Selection of authoring tools is an important criterion during the design and development of eLearning content. So far Adobe Flash has been the most used authoring tool in the eLearning industry until a few years back when people realised the true potentials of HTML5. Right now, considering the present industry, HTML5 is the most preferred authoring tool as it brings many advantages along, especially mobile responsiveness that is the need of the hour.
Nowadays, it is mandatory for an eLearning course to be mobile responsive and fit across screens of all sizes, be it laptops or smartphones. Smartphones have rapidly replaced laptops as the preferred device to access eLearning courses owing to their convenience and accessibility at any point of time. HTML5 is possibly the best authoring tool to introduce mobile responsiveness into eLearning courses. In fact, HTML5 is the new standard in the eLearning industry and those courses that are in the Flash format can be converted to HTML5 format with little or no loss of content. In addition to mobile responsiveness, HTML5 offers many other advantages such as easier customisation, multi browser support and zero restrictions on multimedia integration.
Here, we will discuss a few aspects to follow that will help one successfully execute Flash to HTML5 migration in eLearning. Read on.
1. Know How Much to Convert
Though the results of a Flash to HTML5 conversion are fruitful, executing the conversion is not easy as said. It takes a lot of preparation, skill and resources to pull off this conversion. Thus, it is very convenient if one knows how much to convert and which ones to convert first. Make a list of the eLearning courses you would like to convert from Flash to HTML5, and preferably rank them based on priority. This way you can have a fair about the budget you need to allocate for the conversion and the tools you would need to achieve the overall objective.
2. Prepare Well
Once you have decided to go for a Flash to HTML5 conversion and made the list of eLearning courses you would like to convert, it is time to decide if you want to do this in-house or outsource it to a professional eLearning company. You need to prepare a plan that entails budget, turnaround time, project schedule and other essentials that shall ensure a smooth execution. Gather all the tools and resources you would need to make the conversion happen and ensure you have the budget for all of it.
3. The Output
No matter what the eLearning course entails, no matter in which format it is presented, you need to ensure that the output consumes less time to read and less space to store. Since most of the eLearning courses are accessed through portable devices like smartphones and tablets, space is one of the main concerns you need to take care of. In addition, ensure that you embed more interactivity into the course using HTML5 and cut down on lengthy content that the learners might feel boring or less interactive.
4. Authoring Tools
To convert the eLearning course from Flash to HTML5 you need to have the right authoring tools. If not, the process can get extremely labourious and time consuming. If you have eLearning courses that are multimedia rich, planning a conversion with random authoring tools is a stupid thing to do. Swiffy and Adobe Canvas are comparatively the best authoring tools for Flash to HTML5 conversion, considering that they are easy to use, flexible and feature rich.
5. Roadblocks
One should also know that not every eLearning course that is in Flash can be converted to HTML5. There will always be a little bit of content that cannot be converted and hence, it is required that these courses are prepared from the scratch using HTML5 itself. If you are well on time, handy with alternatives and ready to accept the fact that everything can’t be converted to HTML5, these minor setbacks shouldn’t be a bother.
Lastly, as and when conversions are made, keep an eye on the output and ensure that the layouts converted are adhering to your requirements. Ensure that all the layouts are properly translated from Flash to HTML5 and there’s no glitch anywhere in between.
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