D7.4.1

=E–learning resources intended for reuse are tested and reviewed by staff and student users. =

Evidence
Seale (2006) provides extensive lists of resources that are available to assist with testing and content repair tools. But concludes that there is no substitute for user testing.

Resources
Tate & Hoshek (2009) describe a case study of an ‘exemplar’ organizations’ management of reusable learning objects. They propose a ‘four-quadrant’ model for effective management in this domain which seeks to avoid learning object creation in the ‘zone of frustration’ where controls are high and potential for reuse is low. They also recommend that organizations seeking to implement a reusable learning object repository should support an informal prototyping environment that allows experimentation, creativity, and rapid non-specialist development.

Botturi et al. (2007) explains the difficulties of working on a new project such as e-learning development with a necessarily large and diverse team. These authors argue for the benefits of fast-prototyping, where a rough idea for a product is actually produced so that all stakeholders can experience what might be on offer. This enables rapid understanding of potential problems and trialability. Fast prototyping works best when the project is quite big or ambitious, where team members are not accustomed to working together (such as academics and web designers or instructional designers), and many of the participants have little experience in e-learning course development.