The benefits of open source technology

What became apparent to us very quickly was the realisation that whilst we specialise and excel in content creation, we certainly weren’t in a position to create a tool of our own to build it in! As there is an abundance of top-quality products already on the market, why reinvent the wheel?

In the end, we decided to go with Adapt to create our distinctive eLearning modules. Adapt is a free and easy to use authoring tool that allows us to create fully responsive, multi-device SCORM compliant learning resources. Developed using leading edge technology, Adapt is an open-source tool which is contributed to and pioneered by a wide and varied range of talented creators and developers.

Ali Soper, Creative Director and Cofounder, said:

"It was essential in the early stages to choose an authoring tool that could evolve with us. We wanted to be able to build into, customise and contribute back to the tool, maximising the functionality to allow us to continue to design and develop cutting-edge, innovative learning resources."

So why go open source, whether that’s an authoring tool or platform? The decision between an open-source authoring tool, like Adapt, and a more conventional programme was a no-brainer for us. We loved the idea of being part of a community of like-minded creators, working and contributing to the tool whilst also benefiting from the innovations of fellow developers who inject into the tool new ideas, revolutions and components which allow us to constantly grow and evolve our own content.

5 benefits of Open Source technology:

1. Open source code is…open! Open source technologies have highly visible, accountable code bases, with open discussions about how the community should develop and address bugs in place so you know what you’re getting.
2. Crowd-sourced and cost effective. Open source benefits from being licence-free, flexible and forward-thinking.
3. Driven by a thriving community. Open source communities are connected by a shared drive to support and improve the tool.
4. Rapid ability to develop and create new concepts and capabilities. For open source projects, development is often quicker and more effective than internal teams working on proprietary solutions, with access and expertise from a wider global talent pool.
5. More reliable. With more eyes on the project, and more security, open source is often more thoroughly vetted by the community, issues which arise tend to be addressed quickly and more diligently.

Specialising in learning platform solutions that deliver measurable results and creating value, Stevie McIntrye from Synergy Learning explains why they utilise Open Source learning platform technology, such as Totara Learn and Moodle:

"The biggest benefit of Open Source technology is the freedom it offers. This freedom is essential in learning technologies, open platforms enable organisations of all sizes across sectors and markets to adapt faster when the world around them is changing so rapidly. The other benefit of Open Source for Synergy Learning is the ability for our development team to share their knowledge and expertise to impact core code of our partner learning platforms."