Welcome to MDexpLORe.us

Module 3: Contributing to the LOR

Overview• As you have already seen in Modules 1 and 2,

Mdk12expLORe.us has many exemplary learning objects and assets but to continue to grow we need Maryland educators to contribute to the LOR.

• As you will see in Module 3: Contributing to the LOR, there are two ways to contribute:

1. Upload learning objects and assets you have created that meet the LOR’s criteria for inclusion.

2. Upload learning objects you have found that meet the LOR’s criteria for inclusion.

Pre-assessment Prior to beginning Module 3, it is

important to assess what you already know about creating, or locating learning objects and assets; evaluating digital resources; and meta-tagging.

1. How often do you evaluate digital resources, like LOs, before using them?

I do not know what a LOs is.

Never Rarely Sometimes Almost always

1 2 3 4 5

Pre-assessment

2. Which criteria listed below is least important when evaluating digital resources?

__ currency__ depth and accuracy of content__ authority__ date created__ objectivity

Pre-assessment

3. Which criteria listed below is most important when evaluating digital resources?

__ currency__ depth and accuracy of content__ authority__ date created__ objectivity

Pre-assessment

4. A good digital resource should always have:

a. The date the resource was last used. b. No date so that the resource always

seems current. c. No date because it is irrelevant.d. The date the resource was created and revised.

Pre-assessment

5. Meta-tagging is the process of adding metadata to a learning object, or asset in order to make the search process more efficient and effective.

True False

Objectives After you successfully complete Module 3, you

will be able to:– Efficiently and effectively search for pre-

existing learning objects. – Use evaluation criteria to select high-

quality learning objects and assets for inclusion in the LOR.

– Align learning objects and assets to Maryland State and Common Core Standards.

Searching for High-Quality LOs

There are a number of ways that teachers can find useful learning objects and assets.

 

 

Image from the front of the Exploratorium websitehttp://www.exploratorium.edu/

Definition of a Learning Object

• In fact, some of the digital resources you already use may be learning objects or assets.

• Even if the resource you use is not labeled “learning object,” it may still be a LO if it contains:– an objective– a learning activity designed to teach the

objective– an assessment to measure the learner’s

achievement of the objective– metadata added to aid in search and retrieval

Definition of an Asset

• An asset consists of one or more pictures, videos, graphs, quizzes, web pages, audio files, etc. that you can use/reuse singly or as a group to enhance instruction.

• An asset does not contain learning objectives, content, interactive exercises with feedback provided, and a summary.

Searching for High-Quality LOs

• The best place to find learning objects is from other learning object repositories.

• The largest learning object repositories are:– ARIADNE - European Knowledge Pool System– Connexions – Project at Rice University– EdNA - Education Network Australia – GEM -Gateway to 21st Century Skills of the GEM

Exchange – MERLOT – Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning

and Online Teaching– OER Commons – Open Educational Resources Learning

Commons

State and Regional LORs

Many states and regions in the United States are in the process of creating or have already created LORs:– NC ExpLORe – North Carolina’s LOR– WISC – Online learning objects

developed primarily by faculty from the Wisconsin Technical College System

Additional LORs

Beck (2010) identified other LORs including general, discipline-specific, hybrid, and commercial repositories at http://www4.uwm.edu/cie/learning_objects.cfm?gid=37.

Why Search other LORs?

• One of the goals of Mdk12expLORe.us is to reduce the amount of time students and staff spend searching for resources by placing high-quality, vetted digital resources in one location.

• Research clearly shows that utilization of digital resources increases when the resources are aligned to state standards.

How to Search a LOR

How you search a LOR is dependent upon how the LOR and the metadata are configured. Here are several distinctly different examples: BEN -allows searching by subject and then,

resource type The Orange Grove – allows federated searching

which means you can search for items simultaneously from a variety of sources, like the Library of Congress and EdNA

Ide@s – allows searching by grade, subject, or standards

Activity 1a

1. Brainstorm a list of potential topics.

2. Choose one of the larger LORs to search, like MERLOT, or EdNA.

3. Use the graphic organizer to list and evaluate the digital resources you found.

4. Be prepared to share at least one of the resources with the group.

Evaluating Learning Objects

In addition to the criteria used in Activity 1a, learning objects and assets uploaded to Mdk12expLORe.us need to be assessed for the following:– content quality– learning goal alignment– learner feedback– motivation– presentation design

Evaluating Learning Objects

You may also need to take into consideration: • Does the learning object provide

accommodation for learners with sensory and/or motor disabilities?

