Other Research Areas

Research reveals several different models of digital learning repositories according to intended purpose. Some functional purposes include

• hosting instructional content for access by teachers, librarians, students, and parents,
• fostering collaboration among instructors and instructional developers to create instructional resources, and/or
• serving as a research archive, publication vehicle, and/or collaboration vehicle for research faculty.

Some repositories that host instructional content are large and diverse such as a public library or a university library, others more focused such as a law library or a special collections library. Your statewide repository’s design should meet the needs of all stakeholders, contributors, and users who may have different areas of interest. In conceptualizing the uses or purposes for your repository, your development team must consider the specific context for your state.

Although the design may be adapted or expanded to include other functions, the focus of this blueprint is the development of a statewide, educational repository for use by postsecondary educators.

Aother important research tool is a needs assessment. Before you begin the phase Solicit Statewide Leadership Support, conduct a needs assessment to identify statewide "market" conditions that support or pose challenges to repository development and to identify target audiences and their needs from a repository. This information will be useful in soliciting statewide support and in subsequent Strategic Planning.

When conducting a needs assessment, try to include a representative sample of potential users. Data can be collected via surveys, interviews or focus groups. Useful documents for a market scan include state and institutional budgets and strategic planning reports, especially from the libraries and from the CIO.

In addition to assesing the need for a repository, your team should explore the benefits a repository would bring to your state. A repository facilitates information sharing and prevents duplication of effort when creating learning resources. Your team may want to assess how much duplication of effort and sharing is currently happening in your state. During the planning of their repository, North Carolina’s team of developers analyzed the financial benefit a repository could provide its state. Using $25/hour as an estimate of the time costs, they configured the amount of instructor, administrator, and technical support time a centralized repository could save the state. They also factored in the negative results of doing nothing—not establishing a statewide repository and faculty continuing to duplicate resources and fostering a system of information silos. They found that a repository could save approximately 2000 instructors 10 hours a semester—saving the state millions of dollars.

Illustrations of problems that could be solved by the creation of a repository are invaluable information to your development team. Such facts are not only beneficial in planning the repository, but are also useful in seeking support from various constituencies within your state.