As the availability of technology such as phones and tablets has grown in the education sector, learning is increasingly no longer restricted to the classroom. It is therefore essential to ensure every learner can access course resources; not only in a time and place that suits them, but also on a device that suits them. With the trial launch of iPads to medical students in 2017, it became a business requirement to review and update resources the TELMeD team maintain for the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry within Plymouth University.

As the majority of existing learning resources had been developed using Adobe Flash, it was time to move towards the new industry standard… HTML5. Instead of re-inventing the wheel and spending precious time and resources building a bespoke e-Learning authoring tool, it was decided Articulate Storyline 2 and Lectora were the best solutions to meet our requirements. After the initial training and familiarising with each authoring tool, the hard work began. Over a year on, the majority of the resources are now mobile compatible and delivered via HTML5. Whilst all didn’t make the cut, those that did now have: a consistent design, a main menu, guidance for use, learning outcomes and feedback.

Whilst we have almost finished this project for now, learning and technology is continually evolving. HTML5 is the standard for now, but for how long?