Best Course Authoring Software

The teaching and learning methodologies have undergone an incredible and colossal change in recent years. The conventional approach required teachers, trainers, and instructors to manually prepare all content, notes, course, and teaching materials. There is no denying that it was indeed one of the most cumbersome and daunting tasks. Also, it was time-consuming and required a lot of patience as well. 

But the emergence and enhancement of smart eLearning authoring tools have simplified and streamlined various tasks. The following buyer's guide will give you in-depth information on course authoring, course authoring tools, types, essential features, benefits, and much more. Besides, you will also get to know the recent trends in course authoring and how to pick the best course software for authoring.

Course authoring is defined as the procedure that focuses on designing and preparing study materials, learning content, curriculum, and other resources for students, employees, and teachers, etc. 

The purpose of authoring a course is to impart knowledge, information, and skills on a specific topic offline or online. Course authoring also aims to transfer meaningful information digitally and using the traditional approach. Course authoring also helps students and professionals to acquire substantial knowledge in a simplified comprehendible language. The course emphasizes real-world practical examples with the intent to boost skills and productivity. Depending on the learner's requisites, one can author a course on all subjects.

One must give credit to the internet and the evolution of information technology, which has simplified both creating and sharing information. E-learning has gained much prominence with easy and fast access to an array of valuable information. It has allowed educational institutes, universities, and even business enterprises to invest in innovative eLearning techniques. 

Also, the teachers and trainers prepare meaningful content and course materials in various formats. It is unlike old textbooks, where content is short, crisp, precise, and engaging. Also, it is well documented in an easy-to-understand language. 

So, you are planning to author an eLearning course, right? Great! To start, you just need to follow a few simple steps, which will help you create compelling eLearning content.  

• Find out the target audience- When you plan to author eLearning content, the first step that you need to take is identifying who the right target audience is. Knowing your audience will help you craft the course's subject matter, depending on their knowledge base. 
• Analyze your learner’s problems. Once you have identified the right set of audiences, it's time to analyze the critical issues where they are lagging. 
• Defining the learning objectives- Your need to have a clear and concise goal regarding what you want to teach the learners and why you are authoring this course. You can implement this step only after analyzing the main issues of your learners. 
• Finding the right content and organizing it appropriately- The next job is to find the right content. You need to access various resources and channels to get valuable information based on the audience's needs. You can set the category, type, and structure the content accordingly. 
• Making your course meaningful and engaging- Next, you need to ensure that your content is highly relevant, useful, and worth its defined target audience. Also, it needs to be helpful, user-friendly, and easily understandable. 
• Choose the right technology- Your content may be relevant and informative but will miss the bus if not aligned with the right set of technology and tools. Make your content engaging and interactive through videos, animations, and presentations. 
• Take feedback from the audience- Take feedback from your audience to know if the course was helpful. The suggestions and reviews will help you to improve your course materials and content. 

To be honest, course authoring has become more prevalent in recent years due to varied reasons. You cannot deny the significant contribution of eLearning in popularizing authoring courses. It is essential to note that some of the world's renowned universities, such as Havard, Oxford, and Princeton, have introduced several online courses allowing learners to attend classes even from remote locations. Course authoring has gained more attention due to various other factors, such as-

• Speeds up the e-learning process- Online course authoring has accelerated the eLearning process of students and employees. It also enables faster delivery as learners can access content anytime and anywhere.  
• Reducing the cost of training or learning- Course authoring has significantly decreased the cost of training and learning. The study materials and all other stuff are available online. It means the trainers and instructors don't have to rent a separate space and spend on buying training materials. 
• Flexible timings- A critical reason that accounted for the growth in popularity of course authoring is flexible scheduling. The learner can access online content according to his/ her convenience. 
• Enhanced productivity and collaboration- Course authoring streamlines the training and learning process, which in turn enhances employee productivity and collaboration. 
• Maximize knowledge retention- Course authoring helps learners maximize their knowledge retention and improve performance. One can add interactive activities and quizzes to make the content more engaging.

