Elearning Repository?

Hi, Melissa - 

Repository is one of those challenging elements, particularly if your development crew is distributed. At my day job, we use a centralized folder setup to archive projects. These are backed up nightly. We move projects from Hot (Cooking) to Warm (Deployed Recently) folder structures and finally to Cold (Storage) in another isolated repository.

We keep the production structures uncompressed in the Hot folders. Here's the structure I prefer:

• Planning (Storyboards and raw materials)
• Production (Contains folders like Lectora, Articulate, Flash, etc..)
• Published (plain, unpolluted, published output)

When we move to the Warm environment, we zip up the entire package as it was last published and move to another repository. This keeps everything bundled up and prevents folks from modifying something without first intentionally decompressing it. This helps with version control.

Outside of my day job, I use Dropbox for collaborative development work. This keeps the entire team synched up and provides some versioning. I've also used SVN and GIT in the past. These work great, though they tend to have a bit higher technical curve than most folks want.  

If you're distributed, Dropbox is a really great way to go. If you're local, setup a standard production structure and enforce it. We're not at perfect management, there'll always be *some* dysfunction. But I think we've reduced the dysfunction to a manageable level

I echo Steve's comments re: dropbox. I like that it has previous versions saved. I also like the general structure he presents. The key is to find something that is going to be consistent and that works with the way the team works. The last thing you want is a process that irritates the flow of your production process.

I am a big proponent of consistent folder structures when working on an e-Learning team.  That way, any developer can pick it up and know exactly where to find what they need.  The structure that we use is as follows:

• Audio
• Images
• Published
• Script
• Video

The source PPT and any associated Articulate files are stored at the root of the course folder.  We like to have a backup of the script in Word in case we need to go back to the narrator, as well as to let the customer/SME have an easy way to make updates to the content (with track changes turned on).

We also use a cloud-based storage system to which our developers upload their "working" files on a nightly basis.  We use Box.net, but Dropbox is basically the same thing.

Good luck and hope this helps!

Thanks for your thoughts and input. I organize my file structure like this:

• Project Docs - project related docs
• Published - zipped file for LMS
• Source Files - contains subfolders of course assets such as Video, Audio, Quizzes, Script, and the PPT

Our group uses shared folders and SharePoint for collaborative development work.

Steve, can you tell me more about your Cold storage repository? Is it an archive of all previous versions, or the last version of a project? I'm trying to figure out the best place and structure for saving projects for future revisions. Basically, I'd like to have the developers store their final/current project (with a standard file structure) in one location so all developers can access if needed. This way when a course needs updating, anyone can retrieve the latest version of a course and know all the necessary files are there. Our LMS houses and delivers the current course, but we need a plan to store the source files going forward.

Hello Melissa,

Whatever structture Steve can suggest (and it's going to be truly valuable), I would reccomend a safer repository than a Sharepoint database, especially if you use free Ms Sharepoint services. Sharepoint could crash with a "simple" Microsoft KB automatic update, and a restore could be hard to perform. Personal experience...

Any file server /cloud filing solutions are excellent, and as Steve said, zipping material structures can help versioning and avoid accidental tampering.

Don't know if you agree... hope it helps

Stefano

I have to also say, Drop box is the bomb. It's such a nice way to collaborate with other users and keep the file up to date with all the latest revisions. You may look at storing your work at a data farm or you may put your resources on an external drive. Just always make sure you make periodic backups. Also be sure to test your backups. I have had to do a lot of data recovery for people who thought they had a backup, only to find out that they didn't.

Hope that helps,

James

Hi Melissa,

We are going through the same challenge, and risk for fragmentation are always high.

We are currently experimenting with Dropbox Team Edition, and the next step is to actually integrate Dropbox in the LMS.

Hi, Melissa - 

We only keep the most recent version in our Cold Storage repository. Here's the way each phase works out:

During development and up to 3 months following deployment - we keep the files in a "Hot / cooking" structure. This is in our active / working directory. All files are uncompressed in working form. These are backed up nightly.

From 3 months to 3 years - we keep the files in a "Warm" structure. This is our delivered directory. The files are compressed into a zip with the date of the delivery. The lead developer typically also burns this file to a DVD / CD. We rarely need this but there has been one instance where someone broke an archive and it wasn't discovered until the back-ups were out of restore range.

Beyond 3 years - we move the compressed zip of the delivered source and published materials to an offline system with a very large raid drive. We only do this because we can generate or contract a heap of content in 3 years. If we kept everything in the nightly / weekly backups it would take a lot of time / resources to back these up.

One of the keys we've found is a good coding system for courses. We use a six digit course code that relates to SSIC (We're government). All of our training has a course code, this started to help with resource tracking for our resident course offerings decades ago, I believe. The course zips are coded with this course code as are the working directories and the archive files. The deployed package and archive names might look something like this:

• 546412_fire_safety_scorm12_15jul2012.zip
• 546412_fire_safety_archive_15jul2012.zip

I'll add to this:

1. Never trust technology 100%.
2. Always have a backup plan for your backup plan.

Similar to Steve's setup here.  We have a "storage server" where source files go once a project has been deployed (multi TB Linux powered box with a RAID config that is also backed up by our IT group nightly).  We have a specific file structure we use to support consistency. We also have a readme file that must be completed and included in every project that asks for specific information should someone come back and need to modify the project at a later time.  Finally, we track everything in a SharePoint based project list. The SharePoint list also required information about where the content, pushed and source files are all located. This gives us a searchable resource so we can located stuff quickly.