Implementation: a development
team's flexible perspective.

By Mark Arundel, Simon Yates and Chris Trevitt,
The Australian National University, Canberra

This paper explores the development process, from the perspective of a development team. It considers the entire process, from concept to finished product, and reflects on both product and staff development experiences of the past five years with a focus on the lessons learnt.

"The best way to learn a subject is to teach it."

The development team must understand the content before it produces the product. Our experience has shown that you do not just need to understand the content, the team must be passionate about it. When this is the case the required production and learning strategies are readily found and developed, ensuring the program's success. The MILL has followed this strategy since its inception in 1993. By necessity this approach requires careful consideration when selecting new staff members for The MILL. We have discovered that a team member's personality is just as important as their abilities.

Likewise, there are related issues when initiating projects with a new academic client. For a successful collaboration, the academic "client" needs to become an integral and intimate member of the team. They are encouraged to make The MILL their physical and mental home for the duration of the project.

For the benefit of future potential "clients", we are concerned with making evident the need for sometimes lengthy and detailed 'up-front' planning and ideas development. Often this has taken the form of unstructured academic staff development. We now contend there is a clear opportunity to draw upon and incorporate traditional approaches to staff development in the new and important context which is the core business of groups like The MILL.

Reflections upon our work during the last five years (two projects of which were AUDF recipients and are now successfully commercialised), show how The MILL can develop tailor made and unique solutions rather than ready made "prefabricated shells". For the user, this avoids the problem of "student complacence through familiarity". For the development team it prevents falling into what we call the "sick to death of this" syndrome.


Contact Details

Mark Arundel and Simon Yates The Multimedia Interactive Learning Laboratory, (The MILL) The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 Australia Mark.Arundel@anu.edu.au Simon.Yates@anu.edu.au Chris.Trevitt@anu.edu.au

Chris Trevitt The Centre for Educational Development and Academic Methods, (CEDAM) The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 Australia Mark.Arundel@anu.edu.au Simon.Yates@anu.edu.au Chris.Trevitt@anu.edu.au

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