Achieving incremental successes in courseware development through prototyping

Abstract

The challenges in the early stages of courseware development are of a different nature, and often subtler, compared to those at the later stages. Addressing these challenges requires sensitivity to the process dynamics, besides the technical know-how. This paper is based on an in-progress project to develop self-instructional material for online learning. The project is carried out jointly by Temasek Engineering School and the Learning Academy at Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore. In this project, prototyping is adopted as the developmental model to navigate the project through the early challenges, with the intention of securing incremental small-step successes. Within this developmental model, the paper then describes the intricacies of integrating instructional design principles and evaluation techniques to tackle the challenges of the evolving prototypes. This paper represents the reflections of the authors as practicing instructional designers, and it should interest readers who want to see a stronger connection between the theory and practice of courseware development. The general reader may also find the concept of prototyping helpful, given the constant demand to innovate in the learning contexts, and may well find some applicability for it in their own contexts.