How to write Self-Learning Material for Distance Education students
Prof.(Dr) M.K.Ghadoliya
The development of Self Learning Material (SLM) for distance learners is not an easy task. In fact it is quite a challenging task and also quite different from writing a text book, a seminar paper or a research article. For those who are serving in conventional system of class room teaching it requires special training in incorporating and exploiting various skills and communication methods to suit the needs of learners. Before launching any programme the concerned faculty members at the headquarter should prepare a concept note about the utility and viability of the new programme. The proposal is then should be discussed in the light of the following variables: viability, utility and overall significance. The Proposal should then be discussed in the Planning Board on the basis of the following variables:
1. Need Analysis
2. Facilities Available
3. Resources Required
If the course fits in the priority of the University or Institution and the required facilities are available or can be arranged by collaborating initiations then the Planning Board may approve the idea of launching the new programme. The proposal then goes to the Academic Council for approval. After the approval of the concept of launching a new programme by these statutory bodies, the concerned department should prepare a panel of Course Development Committee (CDC). The names of the Experts goes to the academic council for approval. The CDC consists of the experts in their respective fields. The concerned departments then identify the courses/ papers to be included in the syllabi. The unit wise detail of each one of the course is then prepared for consideration of the CDC prior to this the detailed unit wise syllabus of the course are sent to the members of CDC so that they may suitably suggest and make comments in the CDC meetings.
The Course Development Committee (CDC) from their vast experience allot credit* to each course.
Approval of the Academic Council:
The detailed syllabus in the form of its unit wise break-up is then placed before the Academic Council for its approval. with the prospective course writers, audio/video components and the media-mix to be used in the delivery of the courses. Once the course along with the programme structure is passed the concerned Faculty member who is supervising the content development approaches the unit writers as per the syllabi. The identified course writers are called by the by the University head quarter or at any one of the Regional centre of the University for imparting training in the Self Learning Material Development (SLM) by the experts in this field
Characteristics of SLMs:
The standardized SLM format developed by institutions of repute is then followed for writing the course material. The course material is meant for students in distance education which consists of the hetrogeneous group and adult learners. The adult learners are more matured and experienced persons. The learners have the following special characteristics:
1. Self- Motivated, self-esteemed, Voluntary
2. Problem-centric learners (related to world of work)
3. Experienced learner
4. Life long learner
5. Knowledge update
6. Desirous of Promotion
7. Interested in an increase in their salary, etc.
The preparation of SLM for these experienced adult learners is not an easy task. The adults learn only when they find course material interesting and useful in fulfilling their aims and objectives. The print material should be organized in short and progressive steps, in a logical sequence, graded in difficulty so that the learners make few mistakes. The examples should be from their work place or matching past experience so that they feel actively involved in the process of learning. The print material of the university has the following features:
1. Self explanatory.
2. Self sufficient – to impart full details of the subject matter.
3. Self directed – necessary hints, suggestions and guidance is in built at each stage of learning.
4. Self-motivating – tailored to suit the learner needs.
5. Self evaluating – in text questions, self assessment questions (SAQ) activities unit-end questions.
6. These materials have clearly stated objectives in the beginning of each unit.
7. The content is presented in conversational style, and therefore users’ friendly.
8. In the print material wherever necessary tables, charts and graphs are also given.
9. At the end of each unit the summary is given to facilitate the understanding of the text, besides glossary of key words and suggestions for further regarding are also provided in the bibliography references.
10. At the end, model answers for the self-assessment questions (SAQs) is provided.
11. At the end, of the Unit some questions are given in Exercise. These questions are relevant from the point of view of the term-end examination.
ACCESS DEVICES:
In the self-learning material access devices are of three types
(A) Those, which appear before the presentation of contents:
1. Title (in Hindi – and English both )
2. Structure
3. Objectives
(B) Those, which appear during the main body of content:
4. Introduction
5. Headings and sub-headings( Give Number with Chapter Number, for tables, graphs and Charts, Maps Equations etc.))
6. Check your progress ( Give in Box . Leave blank Space for writing Answers)
(C) Those, which appear after the presentation of the main body of the content:
7. Summary
8. Glossary
9. Some useful books or Further Readings
10. Answers to SAQs
11. Unit- end questions
The course writer should be well aware of these access devices and their importance. Further he must appreciate that the print material is mainly meant for those who could not have access to the formal system of education due to one or the other reasons and that now they wish to resume the studies in the second innings of their life.
