Digital learning resources should be created to meet a clear learning need for a defined group of learners. Evidence-informed pedagogical principles should be adopted in the development of the resource and adequate planning and consideration should be given to the most appropriate formats that the resource should take.
The Guideline is based on the following principles:
A clear project brief/learning need has been identified and the learning outcomes are clearly stated and constructively aligned with service needs/improvements.
There is clear rationale for the digital approach chosen, including the incorporation of existing resources/content where available.
The following have been identified and can be articulated:
The prior knowledge and skills needed by learners to complete or participate
The target audience(s)
Where this resource fits in as part of a wider learning journey (e.g. is it linked to a qualification, accreditation, learning programme, etc. or is it a stand-alone resource?)
The lifespan of the resource, including (where applicable) how often it will need to be reviewed and updated.
What is expected from learners in terms of using and/or completing the resource has been clearly articulated (e.g. is there an assessment at the end? Will learners get a certificate of completion?).
Evidence-informed pedagogical principles are adopted in the writing, design and development of the resource (e.g. Mayer’s Principles of Multimedia Learning (2020) Reference detail can be found in Further guidance and resources section on this page).
The choice of format (e.g. e-Learning module, video, etc.) for the learning resource is aligned to the learning outcomes (i.e. the chosen format enables the learner to achieve the learning outcomes) whilst being mindful of the available budget, accessibility requirements and resources allocated for the project.
Where external Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are used, an educator within NES has been identified who will be responsible for liaising with the SME and supporting them to ensure these Guidelines are met.
Confirm who will have overall responsibility for the resource for the purposes of reviewing, updating, and evaluating the resource
Refer to the Writing content section of the Turas design system for guidance on how to write effective and consistent online content.
Refer to the appropriate sections of the Quality Guidelines: Usability and navigation and Accessibility for guidance on how to design your digital learning resource to ensure it can be used without difficulty by your learners and it follows best practice for accessibility and meets legal requirements.
Technology Enhanced learning Design and Facilitation Turas eLearning modules contain TEL Design modules.
Mayer, R. E. (2020) Multimedia Learning. 3rd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781316941355.
Consider Mayer’s fifteen principles of multimedia design (2020) when designing your digital learning resource:
Coherence principle - People learn better when excess or unnecessary material is excluded.
Signalling principle - People learn better when prompts are added that highlight the essential material.
Redundancy principle - People do not learn better when printed text is added to graphics and narration. For fast-paced lessons, people learn better from graphics and narration than from graphics, narration and printed text.
Spatial contiguity principle - People learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented near to rather than far from each other on the page/screen.
Temporal contiguity principle - People learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented simultaneously rather than successively.
Segmenting principle - People learn better when a multimedia lesson is presented in user-paced segments rather than as a continuous unit.
Pre-training principle - People learn better from a multimedia lesson when they know the names and characteristics of the main concepts.
Modality principle - People learn better from graphics and narration than from graphics and on-screen text.
Multimedia principle - People learn better from words and pictures than from words alone. (Please note this doesn’t include decorative images).
Personalisation principle - People learn better from multimedia lessons when words are in conversational style rather than formal styles.
Voice principle - People learn better when the narration in multimedia lessons is spoken in a friendly human voice rather than a machine voice.
Image principle - People do not necessarily learn better from a multimedia lesson when the speaker’s image is added to the screen.
Embodiment principle - People learn more deeply from multimedia presentations when an onscreen instructor displays high embodiment (i.e. more human-like gestures) rather than low embodiment.
Immersion principle - People do not necessarily learn better in 3D immersive virtual reality than with a corresponding 2D desktop presentation.
Generative activity principle - People learn better when they are guided in carrying out generative learning activities (e.g. summarising, mapping, imagining, self-testing, enacting) during learning.