Authoring tools provide teachers with ready-made templates for most of the exercise types and interactions commonly used in self-study packages. These templates can then be filled with content and the authoring tool automatically "creates" an interactive exercise using this input. It is important to note that the creation of self-study exercises specifically geared towards a particular target group can be achieved without any knowledge in programming or script-writing. Basic computing skills are sufficient even to be able to integrate multimedia features into exercises.

A classic example for authoring tools for language learning is the WIDA Software Authoring Suite, a more recent example with additional and more flexible options to put together complete and structured multimedia enhanced learning packages is the TELOS package. The Half-baked Potatoes package, downloadable free of charge off the internet, allows teachers to create an interactive learning environment for self-study and place it on the web.

A number of teachers make use of such tools to create exercises with a view to providing their learners with more effective tasks in the form of electronic homework. However, if one intends to exploit new technologies within a more constructivist framework, such tools can also be used to engage learners in the creation of exercises for their peers.  By asking learners to create an exercise dealing with what has been learned at the conclusion of a unit, one can provide them with a framework within which they have to consider the rule in more detail, think about and search for suitable samples and tasks as well as potential areas for mistakes and contemplate the necessary feedback to be integrated into an exercise. In such cases, learners do work on their linguistic skills but at the same time develop what has been referred to above as language awareness and learning competence.