While you may have a considerable amount of freedom choosing what to create for program content, there will likely also be both practical and programmatic constraints on possible activities. Constraints are often established in advance, though some might be emergent. Keep this in mind as you begin to plan and build content. The best content is situated in its context. While it may feel like creating an activity that ‘targets everyone’ is the right way to go, truly special content is designed in a way that keeps the specific qualities of the program in mind.

You should start the content development process knowing, at least roughly, what the requirements and program-specific details are for what you’re creating, including:

• Program themes
• Program delivery mode and context
• Program length
• Program date and location
• Expected age group of participants
• Expected participant group size
• Number of facilitators required
• Length of the content in terms of how much time is available to use
• Technology and other materials available to you

These details serve to create a foundation upon which you can develop your content.

Safety

Creating content that is safe for participants and instructors is the foremost consideration for any content that you develop. Safe does not necessarily mean there are absolutely no risks or no possibilities for injury, just that such things have been considered and steps have been taken to reduce their likelihood and mitigate their impact or severity. 

Your organization and your institution likely already have guidelines in place for determining what is considered safe and what is an acceptable level of risk. Be sure to check with your team lead or supervisor to understand what procedures are in place and what your responsibilities are when it comes to developing and reviewing content through a lens of safety and risk.

Program delivery type

You will typically be designing for a single type of delivery, specific to the program where the content will be used. Program delivery types have been summarized and described below. These program delivery types apply to both in-person and remote delivery (the implications of in-person and remote delivery are addressed in the section Section 4. Delivery Environment).

The tasks of the content development process have been organized into four categories: ideation, design, implementation, and evaluation. Much like the engineering design cycle, this is an iterative process with testing and cycles of feedback, leading to the best possible final product.

Each category flows into the next, with the output of the tasks supporting further content development. While this process can be linear, starting with ideation and finishing after evaluation is complete, it also has the potential to be cyclic or iterative, as shown by the dashed arrows circling back to the design step. 

Re-designs can be done after implementation or evaluation and they are meant to change the content. This can be in response to any issues that occurred during implementation, to integrate feedback following evaluation, or to update content with relevant topics and scientific advancements.

All content starts with an idea. In fact, content typically starts with finding inspiration from a variety of sources. Some great jumping-off points include:

• Your academic background (e.g. an activity on a plant-pressing you learned in a botany class);
• Popular culture (e.g. an activity about terraforming in space using the film The Martian);
• Video games (e.g. an activity on the supply chain using Minecraft)
• Social media (e.g. making slime without a recipe as per the No Borax, No Glue TikTok trend);
• Picture books (e.g. an activity about the northern lights based on Painted Skies);
• Local context (e.g. an activity on ice roads for youth in the Northwest Territories);
• Emerging technology (e.g. an activity about the lunar gateway);
• STEM organizations (e.g. an activity about WWF’s walrus monitoring project).

While ideation can be done solo, doing it as a group means having an opportunity to bounce ideas off each other or draw on the experience of others who may have more expertise. Remember, the goal with content development is not necessarily to reinvent the wheel, but to build on the work of others as much as possible. 

Ideating in a group setting is especially useful when there might be multiple developers creating content for a single program. Having cohesive content plans may help to avoid any overlap and create a program that feels more cohesive. 

Reflection Prompts:

• Where might you draw inspiration from when ideating for new content?
• What STEM activities have you experienced? What STEM activities have you enjoyed? 
• What made the STEM activities that you enjoyed enjoyable? Likewise, for the activities that you didn’t enjoy, why didn’t you enjoy them?
• What STEM-related media can you think of? What are key aspects of STEM-related media that you think makes it appealing?

The last task within ideation is to narrow down the best ideas to one idea that you will develop into a full-fledged activity based on the quality of the idea, relevance to participants, and alignment with your available resources. When narrowing down ideas, consider the other activities within the program, not only in terms of topic or subject (which is necessary to avoid duplication) but also in terms of potential structure (e.g., type, duration, location, individual or group).

Future Skills Instructor Quote - Teamwork and Collaboration

“One of the big things that SuperNOVA has trained us to do is interact with children, but also interact with other leaders in a productive manner. And that is a fundamental skill that will come in and see play in every work space. We collaborate as a team, designing all these activities, there's gonna be disagreements and discussions that need to happen, and we are given the opportunities and tools we need to deal with those. So I would say that [teamwork], and the communication skills in general are what I take from this so far. I'm interested to see what else of my training comes forward as the summer progresses.”

                                                                    - Instructor, SuperNOVA, Dalhousie University.”

Design tasks convert rough content outlines and ideas into detailed procedures that can be used for content delivery. This is also the point we would encourage you to engage in content stakeholder consultation, as well as pre-implementation review and feedback. Determining if consultation is necessary or advised is a shared responsibility. When developing content, you shouldn’t hesitate to raise any thoughts or concerns you have about consultation with your team lead or supervisor. Later in this section, we identify a few points at which consultation might be prudent, however you should always be thinking about the potential of your content to impact not just your participants but other stakeholders.

The choice of content type sets the direction that your content will take in terms of the kind of tasks, materials, and interactions that will occur. Each content type has strengths and weaknesses and may be more or less suitable based on the topic or subject being addressed and, importantly, delivery type of the program that you’re developing it for.

