Guide to digital resource development

Digital resources are items sourced from project partners, such as cultural and scientific organisations, for the benefit of teachers and students in Australian and New Zealand schools. The Le@rning Federation's collection includes digitised photographs, artwork, speeches, songs, video clips from feature films, documentaries, television shows and newsreels, as well as furniture, jewellery, costumes and museum artefacts.

Each item is accompanied by a description and by an educational value statement that is written for teachers and that includes detailed contextual information relevant to key learning areas.

The process for creating digital resources ensures that each resource is of a high educational and editorial standard and can be easily discovered, and that each is compatible with a very wide range of computers, operating systems and browsers.

1. Pre-production
   During pre-production, we select items from cultural and scientific collections and begin to process intellectual property information related to those items.
   
   
2. Research and writing
   Writers and researchers provide background information about the items to enrich the resources and to assist teachers and students to use them.
   
   
3. Quality assurance
   The resources undergo rigorous educational, editorial and technical quality assurance to ensure that they are of a consistently high standard across all areas.
   
   
4. Metadata specifications
   Metadata is applied as a discovery and organisational tool. It enables downstream teachers and students to find relevant digital resources.
   
   
5. Quality processes
   We have developed flexible processes that include the checks and balances needed to efficiently and cost-effectively create high-quality materials.