms out there for creating SCORM content, so make sure you choose a SCORM course builder that’s right for you and your team!

What are SCORM authoring tools?

An authoring tool can be used to create and maintain web-based content. It’s created in a standardized course structure that can be exported in several different formats. SCORM stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model. It means your content can run from any LMS that’s compatible with SCORM. Simply upload your zip package and you’re ready to go.

Want to find out more about SCORM? Check out our blog post: What is SCORM?

Types of SCORM authoring tools

SCORM authoring tools come in all shapes and sizes. There are two key types:

• Cloud-based authoring tools exist entirely online. They’re hosted on an external server. No download and install are needed.
• Desktop authoring tools are installed on your desktop. They may or may not require the Internet to work.

There are pros and cons to both types of SCORM-compliant authoring tools. Here are the things you should keep in mind when choosing the type of SCORM creation tools.

Need a hand with comparing tools? Check out our handy scorm authoring tool comparison template.

Internet access

Cloud-based SCORM content authoring tools can be accessed anytime, anywhere – as long as you have access to the Internet. From building to publishing, user management to storage – it all happens online. Everything is saved to the cloud.  You don’t have to constantly back up your work, and there’s no chance of losing it. Software updates are automatic, so you’ll always work with the latest features and bug fixes.

If you have limited access to the Internet, a desktop SCORM authoring tool might be best for you. As the tool is installed on your device, you can access it wherever you’re working – even without an Internet connection. Everything is stored on your hard-drive. There’s only one copy, so remember to back up your work. You’ll also need to manually check for software updates when you go online.

Ease of use

Cloud-based SCORM authoring tools are generally less complicated than desktop software. Complex layouts and advanced features mean desktop tools can have a steep learning curve.

If you need customized interactions or complicated branding, you may need intensive SCORM training or to hire an expert. Publishing content is time-consuming. Once published, it can also be hard to update.

Cloud-based authoring tools are more user-friendly. An intuitive interface means you can start building content straight away. Sharing, duplicating and updating content is easy with these flexible tools.

Collaboration

If you’re working alone, a desktop SCORM authoring tool might be for you. But even for the smallest project, collaboration is key. It’s likely you’ll need to involve subject matter experts and stakeholders to input on your online training. With a desktop tool, content needs to be created, converted, and published before it can be shared. This can make your feedback process longer and more laborious.

In contrast, collaboration between multiple people is easy with a cloud-based tool. Authors and reviewers can work on the same content at the same time. Effective collaboration speeds up content creation and produces better learning courses.

How to use a SCORM authoring tool

SCORM authoring tools are essential for creating elearning content that can be used in most LMSs. Here are some simple steps to help you get started with using a SCORM authoring tool:

1. Choose a tool that fits your needs and budget – Research SCORM authoring tools that meet your needs and budget, and choose the best option for you.
2. Activate your account – If you’re using a cloud-based tool, set up your account and get your users added in so they can start creating content. If you’re using a desktop tool, download and install the software, then open it to begin creating your elearning course.
3. Create a new project, and choose a template or start from scratch – It’s time to start creating content! To create a new project in your authoring tool, either choose a pre-designed template or start from scratch. Be sure to set up any brand styles early on to maintain consistency.
4. Add your content –Now for the important part – your content. Be sure to keep your content short and sweet so it is digestible for your learners. Don’t forget to include engaging interactions to ensure your learners stay focused.
5. Invite your team to review – Once you are happy with your content, it’s time for your team to review. Share your course content via file share, online link, or just invite them straight into the platform.
6. Test your course – Check that your elearning course is SCORM compliant and ensure that it runs smoothly before publishing. Be sure to test this mobile and tablets to ensure your course scales and looks great on all screen sizes.
7. Publish your elearning course – Finally, it’s time to share your content. Release your elearning course into a SCORM package and upload it to your LMS for learners to access. You can then track their progress and make updates from your authoring tool to improve and refine.

By following the seven simple steps outlined above, you’ll be able to get started with creating your own SCORM-compliant elearning courses that deliver impactful learning experiences.

Top 13 SCORM elearning authoring tools

Ultimately what LMS authoring tools you choose depends on you and your team’s needs. Are you:

• Building alone or collaborating?
• Keeping it simple or highly customized?
• Using open source SCORM authoring tool community support or intensive training?
• Using a free SCORM authoring tool or bigger budget software?

There’s clearly plenty to consider and lots of SCORM-compliant online learning software that will meet your needs. Here’s our guide to the top thirteen SCORM authoring tools.

 1. Elucidat

• Type: Cloud-based
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows / Mac

With Elucidat, you can crowdsource your corporate elearning from hundreds of colleagues. Whatever your level of expertise, creating interactive, mobile-friendly courses is easy. Packed with features and ready-made learning blueprints, you can get up and running fast.

Elucidat is cloud-based. People can work on the same project at the same time, while you stay in control. You’re able to clone your course, so reuse, rebranding and translation are simple. And all without version control, thanks to your master course.

If you’re transitioning from PowerPoint-based training, Elucidat also enables you to quickly convert PowerPoint to SCORM-compliant content. This can save you time and effort while allowing you to reuse existing content in a new, interactive format that’s fully compatible with your LMS.

Want to learn more about how Elucidat can help you create SCORM compliant content? Book a demo!

2. Articulate Storyline 360

• Type: Desktop
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows

Articulate Storyline 360 combines a series of interactive slides to create online learning content. If you know your way around PowerPoint, you have a good base knowledge to build on. If you’re experienced, you can use the tool to create customized interactions and bespoke branding options.

It’s a desktop tool, so you’ll find it easier to build content alone. An export feature speeds up localization and translation. But remember to adjust text to fit when you import your new languages.