• Is there visual or auditory information that enhances and facilitates learning?

• Is the learning object content and design attractive to, and appropriate for, the students?

Evaluating Learning Objects• In addition to examining content and presentation

criteria, contributors need to think about:– interface usability– accessibility– reusability– standards compliance (technical)– intellectual property and copyright

• Fortunately, the Southern Regional Education Board offers checklists for evaluating both learning objects and assets. In the next few slides, we will examine the criteria they established in greater detail.

SREB Checklist for LOs and Assets

Place SREB Checklist here.

Section A: Content Quality• The content is accurate and grammatically correct, and the scope is sufficient for the intended use.

CONTENT QUALITY

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

1. The content is accurate.

2. The writing is clear and concise.

3. Course materials are free of errors.

4. The writing is fair and unbiased, and it conveys no overt or implied bias.

5. The content is sequenced logically and effectively.

6. The scope of the content is appropriate as a learning object, is targeted, and provides the content and learning experiences needed to achieve the learning outcomes.

7. The activities are sufficient in number and scope to support the targeted outcomes.

8. The content has been reviewed by an external subject-matter expert in addition to the developer.

Section B: Learning Goal Alignment• Learning goals and objectives are provided to outline learning expectations and are

applicable and relevant to the subject matter and the audience.

LEARNING GOAL ALIGNMENT

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

1. The learning goals are appropriate to the intended learning outcomes.

2. The learning objectives are clearly or explicitly stated, either within content accessed by the learner or in the metadata (the information about a digital object that enables it to be retrieved from a database).

3. The learning goals/objectives, content, and learning and evaluation activities are consistent.

Section C: Feedback• Learners are provided with constructive, relevant and frequent feedback based on their

activities within the learning object.

FEEDBACK

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

1. Feedback supports positive learning outcomes.

2. Learners are provided with timely, corrective responses and feedback when asked to complete computations, answer questions or provide information.

3. Feedback uses language that encourages student learning and effort.

4. Feedback compares learner performance with the applicable criteria, illustrates performance results and explains how performance can be improved.

Section D: Motivation• The learning environment is engaging, interactive and relevant to the intended learner.

MOTIVATION

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

1. The learning environment provides appropriate and engaging learning opportunities for the student.

2. Feedback informs learners of their level of competence and success relative to the learning goals/objectives of the learning object.

3. The learning object is designed to offer the opportunity to build new knowledge, understanding or skills.

4. The learning object provides true-to-life learning activities, multimedia, interactivity, humor, or game-like challenges whenever possible.

5. The learning object provides realistic expectations and standards for success.

6. Learners are given adequate directions and support to engage successfully in the learning object activities.

Section E: Presentation Design• Visual and auditory information enhances and facilitates learning.

PRESENTATION DESIGN

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

1. Universal Design for Learning principles (usable regardless of age, ability or situation) are employed.

2. The learning object content and design are attractive and appropriate for the students.

3. The design is clear, consistent and provides instructions for navigation and interaction that are appropriate.

4. Graphic elements have clear instructional purposes.

5. Content can be viewed with minimal scrolling.

6. The presentation design is consistently applied within each learning object.

Universal Design for Learning principles can be viewed at http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html.

Section F: Interface Usability• The ease of navigation, predictability and quality of the interface enhance the learner’s

experience.INTERFACE USABILITY

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

1. Interface elements implicitly show learners how to interact with the object, or clear instructions guiding use are provided.

2. The interface is consistent and predictable.

3. Common elements, navigational buttons and text are consistently placed.

4. Interface actions and elements are consistent with directions that are clear and concise.

5. The progress of file loading and downloading is graphically or textually displayed.

6. Navigation provides users a way to return to the start menu, navigate within and exit from the learning object.

7. If animation or audio and video components are present, user control is allowed. If the medium is designed to play automatically, the user can replay, stop and control volume.

Section F: Interface Usability• The ease of navigation, predictability and quality of the interface enhance the learner’s

experience.INTERFACE USABILITY

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

8. Appropriate file formats are provided to accommodate various download speeds.

9. Hyperlinks or buttons function correctly.

Section G: Accessibility• The learning object provides accommodation for learners with sensory and/or motor

disabilities.

ACCESSIBILITY

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

1. As appropriate, learning objects should be assessed to determine conformance with the WAI Priority 1 (Web Accessibility Initiative) specification checkpoints for accessibility.

2. If certain technologies used to develop content in learning objects are not accessible, the areas of inaccessibility should be noted in the metatagging.

