How To Work With Learning Technologists

Some of our learning objects are created by lecturers themselves without much input from learning technologists. Making materials yourself can be very satisfying, but it is time consuming. Larger projects can often get waylaid by more pressing matters such as teaching and research and sometimes projects never get finished. So, you might need to enlist the services of your Learning Technology (LT) department to develop the object for you. When you involve third parties in your project work, a range of communication, expectation and technical constraints come into play and they need to be managed by you, the client.

This post offers some guidelines on commissioning and overseeing projects so that they are made on time/budget and do the job they were designed to do. By following these suggestions, you will be able to commission and manage projects effectively:


1. Know What You Want

You need to know what you want from the e-learning in terms of the change it will bring about - is it, for example, to help students become more numerate, or to be able to use laboratory equipment, or understand how to sequence DNA? Think about what you might need to get the content across - is it video scenarios, simulations, certification tests or just a simple tutorial? Discuss this with your LT people, get their input and then write a simple specification. By all mean take along examples of similar solutions you've seen online as these stimulate discussion and give your LT people an idea of the complexity of your requirement. You might end up with something like this:

Target population - First Year Biology students who are struggling with the Maths that is required on the course.
Expected solution - simple tutorials that review and test knowledge of equations and scientific notation.
Treatment - A lecturer is filmed a she describes and demonstrates how to solve a range of problems. A test with random questions is used to check understanding
VLE - The material is accessed via the VLE and it should record scores that learners acquire on simple post tests.


2. Expressing What You Want To Your Learning Technologists

E-learning developers will often talk in the language of technology and objectives - things they can measure their solution against. Once you know what you want, expressing it becomes easy - you just need to specify a terminal (end) objective and then break that down into the components that contribute towards that end. It's always a good idea to ask your LT people to 'talk back' the brief to you at the close of the meeting as you can check understanding and clarify any potential sticking points.


3. Having Buy-In From Your Colleagues and Senior Academics

Believe me things go a lot smoother if you have the interest and support of senior colleagues. For a start you’ll probably get a budget and a date on which to complete. Having these will give you confidence to commission within the cost and time constraints - a budget of £3K and a time limit of two weeks won’t get you a complex interactive video based game for instance.


Behaviour of the Effective LT Client

LT clients come from many disciplines - some are ICT savvy, others are not, some are used to working with 3rd parties, some are a tad more isolated. Here are guidelines to follow that will ensure that you have a friendly and productive relationship with your LT supplier:

1. Only Ask For Quotations When You Have The Funding

You can save a lot of time and heartache for yourself and LT staff if you only ask for quotations/pitches when you are sure you have the budget. Sure, projects can get cancelled and LT teams are used to this, but asking for pitches for non-existent projects will result in you attending unnecessary meetings, responding to emails about imaginary projects and wasting everyone's valuable time.


2. Only Ask For What You Can Afford

Client/LT relationships can become strained if the client isn’t aware of how much things cost. Asking for video when the LT team knows that you barely have enough budget for an audio treatment is asking for trouble. Asking a rapid developer to deliver complex simulations for £2K also tends to curdle relations. It’s OK to ask about costs, but not to change your mind about an agreed solution.


3. Honour Sign-Offs

A sign-off triggers the next phase of a project’s life cycle. If the next phase starts and the sign-off is reneged, then unnecessary effort is expended and someone needs to pay for it. The likely consequence is that timescales will slip. Let your colleagues know about the critical role that sign-offs play in the production process. If colleagues are known for letting things slip or are very busy, then let the LT team know and try to work around it - you might need to add additional time to the life-cycle. Try not to change your mind, but if you do, let people know as soon as you can.


4. Apply Common Sense To Deadlines

It is not unusual for timescales to slip on projects. Slippages can sometimes be down to the client - the content isn’t ready in time, sign-offs take too long, changes are asked for at the last minute. Despite slippage on their part, some clients still insist on the original deadline being met - this is unreasonable and creates bad feeling. Be prepared to apply some give and take.


5. They Have Set Aside Time to Work With The LT Team

It is likely that you hold the information required to produce the e-learning in your head - you are a subject matter expert and are key to the success or failure of your project. Try to be available during the analysis and design phases of your project. Ask your LT team what time commitment is expected from you and when it will be required. Try to ensure that you will be available.

Rob Alton