Many trainers want to support their participants sustainably – and ideally also outside of face-to-face times. Digital tools like apps for creating online courses can help you with this. You should review and compare several offers. The editorial team of wb-web has investigated which criteria are relevant here.

Digital Tools as Modern Helpers in Training and Education

At larger events for trainers and continuing educators, experts are increasingly discussing topics such as microlearning, augmented reality, or virtual classrooms. In the course of digital transformation, the market for digital tools such as apps or applications is also changing. Trainers can use them, for example, to prepare their offerings, expand them digitally, or evaluate results.

The wb-web portal lists three categories of digital tools:

• Applications for preparing training and for content management

• Applications for conducting training and for content creation

• Applications for post-processing training and for content preparation

Some applications are limited to one category, while others cover two or all three categories.

wb-web.de is a portal of the German Institute for Adult Education –
Leibniz Center for Lifelong Learning e.V. and was developed in cooperation with the Bertelsmann Foundation from 2014 to 2016.

One goal of digital tools is usually to simplify users' everyday lives. However, the specific problem in the continuing education sector is often a lack of clarity about the benefits and the absence of application examples. Trainers and coaches must therefore make various considerations:

• Benefits vs. Costs

• Benefits vs. technical effort

… and ultimately, trainers face the question of which apps and applications should even be included in the narrower selection.

The Choice of the Suitable App Should Be Well Thought Out

In principle, apps and other digital tools are a great thing: you can significantly improve your training by choosing the right apps and, for example, make communication between you and your participants faster and easier.

On the other hand, it should always be a choice: For this, you must consider various criteria and make a decision based on well-thought-out arguments.

What helps: Exchange with colleagues who are already using digital tools and can make recommendations. Or refer to questionnaires to make different offers comparable.

Create a Blended Learning Experience via App

With digital support for your training, you can optimally support your face-to-face events (seminars, workshops, webinars, etc.). Let your participants answer interactive quiz questions independently, provide them with further documents, or motivate them with a personal video message! All this is possible when you connect your in-person sessions with online content and offer your training as blended learning.

Maybe you are already working with one or another app and are not satisfied with usability, functionality, or other criteria. No matter what your starting point is – first, you should be clear about what exactly you want to improve. Make a list of the conditions you have for the app.

Three Essential Criteria Help You in the Initial Assessment of an App:

1. User-Friendliness for You and Your Participants

The application should function well on all your devices as well as all common operating systems and browsers. It should also be usable without specific IT knowledge and have intuitive navigation – both for you and for your participants.

2. A Sufficient Range of Features

This point, alongside good usability, is essential: Think carefully about which features are really important to you. A good application or app should include all the functions you truly need – but without compromising user-friendliness! Ultimately, quality should prevail over quantity here as well.

3. Support

Not everything runs smoothly all the time. Whether due to technical disruptions or specific questions about the application – you can recognize a good provider by their support. If you place your trust in an application or app, you should receive quick and efficient help for all important questions related to it.

Take the Test – Which App Should You Consider?

When initially selecting possible apps, the criteria mentioned above provide a good framework. Once you have an app in the narrower selection or want to compare different offers, a thorough test is advisable. The portal wb-web has created a questionnaire with 18 requirements for concrete assessments of training-suitable apps.

You can partly find these 18 requirements through information on the provider's website – for example, regarding responsive design. Other aspects are best tested by you personally by requesting a demo version – for instance, the clearly structured navigation. And finally, you can ask about all remaining requirements directly in conversation with a staff member of the offer.

This Is How blink.it Performs in the Test for Training-Suitable Apps

| Training-Suitable Apps / Online Tools should… | Met by blink.it? || ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------- || … be usable both online and offline, as there is not always an internet connection available. | (✓) || … be suitable for all common operating systems to be usable on all devices, e.g., in collaborative work. | ✓ || … be compatible with all common browsers. | ✓ || … be usable without specific IT/programming knowledge. | ✓ || … be free to test. | ✓ || … offer free support/service for paid offerings. | ✓ || … provide the option for technical support (even for a fee) for free offers. | ✓ || … transparently present the handling of stored user data. | ✓ || … have a clear, intuitive-to-use navigation. | ✓ || … allow certain permissions and settings (e.g., privacy) during installation. | (✓) || … provide explanatory tutorials for complex features. | ✓ || … feature a responsive design to remain usable on mobile devices. | ✓ || … have a clearly structured navigation. | ✓ || … clearly communicate what function and functionality they have, what tasks they perform, and which goal(s) are to be achieved. | ✓ || …. be ad-free or clearly mark included advertising offers. | ✓ || … be barrier-free so that people with physical or mental disabilities can use them in the same way as those without disabilities. | X || … allow for the export of data and content to other applications or devices. | ✓ |

Source: https://wb-web.de/material/medien/digitale-trainingstools.html (licensed under CC, filled out by us)

As a web-based app, blink.it has the significant advantage of being usable on all devices. However, this requires a functioning internet connection. Where we also still have room for improvement is in accessibility. All other points are also at the top of our priority list and are met by the app.

Ultimately, you are best positioned to decide which app is suitable for you and your training. Therefore, check out the blink.it app and test it for free and without obligation from the participant's perspective in a sample course today!