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> Another advantage of AuthorIT is that everything is stored in a
database, and you
> can organize the information in many ways. This is great when
you want to merge
> projects for any output...put all projects in one library and
generate just the
> ones you want, in any of the seven formats.
And is this database available for other programs? I have a
simple elearning system, with a programmable elearning authoring
tool. I've been thinking it would be nice to let people convert
tutorials, etc., into elearning courses with a pushbotton. (You
will have to add questions and answers, of course, and a course
title and description.)
I know there are people who will tell you you have to write
elearning content from scratch, and do flash, and hire multimedia
experts. They are the same guys who are running out of venture
capital right about now.
What you really need for elearning is a) meaningful content b)
reliable and predictable information presentation c) a conceptual
assessment feedback loop.
The number one factor in a) is the learner's need. If they need
to know how to replace an inline valve, then that's what you give
them.
b) they need immersion, not diversion. Dull is beautiful, if it
isn't so dull that the dullness is distracting.
They need to know if they understand the important points of the
information that you have presented them with. c) multiple
choice is fine, as long as they need to think to get the right
answer.
What they need most of all is lots of content, in byte-sized
chunks, created at extremely low cost, and delivered as
self-paced courses.
I guess I don't have to tell the people on this list that it is
the quality of the writing that makes the most difference in
elearning. It's not learning styles, or multimedia, or
instructional design.
Brad Jensen
President Electronic Storage Corporation
LaserVault Report and Image Archiving Systems
brad -at- elstore -dot- com
President Eufrates.com LLC
Create your own elearning site in minutes
brad -dot- jensen -at- eufrates -dot- com
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