EDUCAUSE | Contributed by Organizations or Campuses; Articles, Papers, and Reports; and Learning Objects

5 Things You Should Read about Copyright and Sharing Instructional Materials

ckeller — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:01:17 -0500

This ACRL publication serves to instruct and educate readers about topics relevant to library instruction, which are either timely or underdiscussed. The publication's emphasis is on current information packaged in a recognizable, consistent, readable way. It is intended to be a user-friendly entry into reading and keeping up with library instruction research and practice.

ORE Specification and User Guide

ckeller — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:24:34 -0600

Open Archives Initiative Object Reuse and Exchange (OAI-ORE) defines standards for the description and exchange of aggregations of Web resources. This document provides an introduction and lists the specifications and user guide documents that make up the OAI-ORE standards.

These documents are the result of over a year of effort by a large group of people. OAI now seeks feedback on their contents, as part of our effort to transition these documents to beta and then final production release.

A Framework for Evaluating the Quality of Multimedia Learning Resources

ckeller — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:28:24 -0500

This article presents the structure and theoretical foundations of the Learning Object Review Instrument
(LORI), an evaluation aid available through the E-Learning Research and Assessment Network at
http://www.elera.net. A primary goal of LORI is to balance assessment validity with efficiency of the
evaluation process. The instrument enables learning object users to create reviews consisting of ratings and comments on nine dimensions of quality: content quality, learning goal alignment, feedback and adaptation, motivation, presentation design, interaction usability, accessibility, reusability, and standards compliance. The article presents research and practices relevant to these dimensions and describes how each dimension can be interpreted to evaluate multimedia learning resources.

Hitchhikers Guide to Course Development

drupal — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 12:47:10 -0500

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Course Development is designed as a resource for individuals with varying levels of course design experience. * Individuals new to higher education can use this site to help design their first classroom based course integrating technology where appropriate. * Experienced instructors, being encouraged to place materials within a learning management system, can use this site to decipher the differences between Web-Presence, Web-Enhanced, Web-Centric and Online courses and how to plan courses for online delivery. * Instructors of online courses, looking for new ideas and ways to improve their course, can use the site to improve content development by finding sources for pre-developed content and ideas to improve student centered learning. * Instructional Designers and Instructional Support Staff can use this site as a reference for themselves or as a resource for the faculty they support.

Where Learners Go

drupal — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 11:37:13 -0600

The author discusses how to strengthen the library role in online learning.

A KEEP Toolkit Case Study: Promoting Use of MERLOT Learning Objects by Sharing Authors' and Users' Pedagogical Knowledge and Experience

drupal — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 11:29:39 -0500

In a pilot effort between Carnegie Foundation and MERLOT, selected authors and users of online learning resources created succinct and engaging online representations, called "snapshots", that reflect on their pedagogy as well as provide potential users with guidance on how they might adopt the materials for their own use.

Learning Objects in Use: ‘Lite’ Assessment for Field Studies

drupal — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 10:55:19 -0500

This study was conducted to evaluate the use and re-use of learning objects (LOs) that were developed under the Co-operative Learning Object Exchange (CLOE) in Ontario, Canada. Student questionnaire data provided their perceptions of the learning value, added value, design usability and technology function. Other perspectives on the value of using and repurposing learning objects were provided through student and instructor interviews. Results indicated that technical functionality did not present usability problems, but that the design of learning objects was their most critical feature for students. The questionnaire used for measuring student perceptions may prove useful for instructors who want to assess the usefulness of learning objects within a variety of instructional contexts and disciplines.

Transitional Developments in Online Courses and Programs: Theory and Practice

drupal — Tue, 21 Jun 2005 10:41:08 -0500

A chief purpose of this discussion paper is to share information with IFETS readers on the recent advances in the design of courses and delivery structures of online courses. The online course is an evolving educational offering and significant progress has been made by online universities and traditional universities offering online courses in terms of improved formats and protocols. Also, the discussion will strive to engage diverse online educators inacademic debate and discussion of the character of online courses, as evidenced by the distinction between notfor-profit and for-profit approaches to e-education.

Object Oriented Learning Objects

drupal — Thu, 09 Jun 2005 15:28:18 -0500

We apply the object oriented software engineering (OOSE) design methodology for software objects (SOs) to learning objects (LOs). OOSE extends and refines design principles for authoring dynamic reusable LOs. Our learning object class (LOC) is a template from which individualised LOs can be dynamically created for, or by, students. The properties of LOCs refine existing LO definitions and design guidelines.

We adapt SO levels of cohesion to LOCs, and illustrate reusability increases when LO lessons are built from LOs like maintainable software systems are built from SOs. We identify facilities required in learning management systems to support object oriented LO lessons that are less predetermined in their sequencing of activities for each student. Our OOSE approach to the design of object oriented LO lessons is independent of, and complementary to, instructional design theory underlying the LO design process, and metadata standards adopted by the IEEE for LO packaging. Our approach produces well structured LOCs with greater reuse potential.

Design History Timeline

drupal — Fri, 04 Mar 2005 12:52:49 -0600

Barbara Martinson, an associate professor in the Department of Design, Housing, and Apparel at the University of Minnesota, wanted to help students in her History of Visual Communication course see the connections between art objects and events across time periods. The Digital Media Center at the University of Minnesota worked with her over the 2003-04 academic year to create a Design History Timeline learning object. The learning object integrates Flash and XML to provide a dynamic timeline that incorporates student assignments into a single Web project.

The application is available as a free download from the Digital Media Center's website, along with instructions for modifying its content for other courses and disciplines.