2003 Fall Focus Session

Learning Objects
October 10, 2003
The Blackwell Hotel
Columbus, Ohio

Proceedings

Intended Participants

Faculty and faculty-development specialists wanting to make the most effective use of learning objects to support deeper learning
Learning designers wanting to explore how learning objects can support deeper learning
Learning management software developers interested in interoperability and other technical issues that would be barriers to the effective use of learning objects to support deeper learning
IT and university administrators concerned about the development, management, and policy aspects of learning objects use, especially as they relate to the effective use of learning objects to support teaching and learning
Librarians engaged in a range of issues related to learning objects, including interoperability, intellectual property, persistence, and the effective use of digital content in the curriculum

Program

Learning objects are digital resources, modular in nature, that are used to support learning. They include, but are not limited to, simulations, electronic calculators, animations, tutorials, text entries, Web sites, bibliographies, audio and video clips, quizzes, photographs, illustrations, diagrams, graphs, maps, charts, and assessments. They vary in size, scope, and level of granularity ranging from a small chunk of instruction to a series of resources combined to provide a more complex learning experience.

The use of learning objects is an NLII key theme because of their potential to increase the reusability of content, enhance students' learning environments, share knowledge within and across disciplines, engage faculty in a dynamic community of practice, and save time and money in course development.

We can improve the probability of realizing this potential in higher education by:

coordinating projects and organizations active in this area (to learn from each other);
developing a common vocabulary and conceptual framework from which to share experiences;
collecting and evaluating practices to identify effective ones; and
systematically tackling the outstanding issues related to learning objects and policy, teaching and learning, development and interoperability, and management.

Meeting Purpose & Work Outcomes

These issues will be addressed at the NLII Fall Focus Session, where we will reflect on the assumptions and practices regarding the use of learning objects in higher education and in other related fields, explore the emerging best practices for their use, and together investigate issues about and attributes of learning objects and the broader management of knowledge. The results of research by the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR), the work of the NLII Learning Objects Workgroup, and the activities of the NLII Learning Objects Virtual Community of Practice will inform our discussion. To see the most recent work from these groups, visit the Learning Objects Key Theme page.

The work products we expect to result from the day's work are:

A revised conceptual framework for understanding learning objects in the larger context of transforming teaching and learning with technology.
A set of criteria for evaluating institutional readiness to use learning objects effectively.
A set of principles for the development and use and delivery of learning objects in teaching and learning environments.
A model describing the end-to-end life cycle of learning objects (from conceptualizing a piece of knowledge and transforming it into a learning object framework to managing, storing, delivering, and archiving learning objects within a repository framework).

Questions We Will Tackle

The following questions are representative of the issues and topics for the day:

What are the issues associated with the understanding of learning objects?
- What is the precedent for the current notion of learning objects, and how might this frame a definition?
- How do different groups (disparate disciplines within higher education, P–12, public service media, university presses, publishers, libraries, museums, industry, business, government, and so forth) conceptualize learning objects?
- How can the breadth and scope of learning objects be determined, articulated, and portrayed?
- How do classification schemes such as metadata, schema and taxonomies relate to the definition of learning objects?
What are the teaching and learning issues related to learning objects?
- What is the potential of learning objects to support deeper learning (see http://www.west.asu.edu/nlii/learning.htm)?
- How do we know where learning objects fit within the entire learning environment (for example, course management systems)?
- What are the potential approaches for evaluating learning objects when deeper learning is the focus?
- How are teaching and learning being transformed by the use of learning objects?
- What are the conditions that exist within institutions, communities of practice, and repositories that support the development of learning objects for the purpose of deeper learning? * What are the potential changes in roles (faculty, learning designers, instructional technologists) in this development environment, and how will they contribute differently in the future?
What are the other issues related to learning objects?
- What are the policy issues, such as intellectual property and copyright issues, related to learning objects?
- What are the technical issues, such as use of learning objects and interoperability between different course management systems?
- What are the management issues, such as how (and by whom) will meta-tagging of content be carried out?

