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Brief and you shall receive: 10 tricks for briefing freelancers better

Some of what you’re about to read was learned the hard way.

No matter who you’re briefing – or who you’re briefed by – there is almost always space for improvement. A brief won’t solve all your problems, because work is messy, and creative work can be even messier. But getting a good brief means that you can get to the messy and creative stages quicker – and with less hassle.

Here, in no particular order, are 10 tricks for making your briefing documents work for you. Use all of them, or none of them, or vary them and tweak until they’re yours.

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A series of interesting decisions: from game design to project-based learning

What can great video games teach you about great teaching?

This week, I want to write about a book that’s been on my mind, and a recent job which involves project-based learning. The more I thought about these two areas, the more similarities I noticed. Any teacher, learner, or instructional designer could do worse than look to great games for inspiration. This is especially true in task-based and project-based learning contexts. How exactly can games help?

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Blog Editing

10 good questions to ask before you close a digital project

Digital goodbyes aren’t any easier than real ones. I’ve recently decided to archive a digital project which I spent almost ten years working on. In the process, I found myself pausing and questioning my actions a lot more frequently than I’d anticipated. What’s the proper way to “sunset” a digital project? And is it possible to preserve online publications in a useful form? Here, in no particular order, are ten questions which I found myself grappling with. Feel free to refer to them the next time you decide to pull the plug on your digital creation!

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Blog

10 good questions for any instructional designer

Graphic to ilustrate the concept of learning difficulties. A confused child sitting on the floor with an open book in their lap. Colourful, messy letters and characters in a though bubble above the child's head.

I’ve worked with instructional design more than usual over the past few weeks, and frequently, this meant being able to stop and ask lots of questions. Some of them ended up in e-mails to authors, instructional designers, and digital producers (if you’ve been affected, apologies!). Others I’ve started writing down for myself. They led to more questions, as is often the case.

Here, in no particular order (apart from No. 1), are ten good questions which any instructional designer can ask themselves – and ten reasons why I like asking them when working with ID projects. Feel free to adapt, riff, share, and question the questions!

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Blog Editing

7 free and open source apps which editors can be thankful for in 2020

Is software for editorial staff expensive? How much does it cost to equip an editor’s workstation with the software they need? And are there any free and/or open-source projects which any editor can be thankful for – every day, not just for Thanksgiving? Read on for a quick 2020 list.

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