Choosing Interactive Learning Software? A Complete Checklist Of What You Need
When tasked with building interactive learning modules, most Instructional Designers and course creators need to follow either of the following approaches: the traditional skill-based approach where you develop every interaction from scratch, or the rapid interactivity building approach where you use interactive learning software.
If you have decided to follow the latter, how do you decide which software is the best for your needs? Does it have the required feature-set? What are some add-ons that could be beneficial? I am going to help you with all these questions. Here are 8 things to consider while selecting your interactive learning software.
1. Interaction Variety
When choosing interactive learning software, the variety of interactions it offers should undeniably be the first evaluation criteria. Choose software that offers abundant templates across a wide range of categories like games, simulations, quizzes, presentations, and more. The higher the interaction variety is, the more the scope for learner engagement is as well.
2. Output Format
It goes without saying that any good interactive learning software should be able to produce output in the widely acceptable HTML5 format. This standard output format ensures that the output plays in any browser and is easily updatable.
3. User Interface (UI)
Intuitive and user-friendly product interface is the key to the effective use of interactive learning software or any software for that matter. The software controls should be powerful yet easy to use. All other features are rendered useless if the UI is not up to the mark, and the users are not able to figure out its usage effectively. A significant factor of UI evaluation is the screen editor. ‘What You See is What You Get’ (WYSIWYG) editors are generally the smoothest to operate. They allow for a real-time preview of any changes that are made to the content or screen elements without having to publish the output again and again. This also ensures that you don’t spend a lot of time on re-work.
4. Vendor Support
You wouldn’t realize this upfront but vendor support is really critical when choosing interactive learning software. Evaluate all their support services well before you close on one option. Online FAQs are the bare minimum; you need to check if the vendor offers one-to-one support via any of the following means: phone, email, or live chat? Does it have any premium support plans available as add-ons if required?
5. Language Support
Many times, users ignore the critical evaluation factor of language support. Interactive learning software that supports multiple languages should be your choice if you intend to develop online training for a global audience. Additionally, you might also want to check if the software offers multi-language support as a part of its basic plan or as an add-on.
6. Mobile-Friendly
Most learning content that is developed these days is mobile-friendly since learners prefer accessing it on the go. Responsive output goes a step ahead and ensures that the course automatically adjusts each element to fit the screen size. Most interactive learning software options offer mobile-friendly output which is not necessarily responsive. Software options that offer responsive output are generally limited in terms of the template variety. The decision to choose responsive over a variety or vice-versa should be driven by your most-pressing requirement(s).
7. Integration Support
Any good interactive learning software will integrate well with third-party authoring tools, presentation tools, and LMSs. This ensures its seamless use within the digital earning ecosystem to derive optimum results.
8. Pricing
You will not purchase software that doesn’t fit your budget even when it offers the best features. As a precautionary step, when you start evaluating any software, ensure that its pricing plans suit your budget. It is also recommended to explore and choose the right pricing model based on your requirements. While some vendors may offer perpetual licenses, others offer an annual subscription, and there are some that offer both. Your decision should take into consideration all the above factors.
Eventually, you need to create a list of the interactive learning software options you are evaluating and see how they compare on the above points. Needless to say, you need to request a free trial of each of the tools for hands-on experience and unbiased judgment. If you are still unsure of which tool to choose, download the eBook Interactive Learning Design: Using An Interactive Learning Software To Increase Engagement In eLearning Courses to find an interaction building tool comparison checklist that compares some of the most popular tools available in the market for their interactivity building features.