What’s better, an apple or an orange?

It’s a ridiculous question of course. We can’t compare technologies or products until we agree on a useful basis of comparison.

For e-learning development tools, two key criteria are:

Adobe Flash

The Flash application is rated by the eLearning Guild as the most popular e-learning development tool. Because of its capabilities to create media rich, interactive content, it provides the flexibility needed to create effective e-learning. However, it was not designed specifically for e-learning, and interactivity is achieved through scripting. This makes it too difficult for most instructional designers to learn and use. Even experienced Flash users will find it time consuming to creating rich interactivity using Flash.

SmartBuilder

• Like Flash, SmartBuilder has the power to create rich and effective interactivity
• Unlike Flash, SmartBuilder provides a point-and-click environment that makes authoring quick and easy
• Instructional designers can create content themselves
• Flash users will realize significant time savings
• Enables much more efficient rapid prototyping than using native Flash
• With the SmartBuilder Flash SDK, you don’t have to sacrifice flexibility and power; if you can build it in Flash, you can build it in SmartBuilder

HTML authoring tools
E.g. Lectora, Toolbook, Dreamweaver

HTML is the most pervasive web technology.  HTML tools are good for creating page turner content, with limited interactivity such as quizzes and "click to show more" presentations. Many of these tools also provide wizards and templates to make authoring easier.

However, unlike Flash, which can display multiple layers of content and interactivity, HTML can only replicate some of this functionality, and to do so requires complex scripting such as DHTML.  This scripting will often play differently in different browsers and operating systems, making cross-platform compatibility a real headache. 

If this explanation seems too technical, just take a look at our sample content and try to replicate any of it using an HTML authoring tool. Please let us know if you succeed!

SmartBuilder

Flash template tools
E.g. Raptivity, Articulate Engage, Flashform

Flash template tools can produce great looking, media rich content. Plus, they’re easy to use, and quick to configure.

However, effective e-learning must be tailored to the business requirements, skill gaps, work environment, and learner motivators of the situation. Even with hundreds of templates, template tools do not provide enough flexibility to do this. Instead, you must match your content to the best fitting template. This technology-centric design process often leaves you with glorified page turner content, where interactivity is neither relevant, nor inspiring. Often, the interactivity is “click-to-view more” exercises, or simple games which don’t appeal to real-world motivators.

Take a look at this sample SmartBuilder content, then decide if any of the samples could be replicated using a Flash template tool. Sure, some templates provide some elements of these interactions, but just like a car with 3 wheels and half an engine, a partial solution won’t take you where you want to go.

SmartBuilder

Screen capture tools
E.g. Captivate, Camtasia, Qarbon

These tools include screen capture and audio recording features, making them good for creating software simulations and presentations. However, they lack the flexibility to create rich learning environments where multiple objects on a page are updated based on learner actions. Also, they do not support use of variables or persistent elements such as visual score trackers, navigators, timers and help resources.

SmartBuilder enables users to seamlessly integrate the output of these tools into SmartBuilder lessons.

SmartBuilder