Learning object
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A learning object is "a collection of content items, practice items, and assessment items that are combined based on a single
learning objective Although the noun forms of the three words ''aim'', ''objective'' and ''goal'' are often used synonymously, professionals in organised education define the educational ''aims'' and ''objectives'' more narrowly and consider them to be distinct from ...
". The term is credited to Wayne Hodgins, and dates from a working group in 1994 bearing the name. The concept encompassed by 'Learning Objects' is known by numerous other terms, including: content objects, chunks, educational objects, information objects, intelligent objects, knowledge bits, knowledge objects, learning components, media objects, reusable curriculum components, nuggets, reusable information objects, reusable learning objects, testable reusable units of cognition, training components, and units of learning. The core idea of the use of learning objects is characterized by the following:
discoverability Discoverability is the degree to which something, especially a piece of content or information, can be found in a search of a file, database, or other information system. Discoverability is a concern in library and information science, many aspects ...
, reusability, and interoperability. To support discoverability, learning objects are described by Learning Object Metadata, formalized as IEEE 1484.12
Learning object metadata Learning Object Metadata is a data model, usually encoded in XML, used to describe a learning object and similar digital resources used to support learning. The purpose of learning object metadata is to support the reusability of learning obje ...
. To support reusability, the IMS Consortium proposed a series of specifications such as the IMS Content package. And to support interoperability, the U.S. military's
Advanced Distributed Learning The Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative is a US government program that conducts research and development on distributed learning and coordinates related efforts broadly across public and private organizations. ADL reports to the Defense ...
organization created the
Sharable Content Object Reference Model Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based electronic educational technology (also called e-learning). It defines communications between client side content and a host system (cal ...
. Learning objects were designed in order to reduce the cost of learning, standardize learning content, and to enable the use and reuse of learning content by learning management systems.


Definitions

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) defines a learning object as "any entity, digital or non-digital, that may be used for learning, education or training". Chiappe defined Learning Objects as: "A digital self-contained and reusable entity, with a clear educational purpose, with at least three internal and editable components: content, learning activities and elements of context. The learning objects must have an external structure of information to facilitate their identification, storage and retrieval: the metadata." The following definitions focus on the relation between learning object and digital media. RLO-CETL, a British inter-university Learning Objects Center, defines "reusable learning objects" as "web-based interactive chunks of e-learning designed to explain a stand-alone learning objective". Daniel Rehak and Robin Mason define it as "a digitized entity which can be used, reused or referenced during technology supported learning". Adapting a definition from the Wisconsin Online Resource Center, Robert J. Beck suggests that learning objects have the following key characteristics: * Learning objects are a new way of thinking about learning content. Traditionally, content comes in a several hour chunk. Learning objects are much smaller units of learning, typically ranging from 2 minutes to 15 minutes. * Are self-contained – each learning object can be taken independently * Are reusable – a single learning object may be used in multiple contexts for multiple purposes * Can be aggregated – learning objects can be grouped into larger collections of content, including traditional course structures * Are tagged with metadata – every learning object has descriptive information allowing it to be easily found by a search


Components

The following is a list of some of the types of information that may be included in a learning object and its metadata: * General Course Descriptive Data, including: course identifiers, language of content (English, Spanish, etc.), subject area (Maths, Reading, etc.), descriptive text, descriptive keywords * Life Cycle, including: version, status * Instructional Content, including: text, web pages, images, sound, video * Glossary of Terms, including: terms, definition, acronyms * Quizzes and Assessments, including: questions, answers * Rights, including: cost, copyrights, restrictions on Use * Relationships to Other Courses, including prerequisite courses * Educational Level, including: grade level, age range, typical learning time, and difficulty. EEE 1484.12.1:2002*Typology as defined by Churchill (2007): presentation, practice, simulation, conceptual models, information, and contextual representation


