Creating textbooks and online resources that teachers can trust
Head of Content Development Melanie Blount explains the work that goes into creating textbooks and online resources for WJEC/Eduqas qualifications:
The educational resources team is responsible for all of the teaching and learning content generated to support our qualifications.
It’s an important job, and it comes with a lot of responsibility – as a former teacher myself, I understand how important it is to have classroom resources you can rely on.
Our main focus as a team is to plan, commission and develop digital content and textbooks.
We work closely with teachers and subject to identify exactly what’s needed, and ensure that the content we develop meets those needs. We also manage the content on the WJEC/Eduqas Question Bank and Online Exam Review platforms.
Developing high quality teaching resources that teachers can trust is a multi-step process involving a whole team of experts. In a nutshell, here’s how it works:
Step 1: Developing the brief and commissioning authors
We start with our Digital Learning Officers (DLOs), who are all either ex-teachers or trainers.
They work closely with our Subject Officers to agree which resources we need to commission, before developing and agreeing a project brief for the authors. We draw on a wide pool of both subject experts and teaching and learning experts to author content for us.
The team will then work closely with the authors to develop their teaching ideas and subject expertise into storyboards that our developers can bring to life.
Many of our DLOs also have a background in project management. This is vital for managing textbook projects, as these can take up to eighteen months from commissioning to publication. The DLOs need to be able to keep track of multiple projects simultaneously so that we can deliver content on time.
Step 2: Editing
Once the DLOs and the authors they commission have completed their part in the process, the work passes to our Editorial division.
All our editors are fluent in English and Welsh, with most having a degree in one of these languages. This means they can edit bilingually – which is essential, as all appropriate content needs to be published in both languages simultaneously.
Their job is not just to check the spelling and grammar, they also check the content against the specification to ensure that everything has been covered. They ensure that any terminology used matches the terminology used for assessment so that there is no confusion. They fact check the statements made, and finally they ensure that the writing is appropriate for the age level it is aimed at.
Step 3: Development
Next it passes to our Development division, which is made up of computer coders and graphic designers.
This team either turns the content into an interactive resource or typesets the work for publication as a textbook.
Within this division we also have an Innovation section. These coders are tasked with constantly developing exciting new proof of concept mock-ups so that we can keep up with changing need.
The innovation team work closely with the head of content development and the lead digital learning officer to turn their teaching and learning ideas into exciting new digital content.
For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic they worked together to develop and deliver a solution to distance learning with the publication of our interactive blended learning content, which continues to be very popular with teachers and learners.
Step 4: Quality Assurance
Finally, the work passes to the Quality Assurance division, where it is checked against the original storyboard and the project brief to ensure it is ready for publication.
Much like our editing team, the QA team are also bilingual, and able to quality assure content in both English and Welsh.
We use this final quality assurance check to also be a second pair of editorial eyes to check for anything that may have been missed at any of the other changes.
Step 5: Going Live/Printing
When everything has been approved the Quality Assurance Officers upload the digital content to our resources website, where teachers can access it free of charge.
Textbooks follow a slightly different process - the final quality assurance stage is carried out by the whole team involved in the development of that book.
Final approval of a textbook being ready for print is made by the Digital Learning Officer Lead, as this individual oversees the project management of all textbooks.
Once this is complete, the textbooks go to print. Soon after this you’ll find them listed for purchase under the Resources tab on the relevant qualification page.
This isn’t the end of the story - we have a constant review process for our published content. If specifications or set products change, then we update the resources to reflect this.
We also respond to comments from our users, and if they think a resource needs updating or tweaking, where possible we will act on this and make the relevant changes to meet their needs.
All of our resources from full-length textbooks to single-page Knowledge Organisers undergo a similar process, so you can be sure that you and your learners can rely on them.
For all the latest resources updates, follow @Eduqas_EdRes on Twitter.