iSpring Suite

iSpring Suite

Developer(s)	iSpring Solutions
Stable release	7.0
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Type	eLearning software, Presentation software
License	Shareware
Website	www.ispringsolutions.com/ispring-suite

iSpring Suite is a rapid learning authoring toolkit produced by iSpring Solutions, Inc., for developing professional e-Learning courses in PowerPoint with embedded (or standalone) quizzes, surveys, and interactions. Output is compatible with mainstream LMS standards (SCORM/AICC^[1]^[2]), and there is also an option to publish courses specially for BlackBoard LMS.^[3] The new xAPI (Tin Can) format for LRSes is supported as well.^[4] Output can be a solid SWF file(s), EXE file, HTML page or ZIP archive. Additionally, the cross-platform output format (Flash + HTML5) allows published content to be viewed on any type of modern device.^[5]

History

The history of iSpring Suite goes back to 2006, when the team released Flashspring Pro, the prototype of all iSpring products.^[6] It was a simple PowerPoint-to-Flash converter with free and commercial versions. Later, iSpring released Flashspring Ultra^[7] and SCORM compatibility became available. The companion products FlashSpring Lite and FlashSpring Server were released in 2006 and 2007, respectively.^[8]^[9] In 2008, FlashSpring was rebranded and got a new name – iSpring.^[10] 2009 was the year when the company unveiled a totally updated e-learning tool called iSpring Presenter.^[11] This tool found market acceptance due to the high quality of generated courses^[12] at a reasonable price. In 2010, iSpring Presenter took the Gold in the Brandon Hall Excellence in Technology Awards in the Rapid Authoring category.^[13] In 2011, iSpring products were introduced at European exhibitions for the first time.^[14] In the same year, iSpring Suite was released as the successor to iSpring Presenter.^[15]^[16] The current version of iSpring Suite, iSpring Suite 7, came out in June 2014.^[17]^[18]

Innovations

One of the most notable enhancements made to iSpring Suite 7 is the support of combined, cross-platform Flash + HTML5 format. It allows users to create mobile-ready projects that adapt to any screen size and orientation.^[19] iSpring Suite 7 comes with free mobile apps for iOS^[20] and Android,^[21] which allow offline content viewing. The apps collect statistics on learning activity even with no Internet connection and send them to an LMS once the connection is restored.^[22] Another fresh innovation is the capability of adding characters. The built-in character library provides a wide range of characters, both illustrated and photographic. The iSpring Character Wizard helps users create custom characters to fully correspond with the topic of a presentation or an e-Learning course.^[23]

Features

iSpring Suite includes 3 components: iSpring Pro, iSpring QuizMaker and iSpring Visuals — a set of standalone tools that can be used both separately and together.

iSpring Pro

iSpring Pro helps turn PowerPoint projects into mobile-ready online presentations. It supports the standard PowerPoint features such as animation, transition effects and narration facilities^[24] and contains additional features that aren't provided by PowerPoint, such as publishing to the Web or an LMS. Additionally, iSpring Pro provides multi-stage content protection against unauthorized browsing and distribution: password, watermark, time restriction and domain restriction.^[25] There's a free version of iSpring Pro called iSpring Free, which is also able to generate SCORM-compliant courses,^[26] however doesn't offer the more advanced capabilities of iSpring Pro.

iSpring QuizMaker

iSpring QuizMaker allows users to create smart quizzes and surveys, using such advanced features as branching scenarios, learning metric controls, and feedback customization. It offers 23 types of questions, including multiple choice, true or false, fill in the blank, drag-and-drop questions, and more. It is possible to fully customize the appearance of a quiz as well as record and insert audio and video files, images and formulas. A flexible scoring system allows teachers to make a unique evaluation of a given student's knowledge. For example, the quiz author can set a point- or percentage-based passing score, award custom points for correct answers, and set custom rules to deduct points for incorrect answers or partially answered questions.^[27] In 2011 iSpring QuizMaker got a Brandon Hall Bronze Medal in the "Best Advance in Technology for Testing or Learning Evaluation" category.^[28] On the model of iSpring Free, there is also a Free QuizMaker that provides all the basic features of iSpring QuizMaker, and generates SCORM-compliant courses.^[29]

iSpring Visuals

iSpring Visuals is designed for enhancing PowerPoint presentations with rich media interactions to serve as explanatory tools in an e-learning course, business presentation, advertisementetc. The software contains interactive templates which are immediately ready to populate with content: a 3D book, Directory, FAQ, and Timeline. All interactions will be available for viewing from any modern device. Content can be published standalone directly from Visuals or inserted as part of a larger presentation in PowerPoint via iSpring Suite.^[30]

iSpring Pro and iSpring QuizMaker are available as separate products. iSpring Visuals can be used only as a part of iSpring Suite. A free 30-day trial version of iSpring Suite 7 is available for download from the iSpring website.^[31]

References

External links

iSpringSolutions.com the official website