3. Articulate Rise 360

• Type: Cloud-based
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows

If you’re new to content creation, Articulate Rise 360 is a good place to start. An intuitive interface with ready-to-use templates means you can create basic mobile-friendly online training easily.

It’s cloud-based, so collaboration and review happen in one place. The ability to clone courses means you can speed up the localization and translation process.

Explore how Articulate Storyline, Rise and Elucidat shape up in this comparison and review – and decide which tool is best for you!

4. Adobe Captivate

• Type: Desktop
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows / Mac

Working like PowerPoint presentations, Captivate enables you to produce basic learning content. If you’re more experienced or ready for a bit of a learning curve, you can explore the advanced features. Its screen recorder can be used for systems demos and sandpits. Mobile gestures and geo-location can produce more innovative learning.

Captivate is a desktop app, so collaboration isn’t straightforward. Publishing, sharing, reviewing, updating is time-consuming. Translation can also be laborious.

5. iSpring Suite

• Type: Desktop
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows

The iSpring suite is based on PowerPoint. From simple text and graphics to more complex drag and drop questions, choose from a range of interactions to create responsive elearning courses. With a library of assets available, you have everything you need to produce content quickly.

The iSpring toolkit is desktop-based, so teamworking is inefficient. Reusing learning paths and courses can speed up your process. But if you need to update at scale, having no direct links to courses can cause issues.

See which tool best suits your needs in this full Elucidat vs iSpring Suite comparison and review.

6. Camtasia

• Type: Desktop
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows / Mac

Specializing in screen recordings and video editing, Camtasia can export learning content as a SCORM package. It may not be as powerful as the other tools, but this SCORM content creator is easy to use. Demo a system, record a narration, add in some interactivity – there are lots of excellent options with this tool.

As with other desktop tools, Camtasia is best if you’re working alone.

7. Gomo

• Type: Cloud-based
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows / Mac

Gomo is an authoring tool for mobile-first learning content. Ready-made templates and a quick-start wizard can help you get up to speed. Designed for content developers rather than novices, you may need to hire a specialist if you have grand plans.

It’s a cloud-based app, so collaboration happens in one place. With the option to deliver one course where people select their language, Gomo is worth considering if your organization is international.

Get the full spec on this tool in this Elucidat vs Gomo Learning comparison and review article. 

8. Knowbly

• Type: Cloud-based
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows / Mac

Knowbly is a simple but powerful tool for creating mobile-friendly learning content. A standard set of tools helps you build learning packed with interaction.

Knowbly is a cloud-based tool, so has a built-in review and real-time collaboration tool. A centralized source makes localization, translations and updates easier.

9. Adapt

• Type: Desktop
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows, Mac OS

Adapt is a complex online authoring tool that, while relatively easy to use, does require a certain level of technical development expertise in order to create SCORM-compliant online elearning content. 

It has an easy-to- manage asset library, a decent range of interactions and assessment features and a good selection of modern, professional content themes to choose from. Publishing SCORM releases is a quick and straightforward download.

10. Lectora Online

• Type: Cloud-based
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows, Mac OS

Lectora is one of the most mature authoring tools on the market. Its younger sibling Lectora Online is a powerful HTML5 cloud-based version of the original tool. 

Unlike some of the other tools in the review, it can be more difficult to get to grips with as it is designed with experienced authors in mind. However, once you have mastered it, Lectora Online allows you to build highly-customizable and attractive corporate learning projects. Some of the best features include free access to Elearning Brothers graphics libraries and the online reviewer collaboration tool, which enables multiple stakeholders to edit content and add comments in one place.

11. Easygenerator 

• Type: Cloud-based
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows, Mac OS

As the name suggests, Easygenerator is one of the most simple-to-use SCORM authoring tools in this review. It offers reasonable design functionality and interactions but may not be suitable for authors looking to create sophisticated, highly bespoke interactive digital learning. 

Easygenerator’s “co-authoring” feature is useful for collaboration between multiple stakeholders, and it has a range of great mobile-friendly responsive design features, making it easy to create multi-device compatible content.

12. DominKnow ONE

• Type: Cloud-based
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows, Mac OS

DominKnow has strong responsive design capabilities and a wide range of themes and templates for you to choose from and make your own. 

Despite having a slightly complex interface, it’s generally easy to use and there are lots of useful time-saving features such as the ability to copy courses and have multiple authors collaborate on content in real-time. There is an informative product tour within the tool that provides guidance and tips on how to navigate the tool to help you get up to speed.

13. Evolve

• Type: Desktop
• SCORM support: 1.2 / 2004
• Platform: Windows

One of the best SCORM authoring tools designed for novice authors is Evolve. It allows users to build simple content quickly with a range of intuitive components and pre-built templates. 

With Evolve, authors can make changes at scale with just a few clicks and have the option whether to release the courses via web or offline. One of the biggest benefits of creating corporate elearning content in Evolve is that it’s compatible with any platform, device or operating system. 

In summary

Whether you’re new to SCORM-compliant authoring software or looking to upgrade your SCORM creator, there’s plenty of software to choose from. You’ve seen our summary of the best SCORM software out there; now, take a look for yourself.

Start creating compliant courses today with the help of SCORM-compliant blueprints. Book a demo of Elucidat and we’ll get your free trial off to a flying start!

You’re ready to get your corporate elearning out to learners. You know you need a SCORM-compliant LMS. But which LMS is best? How do you create SCORM-compliant content? And what does SCORM-compliant actually mean? In this review, we compare the main SCORM-compliant LMSs to help you make your decision.

SCORM: A quick overview

SCORM stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model It’s a set of standards that set out how an elearning course must be built in order to be considered ‘SCORM compliant.’

For more info on SCORM in general check out our Back to basics: What is SCORM? blog.

What is a SCORM-compliant LMS?

