The role of the Educational Designer in developing online courses

This review of potential options sometimes leads to a radical re-thinking of the existing course. In some cases, video conferencing of existing classroom lectures via the Internet may still be appropriate (although the technical quality of this experience will remain mediocre for several years to come).

Educational Designers must be good communicators and great collaborators, as the process of working with content experts on the one hand, and instructional designers and technical developers on the other requires patience, tact and a firm understanding of the strengths and limitations of both sides.

In the absence of good Educational Designers, content experts or instructional designers may successfully take on some of the tasks described above by default. More typically, the result is online learning environments which fail to meet student or teacher needs, or do not function as they should, or worse, never reach completion at all. Australia's track record in this area should carefully inform any proposal for an online university. We have some great experience and great people, but we have not always managed to combine them.

So where are these Educational Designers, and how did they learn their skills? In most cases, they are scattered throughout university departments, working with little recognition or reward for their special skills. Many are academics by background, but some are "general staff". A few Educational Designers have moved into central university IT and teaching units, but increasingly they are moving into commercial environments where their skills are recognised and rewarded. By moving beyond traditional university structures, they gain flexibility in modes of work, recognition of their unique approach, broader experience, and appropriate rewards.

Interestingly, Educational Designers come from a range of backgrounds, and have developed their skills primarily through hard won experience. They may be computer scientists with a user interface or information systems background. They may be teaching and learning specialists who have developed IT skills. They may be psychologists and cognitive scientists who can bridge the gap between human approaches to computers and learning, and the limitations of current technology.

Above all, Educational Designers realise that developing online learning materials is a complex and costly process that requires great care. They know that development involves close collaboration with both content experts and technical developers. This collaboration takes place at all stages of the development cycle, from planning and initiation, to review and quality assurance. Due to the importance of collaboration, online courses should not be churned out of "production factories", or out-sourced to offshore IT providers.

To return to the initial challenge – can Australia become a world leader in online education? I believe the answer to this question is yes, but the scale of the task should not be underestimated.

It is important that we learn from our mistakes, and from overseas success. We should not underestimate the head start that countries such as the USA and UK have on Australia within the English speaking world. The acceleration of development schedules permitted by private capital investments in this area should not be underestimated, both overseas and (potentially) in Australia.

We need to recognise the importance of more flexible structures for collaboration between universities and commercial developers of online learning at both institutional and individual levels. While it is beyond the scope of the current discussion, issues such as intellectual property and "Business Case" development of new ventures need considerable work.

Central to any success in this arena will be a recognition of the importance of the skills of Educational Designers in the development of online learning. The question that remains is how to best assist Educational Designers in their attempt to make Australia a world leader in online education.