Scientists, researchers and educators in the life sciences explore the living world every day. From the smallest cells to the largest mammals, the study and teaching of biology, medicine & Co. can be a dynamic and interactive experience, especially when you include high-quality online resources.
If you are in academia, perhaps you would like to create your own "interactive learning objects" or "learning modules" to teach your students or explain your research. As Subject Matter Expert, you know your field of expertise inside out, but how do you find the right content to include? Here are some points to consider:
1. What Do You Want To Achieve?
What should the users of your learning module know or be able to do after they have completed it? It is important to clearly define what the "learning objective" is and to always keep this in mind as you review the available content.
2. Check Existing Resources
There are many online repositories, such as www.merlot.org, www.oercommons.org, www.creativecommons.org, containing high-quality learning objects, as well as other websites with links to interactive resources, such as www.hhmi.org/biointeractive, www.lifescienceinteractive.com, which you can make use of. These resources are either freely available or can be used under a Creative Commons license. Make sure that you use HTML5 and not Flash-based resources, to ensure that they can be properly viewed on all browsers.
3. Choose Your Information Carefully
If you develop your own resource, you will want to find reliable and scientific sources of information, such as text, graphics, and videos, which explain facts and concepts in a clear and concise manner. Many textbook publishers share their glossaries online and provide an "educational resources" section on their websites, including free multimedia, graphics, videos, animations, lesson plans and handouts. Many news producers and research institutes provide access to educational videos and other materials. There are also many initiatives, such as www.ibiology.org, which provide helpful educational resources, including presentations by scientists on scientific topics. If you are having difficulty finding high-quality content, contact the librarian at your university. Librarians are incredible sources of information and can help you search the latest electronic databases, e-journals and e-books for the content you need.
4. Reference Your Content
I'm a firm believer that the content in online educational resources should be referenced. Otherwise, how will your students know that you aren’t just making it up? Even if you are the Subject Matter Expert, always indicate the source of the information you are using. I prefer to add the reference number, in superscript format, directly into the text and include the complete list of references at the end of the module.
5. Include Good Quality Multimedia, Graphics, Videos, And Animations
There is nothing worse than a fuzzy, low-resolution image. If you can’t find good quality graphics, try making your own or find a gifted student or colleague who can help you. There are some great online resources, such as www.canva.com, and apps, such as "Paper by Fifty-Three" for iPad to help you explore your inner creative child.
6. Copyright Issues And Credit
It is very important to check that you have permission to use the content, that is photographs, multimedia and data, that appears in your module, since this is often protected by copyright or patents. Always give credit to the people who helped you create your resource, such as developers, proofreaders, and testers. It is not only good manners to do so; those people will be more likely to help you again next time, if you thank them now.
7. Ask For Help And Always Test Your Modules
If you need help creating a learning module, you can find support at your university’s eLearning centre, if it has one. If you use a rapid eLearning authoring tool, you can find lots of tips via their websites and online user communities. Don’t forget to test the learning modules that you develop, and seek feedback from others. Finally, consider sharing what you have created with the world by adding it to your website or to one of the online repositories.