An agile approach to the rapid and collaborative authoring of educational content

Abstract

An agile approach is most often used in software development but has been applied in other areas such as manufacturing and project management as well. Within literature, there are only a few studies that investigate the use of an agile approach for authoring educational content. This study explores how an agile approach could facilitate rapid and collaborative authoring of educational content. This qualitative study utilised a multiple case study strategy. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and observations. The insight gained from this study indicated that the agile approach that emerged was a valuable lens through which to explore rapid and collaborative authoring of educational content. The study also revealed that community building among those participating in the authoring process is fundamental to the success of an agile approach. Further insights include offering training and support to the participants of the authoring sprints regarding an agile process, the applications utilised and imminent change. An agile approach in education emerged from the study and could be an alternative to traditional content authoring approaches for educational content. Finally, the study revealed the need for a comprehensive software package that included file sharing, instant messaging, task management, screen sharing and conferencing capabilities alongside the authoring software.