The seeds for the UK's National Learning Network (NLN) were sown in the spring of 1999 through the collaboration of the Further Education Funding Council for England (FEFC), the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and agencies like Becta, NILTA, FEDA and Jisc.
[2] This government-funded project resulted in three main developments:[3] Four rounds of interactive learning materials were commissioned and authored under the NLN banner, covering a wide range of academic and vocational topics.
The materials are designed to be used in a variety of formats and delivery platforms, including within a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Most of the LOs can be disaggregated into multiple Shareable Content Objects, and to varying degrees modified and repurposed by practitioners.
[5] Xtensis ltd. originally took a consultancy role in the project, gradually increasing their role to hosting the materials to practitioners in the ACL sector, then to all sectors,[6] also introducing a download format that includes a navigational wrapper allowing the materials to be distributed and used on CD/DVD/intranet, while still being valid Scorm Content Packages.