Apart from eliminating the cost of significant dedicated infrastructure, cloud-based solutions usually come at a pocket-friendly price
Choosing the right authoring tool for your business is a matter of diligence. After all, an authoring tool is supposed to reduce the time of course development and the wrong choice can actually cost you more time.
With several types of authoring tools now available in the market, business owners have a significant variety to choose from. However, one special variety of authoring tools that are fast gaining popularity is cloud-based authoring tools.
Cloud-based authoring tools allow users to virtually eliminate the time taken to create the course material and upload it to the learning management system.
However, being on the cloud gives these authoring tools many other advantages. Some of them are:
Saves time
As mentioned earlier, the foremost benefit of using cloud-based authoring tools is quick delivery of course materials. With online creation, approval, and delivery, new updates and course contents can be rolled out in as little as one day.
Cloud-based authoring tools also save time by eliminating the need to involve the IT department for permission to download the authoring tool on your device. It also helps users avoid slow installation processes and is not dependent on system maintenance to deliver optimum performance.
Moreover, many cloud-based authoring tools offer standardisation features that allow for a common change to be applied across content assets and templates. This means no more spending hours replacing a logo across hundreds of pages of content.
Another way these authoring tools save time is by eliminating the need for review meetings to ensure content is up to the mark. When multiple users can access and work on the course content at the same time, everyone stays on the same page.
Speaking of being updated with developments, another great advantage of cloud-based authoring tools is their ability to enable collaboration.
Enables collaboration
It is obvious how a cloud-based eLearning authoring tools can enable collaboration. The time-related benefits of collaboration were described in the previous section.
However, the benefits of collaboration exceed quick delivery of course content. Being able to collaborate means stakeholders and users in remote locations can connect, share ideas, and make changes to the course material in real-time.
Also Read: Why virtually everything relies on cloud technology in 2019
This means the comprehensiveness of your course is not limited to the capabilities and understanding of a single resource.
Making changes is easy
Unlike downloadable authoring tools, cloud eLearning authoring tools enable users to make changes to the course content, even after it is “live”. Sure, making changes to the course content in a computer hard-drive and uploading to the LMS is possible, but is hardly time-effective.
On the other hand, with cloud authoring tools, an instructional designer simply has to log in to their account, make changes, and save them. These changes will start reflecting in the course content whenever a learner next logs into their account. The best part is, many authoring tools allow designers to make small changes to the course content even through mobile devices.
Secure online storage
As secure as you may take your cybersecurity, data saved on a computer hard drive can never be considered safe.
Even a simple and honest mistake of saving the course content in the wrong folder can result in the loss of invaluable course content that was the product of paid man-hours.
Also Read: The cloud has moved mountains, but always keep an eye out for security
Using a cloud-based authoring tool absolutely eliminates this risk. Not only is your data protected in a cloud server, most authoring tools automatically save any changes made to the content, along with an “edit-history” of the content.
Easier to track progress
Most modern cloud-based authoring tools come loaded with tracking technology such as the xAPI. This technology allows designers and organisations to effectively monitor how the learners are interacting with the course content.
The tracking abilities powered by xAPI also allow users to track learner performance metrics such as test results and time taken to complete assessment exercises.
Easier standardisation of content
Cloud-based authoring tools provide shared access to templates and resources to everyone involved in the course development process. This central repository doesn’t just give the designers a library of reusable content; it also makes sure the branding and formatting of the course content are consistent throughout.
Conclusion
The future is based on the cloud, and the future is here.
This doesn’t just mean that businesses of all shapes and sizes can find a cloud-based authoring tool to suit their needs. It also makes this smart solution scalable.
As your business needs growth, you will be able to add more collaborators to your authoring tool, without a hole burning inside your pocket.
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