You may prepare eLearning content based on the specific requisites of the target audience. You may also develop informative and user-friendly content. But at the same time, you have to tackle a few complex challenges listed below.

• Not Finding Enough Relevant Content- One of the biggest challenges that you may face is not finding enough relevant content to suit your audience's needs. Many unique and complex topics do not have adequate information, even on the internet. 
• Converting Monotonous Subject More Engaging- You may find it challenging to transform a dull and monotonous topic more engaging and interactive to hold the attention span of your audience. 
• Lack of Learner Motivation- If your content isn't appealing and informative enough, it distracts the learners, and they don't feel motivated. They might even quit your course. 
• Not Making Use of the Updated Technology- If you are not up-to-date with the technology, it becomes difficult for you to frame any content. Also, if you are using traditional methodologies to impart training, the learners may soon lose interest. 
• Falling Short of Budget- At times, you may not have a sufficient budget or money to create the course and content. 
• Not Meeting the Deadlines- It usually happens in a corporate scenario where managers and instructors have to prepare a course related to training. They may have to work on tight deadlines and cannot meet the time limit. 
• Inexperienced Subject Matter Experts- You may have to cope with one of the tough course authoring challenges when hiring amateur subject matter experts or writers to develop the content. They may author a hard-to-understand course, which may not be useful and engaging. 
• Authoring Content for Different Age Group Learners-You must have heard; one size does not fit all. Similarly, one content cannot suffice the needs of your different learners. For instance, you have to develop a different approach to authoring a course for millennials compared to preparing the content for the Gen Z audience.

To counter all these issues and challenges, you certainly need an advanced tool that can act as a booster to simplify all tasks. What about deploying an optimal course authoring software? It's indeed a venerable option that you should explore.

Course authoring software is a sophisticated digital product that enables you to create and develop customized online content for educating students and teachers. The innovative authoring tool is also known as course development software. You can create interactive and intuitive content with various multimedia authoring tools for training and educational purposes. 

The digital authoring tools are not restricted to e-courses, video lectures, virtual classroom training, and workshops but focus on animation-based content, quizzes, charts, and images to simplify content. The tools easily enhance learners' knowledge base and, at the same time, improve their retention power.

The authoring software has given a boost to Massively Open Online Courses (MOOC), offering various courses to wide-ranging audiences. They include-

• Employees looking to upgrade their skills- Employees and professionals are keen to improve their proficiency skills. Here, online course software can help them by offering the right knowledge and information on updated technology. 
• Employees searching for better job options- Many employees search for better job opportunities requiring additional training and expertise. They unleash the benefit of course software to acquire those skill sets. 
• Employees planning to change their department- In another scenario, employees also look to change their department in the same organization. The eLearning course will help them to gain more knowledge about job roles and responsibilities. 
• Students preparing for a competitive examination-  Students from all around the world prepare for competitive exams. The best online course creation software will give their preparation an edge and help them succeed in the test. 
• Students are willing to get help on different subjects- Students seek advice on various topics while studying and doing their assignments. The eLearning authoring tool also helps them to prepare for their university examinations. 
• Students opting for a professional course- The best course authoring software also proves more than a handy tool for students willing to opt for a professional course to boost their career prospects. 
• Training institutes offering certification courses- Several training institutes and universities provide certification and diploma courses in different subjects. The online course development software helps them to prepare the content and study materials quickly. 
• Adults willing to learn new technologies- Today, adults and homemakers are interested in learning about new technologies. Hence, a viable course authoring software helps you develop the materials in an easily understandable way.

