Courseware Production
Running head: Courseware Production
Production Elements for Online Courseware
Team A
Gladys Carey-Sewell
Joelyn K Foy
Michelle Larison
J. Patrick Wright
EDTC/570
Courseware Authoring
University of Phoenix
16 April 2003
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Courseware Production
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Production Elements for Online Courseware
Courseware production principles and methods are critical to successful courseware
authoring. This paper will describe principles of courseware production, refining those principles
into best practices, and examining “Vision 101,” a tutorial produced by 1-800-CONTACTS
using Macromedia Flash™ to compare and contrast effective courseware production techniques.
Principles of Production
Courseware production must be cost-effective and meet the needs of stakeholders, while
following sound principles of instruction and design. In order to achieve cost effectiveness, the
courseware designers must take into account time and budget considerations. Stakeholders
include all parties to benefit potentially from the implementation of the courseware, e.g., trainees
and their companies. To meet trainees needs best, the courseware must engage them in order to
maximize their learning while minimizing the use of time and money.
Lee and Zemke (1987) reported that a rule of thumb from the experts of how much time
it takes to produce one hour of instruction ranged from “40 to 1, plus or minus; 20 to 1 to modify
an existing program” (p. 76). A Ft. Knox Army training estimate for computer-based training is
300:1 with programmed text 120:1 to 345:1, video 160 to 345:1 and CBT 160 to 420:1 (Lee &
Zemke, 1987, p. 76). Cribbs (as cited in Lee & Zemke, 1987) estimates 300-400 hours for
computer-based training without video, while Greg Kearsley’s rule of thumb is “200 hours of
development time for each hour of student contact time” (range: 50 to 500 hours) (p. 77).
Careful planning of the courseware development will reduce costs. Estimating costs may
depend upon “complexity, cooperation, and constraints. Generally speaking, the less the
complexity, the higher the cooperation of key players, and the fewer the constraints” and the
lower the costs (Hardin & Reis, 1997, p. 42). Computer-based training with videodisc may not
Courseware Production
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be estimated in hours, but in dollars. Cribbs’ rule of thumb is “$10,000 to $12,000 per hour (of
instruction) to as high as $80,000 for one side of a disc” (Lee & Zemke, 1987, p. 77).
As part of the development team, the production team may include a courseware
developer, programmer/author, videographer, an animator/artist, editor, quality assurance person
(evaluator) and a medium producer (Hardin & Reis, 1997, Table 3, p. 45).
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Documents or Recordkeeping
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Proposal (Hardin & Reis, 1997, p. 49)
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Application description document (Hardin & Reis, 1997, p. 49)
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Design document (Hardin & Reis, 1997, p. 49-50)
Best Production Practices for Courseware Authoring
One positive aspect of using multimedia is that it takes advantage of the ability of the
eyes and ears to transform meaningless sensory data into information, i.e., data imbued with
meaning (Riley, 1995). Although an image or sound can be described with words in text with a
high degree of accuracy and brevity, the brain is still able to process a picture or the sound itself
more quickly and easily (Riley, 1995). In addition to these rather pedantic reasons for using
multimedia in producing courseware, the simple fact is that multimedia has greater sensory
appeal, in other words it looks better. The more senses that become involved in the learning
process, the better the quality of that learning. By using online multimedia presentations, all
three of the senses (vision, hearing, and touch) become focused on the computer and on the
information provided (Turner, 2000).
To create this multimedia environment, designers have various media types at their
disposal: video, audio, animation, and graphics. Regardless of which combination of these media
they use, each media type will drastically affect computer performance (Godfrey, 2000). Video
Courseware Production
and audio continue to grow in popularity and demand; however, they draw heavily on the
memory and hardware resources of computers. Animation also enhances online learning
materials, but they, too, have a noticeable impact on resources. Graphics, e.g., diagrams,
drawings, and photographs, do provide designers with creative ways to clarify information,
demonstrate points, and enhance text (Godfrey, 2000). Nevertheless, these still place a similar
burden on computers’ often-limited resources.
