Course Authoring Software that Makes Sense

By now, you’ve probably heard that e-learning is a powerful tool for all organizations interested in education or training. There are plenty of statistics telling you that you should make the switch, including how e-learning offers higher information retention rates than 1-on-1 tutoring or how online employee training is more cost-effective than in-person seminars. However, we also understand that finding the course authoring software you need to create an effective online learning program can be challenging and may even delay your organization’s embrace of e-learning. Echo360 and Echo360 have combined forces to help! Our learning engagement platform, EchoPoll, includes powerful course authoring tools that make it easy to create and manage all of the courses your learners demand. Our platform also leverages our e³ philosophy of equity, evidence, and engagement to facilitate engaged learning made easy for instructors and learners alike. Please continue reading to learn more about EchoPoll.

What Essential Features Should I Look for in Course Authoring Software?

Any great course authoring software solution should offer the following functionality:

1. Ease of Use
   Instructors shouldn’t get a headache every time they wish to create a new course or edit an existing one, so we’ve designed EchoPoll with ease of use in mind. Each course is a “deck,” or an editable interactive presentation that instructors deliver to learners. Each deck is comprised of multiple “slides,” or screens, that support drag-and-drop functionality for common tasks such as adding multimedia elements from the Dojo library. If you get confused, step-by-step instructions are displayed on your screen to help you get back on track. EchoPoll also meets or exceeds all WCAG 2.0 guidelines to promote equity in access to materials.
2. Powerful Integrations
   Your organization may already have good e-learning content, and EchoPoll allows you to keep using it. Microsoft Powerpoint presentations can be imported to EchoPoll as a deck, allowing you to use and edit it just like any other course. Furthermore, EchoPoll integrates with a variety of learning management systems (or LMS) including Sakai and Moodle to make existing e-learning content more accessible to your instructors. EchoPoll also offers seamless integration with other Echo360 products. For instance, you can use EchoExam’s free question bank of 15,000+ items to add inline quizzes to any course.
3. Intuitive Asset Manager
   Large organizations frequently need to manage dozens of courses simultaneously and it can quickly get out of hand if you try to do it manually. Luckily, EchoPoll provides course creators and administrators with intuitive dashboards that they can use to keep track of all of the courses offered, including enrollment rates and learner performance. This information gives you the evidence you need to address skill gaps through new courses or automated enrollments. You can also review learner feedback, helping you take your organization’s online learning to the next level.
4. Engagement Tools
   The best course authoring tools in the world won’t amount to much if learners are bored, so EchoPoll offers a variety of ways to promote engagement. For example, collaboration tools such as virtual breakout rooms allow learners to work together even if they are miles apart. Echo360 also transcribes video content and creates a searchable index, making it easy for instructors and learners to go back to a particular portion of a video. If you’re looking for more interactivity, our suite of Point Solutions products facilitates Anywhere Polling to help instructors collect real-time feedback from both synchronous classes and asynchronous assignments.

Should I Try Course Authoring Software Before Buying It?

When it comes to course authoring software, seeing it in action often provides a better idea of what a system can do than simply reading about it. Book a demo of EchoPoll today and witness everything it can do for yourself!