Ensuring quality in Distance Education: Development of instructional material in Microbiology under the Department for International Development (DfID) UK Project

One component of the DfID Project was to train the staff of the Open University of Sri Lanka in producing high quality multimedia instructional materials for Open and Distance Learning. The training was to ensure that the staff involved were fully conversant with the characteristics of quality multimedia teaching materials and the methods by which such materials be produced. This paper describes the sequential stages in the design and development of teaching material for a Microbiology course in Botany and the B.Sc. Degree Programme, using the skills and techniques acquired during the training under the DfID project. It focuses on the course team concept of planning and development of course material; contribution of pedagogic and technical expertise by qualified educational technologists, media specialists, graphic designers and language editors; through all stages of course development ensuring academic standards by outside academic editors; developmentally testing some of the course material on a group of students who have the necessary background knowledge as they have completed the pre-requisite course and evaluation after the course has been offered to students. doi: 10.4038/ouslj.v2i0.363 OUSL Journal (1999) Vol.2, (pp.44-64)