Context- Web-based Learning

The NMC Online Conference on Learning Objects: October 14-17, 2003

Designing Learning Experiences with Learning Objects: Australian

Efforts

Barry Harper

Director, Digital Media Centre and emLabUniversity of Wollongong


Context- Web-based Learning

• Meta- studies support “better” learning outcomes for ICT supported learning environments- but is the wrong question being investigated AGAIN?

• Now clear that pedagogy is key, not technology - ICT’s offer the “affordances” to enhance the pedagogy

• The next ‘revolution’ instructors must manage is to make content reusable, a movement driven by the concept of 'learning objects' - shareable and reusable learning resources.

• If pedagogy is the key, the new goal is to develop design models that combine good learning design within context of reusability


What do educators want /need for Web-based learning environments?

• Review and analysis of academic perceived needs as part of the Use of ICTs in Flexible Delivery project (40 participants).

• Focus and review groups- broad cross section– Backgrounds in education– Experience– Technology literacy– Knowledge domain expertise– Focus of roles- research or teaching emphasis


Their initial views on their wants and needs

• If a Web-based Learning Environment Design resource was to be set up, what would you want it to do for you?

• Design issues– Example designs– Distilled designs (generic forms I can modify) – Templates to get me started– Tell me of latest trends– How do I use other good content?

• Tools issues– Marking and assessment process and feedback tools– Student interaction tools/ often knowledge domain specific– Simulation tools- how can I simulate this ‘process’


Supporting Academics in Learning Environment Design• Pedagogical models showing most promise are those that

advocate learners being placed in authentic environments that incorporate sophisticated representations of context attempting extended tasks with rich resources

• Three questions need to be answered; -– Where are the models/ examples for us to illustrate concepts?– Where are the tools to help academics use these models in their

own contexts?– Where are the support mechanisms and resources (learning

objects) for academics designing effective Web-based learning environments?


Reusability as a driver.

• Reusability and Interoperability the new “technologies”• Sharable Learning objects ( E-Learning Advisory Group)

– Any entity ..that can be used, re-used or referenced during technology-supported learning. Examples of learning objects include multimedia content, instructional context, instructional software and software tools that are referenced during technology-supported learning.

• Managed content, described in terms of standards and metadata, which can be re-used (and re-purposed)

• This movement is manifest in the large numbers of repositories of learning resources, now in the form of learning objects, being planned and implemented.


Australian Initiatives

• Significant investment in standards-conformant educational content that can be reused and repurposed is becoming a priority in Australia, as well as internationally.

• Long term Australian initiatives in higher education through nationally funded university teaching committees (CAUT, CUTSD and AUTC)

• Project funding supporting mostly ICT based teaching have had a strong pedagogical focus

• Outcomes used across sector, but reusability still a significant issue


Australian Initiatives• The Le@rning Federation- a nationally funded project to build

learning objects across the school sector-all ages and all curriculum areas

• Over $34 millions dollars invested so far.

• Learning objects described with educational integrity


Reusability & Learning Designs

• An Australian University Teaching Committee Project• Aim- to assist university teachers to create high quality,

flexible learning experiences for students– By developing generic/reusable learning design resources that

draw upon previously successful ICT-based learning projects.

• Process– Develop a tool to identify leaning designs which contribute to high

quality leaning– Identify learning designs which contribute to high quality learning– Select learning designs which have potential for redevelopment as

reusable resources– Develop these reusable resources– Make resources accessible from web site (housed by DEST)


Definitions

• Learning Designs:refers to a variety of ways of designing student learning experiences, that is, a sequence of types of activity/interactions. Learning designs may be at the level of a whole course program, subject, or subject components.

• Critical elements of a learning design

– Tasks– Resources– Supports

(Oliver & Herrington, 2001)


ERF

• An evaluation mechanism that enables the identification of high quality learning experiences: Evaluation and Redevelopment Framework (ERF)

– Facilitates the identification of learning designs able to foster high quality learning experiences that may be delivered in flexible mode in higher education contexts

– Determine whether learning designs have the potential for re-development in a generic form


Development of the ERF

• Characterising High Quality Learning• Key principles for high quality student learning (Boud &

Prosser)– how do learning activities support learner engagement?– how does the learning design acknowledge the learning context? – how does the learning activity seek to challenge learners? – how does the learning activity provide practice?

