Few organisations have specialist teams or units dedicated to open learning materials development. In most companies, and in many education and training organisations, materials development is undertaken as part of a wider remit or role. For many organisations establishing a system for developing open learning materials means creating a new 'infrastructure' but using existing personnel and resources.

This unit examines some of the practical aspects of managing materials development. It does not seek to cover project management techniques or scheduling, but tackles three main areas specific to open learning materials.

When you have completed this unit, you should have:

• decided which resources are available within your organisation for materials development.

• outlined a materials development method for your organisation

• specified the systems you need to manage materials development

• examined how you will embed materials development within the overall strategy used by your organisation.

This module concentrates on the techniques for developing open learning materials. It assumes tailored materials development, often using a mix of in-house personnel and specialists. These specialists may be employed directly by the organisation, or be external contractors. Your organisation's involvement might vary from specifying and managing to full scale production.

In practice you need to consider three main options:

• commissioning external organisations

• mix of internal and external

• full in-house production.

If your organisation has no capacity or available expertise to develop its own materials, you may decide to commission a specialist producer of open learning materials. There can be specific advantages:

• avoids use of internal staff time and resources

• brings input of external ideas

• allows access to specialists.

However, the following sections of this unit also outlines a number of advantages of in-house development which centre on control and closeness of match to needs. External or internal development of materials can be cost effective. This will depend on both actual costs and your organisation's capacity to produce to similar standards.

If you are thinking about using an external producer, you need to consider:

• whether to sub-contract all or part of the project (see later section)

• your role and that of colleagues in specifying and managing the project

• helvetica, arialcales, milestones and schedules

• contractual matters

• any issues of confidentiality

• how to familiarise the producer/supplier with you organisation and its requirements

• methods of communication and collaboration with the producer

• ensuring the producer can gain access to internal information needed for the material

• copyright – who owns what?

• arrangements for piloting and testing the materials

• agreeing approval and points for review e.g. drafts, prototypes

Many organisations use external producers on a regular basis. Others find it difficult to justify the direct expenditure on production.

If your organisation has already used external producers for development of any type of learning materials, talk to those involved and complete those parts of the actions below which are relevant.

Main conclusions about the experience to date:

Benefits

Drawbacks

Specific issues

Activity 6.2 External development - issues for consideration

If your organisation has not used external producers for open learning, make some notes below about how you would handle this and issues you feel would need to be addressed before commissioning.

Role i.e. who does what

Contractual requirements

Copyright

Scheduling

Relationship with internal providers

e.g. communication

The activity should have helped you to decide how you would approach external production. The remainder of the section contrasts this with varying levels of internal development and these should provide you with a basis for a broad policy for your organisation.

Establishing materials development in-house has become a popular option for a wide range of larger organisations, universities and colleges. It provides these organisations with the benefits of:

• greater control over the material

• easier integration with other aspects of the open learning operation

• cost effectiveness (although this may depend on media)

• opportunities to develop the skills and expertise of existing staff

Although the benefits are considerable, there are drawbacks:

• many organisations do not have the initial expertise to develop the quality of materials

• development may rely on seconded or part-time activity from staff. This may make scheduling and project management more difficult

• in the corporate sector, it has proved difficult to provide sufficient time from key staff or trainers and many companies have found it difficult to establish a 'permanent' system

• universities and colleges have often relied on individual or small groups of lecturers whose available time for materials development may be limited.

Consider the advantages and disadvantages for your organisation of producing materials in-house. Once you have drawn up a 'balance sheet', try to identify any significant barriers or problems.

The main benefits are usually:

• the ability to match content to needs

• cost effectiveness

• immediate access to those involved in writing materials

• confidentiality

• competitive advantage

• speed of response

Issues that arise relate to project management, managing people and processes, developing expertise and gaining adequate support or budget.

Disadvantages will often centre on:

• the absence of a supportive infrastructure

• lack of in-house expertise

An organisation making extensive use of flexible forms of learning may use a combination of methods of materials development. Even organisations committed to in-house development may mix this with the use of external consultancy and some commissioning of services from specialist producers.

• Internal specification and overall project management

In this scenario, the user organisation devises the initial specification in some detail and the external organisation concentrates on production. The commissioning organisation will retain project management control and set budgets, schedules and milestones.

• Part sub-contracting

An alternative which many organisations find cost effective is to sub-contract those topics where there is insufficient in-house resource or expertise. This may involve work on a specific item such as production in one medium or specific activities such as writing, editing, piloting or design.

• External consultancy

Resources may be available in-house, but you may use an external specialist advisor. They may be open learning methods specialists and/or subject matter experts, but their function is similar: to top up in-house expertise. Some organisations find this is a useful way of moving into in-house materials development using external specialists to advise and to help in-house staff to develop their own skills and methods.

The exact mix you use will depend largely on your assessment of the level of expertise and resources available. The activity below will help you to consider this and to decide how you might use a mix of resources to handle a project.

In the first box below, set out the main tasks that your organisation will need to do to develop materials. It may be useful to write these in sequence so that your list related to the stages of the actual process of materials development. In the right hand box, identify the skills or resources needed to complete the tasks.

e.g. specialist subject knowledge

This activity is in two parts.

Part 1. Take each of the items on your list of skills/resources needed in activity 6.3 and do two things:

• decide what can be provided in-house

• identify any issues that arise if this provision is to be successful

Part 2

Review your responses against the list of tasks and associated expertise below. This summarises the main areas you will need to cover in most materials development activity. At this stage, we are considering the overall way you produce materials and are dealing with the major areas. You may discover there are some very specific tasks you will need to contract to others, but at this stage you should concentrate on identifying the main components of your mix.

The materials development areas you should have included are:

• identifying needs and specifying

• identifying needs and specifying materials

• subject matter expertise

• learning design and methodology

• writing/authoring

• technical/editorial skills for:

– text

– audio

– video

– multimedia

– networks

• piloting and testing

• presentation, design and layout

• establishing house style and approach

• revising and checking match to specification

• proof reading and checking

• mastering and duplication