You can create different authoring tools or eLearning course content, depending on your learners' needs. These include-

• Cloud-based authoring tools-  The cloud-powered eLearning authoring tools don't require any software installation as they are cloud-hosted. The learner just has to log in to the system and then access the dashboard or the interface. It allows employees or students to access their accounts through mobile devices and work from remote locations. 
• Powerpoint-based authoring tools-  This type of eLearning authoring tool serves as an add-in to PowerPoint. The software helps simplify Powerpoint presentations, and the trainers can easily create a course using different slides. 
• Multimedia-related eLearning authoring tools- One can host these course authoring tools both in the cloud and on-premise. For instance, they are created for animated learning videos. After creating the course, the developers can easily import videos from different sources and then export them to third-party apps. 
• Authoring tools designed for a particular purpose-  As the name suggests, this elearning authoring software is created for a specific purpose. For example, Lynda is a popular graphic designing course software that allows anyone to learn the concepts of designing beautiful graphics. 
• Locally hosted authoring tools- The locally hosted course authoring tools are usually installed in the hard drive. One can download it directly from the website. 

Undoubtedly, any course authoring software receives real impetus from its varied features. Also, any organization or institution planning to buy an authoring software will first check out its features and functionalities. The essential elements of the online course development software include-

• An intuitive dashboard or interface- An intuitive interface or dashboard is an essential feature for any type of software. It enables you to create great content or course within a short period and incorporate it with the microlearning system.  
• Integration of multimedia and interactive tools- The course development software should integrate with multimedia and other devices to make content more engaging and comfortable to learn. For example, the AR authoring tools will align the course with the surroundings of the learner. 
• Complying with LMS: The content should be published on a proper platform so that the learners can easily access it. The material is usually released into a learning management system or LMS. The content should comply with standards such as SCORM and Tin Can before it gets published on the LMS platform.
• Integration with mobile devices- The course authoring tool should run seamlessly on all major mobile platforms, such as Android, iOS, and applications.
•  Lectures and screencasts- Video lectures and screencasts are integral features, of course, authoring software. It includes informative and engaging video tutorials and the ability to capture the screen. The software also features screencasts where you can display the screen and the video simultaneously at the same time using the web camera. 
• Online Quiz and Surveys- It is another must-have feature in the elearning authoring software, which can check the learners' knowledge base and take their valuable feedback. 
• Branching- Adding the branching feature into the authoring tool helps learners easily select their preferred course. It enhances the learners' experience as they can access their mistakes in the test or opt for the section they want to explore. 
• Ability to quickly update the content- The elearning authoring tool can update all content and course materials in a quickly time. It provides new and up-to-date information to all learners. 
• User-friendly- The authoring tool must be user-friendly. It should enable the learners to navigate the application or platform easily and access the content effortlessly.

Adopting and implementing the best online course creation software has grown exponentially in recent years. Various business domains have already benefited from elearning creation software. Hence, it's pivotal to highlight the essential benefits.

1. Increase Learner Attention and Engagement-One of the topmost benefits of a course authoring tool is that it enhances the learner's attention, participation, and engagement. The learners have continuous access to course training and eLearning materials, which they can learn anytime. 
2. Decrease in Content Development Time- The elearning authoring tool has significantly decreased the time taken to develop an eLearning content or course. The software is equipped with advanced authoring tools, customized themes, modern features, and interactions to prepare a useful and value-adding course. The course developers have to spend less time gathering information and details from various sources.
3. Adding the Gamification Elements- Course Creation also enables developers to add the gamification elements easily. Adding the gaming features into the authoring tools makes your eLearning content more interactive and fun-filled. It also motivates the learners and develops competitiveness among them to perform better. 
4. Managing and Updating Course Become Easier-  Managing and updating the course becomes much more simplified and streamlined with course development software. The developers can quickly revise the content at different time intervals and add the latest input to upgrade it accordingly. Thus, it helps to suffice the needs of specific learner groups. 
5. Creating Top and Leading eLearning Courses With Ease- The learners have become smart, and hence they look for innovative courses that have been recently introduced in the market and have a bright future scope. One can quickly add new perspectives to eLearning courses that help students, employees, and aspirants shape their careers.   
6. Easily Track and Analyze the Results- The course creator must keep tracking and analyzing the learner's performance at regular intervals. The course authoring tools are compatible with monitoring technology such as SCORM. It can help learners monitor and analyze their quiz scores to know if they have passed or failed the test.   
7. Minimizing Training and Other Costs- The course developers can reduce the training and various additional costs. For example, trainers and instructors don't have to rent a separate space or spend on buying notebooks, pens, papers, boards, and other stationery items. 
8. Compatible with Multiple Platforms- It is interesting to note that several elearning authoring tools have become highly responsive. For instance, HTML5-based courses can be accessed on wide-ranging platforms. The learners can access the content on their mobile devices, tablets, desktops, iPads, and more. The developers can create a master layout using different breakpoints with ease. 
9. Seamless Deployment of the eLearning Courses-  The course authoring tools can be deployed on clouds, allowing content creators to store massive data easily. Furthermore, the teachers don't have to find information manually on any specific topic while teaching the learners. 
10. Boost Performance and Add Value to Career- A different set of learners and target audiences opt for eLearning courses to accomplish various goals. The best online course creation software helps simplify their goal path, boost the learners' performance, and add value to their existing careers.  