Metadata

One of the key issues in using learning objects is their identification by search engines or content management systems. This is usually facilitated by assigning descriptive
learning object metadata Learning Object Metadata is a data model, usually encoded in XML, used to describe a learning object and similar digital resources used to support learning. The purpose of learning object metadata is to support the reusability of learning obje ...
. Just as a book in a library has a record in the
card catalog A library catalog (or library catalogue in British English) is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations. A catalog for a group of libraries is also c ...
, learning objects must also be tagged with metadata. The most important pieces of metadata typically associated with a learning object include: # objective: The educational objective the learning object is instructing # prerequisites: The list of skills (typically represented as objectives) which the learner must know before viewing the learning object # topic: Typically represented in a taxonomy, the topic the learning object is instructing # interactivity: The Interaction Model of the learning object. # technology requirements: The required system requirements to view the learning object.


Mutability

A mutated learning object is, according to Michael Shaw, a learning object that has been "re-purposed and/or re-engineered, changed or simply re-used in some way different from its original intended design". Shaw also introduces the term "contextual learning object", to describe a learning object that has been "designed to have specific meaning and purpose to an intended learner". This may be useful if the intent involves just-in-time learning and the individual needs of individual learners.


Portability

Before any institution invests a great deal of time and energy into building high-quality e-learning content (which can cost over $10,000 per classroom hour), it needs to consider how this content can be easily loaded into a
Learning Management System A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, materials or learning and development programs. The lear ...
. It is possible for example, to package learning objects with
SCORM Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a collection of standards and specifications for web-based electronic educational technology (also called e-learning). It defines communications between client side content and a host system (ca ...
specification and load it in
Moodle Moodle is a free and open-source learning management system written in PHP and distributed under the GNU General Public License. Moodle is used for blended learning, distance education, flipped classroom and other online learning projects in s ...
Learning Management System or
Desire2Learn D2L (or Desire2Learn) is a Canada-based global software company with offices in Australia, Brazil, Europe, Singapore, and the United States. D2L is the developer of the Brightspace learning management system, a cloud-based software suite us ...
Learning Environment. If all of the properties of a course can be precisely defined in a common format, the content can be serialized into a standard format such as
XML Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data. It defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable ...
and loaded into other systems. When it is considered that some e-learning courses need to include video, mathematical equations using
MathML Mathematical Markup Language (MathML) is a mathematical markup language, an application of XML for describing mathematical notations and capturing both its structure and content. It aims at integrating mathematical formulae into World Wide W ...
, chemistry equations using CML and other complex structures, the issues become very complex, especially if the systems needs to understand and validate each structure and then place it correctly in a database.


Criticism

In 2001, David Wiley criticized learning object theory in his paper
The Reusability Paradox
which i
summarized by D'Arcy Norman
as, ''If a learning object is useful in a particular context, by definition it is not reusable in a different context. If a learning object is reusable in many contexts, it isn’t particularly useful in any.'' I

Norm Friesen, Canada Research Chair in E-Learning Practices at Thompson Rivers University, points out that the word ''neutrality'' in itself implies ''a state or position that is antithetical ... to pedagogy and teaching.''


See also

* Instructional materials *
Intelligent tutoring system An intelligent tutoring system (ITS) is a computer system that aims to provide immediate and customized instruction or feedback to learners, usually without requiring intervention from a human teacher. ITSs have the common goal of enabling learni ...
*
North Carolina Learning Object Repository (NCLOR) The North Carolina Learning Object Repository (NCLOR) is a service offered by the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS), that provides a central location to manage, collect, contribute, and share digital learning resources for use in tra ...
*
Serious games A serious game or applied game is a game designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. The "serious" adjective is generally prepended to refer to video games used by industries like defense, education, scientific exploration, he ...


References


Further reading

*. *. *. * * Spanish Draf
''Blog de Andrés Chiappe - Objetos de Aprendizaje''
*. *. * *Innayah: Creating An Audio Script with Learning Object, unpublished, 2013.


External links

* Th
Learning Objects
at Milwaukee's Center for International Education. {{DEFAULTSORT:Learning Object Data management Educational materials Educational technology