^aThe Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK. E-mail: d.j.middleton@open.ac.uk

Abstract

The Politics Active Research Learning Environment (PARLE) was a £250,000 project to develop multimedia learning materials aimed at politics postgraduate students. Although the project fulfilled all its ambitions, a number of lessons have been learned that might inform others wanting to use the multimedia route for their teaching. This paper considers some of the mistakes made, how they could have been avoided and lessons for the future production of collaborative projects such as PARLE.