To lessen these impacts, designers should strive to keep file sizes as small as possible
without sacrificing quality. Not only will the file size use less memory, but it will also minimize
download times. If these times are too long, learners will become distracted and uninterested
(Godfrey, 2000). When planning which types of media to use, designers should also strive to
accommodate the lowest common denominators in terms of technology, rather than
programming with the latest technological advances. For the courseware to be effective, it must
actually reach its audience. Yet another means to aid the end-users is to include links to video
and audio files rather than imbed the files into the code and force these users to download them.
Often it may be necessary to notify users of extra software (or hardware) needed to view these
files, and even to supply links to online resources, e.g., player plug-ins.
Several other considerations also control the extent to which designers are able to
implement multimedia technology.
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Hardware
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Create a version that will run on some minimum hardware configuration
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Operating systems: Win 95 is defunct as of December 2003
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Use CNET to find minimum operating system and hardware requirements for audio and
video players
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Courseware Production
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End-user Considerations
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Win 95 defunct as of Dec 2003
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Provide download instructions or links for appropriate audio and video players, including
plug-ins
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The screen must be uncluttered
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Students should be able to operate the program with minimal keyboard skills
Purpose/Goal of Courseware
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Essential production components for learning disabled (Lee, 1987, p. 437)
Choose production elements appropriate to the function of that part of the courseware
Back-End Considerations
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Choose applications that are intuitive, easy to use, and affordable
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Choose applications by companies that have a track record – i.e., Macromedia and others
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Use CNET to find review(s) of appropriate applications with universal appeal
Implications for Macromedia Flash™
Courseware production principles were obviously foremost in the mind of the creators of
Vision 101, the Macromedia Flash™ Site of the Day for November 1, 2001. Vision 101 is a
Flash presentation for 1-800-CONTACTS where the anatomy of the eye is explained in detail.
The presentation might be too long; but the navigational links all worked flawlessly. Sections
can be skipped without missing critical information because of the way ideas were embedded
sequentially. Another caution would be if the Flash plug-in were not available for the learner’s
version of their operating system. The Flash plug-in is available for Win 98 Second edition or
higher. Win 95 operating systems will not be able to view a Flash presentation.
Courseware Production
Conclusion
Successful courseware authoring relies on the principles and methods used during the
design and development stages. The principles of courseware production are providing
efficiently designed courseware accompanied by cost-effectiveness. Sticking to the budget may
mean simplifying and downsizing the design to lower the course hours development ratio while
still satisfying trainee needs. Multi-media can still be used to maximize the abilities of the
auditory and visual senses. Many issues are considered when effectively using multimedia to
supplement learning. Designers need to consider the many factors involved for the attributes of
Courseware Production.
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References
Godfrey, R. (2000). Developing and delivering learning material for an online environment.
Paper presented at the Net*Working 2000 virtual conference. Retrieved April 14, 2003,
from http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/nw2000/talkback/p17.htm
Hardin, P. C., & Reis, J. S. (1997). Interactive multimedia software design: Concepts, process,
and evaluation. Health Education & Behavior, 24, 35-53. Retrieved April 13, 2003,
from ProQuest.
Lee, C., & Zemke, R. (1987). How long does it take? Training, 24, 75-80. Retrieved April 13,
2003, from ProQuest.
Lee, W. W. (1987). Microcomputer courseware production and evaluation guidelines for
students with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 20, 436-438.
Retrieved April 13, 2003, from EBSCOhost.
Riley, F. (1995). Understanding IT: Developing multimedia courseware. Retrieved April 14,
2003, from Keele University, Learning Technology Web site:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/cs/Stephen_Bostock/docs/mmauthor.htm
Turner, D. (2000). Visual design of online material. Paper presented at the Net*Working 2000
virtual conference. Retrieved April 14, 2003, from
http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/nw2000/talkback/p09.htm