The access devices help distance learners to reach the desired portion of the unit directly. Every course writer should therefore be well aware of it. Now we discuss each one of the access devices in some detail:
1. Title The title of the unit should be precise, clear and communicative. The title should give a clear idea of the contents. It should be bold and visible. The title should be given both in Hindi and English at the top.
2. Structure:
In order to make study materials more accessible and instructional we should present a list of teaching items at the beginning of the unit. Such a list helps distance learners to know the contents of the unit. The list learning items is called the ‘structure’. The structure of the unit is detailed itemization of the content broken into headings and sub-headings of main themes, introduction, objectives, summary, glossary, and additional readings. It helps learners to overview the text and in locating relevant parts efficiently.
3. Objectives:
A list of learning objective is given in the beginning of the unit, which notes clearly what the learners will be able to learn or do after understanding the text. The objectives should be written in non-technical language preferably in the behavioural terms. Accordingly, objectives should be written in such behavioral terms as:
After going through this unit you will able to learn -----
You will be able to distinguish ----
Describe, define, explain, list, state, select etc.
You will be able to measure compare, compute, summaries etc.
4. Introduction:
There are three major components of an introduction:
i. Structural component:
In an introduction we give information about the previous contents and establish a link between what a learner has already learnt and what he is going to study in the present unit.
ii. Thematic component:
This is an overview describing the main concepts to be discussed in a particular unit. Its function is to attract the learner’s interest so that he/she gets motivated to go through the text.
iii .Guidance component:
What are the pre requisites or what the learners are supposed to do before they start reading the unit?
5. Headings and sub-headings:
Each heading should at least discuss one new concept and a self-check exercise related to that concept. Usually each section should be numbered and this numbering can be done in various ways. The Numbering system like 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 may be used for each heading. We have adopted the use of points where first digit before decimal refers to unit number and the second digit after decimal represents various headings in sequence. Similarly section has been divided into sub sections using two points 1.1.1, 1.1.2 …. and so on. It should be noticed that generally we do not use numbering beyond two points in the text. If any sub-section requires such numbering, we may give them simple number in bold typeface.
Having decided on the outline of the unit the course waiters develop the course with the following special considerations:
a. Small steps
b. Logical arrangements
c. Ordering the content
d. Personalized style
e. Simple language
f. Illustrations wherever essential
g. Assessment SAQs Assignments and unit end questions
6. Check your progress: ¼cks/k iz’u½
After the end of every section in the course material the writer should give some short answer questions to check the progress of the learner. The SAQs should be given in Boxes and sufficient blank space should be given for writing the answers by the learners. The number of SAQs may vary from unit to Unit depending upon the length of the lesson unit.
7. Summary: ¼lkjka’k½
At the end of the unit the course writers summarize the contents of the unit. The summary will supply feedback to the learners. There are two main purposes of summarizing the unit:
i.Recapitulation:
It helps the learners to recapitulate the important learning points discussed in the unit.
ii.Reinforcement:
Through the summary of the unit the learners remain motivated for further reading. They feel themselves capable of managing learning without much external help.
8. Glossary:
The glossary will help the learners comprehend the concepts as discussed in the text. It refreshes and clarifies the learners’ comprehension. It contains difficult words, concepts or key words.
9. Further Reading:
Many courses require learners to read some extra material in addition to the course units. The suggested books should be easily available to the distance learners. Full reference of the book should be given e.g. name of the author, year of publication, Title of the book publisher, place of publication, chapter specific page number etc should be given.
10.Answers to SAQs:
At the end of the unit answers to self assessment questions(SAQs) should be given so that the learner may match his/her answer to the model answer and may improve accordingly.
11. Unit end Questions:
At the end of the unit some questions should be given. These may be essay type long-answer questions, Open questions or short answer questions. In some units if there are needs, some objective type questions, true/ false questions may also be given.