If you’re trying out a new or unfamiliar concept or task, testing plays an important role in helping you to confirm things like feasibility, timing, and general user experience. Be sure to set time aside to allow for testing ideas (e.g., in the ideation phase) and more developed designs (e.g., here, in the design phase), as well as any adaptations that might be necessary for a given group or delivery location.

Note: While “content” and “activity” are not strictly synonymous, they can often be used interchangeably, as is done throughout this module.

While you might have a lot of freedom to decide what form your content will take, and in addition to the requirements and program-specific details of your content outlined above, you will likely also be subject to a few additional constraints, such as:

• Cost of raw materials to use in your content;
• Access to, and use of, tools to work with raw materials;
• Logistic considerations (e.g. transportation, sourcing) of tools and raw materials;
• Access to infrastructure to support your content, such as electricity, water, gas, and waste disposal;
• Temperature and other environmental considerations, and;
• Time available for your content during the program.

Figuring out what constraints you’re facing early on in the content development process will go a long way to ensuring your design tasks proceed smoothly.

Some content types are more suited to specific audiences, environments, and subjects than others. The most common content types are listed below

Reflection Questions

• What types of STEM activities have you experienced and enjoyed? Why do you think that they were particularly enjoyable?
• What content types would be most appropriate for your activity?
• What types of activities will you be developing? What specific considerations do those types of activities have and how do they impact your development?

 At this point we would encourage you to engage in content stakeholder consultation, as well as pre-implementation review and feedback. Determining if consultation is necessary or advised is a shared responsibility. 

Consultation with content stakeholders (e.g., someone who may have an interest in, or is impacted by, the content of the program) may be necessary in the process, depending on the type of content. Content stakeholders can include educators, partners, funders, members of your team, and more.

• When used early on, consultation can be used to validate the idea chosen from the ideation phase as suitable to be developed; or, it could indicate that there may be issues with the idea and that another one should be chosen.
• When used mid-way through, consultation can provide ideas for content details, logistics, or potential resources that would improve some aspect of the activity.
• When used at the end, consultation can be used to validate the design of the activity or provide possible tweaks or adjustments to content that address stakeholder needs or concerns. Your organization should have a locally-developed procedure for content review that covers, at a minimum, an education or science review and a safety review.

Reflection questions

For each of the following scenario prompts, think about how and why you might go about engaging in consultation. 

Scenario 1: You are scheduled to do an in-class workshop for a Grade 8 science class.

Scenario 2: You are designing a week-long summer camp for a remote community.

Specifically, for each scenario, try to answer:

• With whom would you consult? Why?
• At what point in the development process would you engage in consultation?
• How might the outcome of your consultation inform or impact your content development?

Scenario 1: Consultation with the class’ teacher in advance of your visit could be beneficial here to link the content of your workshop with whatever topic is currently being covered in class, or to get a sense of how much background information might be required for a topic that hasn’t been (or won’t be) covered. The teacher may also have additional insight into the needs of learners in the class and may be able to suggest or prepare modifications to make sure all their learners are supported.

Scenario 2: Consultation would be appropriate here for at least two reasons: to find out if there are any specific interests or activities in the community that your content could tie into or be based around and to build a positive relationship with community members and show that you’re mindful of your status as a guest and outsider. You would likely consult first with your community contact and then work to include other community members as necessary. Consultation also creates an opportunity to include community members and practices into your content.

Soliciting feedback and review

Getting feedback from other instructors and content developers is crucial to developing an activity that is clear, engaging, accurate, and safe. Your colleagues are your first line of review for calling attention to any errors or inaccuracies in your content, or highlighting additional considerations you may have overlooked. Your organization should have a locally-developed procedure for content review that covers, at a minimum, an education or science review and a safety review. Be aware of what that procedure is, including when it takes place during content development and how long of a period is set aside for review, as you plan out your content development work.

Implementation is where the content you designed gets put into practice. In advance of the actual delivery of your content, you’ll need to get clear on the necessary logistics like:

• how materials are being acquired, transported, and prepared.
• which instructors will be delivering the content and any training they may need.
• presence of needed infrastructure in the delivery location. Availability of electricity, internet, and running water are common concerns.
• size and features of the physical space that content will be delivered in such as the presence of desks or tables, movable furniture, open areas, or particular room layouts.
• location availability and access, such as whether the location is in use beforehand, whether you are able to get into your location in advance to set up, and whether there are any special clean up requirements.

Implementation is also about supporting the successful delivery of your content. Content developers are often the lead instructors on the content that they develop and should be well positioned to adapt or respond to any situations that arise. When developing content for others to deliver, consider how much detail is necessary or appropriate to enable other instructors or facilitators to be able to use your content. Be sure to flag areas which may require additional background reading for those unfamiliar with the subject matter, delivery approach, tools, or materials being used

After content has been delivered, it can be evaluated for its effectiveness. Your organization should have a framework for evaluating effectiveness. After implementing content, evaluation is a time to reflect on the development process and its product based on your experiences. 

Ask yourself:

• What worked with the activity? What went smoothly? What was well-received?
• What didn’t work with the activity? How could they be improved?

Some ways content can be evaluated is by:

• Meeting with instructors to get their feedback;
• Surveying educators for their opinions;
• Soliciting participant feedback through creative evaluations, like having them draw their favourite activities.

Reflection question:

• What sort of content evaluation and improvement processes does your organization have and when are they used?
• What practices could you implement to get feedback from instructors, participants, educators, or other stakeholders on content effectiveness?