A SCORM-compliant LMS is a form of LMS which is suitable for SCORM files. LMS stands for Learning Management System. It’s a type of digital elearning platform where online learning modules can be uploaded for learners to access them. The corporate elearning then ‘talks’ to the LMS, telling it things like who has completed which module, and what their score was.

A SCORM-compliant LMS means it’s set up in a way to ‘listen’ to the information the digital learning modules send to it. Both the LMS and the corporate elearning course need to be SCORM-compliant so that the data can be sent between them, and the person in charge of the LMS can run reports to see who has looked at the learning materials and how they’ve done.

How can I choose the best SCORM-compliant LMS?

SCORM is the most widely used industry standard, so many LMSs are SCORM-compliant. This means there are lots to choose from, so how do you choose the right SCORM compliant learning management system?

Ask yourself the following questions:

Which SCORM versions do I need and are they supported?

There are several versions of SCORM, from SCORM 1.0 which was set up in 2000, to the most recent SCORM 2004 (4th edition) from 2009.

The most widely used are SCORM 1.2 (2001) and SCORM 2004 (3rd edition). When choosing which version you want your SCORM LMS to support, you’ll need to consider which features you want from it, and which standard your corporate elearning content is built to.

You can find out more about the different versions of SCORM in this timeline of elearning standards.

Do I need the LMS to be SCORM certified and by who? If it’s not certified by ADL, which SCORM API elements are supported?

ADL is the governing body for SCORM. For an LMS to be SCORM-certified, it needs to have passed ADL’s testing process. If the LMS isn’t officially certified by ADL, you need to check which features it includes to make sure it can support the roll-out of your elearning in the way you need it to.

What will work best with my SCORM compliant authoring tool? How easy is it to upload and update my content?

Different LMSs will offer different ways for you to add your digital learning to the site. Some LMSs will offer bulk upload features, which will be important if you’re dealing with large numbers of files and SCORM packages. Others offer different ways of organizing and presenting your content so you can tailor your course creation to your learners.

Of course, you also need to make sure your corporate elearning itself is SCORM compliant. The simplest way to create SCORM-compliant content is using an authoring tool that automatically outputs courses as SCORM packages, like Articulate Storyline or Elucidat (compare SCORM compliant authoring tools here). Elucidat also offers a rapid release feature, meaning that any changes you make to your elearning will be automatically applied to the version on your LMS – speeding things up and saving your work.

How important is reporting to me and in which format do I want them to be in? How do the SCORM course data reports look in the LMS?

Think about what you want to know about your learners and their interaction with your courses.

Is it enough to simply know that they’ve accessed and completed a module? Or do you need more detail, like whether they passed or failed and what score they achieved?

Also, think about how you want to the data to be presented and what you need to do with it. For compliance training, for example, demonstrating that learners have completed certain learning will be crucial, so you will want to choose an LMS that clearly displays what’s been done it a way that be shared across the team.

Which LMSs use SCORM?

When it comes to delivering elearning content that’s SCORM compliant, it’s important to choose an LMS that can meet your organization’s needs. With so many options available, it can be tough to know where to start.

So, what LMSs use SCORM? The truth is most modern LMSs support SCORM to some degree. However, a few are particularly well-known for their SCORM capabilities, which you can explore below. 

By doing your research and choosing the right SCORM-compliant LMS, you can deliver more engaging and effective SCORM elearning experiences to your learners, while also streamlining your training and development processes.

Popular SCORM LMSs: Comparison and review

If you type LMS into Google, you’ll be faced with numerous options. Let’s take a look at some of the main SCORM-compliant Learning Management Systems out there and see how they compare:

Docebo

Docebo is a reputable LMS used by big companies like Thomson Reuters and Bloomberg. It has a user-friendly interface to make managing learning easier. Its API lets users easily integrate third-party applications into the LMS so it can be used with video-conferencing tools like Adobe Connect.

CrossKnowledge

CrossKnowledge is a powerful training platform designed for effective skill-building at scale. Its digital learning solution uniquely combines digital content for the most in-demand skills, a powerful learning platform, and expert capabilities to create impactful learning experiences.​

Fuse

Fuse combines LMS technology with social learning and community features. It offers advanced analytics and a fully-customizable interface. It supports SCORM 1.1 and 1.2, so might not be the best choice is you want to make use of the more recent SCORM standards.

Instancy

Instancy, or iLMS, is a configurable LMS that supports the delivery elearning, classroom training, social learning, blended learning, gamified learning and competency-based learning. Its Learning Record Stores keeps data on learners’ progress and performance in one place for ease of reporting.

Knowledge Anywhere LMS

Knowledge Anywhere lets learning managers create custom curriculums for different learners and groups. Data can be viewed from the reporting dashboard or exported to Excel.  It also users real-time reporting for really up-to-date information.

LearnUpon

LearnUpon offers a user-friendly interface and good customer support options to help learning managers get set up quickly and easily. It doesn’t offer any mobile-specific features so if you’re looking to make your learning mobile-first, there may be better options for you.

Litmos LMS

Litmos lets you easily customize the learner-view of the UI so you can make sure your training portal is on brand. There are options for both simple and more in-depth reporting, as well as a feature that gives external managers remote access to reports.

Spoke LMS

Spoke could be a good option if you want to harness the power of social learning as it offers a number of features to encourage discussion and collaboration between learners. It also adds gamification to the mix – as learners work through learning and share helpful content, they earn Spoke coins, unlock badges and level up their user profiles.

SumTotal

SumTotal offers two levels of offering: Maestro for small-medium businesses and Enterprise for bigger organizations. It offers pre-defined deployment templates for learning managers who want to get their LMS up and running quickly using an existing best-practice format. Its user interface can be complex though for those wanting to go it alone.

