The DigitalChalk LMS, from Sciolytix gives users the tools and control to launch engaging, interactive, online courses. Users can create courses featuring animated PowerPoint, SCORM content, HD videos, audio, quizzes, exams and more.
$35
per month
Schoox
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Schoox provides employee talent development, from new hire training to manager development programs, deliver the right content and courses to every employee in a social platform that keeps them engaged.
Digital Chalk is perfect for organizations who are looking for an easy to use Learning Management System and don't need all the bells, whistles, and bulk of the LMS giants, like Cornerstone or SuccessFactors. Digital Chalk doesn't require an administrative specialist to learn a whole new language and environment with endless options and settings. It's very easy to use for both learners and administrators, and yet at the same time provides the exact functions you need.
We have special locations that work differently and I have recommended this to them. Even for locations set up differently, it still applies. Because everything can be personalized to fit the need of the user. These locations have become so adept at it that they have become admins themselves so they can implement their ideas immediately. I have yet to come across a scenario where this is not appropriate
While I used the platform, it improved its integrations with PowerPoint, making it easy to convert slides to the DigitalChalk format.
The editing layers for audio underneath the slides is very user-friendly and easy to use.
While we didn't use the quiz randomization, I liked how there was a structure built to it so that those who had more robust usage situations than ours would be able to improve engagement and assess learning at a higher level.
The administration of Digital Chalk is very easy. The function I think may be missing is an easy way to add revisions and assign them to the students who need them. For example, when you update a piece of a course it would have an indication that it is version xxx and would ask who would like to assign it to - everyone who has taken it before or just new students.
It would nice to have the system recognize when a student has already completed an element of a course that may be used in another course. For example, if video A is part of courses 1 and 2, and the student already watched it in course 1, it would ask the administrator if they should get automated credit for it in course 2, as well.
User accounts: HotSchedules Train has each user in the system by first and last name which is a great tool but this becomes a problem when you have more than one person in your company with the same first and last name. Maybe they should identify by email instead of name so accounts of users with the same name do not merge together.
Copying Course or Test: Throughout the system you see the option to copy a course or a test but then the only place you can "paste" is within that same course or test. If I am creating two different courses or test that are similar it would be easy to use this function if it were designed a little better. Instead to "copy" a quiz you need to add all questions to a pool. In order to "copy" a course you would need to just create a new one from scratch.
The training necessary for the managers and trainers is minimal. The system is very intuitive and HotSchedules customer support is the best support team I have ever dealt with. They are quick to respond and keep you informed through the whole process. As for new hires, you just put them in front of a tablet or computer and they just go. Our trainees have better retention and they much prefer to go through the training on-line then having to read pages of documents.
As I mentioned previously, Digital Chalk's customer support is excellent. I also got a reply back within an hour, and it was usually the same person. So, they were familiar with our needs and how we were using the system. Honestly, most of the time we had to contact their support, it was an issue on the user's side, not in the software. Yet, they still helped identify the issue and consulted on how to fix it.
DigitalChalk gave the organization the hands-on ownership of content creation and delivery while meeting our usage case of hands-off course management on a daily basis and extending the reach of the course content and certificate to as many people as possible. It's easy to use, very cost-effective to implement, and the overall experience means that the course participants get what they need out of the course without a lot of effort on their part.
We did not use Wisetail, but we went through several weeks of training calls when we were deciding between that LMS and Schoox. We selected Schoox because of the integration with HotSchedules, something we already used, and the ongoing ease it would provide in shifting job codes and new roles within the organization
DigtialChalk's ROI is positive - the cost model of low up-front costs to get started, then paying a small amount per course participant means that organizations implementing DigitalChalk as their platform get more than their money's worth from it. It returns profit quickly and on a consistent basis.
The asynchronous nature of the platform, combined with the targeted usage situation of hands-off course delivery and management, means that resources to create, deliver, and maintain courses can be held with either one person (like an instructional designer) or even an outside contractor. This means that there's little impact to the fixed operating costs involved with hiring someone else to manage it.
