Some important things to consider

You might have given someone within your organisation, the responsibility for commissioning, designing or creating e-Learning resources and courses. Depending on their experience and knowledge of e-Learning, you will need to consider whether or not they need training and support in order to be able to produce resources which match your needs exactly and which are sound in a teaching and learning way. In other words are they good learning materials.

This training needs to include:

• how to align the digital resources to an appropriate scheme of work or programme of learning activities
• how to create clear objectives leading to learning outcomes
• how to create content that is relevant accurate, trustworthy and authoritative
• how to have learning activities which are appropriate to the subject being taught
• how to assess learning.

There is a section of the Toolkit which looks at trainer readiness for e-Learning and which will help you identify ways for developing your staff.

In terms of support for your staff involved in this aspect of developing e-Learning content, this could be provided through:

• peer support through online communities
• peer review of new resources
• the creation of an expert panel to critically review what has been developed against a set of criteria.
• regional e-Learning networks

Related Resources

•  
  Skills for Health
  

  Website for the Sector Skills Council for the Health sector.  Access to information on career pathways and National Occupational Standards

  http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/
•  
  Quality Principles for digital learning resources
  

  These quality principles produced by Becta are a guide to the design and use of digital learning resources to support effective learning and teaching. Useful if choosing or desiging resources.

  http://publications.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=32112
•  
  Courses at Sheffield Hallam
  

  There are many places that offer e-Learning courses, for example, Sheffield Hallam University offer courses in e-Learning design such as E-learning and Multimedia and Consultancy. These aim to develop the profile of the problem solver or team co-ordinator at the interface of pedagogical, technological and cultural dimensions of e-Learning and multimedia development.

  http://www.shu.ac.uk/education/elmac/aim.html
•  
  Design Principles Database
  

  An online database of design principles for educational software. A place for you to learn from other researchers who have designed, interacted with learners, and studied the use of technology for learning.

  http://www.edu-design-principles.org/dp/designHome.php