Totara

Totara is an open-source LMS that lets learning managers create learning plans for their users, based on tailored competencies and objectives. Content can be added directly to the LMS or uploaded as SCORM objects. It also allows for the management of face-to-face training courses and full graphical reporting features.

Creating a course: SCORM authoring tools

If you’re choosing a SCORM-compliant LMS, you need to make sure you also have SCORM-compliant corporate elearning to upload to it.

It’s a good idea to choose an elearning authoring that allows you to create courses to SCORM standards as then you will know your modules are easily portable, wherever you decide to host them. Online learning tools that offer SCORM compliance as standard include the Articulate 360 suite, Elucidat and Adapt.

Take a look at this full comparison of the various SCORM-compliant elearning tools out there.

If you’re currently using PowerPoint for your training materials, our PowerPoint to SCORM guide can help you quickly convert them into SCORM-compliant courses.

Some tips for using Elucidat with your LMS

If you choose to use Elucidat as your authoring tool, there are a few bits of advice we can offer to make your integration with your LMS go as smoothly as possible:

1. Use the online SCORM version.

You can choose between version 1.2 and 2004, We’re set up to have callbacks to our servers that makes sure learners’ progress it tracked. The online version also allows you to include features like social polling scoring and results pages.

2. Make use of our rapid release feature

We’re one of the only elearning authoring tools that offers rapid authoring features, and it means you can upload your course on the fly. You don’t need to manually download and then re-upload into your LMS each time you make a change.

3. Consider other release options too

For many users, the online SCORM version of Elucidat will perfectly meet their needs, but be aware that there are other options too. For example, xAPI can allow tracking features that outstrip SCORM’s offering, so if you’re LMS is compatible, you might choose publishing xAPI versions of your modules instead.

Summary

There isn’t a shortage of choice when it comes to SCORM-compliant Learning Management Systems. Take some time to consider the features that are most important to how you need to work and see which LMS prioritizes those.

Whichever one you choose, make sure your elearning authoring tool offers robust, fully SCORM-compliant output as this will be essential if your course is work seamlessly with your LMS.

Start producing SCORM-compliant content

Be sure you have the right tool to release SCORM-compliant content seamlessly to your LMS. Book your personalized demo of Elucidat today and get started with your free trial!

The decision about which content standards to use when producing corporate elearning content will affect the longevity of your content and systems. Whilst SCORM is the most widely used digital learning standard, xAPI opens up a wealth of opportunity for tracking, personalizing and improving learning experiences, so if you’re comparing SCORM vs Tin Can xAPI, look no further…

Both SCORM and Tin Can – now more commonly known as xAPI – are communications protocols for tracking learning related activity. They provide a framework and structure to pass data and information between learning content and technologies. But the extent and flexibility to which SCORM and xAPI are able to do this differs significantly.

What is SCORM?

SCORM (which stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model), was originally developed in 1999.  Back then, elearning content could only be used on one system because different technologies didn’t have a way of speak to one another to pass across information reliably. So, a new protocol was established for tracking learning activity… SCORM.

To explore SCORM in greater detail, check out our detailed guide in our post: What Is SCORM?

3 key benefits of SCORM to consider

SCORM offers a reliable and established tracking solution for elearning that has been widely adopted by many organizations. While it may have limitations when it comes to tracking modern learning experiences, it remains a popular choice for many elearning providers and organizations. Here are 3 core benefits: 

1. Practicality: SCORM is designed to be practical, meaning that it can work seamlessly with different LMSs and authoring tools. This makes it easier to create and deliver elearning content across different platforms, without having to worry about compatibility issues.
2. Standardization: SCORM is a widely recognized and accepted standard for elearning content. This means that it’s easier to create and share content across different organizations, as long as they use a compatible LMS or authoring tool. This can save time and resources, as you don’t need to create customized content for each organization.
3. Cost-effective: SCORM is a cost-effective solution for elearning, as it’s widely available and supported by many LMS and authoring tool vendors. This means that you don’t need to invest in expensive proprietary solutions, and can instead focus on creating quality content that can be used across different platforms.

SCORM didn’t age well

As a content standard for corporate elearning, SCORM was revolutionary in enabling organizations to deliver and track learning taking place within the LMS. But, today learning happens everywhere – and SCORM doesn’t offer a way to capture this information.

Which is why we are comparing SCORM vs Tin Can xAPI.

Enter xAPI…

What is xAPI?

xAPI is a corporate elearning software that collects data tracking and monitoring of the activities of learners. Since its release in April 2013, the Experience API (also known as xAPI or Tin-Can) has knocked SCORM off its long established perch. This API offers a consistent format to capture data.

Like SCORM, xAPI is a protocol for tracking learning related activity. The key difference is that xAPI allows you to track learning in almost any context, not just in the LMS.

xAPI enables the recording, tracking, personalizing and improving of learning activities, both on and offline. It offers a more nuanced picture of how people engage with blended learning experiences. And, xAPI can also be used to make direct links between people’s learning experiences and their on-the-job performance.

As well as being better defined than the SCORM API, xAPI also uses newer technologies. This makes it easier to use, more accessible to developers and more robust.

A real-life example of xAPI: Personalizing training for improved Sales performance

Imagine you want to improve the performance of your sales team by improving close rates. You’d want to know what makes the high performers so successful, and how you can train others to do the same. xAPI can help!

Understanding how to use xAPI gives you the key to unlocking an improved understanding of training success and learner progress. Using xAPI you could pull together data from a range of different sources into your LRS (Learning record store), for example:

• Pipeline performance data from your Sales CRM
• Elearning engagement data from scenario-based sales assessments
• Data from call listening and coaching sessions

Together, these pieces of data can paint the bigger picture, helping you to identify specific training needs. For example, you could trigger a learning intervention based on a rep losing three sales in a row. xAPI helps you to catch potential issues early on.