 In addition to these advantages, there are many more plus points that go in favor of course authoring software. These include the use of different multimedia resources, collaborative authoring, repurposing of content, and more.

You will probably agree to this that the best course creation software has revolutionized the global educational landscape and teaching methodologies. The teachers and instructors no more depend on teaching with blackboards, chalk, and dusters but adopt a modern approach to help students increase their knowledge base and shape their careers. The course authoring tools have indeed benefited the educational sectors in many ways, such as-

• Easy access to enormous information- The course authoring tool has allowed teachers and students to access all information and materials in one place easily. Furthermore, it has become much easier to share massive data without any interruption. 
• More interactive and goal-oriented- By implementing the authoring software, one can undoubtedly make the course or content more engaging, interactive, and even goal-oriented. The course creators are introducing new professional courses that help aspirants get jobs quickly. 
• Evaluate the student's academic performance- The course software has changed the evaluation and monitoring of the student's performance. The teachers can evaluate the performance through key indicators and data metrics. 
• Improve communication between students and teachers- The course authoring tools have established enhanced communication between the teachers through live video conferencing, webinars, and other chatbot tools. The students can clarify their doubts in real-time and even modify their mistakes quickly. 
• Affordable- There is no doubt that online course software is an affordable and cost-effective option. Many online courses software, such as Open eLearning and Zenler Studio has a free version. 
• Customize courses for specific learner needs- One can create e-learning course software using various customized tools and templates. The free and open source course authoring tools allow creators to develop tailor-made courses based on the learner's specific needs.

The course builder software has fueled the educational sector and digitally disrupted and transformed the workforce. The innovative tools have streamlined the employee training process making it more engaging and fruitful. For instance, integrating the authoring software at various stages of management and training helps managers create content based on Standard Operating Processes or SOPs. Some other benefits include-

• Improves employee retention- If you are implementing a course authoring tool with an efficient training management system, it helps to boost employee retention. The employees feel more invested and serve as a more valuable asset to the organization. 
• Better evaluation of employee performance- The elearning authoring tool even helps you to evaluate and appropriately analyze employee performance. It is similar to accessing the performance of the students, as indicated earlier. You can monitor the performance through various tests and assignments.  
• Enhancing the employee experience- The course authoring software, along with the training software, helps to boost the employee experience. They can learn about new technologies and software that assist in nurturing their skills. 
• Increases collaboration and productivity- Increases in employee collaboration and boost productivity are the two main ingredients that upscale the growth of any organization. Course creator software can provide both elements to help you get an edge over your competitors. 
• Domain-specific training- Deploying the best online course creation software allows you to develop domain-specific content and training materials. For instance, if you want to impart office administration training, you can design the course according to the regulations.

It is essential to note that course authoring software differs from a learning management system, though it may appear similar. You can notice this disparity between the two terms from their definitions. 

Interestingly, many courses authoring tools function with LMS tools without friction. Undeniably, it makes your content more interactive and engaging once it gets uploaded to the SCORM package. 

