ADOBE AUTHORWARE

(AUTHORWARE)
Adobe Authorware
 Adobe Authorware (previously Macromedia
Authorware) was an interpreted, flowchart-based,
graphical programming language. Authorware is
used for creating interactive programs that can
integrate a range of multimedia content,
particularly electronic educational technology (also
called e-learning) applications. The flowchart model
differentiates Authorware from other authoring
tools, such as Adobe Flash and Adobe Director,
which rely on a visual stage, time-line and script
structure.
History

 Authorware was originally produced by Authorware

Inc., founded in 1987 by Dr Michael Allen.
 Allen had contributed to the development of
the PLATO computer-assisted instruction system during
the 1970s that was developed jointly by the University
of Illinois and Control Data Corporation. CDC, where
Allen was Director of Advanced Instructional Systems
R&D, invested heavily in the development of an
expansive library of interactive "courseware" to run on
the PLATO system.
 PLATO courseware was developed in a unique
programming language called TUTOR, which
provided structures unique to learning interactions,
such as answer judging and branching. TUTOR
programmers were able to build powerful scripted
systems
Use in electronic educational technology

 Authorware is particularly well suited to creating

electronic educational technology (also called e-
learning) content, as it includes highly customizable
templates for CBT and WBT, including student
assessment tools. Working with these templates,
businesses and schools can rapidly assemble multimedia
training materials without needing to hire a full-fledged
programmer.
 Intuitively-named dialog boxes take care of input and
output. The flow chart model makes the re-use of lesson
elements straightforward.

CBT-Computer Based Training

WBT-Web Based Training
Authoring tool

 Also known as authorware, a program that helps you

write hypertext or multimedia applications. Authoring tools
usually enable you to create a final application merely by
linking together objects, such as a paragraph of text, an
illustration, or a song. By defining the objects' relationships
to each other, and by sequencing them in an appropriate
order, authors (those who use authoring tools) can produce
attractive and useful graphics applications. Most
authoring systems also support a scripting language for
more sophisticated applications.
 The distinction between authoring tools and programming
tools is not clear-cut. Typically, though, authoring tools
require less technical knowledge to master and are used
exclusively for applications that present a mixture of
textual, graphical, and audio data.