Embedded Files
In this section I will focus on the various communication methods and collaborative working practices I have used in module development.
On a daily basis I work with editors, graphic designers, content developers, learning designers, a project manager and a production co-ordinator. The department follows internal workflows – for example, all learning material is passed to an in-house editorial team to ensure correct referencing and quality assurance. There are plenty of benefits to working in an open-plan office with a department devoted to online learning. I have a good working relationship with everyone, and there is a culture of openness allowing us to learn from each other. However, being an online institution, UCEM has a flexible working policy and some members of staff work remotely. This has made it essential to explore ways to improve communication and collaborate effectively in teams, as clearly just using the phone and email isn’t good enough – on complex projects such as developing an academic module, version control is paramount, and it would be disastrous for learning material or important information to get lost.
At the beginning of any project, I try to establish a good rapport and suggest the most appropriate collaborative tools. I find my VLE support experience has been useful, as I sometimes need diplomacy and patience to explain why a particular tool may have benefits over another. I appreciate that others have particular personalities and favourite ways of working which are comfortable to them, and that’s fine; I can learn new things that way. What is important is that we can work together and we are not disadvantaged by a particular approach – for example, printing study material, making edits by hand, and posting it to us shortly before it needed to be published (sadly this is a true story). A good working relationship is essential if established ways of thinking are to be changed for the better.
The various methods of communication I use can be categorised as follows:
- Face-to-face (scheduled meetings, open-plan chatting)
- Voice (conference calls, WebEx)
- Instant messaging (Skype for Business, Slack)
- Cloud storage (Dropbox, OneDrive)
- Cloud transfer (WeTransfer, Articulate Tempshare)
- Content management and version control (Sharepoint, Yammer)
Module Development Teams
Module Development Teams
As mentioned in section 1a, academic modules are developed in teams of up to four members and I have played two roles in these teams (originally Content Developer, then Instructional Designer). I lack the subject knowledge but I am there to provide support in the use of learning technology and pedagogy. As discussed in 1b and 2a, I can recommend particular tools or construct particular activity types within Moodle to support a learning point. Meanwhile, tutors may be experts in their field, but they do not have the time (or, usually, the technical knowledge) to create their own learning materials.
All work must be edited, so tracking/recording changes is vital (this is typically done with Word or Sharepoint); then it is quality checked, uploaded to the VLE and published. All files are stored in Sharepoint for version control as shown in section 1b. I have found that the complexity of the process and the difficulty of getting everyone in the same room at the same time on a regular basis means it is vital to establish good collaborative working practices to avoid nightmare scenarios such as:
- a document is on a shared drive and only one person at a time can update it, causing cries of “who’s in the spreadsheet?” – resulting in people making their own copies and version control going AWOL;
- a file is emailed to a group, who then make their own changes, and someone has to harmonise the various changes.
To avoid this, for my modules I always recommend the creation of a group in Microsoft Yammer, which has become my favourite tool for group working. Team members can share, store and collaboratively update documents.
I use Yammer extensively for a series of CPD courses I am developing (see section 5 for more details).
In my experience, non-technical staff find Yammer easy to use, and project groups work well. Its ability to edit of files directly within a browser has been invaluable.
Using Yammer to store and collaboratively work on documents
Using Yammer to share links and discuss with other group members
I have also encouraged the use of cloud storage and transfer systems such as Dropbox to ensure large files are shared without the hassle of USB sticks.
I have found Articulate Tempshare is excellent for quickly uploading and sharing Storyline packages, which are otherwise awkward to share (for example, Google Drive support ended in 2016).
Tempshare for Storyline packages
As mentioned in section 1c, I also helped to create the Surveying Technician Diploma. This used a whole new approach: the lead designer worked remotely and used Slack for collaborative working. I found this useful for instant communication and great for keeping work within “channels” (group discussions), but not good for file version control or general progress tracking; as there is the possibility that some project members may be unaware that a channel has been set up, they miss out on discussions, decisions and updated files. Experiencing this first-hand hammered home to me the importance of keeping track of discussions and files so that nothing is lost.
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