In certain cases even after sending the model unit and detailed instructions the course writers do not strictly follow the format. Some others may partially follow the SLM format. In all such cases the faculty members in the department perform internal editing to bring it into the format. Many unit writers contribute text that is repetitive such text has to be deleted. After the internal editing the course material is sent to the subject editors. Depending upon the quality of the material, the editor is empowered to change the content, presentation and structure of the unit. If the Editor does not find a unit suitable, for whatever reasons, he/she has the authority of send it back to the author for improvement with his/ her suggestions or asks for rewriting or replacing that unit. After the subject editing the course material is sent for language editing. The convener is required to produce Camera Ready Copy (CRC) of the course material. Finally, the CRC of the course material is sent for printing to the Material Production and Distribution Division. The whole system of working is analogous to an industrialized system in which every stage/process is important and time bound. But in many cases delay at any one stage disturbs the whole process of developing the Self Learning Material in relevant to the Open University.
***
Notes
* Credit has been defined in terms of study hours required to complete the components of the Study Material i.e. reading text, answering the assignment, listening to audio, watching the video attending counselling sessions and memorizing the text for the purpose of the examinations. Generally in the opinion of the Experts one Credit is equivalent to 30 hours of study. As such, if Experts feel that a Course requires 240 hours of study during a year that is 30 hours a month for eight months then they assign it 8 credit. A programme may have number of Courses.
* In Open Universities a Paper is called a Course
* All the Courses together make a Programme.
* It is not essential to have uniform Credits for various Courses.
* Generally a 6 month Certificate Programme is of 18 Credit.
* A one Year U.G. Diploma Programme is of 24 Credits
* A One year P.G. Diploma Programme is of 30 Credits
* A Bachelor’s Degree Programme such as B.A. B.Com. B. Sc is of 108 Credits to be offered in three years.
* A Master’s Degree Programme is of 72 Credits 32 credits are to be offered in the Previous Examination and 40 credits are to be offered in the final year examination.
* Many other courses have their own pattern and the details could be seen in the prospectus.
Prof.(Dr) M.K.Ghadoliya
The development of Self Learning Material (SLM) for distance learners is not an easy task. In fact it is quite a challenging task and also quite different from writing a text book, a seminar paper or a research article. For those who are serving in conventional system of class room teaching it requires special training in incorporating and exploiting various skills and communication methods to suit the needs of learners. Before launching any programme the concerned faculty members at the headquarter should prepare a concept note about the utility and viability of the new programme. The proposal is then should be discussed in the light of the following variables: viability, utility and overall significance. The Proposal should then be discussed in the Planning Board on the basis of the following variables:
1. Need Analysis
2. Facilities Available
3. Resources Required
If the course fits in the priority of the University or Institution and the required facilities are available or can be arranged by collaborating initiations then the Planning Board may approve the idea of launching the new programme. The proposal then goes to the Academic Council for approval. After the approval of the concept of launching a new programme by these statutory bodies, the concerned department should prepare a panel of Course Development Committee (CDC). The names of the Experts goes to the academic council for approval. The CDC consists of the experts in their respective fields. The concerned departments then identify the courses/ papers to be included in the syllabi. The unit wise detail of each one of the course is then prepared for consideration of the CDC prior to this the detailed unit wise syllabus of the course are sent to the members of CDC so that they may suitably suggest and make comments in the CDC meetings.
The Course Development Committee (CDC) from their vast experience allot credit* to each course.
Approval of the Academic Council:
The detailed syllabus in the form of its unit wise break-up is then placed before the Academic Council for its approval. with the prospective course writers, audio/video components and the media-mix to be used in the delivery of the courses. Once the course along with the programme structure is passed the concerned Faculty member who is supervising the content development approaches the unit writers as per the syllabi. The identified course writers are called by the by the University head quarter or at any one of the Regional centre of the University for imparting training in the Self Learning Material Development (SLM) by the experts in this field
Characteristics of SLMs:
The standardized SLM format developed by institutions of repute is then followed for writing the course material. The course material is meant for students in distance education which consists of the hetrogeneous group and adult learners. The adult learners are more matured and experienced persons. The learners have the following special characteristics:
