Type-i Variant: Is that part of DE where the learner is interacting with the content. Hulsmann (2000) calls this “internal activity” (p. 26). It encompasses computer marked assignments (CMA), computer assisted learning (CAL), and computer based training (CBT).
Type-c Variant: Is that part of DE where the learner interacts with the instructor or other learners. Hulsmann (2000) refers to this is “external activity” (p. 26). This variant includes asynchronous and synchronous communication.
I found the costing of development very interesting because of the work that I’m currently doing with my internship. To develop a computer marked assignment, Hulsmann, in his assignment to his Fall 2013 OMDE 606 class, says that it requires “23 hours” of programming. The creation of the questions is separate. At my internship, using Articulate Storyline, I can program the questions in a matter of minutes, literally. With its GUI interface and Quiz development software, it’s just a matter of copying and pasting the questions from another document, such as MS Word, and then checking boxes and selecting options. I programmed a 10 question quiz in an hour.
Hulsmann, in his Fall 2013 OMDE 606 class assignment, goes on to discuss the costs of programming an interactive graded assignment. In comparison, using Articulate Storyline, I was able to develop a presentation with embedded quizzes in about 2 to 3 hours. Hulsmann says it takes 37 hours of programming time.
Hulsmann says his numbers came from actual sources with experience in programming assessments. It would be very interesting to me to know which software the source was using to program the assessments and when this took place. Did they have the advantage of using a tool such as Storyline?
Hulsmann’s source says that to develop computer assisted learning (CAL) or computer based training (CBT) takes approximately 100 hours. This includes the academic (SME, instructional design) and programming hours. In comparison, I developed an interactive course that simulated a real software tool using Articulate Storyline in approximately 200 hours. During that time, I had to learn the software (become the SME), learn Storyline, design the course, develop the course, and test and revise the course. Unfortunately, I did track how much time I spent on each effort (ie. becoming the SME) individually. I must assume that if I had already been the SME and known how to use Storyline, that it would have taken me much less time.
References
Hülsmann, T. (2000). The costs of open learning: a handbook (Vol. 2). Oldenburg: bis.
Gail Wingate ePortfolio 