Many trainers want to support their participants sustainably – and ideally also outside of face-to-face times. Digital tools such as apps for creating online courses help you with this. You should check and compare multiple offerings. The editorial team at wb-web has examined which criteria are relevant here.
Digital Tools as Modern Helpers in Training and Education
At larger events for trainers and educators, experts are increasingly discussing topics such as microlearning, augmented reality, or virtual classrooms. In the course of the 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 names three categories of digital tools:
Applications for preparing trainings and for content management
Applications for conducting trainings and for content creation
Applications for follow-up after trainings and for content processing
Some applications are restricted 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 from 2014 to 2016 in cooperation with the Bertelsmann Foundation.
A common goal of digital tools is to simplify the everyday lives of users. The specific problem in the continuing education sector, however, is often a lack of clarity about the benefits and missing application examples. Trainers and coaches therefore need to make various considerations:
Benefit vs. Costs
Benefit vs. Technical Effort
... and finally, trainers face the question of which apps and applications should even be in the shortlist.
The Choice of the Right 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: You need to consider various criteria and make a decision based on well-thought-out arguments.
What helps: Exchanging ideas with colleagues who are already using digital tools and can provide recommendations. Or referring to question catalogs to make various offerings comparable.
Create a Blended Learning Experience via App
With a digital companion for your training, you can optimally support your face-to-face events (seminars, workshops, webinars, etc.). Let your participants independently answer interactive quiz questions, provide them with further documents, or motivate them with a personal video message! All this is possible when you link your face-to-face activities with online content and offer your training as blended learning.
Perhaps you are already working with one or another app and are not satisfied with the 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 to Help You Evaluate an App:
1. User-friendliness for You and Your Participants
The application should be functional across all your devices as well as all common operating systems and browsers. It should also be usable without specific IT knowledge and have an intuitive navigation – both for you and your participants.
2. A Sufficient Range of Features
This point is essential alongside good usability: Think carefully about which features are truly important to you. A good application or app should include all the functions you really need – but without compromising user-friendliness! Ultimately, quality should take precedence over quantity here as well.
3. Support
Not everything always runs smoothly. Whether due to technical malfunctions or specific questions about the application – you can recognize a good provider by their support. When you place your trust in an application or app, you should receive quick and efficient help for all important questions.
Take the Test – Which App is Suitable for You?
The initial selection of possible apps provides a good framework through the criteria mentioned above. Once you have an app in the shortlist or want to compare various offerings, a detailed test is advisable. The portal wb-web has created a questionnaire with 18 requirements for specific evaluations of training-compatible apps.
You can partially find out these 18 requirements through information on the provider's website – e.g., responsive design. You can best test others for yourself by requesting a demo version – e.g., the clearly structured navigation. Finally, you can inquire about all remaining requirements directly in conversation with a representative of the offering.
How blink.it Performs in the Test for Training-Compatible Apps
Training-compatible apps / online tools must... | Met by blink.it? |
... be usable both online and offline, as an internet connection is not always available. | (✓) |
... be suitable for all common operating systems for use on all devices, e.g., for collaborative work. | ✓ |
... be functional on all common browsers. | ✓ |
... be usable without specific IT/programming knowledge. | ✓ |
... be free to test. | ✓ |
... offer free support/service for paid offerings. | ✓ |
... provide technical support (also for a fee) for free offerings. | ✓ |
... transparently present the handling of stored user data. | ✓ |
... have a clear, intuitively usable navigation. | ✓ |
... allow certain permissions and rights during installation (e.g., to privacy). | (✓) |
... provide explanatory tutorials for complex features. | ✓ |
... have a responsive design to remain mobile-friendly. | ✓ |
... have a clearly structured navigation. | ✓ |
... clearly communicate which function and functionalities they have, what task they serve, and which goal(s) are to be achieved. | ✓ |
... be ad-free or clearly label any included advertising offers. | ✓ |
... be accessible so that people with physical or mental disadvantages can use them in the same way as those without disadvantages. | X |
... allow 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 advantage of being usable on all devices. However, this requires a functioning internet connection. We also have room for improvement in terms of accessibility. All other points are at the top of our priority list and are fulfilled by the app.