1. Self- Motivated, self-esteemed, Voluntary
2. Problem-centric learners (related to world of work)
3. Experienced learner
4. Life long learner
5. Knowledge update
6. Desirous of Promotion
7. Interested in an increase in their salary, etc.
The preparation of SLM for these experienced adult learners is not an easy task. The adults learn only when they find course material interesting and useful in fulfilling their aims and objectives. The print material should be organized in short and progressive steps, in a logical sequence, graded in difficulty so that the learners make few mistakes. The examples should be from their work place or matching past experience so that they feel actively involved in the process of learning. The print material of the university has the following features:
1. Self explanatory.
2. Self sufficient – to impart full details of the subject matter.
3. Self directed – necessary hints, suggestions and guidance is in built at each stage of learning.
4. Self-motivating – tailored to suit the learner needs.
5. Self evaluating – in text questions, self assessment questions (SAQ) activities unit-end questions.
6. These materials have clearly stated objectives in the beginning of each unit.
7. The content is presented in conversational style, and therefore users’ friendly.
8. In the print material wherever necessary tables, charts and graphs are also given.
9. At the end of each unit the summary is given to facilitate the understanding of the text, besides glossary of key words and suggestions for further regarding are also provided in the bibliography references.
10. At the end, model answers for the self-assessment questions (SAQs) is provided.
11. At the end, of the Unit some questions are given in Exercise. These questions are relevant from the point of view of the term-end examination.
ACCESS DEVICES:
In the self-learning material access devices are of three types
(A) Those, which appear before the presentation of contents:
1. Title (in Hindi – and English both )
2. Structure
3. Objectives
(B) Those, which appear during the main body of content:
4. Introduction
5. Headings and sub-headings( Give Number with Chapter Number, for tables, graphs and Charts, Maps Equations etc.))
6. Check your progress ( Give in Box . Leave blank Space for writing Answers)
(C) Those, which appear after the presentation of the main body of the content:
7. Summary
8. Glossary
9. Some useful books or Further Readings
10. Answers to SAQs
11. Unit- end questions
The course writer should be well aware of these access devices and their importance. Further he must appreciate that the print material is mainly meant for those who could not have access to the formal system of education due to one or the other reasons and that now they wish to resume the studies in the second innings of their life.
The access devices help distance learners to reach the desired portion of the unit directly. Every course writer should therefore be well aware of it. Now we discuss each one of the access devices in some detail:
1. Title The title of the unit should be precise, clear and communicative. The title should give a clear idea of the contents. It should be bold and visible. The title should be given both in Hindi and English at the top.
2. Structure:
In order to make study materials more accessible and instructional we should present a list of teaching items at the beginning of the unit. Such a list helps distance learners to know the contents of the unit. The list learning items is called the ‘structure’. The structure of the unit is detailed itemization of the content broken into headings and sub-headings of main themes, introduction, objectives, summary, glossary, and additional readings. It helps learners to overview the text and in locating relevant parts efficiently.
3. Objectives:
A list of learning objective is given in the beginning of the unit, which notes clearly what the learners will be able to learn or do after understanding the text. The objectives should be written in non-technical language preferably in the behavioural terms. Accordingly, objectives should be written in such behavioral terms as:
After going through this unit you will able to learn -----
You will be able to distinguish ----
Describe, define, explain, list, state, select etc.
You will be able to measure compare, compute, summaries etc.
4. Introduction:
There are three major components of an introduction:
i. Structural component:
In an introduction we give information about the previous contents and establish a link between what a learner has already learnt and what he is going to study in the present unit.
ii. Thematic component:
This is an overview describing the main concepts to be discussed in a particular unit. Its function is to attract the learner’s interest so that he/she gets motivated to go through the text.
iii .Guidance component:
What are the pre requisites or what the learners are supposed to do before they start reading the unit?
