PGDEL/DECP02/Unit3/03

 Unit 2.3 Collaborative development Tools  Content Development Tools   Course Authoring Tool

To create a proper course for E-learning content, you need an authoring tool to facilitate this work. The definition of Authoring Tool is “a program that helps you write using hypertext or multimedia applications and enable you to create a final application merely by linking together objects, such as a paragraph of text, an illustration, Animation, Audio or Video”. By defining the objects' relationships to each other, and by sequencing them in an appropriate order, authors (those who use authoring tools) can produce attractive and useful graphics applications.

In this unit, you will learn a open source Course authoring tool called Udutu.

The [Udutu] site launched at since December 2005. The site was founded by Roger Mundell, Ron Hart, Chris Coldwell and Richard Mundell. Roger Mundell is currently CEO, while Richard Mundell is CEO of Udutu USA.

Udutu.com is an online service company that allows users to create and manage online e-learning courses. In May 2006 the Udutu team released their free online learning solution as a free authoring collaborative tool called as myUdutu. This authoring tool permits the author to create the courses, which are easily integrated to SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model). SCORM is a standard for sharing of data by online e-learning software.

The site allows the user to write and manage courses and extract them to be hosted on the user's server for free. For a fee, the site will also host the user's courses. Courses can consist of basic screens, assessment screens, scenario scenes and advanced screens.

Getting started of Udutu Tool It really is very easy to use, you need to set up a free account MyUdutu website and then start creating your first course. Choose one of the existing templates or create your own by uploading your own background images, logos or navigation buttons.

Every time you sign into the myUdutu tool you will start on the welcome page of myUdutu where there are 3 tab buttons at the top of the screen; Workspace, Library and Administration. These 3 tab buttons feature are explained in more detail below.

Workspace: This button will help you to your "Workspace"; the area that you will be authoring your course. This will allow you to creating a course or modifying, copying or publishing an existing course. Once course title created, you can create one or group of modules, topic and sub topic etc. The assessment templates provide the various options link Multiple choice with images, True or False, Quiz etc.

Note: There are some very nice assessment screens which you can add 11 assessment screens only in freeware version. If you need to add more, you need to pay few additional dollar payments as mentioned in their website.

Library: This section gives you the ability to manage your library objects (text, audio, animations, video, and screens). You have the power to add, edit and delete library content.

Administration: This section has all of the "behind the scenes" elements of your courses. In the Administration section you can: • Manage users (Add or remove) • Monitor activity • Modify themes • Change passwords • Add hosting capabilities, etc.

 Feature of myUdutu Tool: In overall it is very good tool in views of teaching and learners perspectives. These features are explained in below.

Ease of use: Very easy to get started, a wide range of templates, simply click on the type of screen you want and fill in the fields, upload some media and preview the screen. Instructional design flexibility : Creating Assessment questions allows you to add a wide range of feedback for Correct Answer, Wrong Answer, Partial Answer and Show Me. Very easy for non-programmers to start creating e-learning. Ability to incorporate existing content: Can load in existing animations or graphics, Flash files or import existing myUdutu courses. Ability to handle variety of topics: You can easily create a basic linear course or create several different sections to your course where the user can jump from one slide or section to another very easily. Not designed for systems training though, you would have to import a SWF for this purpose. Support for all major types of graphic, sound and video formats which are automatically optimized by myUdutu for web delivery.

<font size="3" face="verdana">Ability to publish SCORM/AICC compliant courses: Very easy indeed, myUdutu allows you to run your courses free of charge (for less than 50 screens) from their own server. The pages are watermarked but it’s very useful to test your course on their LMS for testing purposes. Once you are happy export and use the SCORM zip file on your own LMS.

<font size="3" face="verdana">Technical support available: The online PDF guide will help you with any problems you might have, there is also a friendly forum where staff and users will happily solve your issues.

<font size="3" face="verdana">Knowledgeable support team: Very impressive team of technical staff who can help you with any issues.

<font size="3" face="verdana">Discussion: myUdutu is a great free tool for creating impressive e-Learning quickly and easily. It has an impressive range of templates and can create very professional results. Anyhow this open source tool is good to start for less than 50 module courses. You need to choose the commercial version of Udutu tool, incase if you like to choose advanced workspaces and it features.

<font size="3" face="verdana"> Suggested Reading Getting Started Manual http://www.udutu.com/pdfs/EnglishUsersGuide.pdf

<font size="3" face="verdana">Udutu: Sample Course module http://samples.udutu.com/NPCA/Course/course3111.html

<font size="3" face="verdana"> Suggested Videos What is UDUTU? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anJUcRuNPyA&amp;feature=related

<font size="3" face="verdana">Udutu Online video http://publish.myudutu.com/published/courses/1391/Course3215/v2007_10_15_11_32_34/course/course3215.html How to create a Course Framework http://publish.myudutu.com/published/courses/1391/Course2882/v2007_10_15_13_49_16/course/course2882.html

<font size="3" face="verdana">How to Use Uduto Tool? http://publish.myudutu.com/published/courses/140/Course862/v2011_2_25_14_21_23/course/course862.html?redirect=true

<font size="3" face="verdana">Moodule Plug in with Udutu http://publish.myudutu.com/published/courses/1391/Course5450/v2008_2_26_9_33_26/course/course5450.html

<font size="3" face="verdana">Stay Connected with Udutu. http://publish.myudutu.com/published/courses/1391/Course3005/v2007_10_16_12_37_52/course/course3005.html

<font size="3" face="verdana">Importing Images http://publish.myudutu.com/published/courses/1391/Course4590/v2008_1_16_11_44_11/course/course4590.html

<font size="3" face="verdana">Working with basic screens http://publish.myudutu.com/published/courses/1391/Course5240/v2008_2_16_22_50_15/course/course5240.html

<font size="3" face="verdana">Working with assessment screens http://publish.myudutu.com/published/courses/1391/Course5718/v2010_5_11_16_35_10/course/course5718.html