From the Editor's Desk - April 2005

Welcome to the April 2005 issue of Wavelength. March was a colorful month, but now as heat settles in, action peters off. March is when most of us are clambering to meet our deadlines, trying to help our organizations give the finishing touch to their bottomlines; so in April we stop for a while and regenerate.

Last month we spoke about plagiarism and the undusted attics of our minds. This month let’s treat ourselves with something new. The "Mystery of the Month" for April 2005, features “Taming the Productivity Dragon,” which provides an insight into how an Instructional Designer can impact not just the development productivity but also the overall course productivity.

The connection between the overall course productivity and the instructional designer may not be readily obvious, but it exists and is extremely strong. The most important point to note here is that whatever project productivity targets are given to the development team, eventually they are driven by the design of the course.

The productivity levels in India are in general lower than those abroad. This could be due to lack of formally trained instructional designers. When a designer undergoes formal training, among myriad other concepts, she also learns about the systems approach to instructional design. This knowledge forbids her to begin developing until she has tested waters by carrying out adequate research, analysis, and design. The pre-work ensures better quality and higher productivity throughout the DLC.

So, in this "Mystery of the Month" feature, we weave the need to "ease-in" into the content development process with practical project requirements and realize that more than anywhere else, here in India, the Instructional Designer can play the role of the “dragon-tamer.”

Once again, I would like to thank all subscribers, old and new – for being here and for joining in. Also thanks for writing in. Do send your ideas on the issues that we discuss here; we can add another section to Wavelength with your views in it.

I wish you a beautiful and productive April. All the Best!

Thanks and Warm Regards,

Shafali R. Anand.
(Editor & Publisher - Wavelength)

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