5. Headings and sub-headings:
Each heading should at least discuss one new concept and a self-check exercise related to that concept. Usually each section should be numbered and this numbering can be done in various ways. The Numbering system like 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 may be used for each heading. We have adopted the use of points where first digit before decimal refers to unit number and the second digit after decimal represents various headings in sequence. Similarly section has been divided into sub sections using two points 1.1.1, 1.1.2 …. and so on. It should be noticed that generally we do not use numbering beyond two points in the text. If any sub-section requires such numbering, we may give them simple number in bold typeface.
Having decided on the outline of the unit the course waiters develop the course with the following special considerations:
a. Small steps
b. Logical arrangements
c. Ordering the content
d. Personalized style
e. Simple language
f. Illustrations wherever essential
g. Assessment SAQs Assignments and unit end questions
6. Check your progress: ¼cks/k iz’u½
After the end of every section in the course material the writer should give some short answer questions to check the progress of the learner. The SAQs should be given in Boxes and sufficient blank space should be given for writing the answers by the learners. The number of SAQs may vary from unit to Unit depending upon the length of the lesson unit.
7. Summary: ¼lkjka’k½
At the end of the unit the course writers summarize the contents of the unit. The summary will supply feedback to the learners. There are two main purposes of summarizing the unit:
i.Recapitulation:
It helps the learners to recapitulate the important learning points discussed in the unit.
ii.Reinforcement:
Through the summary of the unit the learners remain motivated for further reading. They feel themselves capable of managing learning without much external help.
8. Glossary:
The glossary will help the learners comprehend the concepts as discussed in the text. It refreshes and clarifies the learners’ comprehension. It contains difficult words, concepts or key words.
9. Further Reading:
Many courses require learners to read some extra material in addition to the course units. The suggested books should be easily available to the distance learners. Full reference of the book should be given e.g. name of the author, year of publication, Title of the book publisher, place of publication, chapter specific page number etc should be given.
10.Answers to SAQs:
At the end of the unit answers to self assessment questions(SAQs) should be given so that the learner may match his/her answer to the model answer and may improve accordingly.
11. Unit end Questions:
At the end of the unit some questions should be given. These may be essay type long-answer questions, Open questions or short answer questions. In some units if there are needs, some objective type questions, true/ false questions may also be given.
In certain cases even after sending the model unit and detailed instructions the course writers do not strictly follow the format. Some others may partially follow the SLM format. In all such cases the faculty members in the department perform internal editing to bring it into the format. Many unit writers contribute text that is repetitive such text has to be deleted. After the internal editing the course material is sent to the subject editors. Depending upon the quality of the material, the editor is empowered to change the content, presentation and structure of the unit. If the Editor does not find a unit suitable, for whatever reasons, he/she has the authority of send it back to the author for improvement with his/ her suggestions or asks for rewriting or replacing that unit. After the subject editing the course material is sent for language editing. The convener is required to produce Camera Ready Copy (CRC) of the course material. Finally, the CRC of the course material is sent for printing to the Material Production and Distribution Division. The whole system of working is analogous to an industrialized system in which every stage/process is important and time bound. But in many cases delay at any one stage disturbs the whole process of developing the Self Learning Material in relevant to the Open University.
***
Notes
* Credit has been defined in terms of study hours required to complete the components of the Study Material i.e. reading text, answering the assignment, listening to audio, watching the video attending counselling sessions and memorizing the text for the purpose of the examinations. Generally in the opinion of the Experts one Credit is equivalent to 30 hours of study. As such, if Experts feel that a Course requires 240 hours of study during a year that is 30 hours a month for eight months then they assign it 8 credit. A programme may have number of Courses.
* In Open Universities a Paper is called a Course
* All the Courses together make a Programme.
* It is not essential to have uniform Credits for various Courses.
* Generally a 6 month Certificate Programme is of 18 Credit.
* A one Year U.G. Diploma Programme is of 24 Credits
* A One year P.G. Diploma Programme is of 30 Credits
* A Bachelor’s Degree Programme such as B.A. B.Com. B. Sc is of 108 Credits to be offered in three years.
* A Master’s Degree Programme is of 72 Credits 32 credits are to be offered in the Previous Examination and 40 credits are to be offered in the final year examination.
* Many other courses have their own pattern and the details could be seen in the prospectus.
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