Articulate Rise 360

Articulate Rise 360 is an elearning authoring tool that is part of the Articulate suite (https://articulate.com/360/rise). This platform is similar to other elearning authoring tools like Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, and Lectora (get web links), but is entirely web-based and has a much gentler learning curve. Rise 360 was released in 2016 and in an update to the Articulate 360 suite.

Rise 360 uses a drag and drop WYSIWYG interface that makes it easy to create new courses and lessons quickly. Lesson elements can be added to the page as content blocks, many of which are interactive such as multiple choice, matching, interactive images, and branching scenarios. Quizzes can also be added to the course in two ways: either embedded in the lesson page or as a stand alone element. However, user data can only be saved if the content is embedded into an LMS. This is easy to do as content can be exported in standard formats such as SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004, AICC, and xAPI.

This platform would be useful for a variety of projects from creating comprehensive distance learning courses to stand alone just-in-time training. It is especially convenient to use when working collaboratively with other instructional designers or subject matter experts as Rise 360 offers the ability for multiple people to work on the same project at once. There are also communication tools offered as part of the wider Articulate 360 suite that allow collaborators and stakeholders to comment on specific elements of the lessons. Furthermore, lessons are automatically formatted for both computer and mobile devices.

With the intuitive interface and web-based format of Articulate 360, this tool is useful for collaborating on projects with quick turnaround time. However, the ease of use comes with the trade-off of limited customization and flexibility. In addition, because of the limitations, creating truly accessible content is more challenging. When working with this platform in the past, I had to include many PDFs that include text-only versions of the interactive content.

Articulate Rise 360 must be purchased as part of the Articulate 360 suite and is not available as a stand alone product. The Articulate 360 suite includes course authoring tools (Rise 360 and Storyline 360), a review app, stock content, and training opportunities. The annual subscription cost for the full suite is $999 for an individual and $1,299 for teams. However, there is an academic discount that brings the annual subscription price to $499 for an individual and $649 for teams.

I recently used this platform for a group project where we had to create a lesson about a topic relevant to distance learning. Our group chose communication challenges and strategies as our topic. This lesson was embedded into Canvas and served as the instructional content. You can view this lesson here: https://rise.articulate.com/share/snpaakRF247OdSb0KkDa_r4lmcX4JZcJ#/