Check out 3 great examples of xAPI being used to deliver learning with real-life impact.

Five benefits of xAPI compared to SCORM

If you are considering xAPI over SCORM, you likely already have a Learning Record Store (LRS) in place.

Compared to SCORM, xAPI is more versatile and flexible, as it can track learning experiences from various sources such as mobile devices, simulations, games, and even real-world experiences into your LRS. Here are some of the core benefits:

1. Flexibility: xAPI better reflects modern learning experiences that happen anywhere, at any time. 
2. Tracking: xAPI gives richer insights that will allow you to identify and understand learner behavior, and how your learning content is performing and can be improved.
3. Personalized Learning: With xAPI, you can track individual learner progress, identify their unique learning needs, and personalize learning experiences accordingly. This can lead to better engagement, higher retention rates, and improved performance outcomes.
4. Scalability: As your elearning offering grows, xAPI can scale with it. It can handle large amounts of data from different sources and provide a centralized repository for all your learning data, making it easier to manage and analyze.
5. Future-proof: xAPI is designed to be future-proof, meaning that it can adapt to new technologies and learning experiences as they emerge. This allows you to stay ahead of the curve and provide innovative learning experiences to your learners.

Some limitations of using xAPI instead of SCORM:

1. Implementation: Implementing xAPI can be more complex compared to SCORM, as it requires a deeper understanding of the technical specifications and protocols involved. This may require additional resources and expertise.
2. Compatibility: While xAPI is designed to be practical, not all LMS and authoring tools support it. This may limit the ability of certain platforms, especially those that rely on SCORM-based solutions.
3. Learning Curve: Switching from SCORM to xAPI may require some learning curve for users and administrators who are not familiar with the new standard. This may lead to resistance and reluctance to adopt the new technology, which can impact the overall success of the e-learning program.

Ultimately, the choice between xAPI and SCORM will depend on the specific needs and goals of the organization, as well as the technical capabilities and resources available.

Sometimes it doesn’t have to be a choice either. Elucidat allows you to create courses that can both be hosted as a SCORM course on an LMS but also send xAPI tracking data to an LRS. So the same course can be SCORM and xAPI compatible, best of both worlds.

What can you track? SCORM vs Tin Can xAPI

As mentioned, xAPI enables you to capture a far richer picture of learning taking place than SCORM. The table below gives you an overview.

	SCORM	xAPI
Completion
Time
Pass/Fail
A single score
Multiple scores
Detailed test results
Games & simulations
Informal learning
Real-world performance
Offline learning
Interactive learning
Adaptive learning
Blended learning
Long-term learning
Team-based learning

Leveraging xAPI in your learning team

xAPI opens up a world of possibilities for delivering people-centered elearning because it gives you the opportunity to much better understand learning behavior and the effectiveness of learning experiences.

Are your learning technologies xAPI enabled?

Modern digital learning technologies, like Elucidat’s authoring platform, are built with xAPI at the heart in order to enable integration with other systems and to support customers in taking a data driven approach to learning. This will enable you to connect the dots and perfect your digital learning strategy.

Making sure your team has the right tools for the job is fundamental.

What would you love to know about your audience?

The chances are you could be getting a whole lot more insight about your learning programs and delivering a whole lot more impact than you do right now.

So, get together with your team and start discussing what additional insight you’d love to have about your learners and learning programs. It’s likely that xAPI can help!

Still stuck using PowerPoint for your content? Check out this PowerPoint to SCORM guide to turn your slides into engaging online learning. Looking for a Powerpoint Import feature? Elucidat has it! Book a demo and see it in action.

Elucidat and Easygenerator are two excellent authoring platforms, both known for their usability and speed of authoring. But what differentiates these highly-regarded tools, and why might an organization be steered towards one over the other? Let’s take a closer look…

How will we compare these authoring tools?

• Ease of use
• Quality output
• Production speed
• Scalability
• Who it’s best suited for
• Pros and cons

Comparing multiple tools? Save hours of time with this handy authoring tool comparison template. We’ve completed the Elucidat column for you.

Is Elucidat a good alternative to Easygenerator?

What is Elucidat?

Elucidat is a multi-award-winning, cloud-based authoring tool that enables you to produce high-impact online courses at scale. 

Get to know Elucidat in this short 3-minute video:

Ease of use

Creating content in Elucidat is easy – if you don’t have the time to build from scratch, you can select one of our expert-designed templates from Learning Accelerator to create a quiz, game, case study, or other types of course. Each template will include all the pages and interactions you need— simply populate them with your own text and imagery, using inline guidance for direction.

If you don’t know what template to choose, there’s even guidance for that – complete the short questionnaire, and we will recommend one for you.

Whether you build using templates or from scratch, because Elucidat uses a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) interface, you can see exactly how your course is going to look as you create it, simplifying the whole authoring process.  

The final layout of each page will automatically adapt according to different devices, rather than just re-size, providing a truly responsive experience for your learners – without additional effort.  

Quality output

There are endless possibilities around the type of experience you can create in Elucidat. Interactions include all the staple options for elearning, plus carousels, timelines, and more. And to take your instructional design up a notch, you can gamify content by adding novel features, like quiz timers, and competitive elements, such as points systems and badges.

There’s also the option to create personalized learning; You can add a role selector or diagnostic quiz to your course to tailor what content is served to your learners or incorporate branching videos/scenarios to allow them to carve out their own learning journey. This way, content is people-centered and will resonate with even the most diverse audiences.

There’s also opportunity for social learning – use social polls to ask your learners questions and compare their responses to their peers, encouraging self-reflection and inspiring conversations outside of the training. 

Whatever type of content you’re creating, Elucidat offers you total creative freedom. Your designers won’t be restricted to page grids or columns when they build, so they can lay out pages exactly how they envisioned.  

