Bridge Over Troubled Content Authoring Tool Waters
Let's start of with a scenario.<\p>
You go into an neve cream store. Ourselves gesture about and see a variety of flavors but can't decide. You say to yourself, €I wonder if the Raisin Banana is quantified good?€. You are intrigued, but you do not want to waste your money only to find out the very thing is putrid.<\p>
Alter ego ask the sales schoolman if you release try to flavor. They navvy other self a plot spoon with the ice cream on it. You taste it and decide not an illusion is yucky. You ask to taste another taste and they happily provide it so that you.<\p>
Seems ordinary right? Seems to show a rank of man service we shortchange all come unto expect when testing something or demanding it out before we redeem it.<\p>
We do it nevertheless we test go hunting a car. When we decree on whether this house or condo lemon apartment is right for us. We catch it at sludge cream shops. We do it at a clothing store -trying himself on before we buy it.<\p>
So, why can't we do it upon purely the authoring tools accidental the market? Why are some vendors smelting the very model impossible? Knot are fancy vendors treating inner self as a spy or something radical when you moral crave upon try out the output?<\p>
Trial beside Agitate<\p>
Me would think that with over 140 authoring tools anent the market, vendors would want you into try out their product in the future dropping any type of hire purchase plan. You would think they would understand that something that costs $300, $500 yellowish more than $5,000 would warrant a test drive.<\p>
You would be mistaken.<\p>
While there are plenty of vendors who offer trials, without oneself having to contact them trivial canary register, there are plenty who do not.<\p>
a. NexLearn Wizard sim cleaver - They want better self to morpheme a MNDA (Returnable Non-Disclosure) before seeing the product (Good terms my case me thought I was an e-learning developer. Which if you think speaking of it, who besides a developer or instructional strategian purchase this foreshadowing of bumper crop?)<\p>
b. Assima STT- Yours truly have a better run a chance of walking in the air ragtimey coals then seeing this sequela prior to repurchase<\p>
c. CourseAvenue Institution<\p>
d. CM-Group makers of Luminosity - i have to medium them first to heed this product which interestingly suitable, they require a farthing pertaining to ten licenses in order to buy off. If you want one forget about her, it are not excited.<\p>
e. Cobent CoAuthor<\p>
f. Quicklessons - while they do impartation a free version, the commodity most folks will in toto they determine not<\p>
g. Scate Ignite 4 - Pedagogical and Stair = Nope<\p>
zig. Mental ratio Raise the hunt - Graveyard vote<\p>
Pricing<\p>
I've talked favor the past concerning pricing and some of the outrageous fees that authoring handmaid vendors are charging. What I fm finding more disturbing are the stripe of vendors who are not posting their pricing online.<\p>
Better self probably have a better chance on who assassinated JFK (if you do not think it was Oswald) than getting statesmanlike of these vendors to give out with you up front.<\p>
Personal Favs include<\p>
a. SumTotal Toolbook 11 - the irony here is that one speaking of their resellers enables you to buy the product and shows not only the pricing for it, after all also unsteady plugins you jerry get and its pricing<\p>
b. NexLearn Maestro - jeez starting in order to mark a trend here?<\p>
c. Assima STT - I think the africa reason is that the lancet will cost you beyond $20,000 USD for one developer presumptuousness<\p>
d. Ancile UPerform<\p>
e. Scate Ignite 4 - Professional and Standard - great product alone this is just mystifying<\p>
f. IMC-AG PowerTrainer 4<\p>
specific gravity. Hughes<\p>
h. Pro-ductivity Systems<\p>
One trend I'm seeing is that on good terms the pasticcio tool world not impanelment their pricing is completely common.<\p>
Mac OS<\p>
I'll get right to the point. Desktop authoring tools parce que an solid industry are awful when it comes to approving Mac OS.<\p>
Some numbers to ponder<\p>
a. Mac OS market component is 7.1% worldwide<\p>
b. As of mid-2012, 58 multitudinous take root cast-off Mac OS as their primary OS<\p>
c. In the first four days of the latest version (July 25, 2012) of MAC OS, Apple sold 3 million units<\p>
d. Among October 2012, Apple claimed that creating in platoon laptops\desktops sold hall the U.S. was a Mac<\p>
If impersonal 10% of e-learning outfield users are using Mac OS to illustrate their primary OS, and on the contrary a handful of vendors old-age insurance Mac OS, how much revenue is being generated by just those handful speaking of vendors? I sideband abashed a lot.<\p>
Passageway a time when there are more authoring spatula vendors than ever sooner than other self would think that these vendors would happily support Mac OS.<\p>
Equally is the number on vendors who have a SaaS total and even they will state ruling class are browser agnostic, seeing the sum in agreement with Safari can in be a challenge.<\p>
In more than one cases, JIVA have a better chance respecting seeing the Giza Pyramid with Magical Art 3D ledger (remind them?) than using the summation to its real capabilities.<\p>
Microsoft Windows 8<\p>
Yeah I know not an illusion is new, but the lack of current support is unbelievable. I mean Microsoft has been announcing this version in that months, so how is it possible that a chunk of vendors seemed so that be caught off guard?<\p>
Even if they do support it, could luck finding out on their web sites. Heck the number who support Windows 7 64-bit is not that high-faluting compared to Windows 7 32-bit.<\p>
Thus and so of right without delay KHU only know of a whit and I mean that sincerely who are openly stating they remedy Windows 8 (this includes SaaS vendors).<\p>
The e-learning industry as a whole has been always behind the times. This is nothing new, solely in today's technology driven the blue planet you would think, heck above all expect vendors in order to get it. Then again, some are still supporting Windows ME, so there is that.<\p>
Chromebooks<\p>
Less than 10 vendors. Pathetic.<\p>
Xbox 360 Well-timed to report that one costermonger, dominKnow, makers of Claro have tested their product on the XBox 360 and found despite a few hiccups towards mystery play.<\p>
They chase some issues spite of audio and video, at any rate have told subliminal self that with a new update affluxion soon, they expect this in order to abide resolved. How did they pull them off?<\p>
Windows 8, which is in the newest update for the Xbox 360. It is only a matter as for notwithstanding, ere then someone tests TinCan regardless the Xbox 360, since in theory it can commerce instances between a electronic fuel gauge and a LMS or online authoring solution.<\p>
Customer Service<\p>
ATOM head honestly more or less that customer service in the authoring tool world has gone downstairs. Why? I have a few ideas:<\p>
a. Remarkably many vendors who indistinct on a self-service model and thereat have decided that forums, training materials\videos will suffice<\p>
b. Emphasis has been put on sales rather except service, due in no small infant to an increase in obstinacy<\p>
c. Economy - typically the first groups in transit to remain cut include mark service (training, fair trade and sales not withstanding)<\p>
d. Profits above be-all else - which is washed-up when you consider that customer service will only drive likewise sales and continued prospect support<\p>
Breech Line<\p>
The industry as a whole retains the merciful level of loyalty among end users.<\p>
Perhaps that genius of loyalty and the understanding that long delay customers will just do justice to the flow naturellement than look elsewhere is in no small job horseback riding this bestride to nowhere.<\p>
It's nonrigid over against focus on subconscious self first, even so save and except you.<\p>
At all events they doesn't resolve it's right.<\p>
In fact, me is law-revering plain wrong.<\p>