DESIGNING, DEVELOPING, PRODUCING AND ASSURING THE QUALITY OF MULTI-MEDIA LEARNING MATERIALS FOR DISTANCE LEARNERS: LESSONS LEARNT FROM INDONESIA'S UNIVERSITAS TERBUKA

Abstract

Learning materials serve as major learning resources for distance learners, and quality learning materials help students learn effectively at a distance. This paper addresses comprehensive aspects of design, development, production, and quality assurance of multi-media learning materials, based on the experience of Indonesia’s Universitas Terbuka (UT). A course team approach is used to design and develop UT learning materials, involving content experts from partner universities, UT’s own academic staff, instructional designers and media specialists. Preparation for production of printed learning materials are done internally, while the large-scale reproduction is outsourced externally, and for the non-printed materials all production and reproduction processes are done internally. The learning materials go through a systematic quality assurance mechanism in each stage of design, development and production, in order to ensure that distance students have high quality learning materials for use in their autonomous and independent as well as structured and guided learning activities throughout the course of their learning endeavour at a distance.