If you want to reap the advantages of an entirely digitized learning platform, then it's advisable to implement both course creation software as well as a learning management system tool. Both will help you deliver a truly engaging course.

The course authoring tools and applications have already created a buzz both in the education and corporate sectors. eLearning is no more an alien term, all thanks to the recent trends and technologies powering the course authoring software. 

• Automation in creating content - Automation while creating content is one of the recent trends highlighting the authoring tools industry. The credit must go to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technology, which has made content automation possible. AI analyzes the data or content that you are writing and makes automated suggestions accordingly. The best example is Google Docs. Automation in content creation also allows for improving user experience through various bots.
• Compatibility with Tin Can- The experts suggest that Tin Can is a much-improved option as compared to SCORM. Hence, it is going to be a disrupting trend in the future. It provides better interaction and substantiated feedback, which reduces the dependence on old standards. 
• Mobile Apps Become Driving Force- Mobile applications will drive the future economy as most learners are accessing courses and content on their smartphones. The apps provide you with all the online course software features in just a few taps. 
• SaaS takes center stage- The Software-as-a-Service or SaaS will breathe more life into the course authoring software. The reason is simple. The cloud-based technology provides improved flexibility and greater functionality at cost-effective subscriptions. It also offers versatile plans and more storage options with the benefit of data synchronization. 
• Use of XML or JSON- The use of XML and JSON technologies is also going to be on the rise. They offer more flexibility during content storage and allow you to easily share content across various platforms. You also won't face any technical glitches while integrating third-party data or editing the sources. 
• AR and VR hogs the limelight- Both AR and VR are the hotbed trends, and authoring software harnesses their full benefits. The technologies provide learners with enhanced stimulations where they will be transported to a virtual world and interact with virtual elements in real setups. AR and VR also help to personalize the course.

Congratulations! You have made a futuristic decision by planning to invest in an elearning creation software. But before you proceed further, you must consider a few factors before selecting the best course authoring software. It includes-

• The Contents of the Course - The first crucial factor that you need to consider is the content of the course. You need to analyze thoroughly what the course offers, and it will help boost your career prospects. 
• The Duration of the Course- The next important consideration is the duration of the course. You need to decide how much time you are willing to dedicate to learning the course.  
• The Features- Take note of all the course creation software's critical features, deployment options, resources, and more. Make a comparative study and then go for the ultimate tool. 
• The Type of Support Available- You need to check the kind of support the software vendor offers to all its customers, whether it's a free tool or subscription-based software. Does it have a live chat option, email support, or a telephone number to contact the agent? Verify all these first. 
• The Price- The cost of online course development software is one of the pivotal constraints when planning to buy the tool. You have to consider your budget if you are investing in subscription-based software.

Generally speaking, the cost of course authoring software depends on different variable factors. These include the salient features and functionalities, the deployment or integration with the cloud, the implementation of transforming trends, and much more. Also, there is an option of choosing a free and open-source authoring tool that can help you save a lot of bucks. You can even customize such software tools according to your convenience. 

You can explore a few options, such as Open eLearning and eXe Open Learning. If you are looking only for free authoring software, then you have Active Presentor and Lectora Online. On the other hand, if you are not willing to spend more and run on a tighter budget, please check Schoox, available at an affordable price of $5 per month with a one-month free trial. There is also Instancy Learning available at only $2 per month. 

There are far more options when you are ready to invest a big budget in course authoring tools. For instance, you can choose the iSpring Suite, which costs around $770 per year with a 14-day free trial period. Also, if you want to choose a course software with high-end features, you can opt for Articulate 360, which costs about $1299 per year. 

GoodFirms is a top-notch review, research, and rating agency dedicated to helping software companies, customers, and service seekers choose the best product or service within their budget estimate. The review and research platform also enables IT firms to enhance their user acquisition stats and upsurge brand awareness.  

Business owners and entrepreneurs can select software or service based on their organization's preferences to flourish further and remain upbeat in the stern competition. If you are willing to buy course authoring software, follow this buyer's guide containing every detail about the tool.