Based on the instructional strategy for each learning outcome, and information from the other steps of the instructional design process, you need to determine whether materials should be gathered or developed. The main reason for using existing materials (those owned by your institution or purchased) is to save time and money.
Gather Existing Material
Some but likely not all of the needed material may exist. Potential resources can be found in learning-object repositories, other Internet resources such as Wikipedia, and on DVD-ROMs. Learning-object repositories may be found within your institution or at provincial/state, national, and international sites. Compare any existing material to the instructional strategy. Determine whether it is suitable and cost-effective. You may prefer existing materials if the content you would develop will be obsolete before or soon after you complete it. You may have to deal with the “if we didn’t make it, it can’t be any good” syndrome.
Determine whether the existing material can be adapted or supplemented. One alternative is to get permission to repurpose existing materials for your own needs. Remember, if you include work done by others, you may not have permission to earn money from your product. However, you may be able to work out a revenue-sharing agreement.
Note that not all copyrights will be cleared, and some promised materials might not be provided.
Remember to check all digital materials for viruses.
Develop the Needed Material
The instructional strategy of the materials you develop should consider the learning domain, motivational techniques, each event of instruction, and all of the information gained through the systematic instructional design process. It is wise to create a paper-based version (storyboard) of what will appear on each screen that a student will see. The screen sample is shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\). Storyboards are easier to review and edit than content within a learning management system.
Note
Thoroughly evaluating a storyboard can help prevent the team from wasting a significant amount of time making revisions.
Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Storyboard for a sample screen
The storyboard must be written and designed for the computer screen. If this is not done well, time must be spent adapting the material. If possible, follow standardized specifications to help with consistency. Consistency is important as it makes it easier for learners to learn. A lack of consistency can lead to learner frustration. Attain consistency by using design templates but ensure that the templates do not inhibit creativity or compromise learning.
Leave room for visuals on the screen or insert digitized images and try to estimate the amount of text that is reasonable for each screen. A problem with trying to exactly match storyboards to computer screens is that the video images, visuals, and text can take more or less space than expected. It is not necessary to have the media at this point. For example, text and dialogue scripts can describe what video and audio will contain while text can be used to describe photographs.
Initially work with one typical learning outcome and evaluate the storyboard before continuing with other learning outcomes. This helps prevent problems from being perpetuated throughout a course. After the entire storyboard is written, distribute the storyboard or pin it up and ask for feedback from other subject-matter experts, especially others who will use the product, and from potential learners. Thoroughly evaluate the material for flow, clarity, accuracy, completeness, pace, interaction, and length. As a general rule, if the storyboard has problems, then the material will have problems when it is transferred to the learning management system. Remember that the final version will be inherently better when the media is added.
Note
If you develop, review, and revise one learning outcome at a time, you can prevent problems from being copied throughout the course.
Expect to make revisions. After the first learning outcome has been transferred to the computer, thoroughly evaluate it. After revisions have been made, continue developing subsequent learning outcomes and lessons. Repeat the revision and evaluation process as often as is needed for each learning outcome, group of learning outcomes, and lesson.
Based on the storyboard, make final decisions about the media needed to effectively teach the material. These decisions are based on what will most effectively teach the material as well as practical considerations such as cost and available expertise. Once you make the decisions, start creating the media. You must consider the file formats that will be used and where the media will be stored, such as DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, Internet, or intranet. (Practical considerations for this and media selection are presented in Chapter 21, Multimedia.)
A final storyboard must be created for the person who transfers the material to the learning management system. An accurate storyboard will reduce the number of subsequent revisions needed. After you develop the media, individual pieces can be incorporated into the system. After this, you can begin the final formative evaluation.
The components of a complete instructional multimedia package can also include:
an easy-to-use student manual with directions, strategies, learning outcomes, and summaries
