We talked to dozens of independent experts about what tools they’ve tried to use to set up online courses and learning communities. We learned that there’s a huge “hassle factor” getting in the way of their work.
As Marlene Hielema says, “Programming and those types of things hurt my head… that was a huge barrier to me getting something started.” Tools such as content management systems (e.g. Drupal) and learning management systems (e.g., Moodle; Sakai) are far too complex for most folks to set up and use—while simpler tools, like WordPress, tend to be designed for publishing content, not supporting structured learning.
Some of the hassles involved include:
- figuring out what software (or combination of multiple pieces of software) to use, and what capabilities are included
- determining how to download, set up, and configure the software on your preferred Web hosting provider
- customizing the software for your particular needs
So our first goal with ruzuku is to eliminate as much of the hassle as possible. We host the software on our server (this is sometimes called “software as a service”) and make sure it’s reliable and performing well. As a result, you can get started creating a course outline on ruzuku in just a few minutes, as opposed to hours or days if you start from scratch.
Another part of “zero hassle” is being committed to helping you achieve your goals – making sure you have all the tools necessary to create your courses simply with as few roadblocks as possible. Our commitment doesn’t end at your Web browser. In particular, we provide documentation and customer support to help you get started, and unstick you if you get stuck. We are here to help you.
Watch as Lisa Chu, a life coach and ruzuku superhero, discusses the ease of creating courses on ruzuku.
Ruzuku Zero Hassle from Ruzuku on Vimeo.
