Authoring tools
Joe Buchanan
e-Learning Development Officer
Division for Lifelong Learning
Directors of Studies Forum (Taught)
Tue 6 May 2009
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About authoring tools
These are software packages which can be used to
create and publish online learning materials easily
and quickly – concentrating on structure, form and
pedagogy instead of learning about code.
You can produce self-contained, media-rich
reusable learning objects, such as tutorials.
At Bath, we’re concentrating on eXe and Xerte,
which are both free.
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Benefits and drawbacks
+ Ease of use
+ Media richness
+ Instant feedback
+ Intersperse activities informally
+ Encourages active pedagogical approach
– Limits to functionality
– There’s still a learning curve
– Software sometimes not so slick
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The authoring process
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The publishing process
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In use in Moodle
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Some feedback
Authoring:
eXe makes you think about the subject matter –
you have to turn it on its head so that students can
interrogate it through questioning.
Student use:
I like the instant answers and the additional
explanations over and above whether I was
right or wrong.
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The project
We aim to:
• use eXe and Xerte to generate exemplar resources
• evaluate the tutorials and the development process
• develop guidance on effective tutorial design
• investigate integration of tools within Moodle
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Where you come in
Does it offer you any opportunities for
learning and teaching?
I’d like:
• partners to develop resources with me
• participants for the summer staff development
course
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Any questions?
Summer course: Mon 15 Jun for 3 weeks
e-learning@bath.ac.uk for all queries
Project blog Revisit on Slideshare.net
http://blogs.bath.ac.uk/elat/ tag: eatbath
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