The percentage game
17 10 2007A few people have asked about the “percentages” of content from different sources that successful projects can use. For those who haven’t yet memorised the circular, this is paragraph 14, point 3.
“Use of identified materials. Projects must identify at least some of the materials they intend to use at the bidding stage. Materials should be sourced in roughly these proportions, however we hope to see higher percentages of external content used by successful projects:
- At least 50% external content These should be non-commercial materials produced externally to the institution and that do not have any connection with the institution leading the bid
- Up to 35% institutional content These should be materials sourced from other parts of the institution leading the bid and repurposed accordingly.
- Up to 15% new content These would be materials specifically generated for this course.”
Now, as I’m sure you will all have guessed, we have no way of accurately measuring the percentage proportion of content from each category. Rather, these figures are intended as a guideline to help you to see the kind of thing we are looking for. And in the assessment process, we will be using these figures as a guideline too, to remind us of the kind of thing we initially asked for.
But there will be no quantifiable metrics, not here.
Point 14 says that modules should be delivered largely via electronic means – that is, to the exclusion ‘largely’ of non-electronic means such as lectures and supervised labs? As replacements rather than supplements in a blended learning approach? If two or more modules are to be used in a bid, do they both/all have to be largely delivered via e-RLOs?
Point 14 exists mainly to ensure that people are facing the issues and barriers present in the re-use of electronic material. There would be no issue with running a supervised lab or something using electronic support material (eg. a demonstration animation from elsewhere). So replacements or supplements - we deliberately said “electronic” as distinct from “e-learning” to ensure that we wouldn’t just be addressing “traditional” RLOs.
What if you have already developed online content for the module selected for the project and want to include it a spart of the 35%?
Chris, that would come under the 15% - “materials specifically generated for this course.”
Repositories like MERLOT do not identify or store materials as Reusable Learning Objects - there are learning materials there, but they are seldom if ever packaged properly.
Is it ok for us to package such available materials as scorm/ims and then use the resulting RLOs as ‘external content’? I would not want to rely on such materials (for various reasons), but it would help make up the quota…
Yes - that would be an excellent idea. Again, note that you don’t have to use RLOs as your “external content” - it can be any kind of content.