Production speed

Elucidat’s feature branded Company Templates means you can create and publish courses four times faster than before. 

Auto-Translate also speeds up the localization process, with the ability to translate your content instantly into one of 75 different languages.

Cloud-based authoring means it’s quick and easy to publish, share, and review courses, making Elucidat a great option for large teams. And because all content is hosted in the cloud, any updates you make to a published course will feed through instantly – regardless of whether that course is hosted via a URL or on your LMS. 

Scalability

Elucidat’s Guided Authoring workflow enables you to open up your team of content creators; your Learning & Development team can set up pre-approved company templates which are branded according to your organization and packed with inline guidance, written specifically for your team of authors. This makes it easy for novice authors and SMEs to start building whilst embedding quality and consistency across all content with your organization.

See how cloud banking experts, nCino, used Elucidat to open up their elearning production. 

You can remove the risks of bringing colleagues from across the business into your authoring platform with Advanced User Management. This allows you to customize the User Roles for each person in your Elucidat account. With full control over which users can, for example, edit your brand styles, delete projects, or upload assets, you can manage even the most dynamic teams and ensure each user is working to their strengths. 

Elucidat helps you ensure consistency across content, even on large-scale projects. You can easily create and save bespoke Brand Styles, as well as use the Variations Manager to make updates to content across several courses at once. Plus, the centralized Asset Library allows you to make mass updates to images and videos – a big time saver if a company logo or diagram changes.

Who it’s best suited for

Elucidat is ideally placed for enterprise organizations that need to create impactful elearning as part of a wide team.

Pros 

• Super speedy authoring with Learning Accelerator.
• Guided Authoring opens up content production to novice authors and SMEs.
• Cloud-based reviews enable seamless collaboration and more efficient workflows. 
• Advanced User Management provides granular control over user permissions, removing the risk of opening up your content production. 
• Instant publishing and updates speed up your production.
• Creates people-centered learning experiences to maximize engagement.
• Offers endless design possibilities, with flexible layouts and a variety of interactions to choose from. 
• Inbuilt data analytics drive improvements from within the tool itself.

Cons

• It can take time to master the full authoring toolkit. 
• Images and videos must be supplied by users.
• Prices are geared towards enterprise organizations.

Easygenerator review

What is Easygenerator?

Easygenerator is an authoring tool that’s designed to simplify and accelerate the creation, localization, and sharing of elearning courses. Whilst it does not host the LMS-delivered content itself (the output will be a SCORM package you upload and reupload if there are changes), the tool does benefit from cloud-based collaboration. 

Ease of use

As the name suggests, Easygenerator is known for straightforward authoring. You can start with pre-built course templates or use the PowerPoint import feature to convert a slide deck into an interactive SCORM course. 

Content is assembled by dragging and dropping component parts. Like Elucidat, it will also automatically adapt to different devices, saving your authors time when they want to create a truly responsive learning experience.  

However, the interface is not entirely WYSIWYG, so there is a disconnect between what you see whilst authoring and what the learner will see. For example, when setting up a multiple-choice question, you can easily input the question text, answer options, and feedback, but you won’t be able to see exactly how this will appear to the learner. To do this, you will need to select the “preview” button each time a change is made, which opens in a new browser tab. This can be a little laboring and slows down the authoring process. 

Quality output

Easygenerator courses look clean and professional. However, some users report there being restrictions on how you can lay out your content on a page, which means you might not be able to achieve the exact look and feel you’re after. 

In terms of what you can create with the tool, there are built-in options to record and edit walkthrough videos and voiceovers, making it a good option for creating media-rich content. 

However, the variety of learning experiences Easygenerator can support is limited. Whilst it does offer interactions such as flip cards and hotspots, it doesn’t include some of the staple elearning interactions you see elsewhere, such as accordions and other click-to-reveal items. 

Gamification and personalized learning are also not supported, and because SCORM content isn’t hosted by Easygenerator, there’s no option for social polling. For organizations looking for contemporary, people-focused learning experiences, it might not be the ideal tool.

Production speed

Easygenerator is a handy tool in terms of speed of production. It’s really quick to perform tasks like creating quiz questions and videos. You can also select images and videos from within the tool using the in-built asset library, making it easier and faster to populate your templates.

When it comes to creating global content, you have the option to automatically translate your courses into 75 languages.

Because Easygenerator doesn’t use cloud hosting, content updates can also be clunky; updates to courses published via SCORM to an LMS will require you to download, edit, and re-upload a new SCORM file, which can be a pain if you just want to correct a typo. Additionally, each language will need its own SCORM package, which adds to the time that is spent on QA and LMS admin for multi-language courses.

Scalability

Working at scale is supported by the fact that you can easily upload your company’s brand elements and save custom templates for reuse across your organization. However, there is no function to manage course variations (which is a big time saver when you want to update something like a background color on multiple courses at once or add a new page to 10s of courses in one go).  

Once a course has been built, reviewing and collaborating are supported by the cloud, streamlining your workflows. You can efficiently manage your teams by creating designated groups to share, review, and transfer content. 

Like with Elucidat, you can also assign roles to users, which determine what control they have over the content. However, there’s no option to customize permission sets – an option that can be useful for managing large teams. Instead, you’re restricted by the pre-set user roles Easygenerator provides.

Who it’s best suited for

Easygenerator is quick and easy to use for small teams of authors looking to create simple courses.

Pros 

• It’s easy to create certain types of content, such as video walkthroughs.
• It quickly converts PowerPoint files into SCORM courses, speeding up production when a rudimentary course will do.
• Great customer service in 100+ languages to support global teams. 
• Seamless cloud-based reviews and collaboration.
• Inbuilt data analytics to drive improvements from within the tool.
• Automatically translate your courses into 75 languages.

