Hello all,

I just downloaded Course Lab and would like to learn more about how it compares with Captivate, Articulate, and any other "acceleration focused" software packages. Its software simulation module is not free and I want to learn how it fares with its pricier competition. For the sake of differentiation, this means not: Lectura, Authorware, Toolbook.

Which software do you prefer for a course with a module on negogiation skills and using a a proprietary software system? Let's assume the Captivate auto text that is generated will need to be heavily edited and the client wants to the user to do a business process a specific way.

What are the situations where you prefer Articulate?

What are the situations where you prefer Captivate?

What "acceleration focused" software packages do we need to include for a sequel to this post? Let's put the cap at under $1000 per license for this.

I am in the process of trying to decide which of these two to purchase, as well. We don't have an LMS, so I need something that will author to our intranet or to CD. I don't have a developer, so I need something that is easy, looks polished and that I can learn quickly...thoughts?

gsebree

Faceoff Articulate (A) Vs. Captivate 3 (C3)

Did you ever think about Adobe Presenter and Adobe Connect pro as a package deal since you do not have an LMS?

As for A and C3 Both are quick to deploy and are ready to go out of the box. After spending a couple hours you can be ready to create your first online training. Both have similar features and can be self taught. The problem is that they both require an LMS for tracking and scoring. I have the luxury of an LMS which enables me to insert C3 and A very easily and the content is SCORM compliant.

I prefer C3 for demos, simulation, I have even created a mandatory corporate compliance course with over 100 slides, not recommended but it works.

The adobe presenter and adobe connect Pro provides you with a solution to your problem. We just purchased. What I like about this feature is that you can create training host it on their server and if you want someone to view your training you just send them a link and not a file all of this can be SCORM with the package and can be reportable

Something to consider,

Let me know if you have any other questions or need contact info. Just shoot me an e-mail.

Corrie.Woolcott@MedImpact.com

My experience with Captivate and "heavily editing auto-text" for proprietary software development have proven a bit challenging. So has been exporting sceens from the auto-capture for editing (in Captivate or Flash)- it just seems to split screens a bit differently than we might have preferred.

We have Flash Developers (and when we overburden them, we can find many more "on the cheap") and they all toss the Captivate captures and build from scratch- total control, no extras, leaner files.

Not to say Captivate can't be muscled to do it, but from an ROI standpoint my teams' experience is generally to go a path of lesser resistance (and don't forget ongoing maintenance over the life of the training).

Haven't tried anything quite as robust with Articulate (or it's cheaper comparative product Wondershare), but I hear the story is a bit the same.

If you don't have developers, or can't contract out Flash development at a price that fits your budget, then either will be feasible options (Captivate might have a slight edge for editability in this regard).

Download the trial and see how it performs- the capture of your screens might be cleaner than my experience (an ancient proprietary financial services legacy software product that isn't even written in a programming language known by most of the free world today- if your stuff wasn't written by someone wearing parachute pants, the capture and application might play nicer)

As for Adobe Presenter- if you have Acrobat (PDF software - not the reader) and are planning to upgrade, Presenter is bundled in the newest version. Connect Pro is a nice product, but unless you really are doing webcasts, it's a lot of extra features and cost you may not need versus a more affordable product (and I know of many cheaper LMS, presentation, simulation, and webcast tools). These Adobe tools are higher end.

Any questions, just reach out.

gsebree:

Please contact me about a specific tool, very similar to Articulate (with a sim module) that can write to Intranet or CD but also export results to an auto-generated d-base or completions to an email post (unless you want to start shopping LMS systems- which I have a lot of experience with as well).

FYI: Articulate also has Articulate Online which is a fairly light LMS-type product. I beta tested, and for folks looking for basic LMS features, it was fairly affordable and very easy to use.