Asymetrix solutionAsymetrix Learning Systems, Inc. offers a wide list of products dedicated to the development of the online learning (training). For example as authoring tools we find the ToolBook II family (with seven different products), for the learning management we have the Asymetrix Librarian and Ingenium and also are available authoring support tools as Digital Video Producer or Recorder. The newest released tool is the ToolBook II Assistant 7.0. Assistant is the solution for professionals who need to provide training and exchange knowledge through interactive learning applications -- and want to create them using the same techniques they use when creating standard office documents. Using Assistant's intuitive drag-and-drop interface, trainers, educators, human resource managers -- virtually anyone with information to convey -- can author effective courseware. To give you the real experience of using ToolBook II Assistant 7.0, here is the last review of this product published on May 3, 1999 by the InfoWorld on-line magazine. ToolBook eases online authoringBy Lori Mitchell, InfoWorld Test Center ToolBook II Assistant 7.0 from Asymetrix is an easy-to-use authoring package that enables managers, course instructors, and first-time developers to create their own online courses.The previous version won our Test Center Comparison of Web-based training tools and earned a Hot Pick. The latest version, which shipped in April, does just what its name suggests: It assists users through every step of creating and deploying an interactive course using wizards, templates, and online guidance. Giving course instructors and knowledge workers the tools they need to author courses themselves diminishes the need to hire high-priced developers. However, professional developers and programmers who want more control over the courses they design may want to wait for the latest release of ToolBook II Instructor, which Asymetrix will ship late this summer. This latest release of ToolBook II Assistant brings more templates and assistants than previous versions, expanded delivery options including Dynamic HTML (DHTML) and Extensible Markup Language, as well as support for 3.x browsers using HTML and Java. For users who want a template-based approach to course creation, this product is ideal. As with previous versions, Asymetrix provides users with many tools to help them become familiar with the package, including a quick start guide, an online video demo, a book specialist wizard, and many templates. Asymetrix has even adopted the Microsoft Agent for additional coaching to those who need it. During the testing process, I created courses using many of ToolBook's helpful guides. Asymetrix provides 40 useful templates that you can modify, including sales product training, a 10-question quiz, and human resources benefits training. I made several modifications to the template I chose by typing in content and questions for students and by adding graphics and video. I was able to set limits on how many times students could attempt to answer a question and send them back to a particular page for review. To create my own template, I used the book specialist feature, which walks creators through the process of laying out a course with options for adding background colors and motifs. Once it was created, I added items such as navigational buttons and interactive questions by dragging and dropping them from an object catalog. What was missing from this product was an image library for choosing images to add to your course, which I had found with another courseware tool, MicroMedium's Digital Trainer. However, ToolBook provides a CD called the Digital Video Recorder for capturing video for use in your course, and it supports both RealMedia and Microsoft Windows Media files. To make an online course truly effective, you must add interactivity. Asymetrix enables users to incorporate interactive elements, such as cell animation and action triggers, by providing tools in the Animation Editor. To get the most from this feature, I would have liked to see a sample course with a tutorial, such as those I have used with Macromedia's Dreamweaver Attain and MicroMedium's Digital Trainer. Asymetrix charges customers extra for sample courses. While I was creating my course, I could toggle back and forth between the author and reader modes to experience the course as a user would before I actually published it. This feature let me see exactly what the student would see and make alterations where necessary. ToolBook offers a wide range of publishing options: I could publish my final course to a CD, a LAN, or the Internet -- all with guided assistance within the product. By selecting the AutoPackager feature, ToolBook prepared my course to be deployed to CD or a LAN, and the process was quick and easy. Preparing my course for the Internet was just as easy with the Web Specialist, a wizard that walked me through my course-deployment process and automatically translated the course to the correct format. For example, it translated the output for use with DHTML browsers, such as Netscape Navigator 4.06, or HTML-only browsers. Companies that are making an investment in training should consider Asymetrix
ToolBook II Assistant 7.0. This wizard-based creation tool provides novice
users with the capabilities they need to create and deploy an online course
without having to rely on programmers. It helps companies provide employees
with training that is tailored to their jobs, it lowers development costs,
and it keeps people in the office and away from off-site classrooms. More detailed information accompanied with pictures and technical requirements
you will find in the Also you can read in our case study the results of a comparison test with different solutions including Asymetrix. |