ReusableLearning Objects

V i r t u a l C o l l e g e

Kristi LozanoDirector of Distance Education

What is aRLO or Reusable Learning Object?

A student?A piece of instructional content?A microchip for your brain?

http://www.fastrak-consulting.co.uk/tactix/features/objects/objects.htm#Objects defined

http://www.eduworks.com/LOTT/tutorial/index.html

A learning object is “any digital resource that can be reused to support learning.”

This definition includes anything that can be delivered online, be it large or small.

Examples of smaller reusable digital resources include digital images or photos, real-time data, video and audio snippets, small bits of text, animations, and smaller web-delivered applications, like a Java calculator.

Examples of larger reusable digital resources include entire web pages that combine text, images and other media or applications to deliver complete experiences, such as a complete instructional event.

Some even consider an entire module or course as a learning object.

Granularity & Combination

How big should a learning object be?

How can it be combined with others?

Scope and Sequence

Reusable Learning ObjectsMedia

Learning experience: Text, Animation, Sound, Video, Multimedia, etc.

MetadataAttributes of the RLO: Title, Author, Version, Format, Type, Language, number of objects, etc.

MethodsThings the RLO can do: Learning Objectives, Suggestions for Use

How to Use RLOs

The Instructional Use of Learning Objects

Here is a couple of quotes from this excellent online book http://wiley.ed.usu.edu/book/:

What is a learning object?“After affecting sweeping changes in the way people

communicate and do business, the Internet is poised to bring about a paradigm shift in the way people learn.”

“An instructional technology called “learning objects” currently leads other candidates for the position of technology of choice in the next generation of instructional design, development, and delivery, due to its potential for reusability, generativity, adaptability, and scalability. . .”

What is SCORM?

Sharable Content Object Reference Model

ADL’s SCORM Course by Dr. Ed Jones

http://www.scorm.tamucc.edu/

A few important terms:

SCO – Sharable Content Object

SR – Sharable Resource

LMS – Learning Management System

LOM – Learning Object Metadata

XML – eXtensible Markup Language

Standards AICC

Aviation Industry CBT Committee http://aicc.org

Interoperability: communication between the RLO and the LMS

IMS & IEEE IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc.

http://www.imsproject.org

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. http://www.ieee.org/index.html

SCORM Shareable Content Object Reference Model

http://www.adlnet.org

Metadata standards for Learning Objects Includes subsets of AICC, IEEE, and IMS standards

M-DCC Participation IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc.

Develop and promote open specifications

Locate and use educational content

Track learner progress, report learner performance, and exchange student records among administrative systems http://www.imsproject.org/

ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning) Initiative Accelerate large-scale development of dynamic and cost-effective

learning software

Stimulate market for products to meet education and training needs of military and nation's workforce in 21st century

Develop common technical framework for computer and net-based learning to foster creation of reusable learning content as “instructional objects” http://www.adlnet.org/index.cfm

M-DCC Participation . . .

Merlot – Learning objects are located and

documented in a searchable database http://taste.merlot.org/

WISC-Online – Learning objects are created

according to standards and are searchable http://www.wisc-online.com/

Lydia, Inc. – Setting up ERCs (Electronic Resource Centers) to serve as connected web of repositories for learning objects with intellectual property rights protected and rewarded http://www.lydialearn.com/

5 Learning Object Types

1. Fundamental – open for many uses in a specific curricular area and may cross over (Exhibit, display)

What type of music is this?

2. Combined-closed – 2 media types combined for a specific objective and may cross over (Pre-designed instruction or practice)

3. Combined-open – user may combine the given 2 media types with open text (Pre-designed instruction or practice)

5 Learning Object Types . . .

4. Generative-presentation – object generates set of media that may be positioned and used in specific curricular area and may cross over (Exhibit, display)

5. Generative-instructional – template object adapted to any curricular area for stand-alone instruction or support (Computer-instruction, instructional support)