Mbarak In E -content Development Course

The purpose of the e-content Development Course was to learn to develop content in digital form for easy review and modification.

The goal was that after finishing the course everyone would understand the material and be able to share the lesson's from the week-long course.
E-content development follows the ADDIE model, which stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.

The course was facilitated by Susanna from Learnthings Africa on behalf of Microsoft, with the cooperation of the NGO RC Zanzibar, a project of the Aga Khan Foundation. By the end of the course, Susanna explained, students should be able to do the following:

• Explain the main steps in instructional design
• Design and develop interactivities
• Develop a learning programme

The main tool used in the developing process is LCDS software from Microsoft. The end product is HTML (hypertext markup language) that can be delivered either online (linked to a web site) or offline, as a separate document.

You might ask yourself, "Why e-content?" Here are some answers:
• Allows interactivity.
• Less expensive than print to duplicate.
• Easy to distribute on different platforms.
• Easy to make changes.
• Activities allow instant feedback.
• Instant feedback reinforces learning.

By the end of the course everyone had succeeded in developing one lesson. In the feedback session, which invited comments and input about the course, a famous proclamation was made: "We will use the knowledge to develop the content for our organizations."

Afterward, the course facilitator, Susanna from Learnthings Africa, and Mr. Phil from Microsoft had the chance to visit at Zanzibits and see some students' work. They were very impressed with all the activities and opportunities available at Zanzibits.