Web Accessibility Initiative information can be viewed at http://www.w3.org/WAI/.

Section H: Reusability• The learning object can be used in varying learning contexts with learners from diverse

backgrounds.REUSABILITY

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

1. The learning object consists of one or more self-contained learning experiences, each addressing a single topic or learning objective and structured as a stand-alone resource.

2. Software requirements are identified and, preferably, are available at no cost.

3. Learning objects are standards-based. (See Standards Compliance criteria below for minimum requirements.)

4. The learning object contains all of the resources necessary to complete the activity.

5. External contextual dependencies (e.g., textbooks, references and resources) are avoided. The content does not refer to a specific course, module or page.

Section I: Standards Compliance• The learning object supports international standards and specifications.

STANDARDS COMPLIANCE

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

1. The SREB-SCORE adopted metadata are provided in tagged code within the object and are available to users.

2. The learning object conforms to the IMS Global Learning Consortium’s Content Packaging Specification or SCORM.

The IMS Global Learning Consortium’s Content Packaging Specification can be viewed at http://www.imsglobal.org/content/packaging/. Information on SCORM can be viewed at http://www.adlnet.gov/scorm/index.aspx.

Section J: Intellectual Property and Copyright• The learning object metadata addresses the rights of the owner and the conditions for use.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND COPYRIGHT

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

1. Permission to use copyrighted materials has been obtained.

2. All quoted materials are cited correctly by adhering consistently to one of the commonly accepted styles for citations.

3. Use is allowed according to element (6.0) in SREB-SCORE Learning Object Metadata, including rights for aggregation, disaggregation or modification.

4. Full contact information for the copyright holder or learning object owner is provided.

5. If the content is developed and owned by the person submitting the learning object, a Creative Commons or similar license is attached.

Creative Commons information can be viewed at http://creativecommons.org/.

Section J: Intellectual Property and Copyright• The learning object metadata addresses the rights of the owner and the conditions for use.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND COPYRIGHT

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

6. If the learning object contains third party intellectual property and owned by the submitter’s institution or system, and written permission was obtained to publish and share that content in perpetuity, a copy of the license or permission letter is attached.

7. If the learning object contains third party intellectual property within the public domain, a justification for attributing the intellectual property to the public domain and the date of development and the person or entity that developed it is attached.

8. If the learning object contains third party intellectual property for which a Creative Commons license or similar model was obtained from the copyright holder, a copy of the license is attached.

Section J: Intellectual Property and Copyright• The learning object metadata addresses the rights of the owner and the conditions for use.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND COPYRIGHT

Does the learning object meet the criteria in this area?

Meets Criteria

Does Not Meet

Criteria

Comments

9. If the learning object contains third party intellectual property for which permission was obtained from the copyright holder to publish and share that content in perpetuity, a copy of the permission is attached.

10. If the learning object references third-party content that does not allow for free sharing, the following is attached in the metadata:

• Complete, current contact information for the copyright holder; and

• Current costs, terms and conditions of licensing.

Intellectual Property and Copyright

• We can’t stress enough how important it is to pay attention to the type of copyright assigned to an object.

© ™ ®• Objects found across the web, at various portals or

websites, may have different rights assigned to them concerning their use and reuse.

• Before learning objects can be uploaded to the LOR, the different rights assigned to them by the author must be translated into the most appropriate Creative Commons Licenses.

Creative Commons Licenses

The key terms of the Creative Commons licenses are: Attribution, NonCommercial, NoDerivatives and ShareAlike. These elements are described at http://wiki.creativecommons.org/FAQ as follows: – Attribution (BY). You let people copy, distribute, display, perform, and

remix your copyrighted work, as long as they give you credit the way you request. All CC licenses contain this property.

– NonCommercial (NC). You let people copy, distribute, display, perform, and remix your work for non-commercial purposes only. If they want to use your work for commercial purposes, they must contact you for permission.

– ShareAlike (SA). You let people create remixes and derivative works based on your creative work, as long as they only distribute them under the same Creative Commons license that your original work was published under.

– NoDerivatives (ND). You let people copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work — not make derivative works based on it. If they want to alter, transform, build upon, or remix your work, they must contact you for permission.

