Teach yourself to teach

Macromedia has developed an authoring solution for online learning that includes a new version (5.2) of Authorware and Web authoring standards such as Flash and Dreamweaver. The integrated suite enables developers, instructional designers and subject matter experts to create and deploy standards-based learning applications for delivery on the Web, corporate intranets and via CD-ROMs.

The company reports the new features in Version 5.2 include support for Macromedia Flash 5, a new scripting editor, Windows controls, assessment knowledge objects and enhanced, standards-compliant data tracking capabilities. The studio also supports industry standards to ensure the learning content it creates can be easily tracked by learning management systems.

Macromedia also provides free learning extensions for Macromedia Flash 5 and Dreamweaver 4, including the now free CourseBuilder extension for Dreamweaver. "Getting Started with Online Learning," a how-to guide for developers written by online learning experts, is also available with the studio and as a free download from the Learning Resource Center. The learning extensions enable the development of online learning content with Flash and Dreamweaver by providing pre-built navigational frameworks, learning interactions, quizzes and built-in data tracking.

IBM Mindspan Solutions will sell the Macromedia Web Learning Studio as part of a partnership announced over a year ago.

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