• Process to develop tool– Asynchronous discussion – Workshops– Examination of evaluation instruments


Learning Design Evaluation

• Over 50 ICT-based learning exemplars identified• Over 30 ERF Evaluation teams (of 2) formed with 64

evaluators world wide• For the learning designs submitted

– diversity of learning outcomes– variety of ICT– range of discipline areas– documented quality

• Exemplars, Generic Guides and Tools identified for redevelopment


Learning Design Framework

• To ensure project includes range of learning design exemplars, 3 tasks conducted:

– Grounded learning design categorisation– Literature review of learning design categorisation– Development of learning design categorisation framework

• Learning Design Framework - Components:– Rule focussed learning design: The focus is to apply standard procedures

and rules in a solution.– Incident focussed learning design: The focus is to reflect and make

decisions based on actions and events.– Strategy focussed learning design: The focus is to develop strategy; tasks

require strategic planning.– Role focused learning design: The focus is to understand and appreciate

the issues, processes and interactions of complex, non-predictive situations by participating as a player in a setting which models a real world application.


Representation of a learning design

• Learning sequence as a representation of a learning design

• Designer identification of task, supports and resources

• Visual representation of tasks/ supports and resources


ICT-Based Learning Designs Project: Outcomes

• Site will contain learning design exemplars, generic learning designs and tools to support the designs

– rich descriptions of learning designs incorporating the “voice” of the designer/s and the evaluators

– context of quality learning principles embedded– each accompanied with its own learning design sequence– descriptions can serve as implicit guidelines– Tools to support learning designs

• www.learningdesigns.uow.edu.au• To be launched October, 2003


Linking Learning Designs and LOs

Virtual or Real Classroom

Learning Management System (LMS)

Learning Content Management System (LCMS)

Course A Course B

Learning Object

Learning Object

Learning Object

Learning Object

Learning Object

Learning Design Framework

Life-Long Learning Portal

Learning Content Management System (LCMS)

LearningDesigns

LO Repositories


A Smart Learning Design Framework

Life-Long Learning Portal

Smart Learning Design FrameworkLearningDesigns

Learning Object

Learning Object

Learning Object

Learning Object

Learning Object

•Next generation delivery of e-Learning•MPEG-21 standard will allow delivery on multiple devices•Smart in that the proven high quality learning designs will be central to the application of an Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS)


MPEG-21 Vision: A multimedia framework “to enable transparent and augmented use of multimedia resources…”

Digital Item


A Learning Object implementation


Designing with Learning Objects: A smart learning design framework

Metadata Metadata

Rights

Resource

Rights

Resource

LearningObject

LearningObject

LearningObject

LearningObject

LearningDesign

RightsMetadata

Unit of Study(module/Lesson)

LearningDesign

Metadata

Resource

Unit ofstudy

LearningObject

LearningDesign

RightsMetadata

Unit of Study(Subject/Course)

Resources

Resources

Learning Object Repositories

MPEG-21Digital Items

Tools

Tools

New Learning Object


What will take us forward?

• Reusable learning designs that support learners• Examples and ideas on how they work best and how to

design them well• Tools to implement the designs • Reusable resources in the form of learning objects• Tools to find the most appropriate learning objects for

your needs• Tools to build the learning environments that can make

use of high quality learning designs and learning objects.


Contact Information

• Professor Barry Harper• Faculty of Education• University of Wollongong• [email protected]

AcknowledgementThe author wises to acknowledge that the much of this work is drawn from two funded projects with teams of researchers who have contributed to the ideas expressed in this presentation. The project participants for the AUTC project were Ron Oliver, John Hedberg, Sandra Wills, Lori Lockyer,Jan Herrington, Garry Hoban, Catherine McLoughlin. For the Learning Object Project the participants were Lori Lockyer, Sue Bennett, Shirley Agostinho, Jason Lukisaik and Ian Burnett

Documents

Context- Web-based Learning