Creative Commons Licenses

Attribution (CC-BY)

Attribution Share Alike (CC-BY-SA)

Attribution No Derivatives (CC-BY-ND)

Attribution Non-Commercial (CC-BY-NC)

Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike (CC-BY-NC-SA)

Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)

There are six major licenses of the Creative Commons:

Several on-line tools can help you determine an item’s copyright status. These include:

• the PDTool, an interactive tool that can be used to determine whether permission is needed to use an item and when an item will no longer be protected by copyright and

• Stanford’s Copyright Renewal Database, which allows users to search the copyright renewals records received by the U.S. Copyright Office between 1950 and 1992 for books published in the U.S. between 1923 and 1963.

Activity 2a

1. Use the SREB Checklist to re-examine one of the learning objects you found in Activity 1a.

2. What new insights about the LO did you gain as a result of using the more comprehensive SREB Checklist ?

3. What digital rights were assigned to the learning object? Which Creative Commons License most closely approximates the rights assigned by the author?

Activity 2a - continued

4. Think about why it is important for contributors to Mdk12expLORe.us to go beyond the basic Evaluation Criteria used in Activity 1a. Briefly explain in the box below at least two reasons why contributors need to use a more stringent evaluation process.

Metadata Collection

The other purpose served by using the more comprehensive SREB checklist is that you begin to collect the metadata you will need to catalog the learning object or asset before uploading it to the LOR.

What metadata is collected?• Description of a resource• Search attributes, such as:

– Title– Author– Subject– Topic – Keywords– Date– Location (generally a URL)– Types of materials in the LO (video, website, etc.,.)

• Intellectual property and copyright information

Purpose of Meta-tagging

• As you may remember from Modules 1 and 2, the purpose for meta-tagging is to facilitate efficient and effective searching for LOs and assets by subject, state standards, keywords, date, and grade level.

• The more precise the metadata, the easier it is to find learning objects.

Location of Metadata

• There are two possibilities for the location of metadata: it may be:– separate from the learning object, or– embedded within the resource.

Location of Metadata• If the metadata is separate from the

learning object or asset, then, it is relatively easy to gather the existing metadata but much more challenging to input the missing elements.

• For example, let’s look at the learning object, “Our Changing Chesapeake,” at http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/models/Chesapeake/index.html and the Metadata Collection Practice document.

Location of Metadata

• If the data is embedded in the LO or asset, then, tools like the Editor-Converter Dublin Core metadata online tool at http://www.library.kr.ua/dc/dceditunie.html can be used to automatically abstract the data and place it in a compatible format.

• Let’s examine the metadata embedded in the Editor-Converter Dublin Core metadata online tool.

Harvesting Meta-data1. Let’s try harvesting or collecting meta-

data using the online tool provided by the Metadata Project.

2. Navigate to the learning object, Bloom’s Taxonomy for Affective Learning and Teaching

3. Copy the URL and paste it into the online tool in the URL to edit box.

4. Click Edit.5. The tool will populate as many fields as

possible automatically.

More on Meta-data• While the symbols (< and >) used in creating the

meta-data record may seem like a foreign language, they are simply a way of delineating the fields.

• If you have ever looked at the source code for any website, you will have noticed the same symbols.

• You do not, however, need to know html to create meta-data for the LOs and assets you are uploading to the LOR; the online tools convert the information for you.

Check for understanding Prior to ending Module 3, it is important to

assess what you have learned about locating learning objects and assets; evaluating digital resources; and meta-tagging.

1. How would you rate the ease of searching for learning objects and assets?

Very difficult

Difficult Neutral Easy Very easy

1 2 3 4 5

Check for understanding2. How would you rate the ease of using the SREB Checklist

to evaluate learning objects and assets?

3. How would you rate the ease of using the online tool to extract meta-data from existing resources?

Very difficult

Difficult Neutral Easy Very easy

1 2 3 4 5

Very difficult

Difficult Neutral Easy Very easy

1 2 3 4 5

Check for understanding4. Briefly explain in the box below why it is

important to include as much meta-data as possible before uploading a learning object or asset to Mdk12expLORe.us.

Check for understanding5. What questions or concerns do you have about

the process of meta-tagging?

We will learn much more about meta-data, especially schemas, guidelines, and controlled vocabulary in Module 4.

References

Dublin Core Metadata Initiative. (2009). Dublin Core Standards. Retrieved from http://dublincore.org.

Southern Regional Education Board. (2005). Learning Objects. Retrieved

from http://www.evalutech.sreb.org.

Wiley, D. A. (2000). Connecting learning objects to instructional design theory: A definition, a metaphor, and a taxonomy. In D. A. Wiley (Ed.), The Instructional Use of Learning Objects: Online Version. Retrieved from http://reusability.org/read/chapters/wiley.doc