4 Rapid Authoring Tools For Developing Courses For The iPad

Creating Courses For The iPad Using Rapid Authoring Tools 

The marketplace is flooded with hundreds of rapid authoring tools which can be used to develop courses for the iPad. Of these, 4 tools are widely used by the eLearning world to create courses for the iPad:

1. Articulate Storyline 2.
2. Lectora Inspire 12.
3. Articulate Studio 13.
4. iSpring Suite 7.1.

Let us have an analytical look at each one of them:

1. Articulate Storyline 2.
   The latest avatar of Articulate Storyline is a wonderful tool to develop courses for the iPad. The rapid authoring tool has an in-built iPad app called Articulate Mobile Player (AMP), which can be used to deliver excellent learning experiences on the tablet. AMP is also available in the Android version. This rapid authoring tool is ideal for converting legacy courses, developed in Flash, into iPad-compatible learning content. This is because it can be used to recreate many effects which are possible with Flash.
   Articulate Storyline 2 has a very intuitive user interface which closely resembles that of PowerPoint. Anyone who is familiar with the Microsoft application can work with the eLearning development software very easily. Also, Storyline 2 comes with an in-built library of interactivities and 47,500 characters in various styles and poses. This makes the work of instructional designers (IDs) easy and helps reduce the time taken for developing mobile learning courses considerably.
2. Lectora Inspire 12.
   This rapid authoring tool is used extensively to convert text heavy learning content into iPad-compatible eLearning courses. Lectora Inspire 12 has a very user-friendly interface and comes with in-built templates which are very useful to create courses for the iPad in quick time. The online course development software comes with 3 powerful in-built applications – Camtasia, Flypaper, and Snagit. You can use this product from Trivantis to convert your audio and videos into MP3 and MP4 formats, to ensure better learning experiences. The MP3 and MP4 files can be played in a Flash player or using HTML5, depending on the device the course is being accessed. Lectora Inspire 12 can be used to ensure perfect compatibility of online courses on all devices irrespective of the platform.
3. Articulate Studio 13.
   This is a very useful tool to convert PowerPoint presentations into eLearning courses. Articulate Studio 13 is a PowerPoint add-in, and is made up of 4 applications; Articulate Presenter 13, Articulate Quizmaker 13, Articulate Engage 13, and Articulate Replay. Articulate Studio 13 can be used to deliver wonderful learning experiences on iPads through AMP. The rapid authoring tool can be sued to retain several animations of PowerPoint presentations when they are transformed into eLearning courses for the iPad. The eLearning development software has several in-built packs of human and animated characters, which help develop highly engaging online learning content. But, a major drawback of Articulate Studio 13 is that it cannot be customized.
4. iSpring Suite 7.1.
   This brand new version of the popular rapid authoring tool iSpring Presenter 7 is power packed with various features that help convert PowerPoint presentations into highly effective online courses for the iPad. ISpring Suite 7.1 is a PowerPoint add-in and has an in-built app called iSpring viewer which helps deliver good learning experiences on iPads and Android devices. ISpring Suite 7.1 preserves most animations and all transitions in a PowerPoint presentation when it is converted into an iPad-compatible course. The eLearning development software supports a wide variety of instructional strategies and allows online course developers to insert YouTube videos easily.

Thus, we see that these four rapid authoring tools can be used to create good eLearning courses for the iPad. Hope you find this post informative. Do share your views.