Reusing e-learning content (E-Learning Development Part 10)
I’ve been discussing approaches and methodologies to originating new e-learning content, but before I discuss the process of developing courseware in an open environment, I want you to consider the materials already in your possession.
Now read on…
Previously-produced e-learning content is a rich vein of resources ready to be mined and – to extend the analogy – refined for re-use. Ten years in to this new century, most organizations and institutions have a repository of e-learning materials at their disposal, but I’ll bet that a significant percentage of this material is underused, barely used, or completely unused.
One of the more common ways to develop content is to use Microsoft PowerPoint as the primary courseware authoring application. In my view, it’s also probably one of the most unsatisfactory programs to use, but that’s another story. The reason that organizations use PowerPoint is eminently practical: instructors delivering training in a classroom environment typically use PowerPoint as their presentation tool of choice, particularly in the corporate environment.
Similarly, courses authored in PowerPoint can also end up being used as the basis for hard-copy document and training manual generation. So we can say that you probably already have a substantial set of learning resources at your disposal. Most of it is probably in pretty good shape and can be re-used with some minor updates and modifications, so let’s have a look at how you can undertake breathe new life into some old content.
A typical process includes:
- Content (i.e. a series of lessons) authored in PowerPoint
- Lesson text extracted from PowerPoint imported into Microsoft Word. The content text is reformatted to enhance usability in hardcopy form (i.e. slide header made bold, 14 point etc)
- Slide images and text exported as WMF format images from PowerPoint and stored in a graphic assets folder for integration into the Word document version of the courseware.
- Because of file size issues, WMF images batch converted to high-quality GIF format.
- Images reinserted in Word document with adjoining text.
- Typically 10 to 12 lessons then inserted into a Word template and saved.
- Saved documents exported as PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
There are a number of significant inadequacies in this process, not least among them being:
- Complicated editing
- Difficulty revising materials
- Lack of traceability
- Versioning issues
- Discoverability of keywords and terms in either the source Microsoft Office application files or the compiled PDF document
- Severely restricted interoperability of content
- Restricted ability to deliver content using multiple channels (i.e. efficiently over the web)
- Use of proprietary formats to create content
Proprietary tools do not “play well with others” (Meyerding, 2004). For example, the Microsoft Office productivity suite has a long history of file format changes and despite the much-vaunted interoperability of Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXML) in Office 2007, it can be said that there are still issues with integrating MS Office-produced content into an open environment, and by extension problems using this suite if you need to integrate your content into another environment or platform.
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References:
Meyerding, H. (2004). XML and Content Reuse Systems for Instructional Design Part 2: Implementing Content Repositories & Selecting Tools Part 1. The eLearning Developers Journal 3(1). [Internet] Available from: http://www.elearningguild.com/articles/abstracts/index.cfm?
action=view&CFID=822922&CFTOKEN=16828758 (Subscription required) Accessed 22nd October 2009
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February 01 2010 04:09 pm | e-learning
Mark on 02 Mar 2010 at 12:59 pm #
Good Post! Check out this video channel. Found some good information on content development and learning. http://go2see.it/ach
Michael Hanley on 02 Mar 2010 at 1:45 pm #
Thanks Mark – I’l check it out!
Best,
Michael
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Hong on 05 May 2010 at 10:22 pm #
Powerpoint is used as quick and easy content authoring tool. Rather than dissuade it, my project aims to add functions to make it works better as e-learning tool. That includes adding assessment tools, commonly used scripts (crossword, game) and export to Flash (or HTML5 soon) for web delivery. Still under constant development and I’m looking for more ideas. Hope to receive some feedback with your expertise to make it more useful.