Chosing people for design sessions is a critical step in production. In designing the Series, we looked for teachers who spend time individually with students. We wanted science teachers who like students, and who see the students who represent the primary audience. Above all we wanted thinking teachers who consider the learning difficulties, what to do to recognize the occurrence of these difficulties, and what to do to assist students with difficulties. This enables the material to be individualized to the needs of the students. It is the insights of very good teachers that are the most critical ingredient in producing high quality learning material.
Other types of people were involved in the design groups. First there may be people who have experience in research in the area being taught, or bring some other special expertise to that area. In science there has been a considerable body of research, and we are able to call on people with experience in such areas as the naive theories students have in science. In addition we have within each small design group a person who has designed such material before, someone who has experience with the interaction that can be achieved with modern interactive technology.