dominKnow | ONE : A Fool-Proof Formula for Rapid eLearning Development

The dominKnow platform offers a suite of authoring tools that are perfect for rapid eLearning development. Claro, Flow and Capture are all part of the dominKnow platform, with each tool offering a specialized functionality. dominKnow Claro is suitable when you need to develop eLearning courses that follow fixed layouts, but are HTML5-based and scalable on mobile devices if required.

Flow is used to design responsive eLearning that can be accessed on multiple mobile devices seamlessly. Capture is used to create software simulations that can be used as standalone components or integrated in the eLearning course. The dominKnow platform, collectively known as dominKnow | One combines authoring tools (Claro and Flow), a tool for building software simulations (Capture) and an LCMS to work together as one unit.

Training Industry ranked dominKnow platform as one among the top authoring tools and one criteria for dominKnow to receive this award was the features and capabilities offered by the tool. In the last couple of years, dominKnow has made some wonderful upgradations to the tool, making it one of the popular authoring tools for eLearning development. Here’s how dominKnow | ONE platform managed to capture the hearts of rapid eLearning developers.

Why Use dominKnow for Rapid eLearning Development?

1. Eases Rapid eLearning Development

When you select a tool for rapid eLearning development, apart from the pros and cons of the tool, you also need to consider how well it supports the instructional strategy (for example, if your instructional design strategy is to use simulation-based learning for software training, you can leverage dominKnow Capture), the availability of experts on the tool, and its cost. The advantage offered by dominKnow Claro and Flow is that they are cloud-based authoring tools that can be accessed on the web. So, if you have to work on an eLearning project under a time crunch, authoring tools from dominKnow can come to your rescue as the tool allows multiple team members to collaborate on a project. Because the dominKnow platform stores all project resources at a central location, content can be reused or repurposed across any project with ease.

The PowerPoint Wizard can quickly convert PPT decks to online learning.  When you need to develop eLearning courses at a rapid pace, the templates offered by the tool can help jumpstart the eLearning development process. The dominKnow platform provides intelligent color themes that can be used to design your eLearning and m-learning courses. For instance, when you change the background color, the text color changes automatically to complement the background color. This feature can prove to be quite a time-saver in rapid eLearning development.

What makes the dominKnow platform different from an equally popular tool such as Storyline is that it’s cloud-based which means it’s available online and offers more flexibility in development by letting team members collaborate. The only cloud-based tool currently offered by Articulate 360 apart from Articulate Review and Content Library, is Articulate Rise.

2. Develops Multiple eLearning Formats

Learning happens in a variety of ways, both formal and informal. With authoring tools from dominKnow, you can create eLearning, microlearning, mobile learning, infographics, software simulations, and integrate audio and video.

The dominKnow platform is web-based, making it easier to design online training that’s scalable, collaborative, supports instant changes, and is compatible with different platforms. Articulate Storyline on the other hand primarily offers desktop authoring, except for Articulate Rise that is web-based. The dominKnow platform offers Capture for software simulations whereas Storyline has screencasts.

3. Simplifies eLearning Translation

Often, there’s a need to rollout translated versions of rapid eLearning courses. eLearning translation is simplified by dominKnow Claro and Flow. Use the ‘Duplicate course for translation’ option to create a copy of the course in English. All the text in the course that needs to be translated can be exported to an Excel or XML file. You can update the translated text and import the file into the tool to view the translated eLearning course. dominKnow | ONE supports translations in multiple languages.

4. Rolls Out Responsive eLearning

dominKnow Flow can be used to develop truly responsive eLearning courses.  You no longer have to create multiple versions of the course to suit the screen resolution of different mobile devices. Here the content layout adapts automatically according to the device.  This feature was not available in dominKnow Claro but is available in dominKnow Flow.

Articulate too introduced its truly responsive tool Articulate Rise. But then customization is restricted. dominKnow Flow on the other hand offers a lot more flexibility in design. Another point where dominKnow Flow scores is that for every resource you build using this tool, a xAPI statement is generated. Apart from automatic xAPI statements, custom statements too can be generated by dominKnow | ONE. Currently Storyline modules do not send automatic xAPI statements as they cannot be packaged as xAPI objects. So, if you are looking to build m-learning courses, this is a feature that comes in handy.

5. Offers Collaborative Reviewing

If you have multiple stakeholders reviewing a project, the dominKnow platform facilitates collaborative reviewing just as it supports the collaborative development of eLearning courses. Another benefit offered by the tool is that all team members involved in eLearning development team can review comments, as they are logged and tracked. You can streamline the review process by setting begin and end dates to review courses and send notifications to reviewers.

Tracking reviews has never been easier. From a single interface on the tool, you can view the number of people who have reviewed the course, the number of comments that have been incorporated, and comments for which more information or clarification is awaited, notes from reviewers and assigned reviewers. Similarly, the reviewlink feature in Articulate 360 facilitates collaborative reviewing.

Summing it Up

Articulate Storyline is considered one among the best alternatives for the dominKnow platform, by eLearning developers. Storyline might have an upper hand in terms of ease of use compared to the learning curve expected in dominKnow. But if you are looking for a web-based authoring tool that gives you the option to develop rapid eLearning courses with customized, interactive templates dominKnow | ONE makes for a good choice.