Experiences of working with the COL electronic template.

Abstract

At PCF-4 2006 in Jamaica, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) launched an electronic template designed for the development of distance education instructional material. In this paper I discuss the experiences of working with the COL electronic template. These discussions mainly revolve around how the writers, who are often novices with the use of computers and writing of distance education instructional material, cope with the two tasks, and in the process develop professionally. This paper will outline the changes made within the template to suit the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (COLL) House Style Manual and how it has helped to improve the quality of instructional material. I will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the template within the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning with the hope that such information can be transferred as lessons learned to other open and distance learning institutions thinking about using such a tool.