ELI ELI Events ELI Events Calendar		2003 Fall Focus Session Learning Objects October 10, 2003 The Blackwell Hotel Columbus, Ohio Proceedings General Sessions Small Group Sessions and Discussions Intended Participants Faculty and faculty-development specialists wanting to make the most effective use of learning objects to support deeper learning Learning designers wanting to explore how learning objects can support deeper learning Learning management software developers interested in interoperability and other technical issues that would be barriers to the effective use of learning objects to support deeper learning IT and university administrators concerned about the development, management, and policy aspects of learning objects use, especially as they relate to the effective use of learning objects to support teaching and learning Librarians engaged in a range of issues related to learning objects, including interoperability, intellectual property, persistence, and the effective use of digital content in the curriculum Program Learning objects are digital resources, modular in nature, that are used to support learning. They include, but are not limited to, simulations, electronic calculators, animations, tutorials, text entries, Web sites, bibliographies, audio and video clips, quizzes, photographs, illustrations, diagrams, graphs, maps, charts, and assessments. They vary in size, scope, and level of granularity ranging from a small chunk of instruction to a series of resources combined to provide a more complex learning experience. The use of learning objects is an NLII key theme because of their potential to increase the reusability of content, enhance students' learning environments, share knowledge within and across disciplines, engage faculty in a dynamic community of practice, and save time and money in course development. We can improve the probability of realizing this potential in higher education by: coordinating projects and organizations active in this area (to learn from each other); developing a common vocabulary and conceptual framework from which to share experiences; collecting and evaluating practices to identify effective ones; and systematically tackling the outstanding issues related to learning objects and policy, teaching and learning, development and interoperability, and management. Meeting Purpose & Work Outcomes These issues will be addressed at the NLII Fall Focus Session, where we will reflect on the assumptions and practices regarding the use of learning objects in higher education and in other related fields, explore the emerging best practices for their use, and together investigate issues about and attributes of learning objects and the broader management of knowledge. The results of research by the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR), the work of the NLII Learning Objects Workgroup, and the activities of the NLII Learning Objects Virtual Community of Practice will inform our discussion. To see the most recent work from these groups, visit the Learning Objects Key Theme page. The work products we expect to result from the day's work are: A revised conceptual framework for understanding learning objects in the larger context of transforming teaching and learning with technology. A set of criteria for evaluating institutional readiness to use learning objects effectively. A set of principles for the development and use and delivery of learning objects in teaching and learning environments. A model describing the end-to-end life cycle of learning objects (from conceptualizing a piece of knowledge and transforming it into a learning object framework to managing, storing, delivering, and archiving learning objects within a repository framework). Questions We Will Tackle The following questions are representative of the issues and topics for the day: What are the issues associated with the understanding of learning objects? What is the precedent for the current notion of learning objects, and how might this frame a definition? How do different groups (disparate disciplines within higher education, P–12, public service media, university presses, publishers, libraries, museums, industry, business, government, and so forth) conceptualize learning objects? How can the breadth and scope of learning objects be determined, articulated, and portrayed? How do classification schemes such as metadata, schema and taxonomies relate to the definition of learning objects? What are the teaching and learning issues related to learning objects? What is the potential of learning objects to support deeper learning (see http://www.west.asu.edu/nlii/learning.htm)? How do we know where learning objects fit within the entire learning environment (for example, course management systems)? What are the potential approaches for evaluating learning objects when deeper learning is the focus? How are teaching and learning being transformed by the use of learning objects? What are the conditions that exist within institutions, communities of practice, and repositories that support the development of learning objects for the purpose of deeper learning? * What are the potential changes in roles (faculty, learning designers, instructional technologists) in this development environment, and how will they contribute differently in the future? What are the other issues related to learning objects? What are the policy issues, such as intellectual property and copyright issues, related to learning objects? What are the technical issues, such as use of learning objects and interoperability between different course management systems? What are the management issues, such as how (and by whom) will meta-tagging of content be carried out?
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