Authoring support by didactic templates for non-experienced developers of learning content

For the application of Computer-Based Training (CBT) and E-learning, the availability of qualitative good learning content (the educational media) in sufficient amount is prerequisite. The development of learning content is an expensive and time-consuming process, demanding very specific didactic and technical expertise of the developers. Lack of time, funds and expertise forms therefore a serious bottleneck for further widespread implementation.. This problem is further complicated by the fact that often Subject Matter Experts (SME's) like domain experts and teachers are tasked with the development of learning content. These SME's generally lack the required specific expertises needed for learning content development. More advanced authoring tools claim that they can compensate for these shortcomings. In a study we found however, that existing authoring tools still offer insufficient support for this kind of developers to ensure the didactic quality of the developed learning content. We are now conducting a series of studies aimed at formulating guidelines for better development support by means of template-based authoring tools. In the present paper, a first exploratory study will be presented, in which we investigated how developers with different levels of experience create learning content with an authoring tool provided with didactic templates