Receiving raw content from SMEs
Does anyone know of a resource I could give to a SME to help him create the raw content for me to work with for a course? This is a situation in which there are no existing resources. All the information is in his, and his coworkers' heads. The content is extensive so conducting an interview(s) would be impractical. I was hoping there already exists some sort of checklist or outline with examples that might help him to see how to get the information written down.
Hi Rachel,
I have previously worked on some projects where there weren't any available resources, and the SME's had to basically empty their brains for the project to work :)
I don't readily have a template available for you, but I usually handle it by creating clear boundaries for them to work within. I'll give you some examples I like to use.
If, for example, they have to produce information about multiple subjects, try to think of a suitable structure for your SME's to follow in order to produce the content in a uniform way, guaranteeing that you can then easily go through their content in order to create your storyboard.
Also, if you have already set learning goals and/or a global design of the eventual course, this will make it a lot easier for both you and the SME's to produce concise content!
Finally, if you have access to these SME's for a longer period of time, I wouldn't worry too much about them having to produce all of the knowledge in one go. If after a first round of producing content/you creating a storyboard for the course, you find that you are missing a lot of information, I always like to schedule a revision meeting/workshop where you just ask questions and they try to answer :)
I hope my answer is of help and if you have any other questions, let me know!