Cons 

• No social polls, gamification, or personalization options, limiting opportunities to innovate.
• Content is heavily templated and not fully flexible, restricting visual designers.
• Interface is not WYSIWYG, slowing down the authoring process.
• Prices are more for a mass market rather than large teams.
• Course updates can be clunky.

Summary – is Elucidat a good alternative to Easygenerator?

Easygenerator can help teams create courses quickly. However, Elucidat can be seen as a better solution for creating high-impact content at scale, especially for larger teams. 

Why? 

With Elucidat, you can expand your teams and open up content production without compromising quality; the Templates feature embeds consistent design across your courses, allowing any SME to get involved in authoring, while Advanced User Management provides complete granular control over who does what in your account. Get additional people working on more content whilst avoiding the “too many chefs” pitfall.  

Eluicidat also makes it faster to work at scale, with the Variations Manager simplifying course localizations and cloud-based hosting enabling you to make instant content updates. No more redownloading a SCORM and reuploading to your LMS just to fix a typo!

Finally, learning experiences delivered via Elucidat are people-centered. With vast options to personalize elearning and gamify your courses, even novice authors can create content that strikes a chord.

How Elucidat shapes up against other tools:

• 12 Popular Elearning Authoring Tools: A review of twelve of the best elearning authoring tools against quality of output, speed and efficiency of authoring, and scaling up of elearning production.
• Storyline & Captivate: An evaluation on how Elucidat stacks up as an alternative to the desktop-based platforms Articulate Storyline 360 and Adobe Captivate.
• Evolve: A side-by-side comparison of Elucidat and the cloud-based authoring tool Evolve. 
• Storyline & Rise: A comparison of Elucidat against Articulate 360’s two authoring tools. 
• Gomo: A comparative review of Gomo Learning and Elucidat.
• Lectora Online: A review of how Elucidat compares to cloud-based authoring tool Lectora Online.

Want to find out more?

Start a free trial of Elucidat to see what it can do. We’ll get you off to a great start with a tailored demo.

How does Elucidat stack up against the iSpring suite? Is Elucidat a good alternative to iSpring? Let’s review the two elearning authoring tools and see how they compare…

In our latest product review, we compare and contrast Elucidat with a desktop-based authoring tool, iSpring. Where does each tool win? Find out below. 

How will we compare these authoring tools?

• Ease of use
• Quality output
• Production speed
• Scalability
• Who it’s best suited for
• Pros and cons

Save hours comparing tools with this handy authoring tool comparison template. We’ve filled Elucidat column is already completed for you!

Is Elucidat a good alternative to Spring?

What is Elucidat?

Elucidat is a multi-award winning, cloud-based elearning authoring tool that enables anyone to produce high-quality online courses at scale. 

Get to know Elucidat in this quick 3-minute video:

The platform is packed with time-saving features, like the new Auto-Translate, which enables users to translate any course content into one of 75 different languages with the click of a button, and several features designed to simplify working on large-scale projects.

Ease of use

Authoring with Elucidat is as straightforward as you need it to be. For super easy content creation, the Learning Accelerator offers a library of professional templates that you can select and populate, for instance, to create a game or case study. Each template comes with a downloadable storyboard, a live example, and in-line guidance, reducing the time it takes to plan and design your pages. 

With an upfront diagnostic quiz available to recommend a template for you; getting started is easy.

If you want to build more bespoke courses, you can simply upload your brand elements and then combine and customize our 25+ pre-built interactions, allowing you to create totally unique learning experiences customized to your brand. You can save your creations and use them to build your own library of page types for you and your colleagues to reuse later.

Elucidat makes it easy to work on multiple courses at once; Your teams can use the Variations feature to work on and update multiple courses at once. With this workflow, when you make changes to a “Parent Course” (for instance, to the background color), these changes will be inherited by its Variations. This way, authors benefit from speedy workflows and consistent outputs – even when there’s a surplus of courses on the go.

Whatever approach to content creation your team takes, authoring will be simple and intuitive. Elucidat uses a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) interface, which means you can see how your final course will look throughout the building process. Plus, the content you create is fully responsive and will be automatically optimized for all devices. 

Quality output

With Elucidat, you can create all the essential elearning interactions you’re used to seeing, such as hot graphics and accordions. But the tool also offers contemporary functionality — you can produce interactive videos, host social polls, and create games with points and badges.

You can put your learner at the center by offering personalized learning experiences. For instance, you can embed a role selector or diagnostic quiz at the start of your course, to serve content relevant to each learner. Or you might include clips, where learners input their thoughts to be played back later in the course, to empower them to take a more active part in their learning journey. 

Content can be displayed in a traditional, click-next-to-continue format, as scrolling webpages, or involve complex branching where the learner can choose their pathway through the course. 

With all these options available, your authors can finetune their design according to their audience and subject matter without being restricted to traditional elearning formats.

All Elucidat courses are underpinned by the analytics dashboard, which gives you plenty of data to see what’s working well and where you could make changes.

Production speed

Elucidat’s WYSIWYG interface lets you see all your changes as you make them, speeding up content production. And for a super speedy building process, the Learning Accelerator allows you to create courses 4x faster than ever before.

Because Elucidat is cloud-based, it takes just seconds to share your course. You can invite reviewers to add feedback directly to content within the platform, where it can be easily actioned. And if needed, several authors can work on the same project at the same time.

Once your team is finished working on the content, publishing, and re-publishing can be done with the click of a button, without the need for uploads or downloads. 

Scalability

Elucidat makes setting up your on-brand style and formatting preferences easy. Then you can re-use them across projects. 

Taking this one step further, you can set up your content creators with Guided Authoring. This feature allows you to create custom, on-brand templates for your wider team, including embedded design tips for them to view as they build. This will enable you to open up your production teams without compromising quality. And because the Elucidat interface is currently available in ten languages, you can involve authors from all over the world.

