E-Learning Authoring Software Selection: How Do Instructional Designers Gain Competency Using and Selecting Appropriate Digital Media Development Tools?

Given the recent rapid innovation of e-learning authoring tools, academic programs responsible for preparing future training practitioners are faced with the difficult task of deciding how best to design curriculum for e-learning production skills for aspiring instructional designers and multimedia developers. To be able to appropriately design curriculum in academic programs, it would be valuable to know what tools experienced e-learning designers and developers frequently learn to use and how they select specific tools. This is important because, although many authoring tools advertise similar functionality, experienced instructional designers (IDs) and multimedia developers understand that there are subtle differences that need to be considered for novice and experienced users when thinking about the needs for a specific project. The motivation behind this pilot study is from students in a graduate e-learning certificate and master\u27s degree programs consistently asking professors for support to learn how to use and select multimedia-authoring tools. We turned to the literature to gain insight on evidence-based practices to help meet this need; however, the research in this area is currently barren