Evolve Elearning Authoring Tool: Software Review

If you’ve narrowed down your search for an elearning authoring tool to something that’s cloud-based and easy to use, you may be trying to make a choice between Elucidat and Evolve elearning authoring platforms. So, which features does each authoring platform offer? And how can you tell which is right for you? Let’s review the Elucidat and Evolve authoring tools side-by-side and see how they compare.

Online elearning tools Elucidat and Evolve both offer intuitive WYSIWYG editing interfaces, and both are based in the cloud. This makes them both appealing options to novice elearning creators. Authors can get up and running quickly, without the need for lengthy installations. But, there are elements that set the two apart.

In this authoring tool comparison, we’re going to review how each one performs against these main criteria:

1. How easy is it to use? How steep is the learning curve? How user-friendly is the interface?
2. What quality of learning output does it offer? What kind of experience can your learners expect? How engaging is the end result?
3. How quick and easy is it to get your course out there? How efficient is the production process? How much time does it require of authors? How are elearning courses published?
4. How well does the tool perform at scale? How does the tool cope if you want to create multiple learning courses? What happens if you have lots of authors working on the same course at once?

Evolve vs. Elucidat authoring software: At-a-glance comparison table

Comparing tools? Take the pain out of picking the right platform by downloading our handy comparison template! 

In-depth: How does Elucidat compare to Evolve?

Let’s take a closer look at each of the tools to see how they perform against each of the key criteria.

Evolve

How easy is it to use?

Evolve has been created with novice elearning authors in mind, so one of its main selling points is its user-friendly interface. Authors can create blocks of content and then set the interaction in that block, choosing from a good range of pre-coded options.

However, each templated element includes an extensive range of settings that must be configured, which can make first-time use of the tool daunting. The range of options means you’ll have a high degree of control over each element, but it will increase your workload too.  Evolve also doesn’t include any way to visualize the project structure, which can make it harder to keep on top of what you’re creating.

What quality of learning output does it offer?

The Evolve elearning authoring tool lets elearning authors choose from a solid range of interaction types. It offers presentational interactions like flip cards and carousels, as well as quiz- and activity-based interactions like drag and drops and multiple choice questions.

It does support some branching within its courses, but it’s limited in terms of how far you can tailor project structures, so learning tends to follow the same linear path across courses.

Evolve publishes HTML5 elearning content, which means its courses work on any platform or device, including desktops, tablets and smartphones.

How quick and easy is it to get your course out there?

The simple user interface means that the creation of an Evolve course will be fairly quick and efficient, and Live Previews mean you can see any changes you make take effect in real-time.

Course publication follows the traditional SCORM package LMS route, so you’ll need to allow time between creation and launch.

How well does the tool perform at scale?

Evolve includes a Review and Comment feature so colleagues can add a comment to any part of a course and the elearning creator will see it instantly.

Although setting up the branding for one course can take time, once it’s done, applying the same branding across a large suite of courses is straightforward.

One issue with scalability that might hold up larger teams, though, is that it’s not easy to create variations of the same course, as edits can’t be made to course content locally. There is also no easy way to manage translations.

Overall, Evolve may be enough for small teams of colleagues, but it isn’t set up for large teams or businesses working at scale.

Elucidat

How easy is it to use?

Elucidat is a cloud-based elearning authoring tool designed to be used by content creators, SMEs and instructional designers without advanced technical skills. As well as a WYSIWYG editor, it also offers elearning content authors a project structuring interface. These are both crucial to usability, as they mean course pages can be clearly visualized, letting you see what you’ve created and how it all fits together.

With Elucidat, there’s no need to design everything from scratch. The software comes with its own set of presentation components and interactive activities which novice users can use as building blocks to easily produce engaging courses.

But it goes one step farther than that – Elucidat also offers the Learning Accelerator add-on. This tool goes beyond a suite of out-of-the-box interactions, giving elearning authors access to a selection of templated course designs. Course creators just need to select the template that works for their course and subject, plug in their content and launch.

What quality of learning output does it offer?

Elucidat includes a full template library, which includes everything from clean and simple presentations to challenging questions and activities. So, there’s plenty to choose from to keep courses varied and interesting.

Other options authors may want to offer their learners include personalized rules which tailor content to the user and gamification features like badges and quick-fire quizzes to make learning fun. Elucidat includes functionality for branching content so the elearning author can create different learning paths depending on the learner’s answers to questions.

Each screen or page can be designed using the layout designer feature to help steer courses away from that templated elearning look, and multiple project structures can be supported so you can avoid elearning becoming too linear.

The Learning Accelerator add-on means that even authors with no learning design expertise can create interactive, high-quality courses. Whichever template authors select, it will come with a good-practice learning design baked in. Authors simply need to select the template best suited to their content and goals, input their content and a high-quality learning experience is ready to go.

Take a look at the elearning examples on Elucidat’s showcase and see if any could be used as a template to kickstart your course.

How quick and easy is it to get your course out there?

Elucidat’s easy-to-use interface and ready-made interactions mean good quality courses can be created quickly and efficiently. The brand importer lets you make sure your course is on brand quickly too, without the need to adjust multiple interface elements or re-upload logos.

The Learning Accelerator templates mentioned above speed things up even more, letting you create your course four times faster.

When it comes to getting your elearning to your audience, Elucidat gives you the super fast and simple option of sharing a direct link to the course.

How well does the tool perform at scale?

As Elucidat is based in the cloud, several authors can work on the same project at the same time, which is a big advantage when creating a large suite of courses or working with a team of elearning authors. It also includes a central asset library so images and other assets can be shared across departments.

The variations manager is another useful feature for teams working at scale. If you want to create several versions of one module, you can create one simple master course, and then different versions of this master can be created underneath it. All versions are editable at the master level, so changes can be made quickly and applied across the whole suite.

Elucidat provides first-class product support and professional services aimed at larger organizations, so you can open up content creation to SMEs across your business. You can also feel safe in the knowledge that they will get support using the tool if and when they need it.

Summing up

Evolve is a great option for those who are totally new to elearning and want to get simple, linear courses created quickly and easily.

For bigger employers who want to take things to the next level, Elucidat offers the same easy-to-use, cloud-based editing environment, but with the added bonus of features specifically designed for teams working at scale. Elucidat is ideal for big employers who want to drive down the cost of business-critical training by producing high-quality learning super-fast.

See how Elucidat shapes up against other tools:

• Best elearning authoring tools and software blog – full list of the most popular tools on the market today.
• Elucidat and iSpring Suite comparison and review – head-to-head review of the two authoring tools.
• Elucidat vs GoMo Learning: Comparison and Review – Check out which tool has the features that fit best with your needs.
• Articulate Storyline 360, Rise and Elucidat software review – see how each tool shapes up, to help you make the right choice!

Want to find out more?

If you want to find out more about how Elucidat and Evolve compare, start a free trial of Elucidat to see what it can do. We’ll get you off to a great start with a demo.