Every multimedia developer’s nightmare…the LCMS
It seems important to begin this post with a disclaimer…this is my “multimedia developer” opinion. You’ve been warned.
As a multimedia developer the thought of developing e-Learning with an LCMS development tool sends shivers up my spine (not the good kind, like when you learn a new way to make something animate in Flash…yes, I know I need to get out more).
Don’t get me wrong, the majority of LCMS development tools are great for rapid development, and are a great way to manage content and content objects with a single application. However, my experience is that if you want sophisticated or slick-looking/functioning e-Learning, you won’t want to use the development software of an LCMS. Although huge strides have been made in improvements of this software, it is still necessary to incorporate Flash elements to get that slick movement and learner interaction that only Flash offers.
As I step down from my “Flash soap box”, I acknowledge that as with every other e-Learning development tool purchase (whether it’s Flash, Captivate, Articulate, Lectora, etc.) you need to be sure that when deciding on an LCMS you are clear what the LCMS development tool can and cannot do. Your learners have a certain level of sophistication (different in every situation) and will expect a certain level of interaction, function, and look.
So, when researching an LCMS be sure that when evaluating all the great “LMS” capabilities you don’t forget the “C” in LCMS. You don’t want to get stuck with an LCMS development tool that is no better than PowerPoint circa 1993.
Tags: development tool, e-learning development, LCMS, rapid elearning
August 8th, 2009 at 4:03 am
Even worse than an authoring tools tied to an LMS/LCMS… the proprietary in-house content development tool. I’ve had the unfortunate experience of encountering these in some very large COTS e-learning vendors (I live in Ireland - have a guess who they are - used to have ‘Systems’ and a ‘C’ and a ‘B’ and a ‘T’ in their name). Java-based, lousy UI, bizarre file formats and extensions, and a truly bonkers workflow.
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August 10th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Michael,
I completely agree with you! I also find it amusing how a new development tool will be promoted as “so easy anyone can use it”, which may be true. They just forget to tell you that it takes 4 clicks to delete an object or that the save button kicks you out of the development tool requiring you to re-enter the course to continue where you left off…clearly, a “bonkers workflow”. There’s a lot to be said for ease of use with a logical and efficient workflow, that is.
Thanks for your comments…all the way from Ireland even!
Gayle