See an example of how Elucidat has been used to involve novice authors across a business here.

Managing large teams is simplified with Advanced User Management. This allows you to customize the User Roles you assign to authors and reviewers, giving you a greater level of control, and reducing the risk of involving new colleagues.

Cloud-based authoring also means you can update your courses through one central dashboard and make mass updates to assets across multiple courses, ensuring consistency from one course to the next. 

Who it’s best suited to

Elucidat is ideally placed to help content authors who need to create impactful elearning as part of a team and roll it out to large numbers of learners.  

Main pros and cons of Elucidat

Pros	Cons
Super easy to build courses optimized for all devices. Cloud-based authoring simplifies collaboration. Packed with features to simplify working at scale, including Variations Manager and Guided Authoring.  Fast authoring, publishing, and updates. Instant translation into 75 languages.  Lots of opportunities for gamification and personalized learning. Built-in data analytics.	Pricing model is designed primarily for organizations working at scale.  The full range of design features can take time to master.

iSpring review

What is iSpring?

iSpring Suite is an easy-to-use, desktop-based authoring tool that integrates with PowerPoint. It’s owned by a US-based company iSpring Solutions, which also offers the LMS, iSpring Learn.

Ease of use

iSpring Suite builds into the PowerPoint application and offers pre-designed templates to simplify the authoring process. It also allows you to populate your courses quickly by selecting from thousands of character and location images from the inbuilt Content Library, as well as creating AI-generated voiceover from right within the tool. 

However, users unfamiliar with PowerPoint may take a while to learn the ropes. There are also a few technical hurdles; The tool is optimized for use on PC rather than Mac and requires a PowerPoint for desktop subscription, as well as adequate local disk space for installation.

Quality output

The overall look of an iSpring course will be familiar to PowerPoint users. It’s simple and professional – albeit with that recognizable slide deck feel.

iSpring offers authors a good range of design possibilities. There are 14 interaction types and 14 question types to choose from. It also provides the opportunity for you to record your voice and screen activity, so you can create walkthrough videos and screencasts. 

One type of interaction iSpring Suite is known for is its interactive role-play feature. You can easily build branching scenarios where the learner interacts with a virtual character by answering questions that determine how that character responds. This is a handy feature for getting your learners to put their knowledge into practice, particularly for things like customer service scenarios.

Production speed

It’s quick and easy for seasoned PowerPoint users to set up pages in iSpring, and the inclusion of the Content Library means you can add assets without leaving the application.

However, production is slowed down by the fact you need to use the preview feature to see how your finished course will look. Also, whilst content, buttons, and controls will adapt to any screen size, they will not be automatically optimized for mobile users. Authors will instead need to make manual edits to each course to deliver the best possible mobile experience. 

Because content is built locally, sharing, reviewing, and publishing courses requires patience. For instance, to share with reviewers, you need to upload your course to the cloud by signing into your iSpring account and exporting it as an HTML file. 

If you want to avoid the issues with desktop-based authoring, your team could use iSpring Page to build micro-courses within your browser, though this only allows you to create articles and simple quizzes.

To translate your courses into different languages, you’ll also need to export your content as a document, translate it elsewhere, and re-import it.

Scalability

iSpring Suite is a handy tool if you have lots of PowerPoint files within your organization that need to be converted into elearning quickly. However, overall the tool is not ideal for working at scale.

Because it is desktop-based, your organization’s branding and assets cannot be saved across courses. There’s also no option to set up and share custom-made templates with colleagues, or use Parent and Child courses to make mass updates to content. And, of course, working at scale is slowed down further by the clunky publishing and review process.

The iSpring Suite interface is available in seven languages currently and doesn’t yet provide an Auto-Translate feature.

Who it’s best suited for

Small organizations or solo workers with PC and PowerPoint access, who might not have the time or budget to build bespoke courses. 

Main pros and cons of iSpring

Pros	Cons
Quickly converts PowerPoint files into basic elearning. Prices work out well for small groups of users.  Ideal for interactive role-play scenarios. Capabilities for creating simple audio and video. Inbuilt Content Library.	Steep learning curve for inexperienced PowerPoint users. Courses have a dated look and feel. Clunky collaboration and reviews. Slow content updates. Not optimized for Mac users.

Summary – is Elucidat a good alternative to iSpring?

Elucidat is the best iSpring alternative, because it can produce better quality content, offering greater creative freedom and more contemporary learning experiences optimized for all devices. You can reach learners with the content they need, when they need it, and where they need it.

Working at scale is also a much smoother process; Because Elucidat is entirely cloud-based, content can be updated instantly, while Guided Authoring, Variations Manager, and Advanced User Management allow you to expand your content creation in a controlled way. 

Finally, your workflows are much faster with Elucidat. By way of cloud-based collaboration capabilities, the Learning Accelerator, and Auto-Translate, your organization can speed up and produce more without increasing costs or reducing impact.

How Elucidat shapes up against other tools:

• 12 Popular Elearning Authoring Tools: A review of some of the best elearning authoring tools against quality of output, speed and efficiency, and scaling up of elearning production.
• Storyline & Captivate: An evaluation on how Elucidat stacks up against Articulate Storyline 360 and Adobe Captivate.
• Evolve: A side-by-side comparison of Elucidat and the cloud-based authoring tool Evolve. 
• Storyline & Rise: A comparison of Elucidat against Articulate 360’s two authoring tools. 
• Gomo Learning: A comparative review of Gomo Learning and Elucidat.
• Lectora Online: A review of how Elucidat compares to cloud-based authoring tool Lectora Online.

Explore Elucidat 

To explore the benefits of Elucidat for yourself, book a personalized demo with one of the team, and start a free trial.