Learning about learning objects
One of the most-discussed aspects related to web-based training and e-learning initiatives is the theory of learning objects. These objects focus on self-containment and reusability in a number of different applications. They are said to combine instructional content (such as HTML files) with objectives and instructional strategy to “teach” the content.Wayne Hogins, the developer of the term, called a learning object “a collection of content items, practice items, and assessment items that are combined based on a single learning objective.” By this definition, learning objects do not have to refer to web-based training, or to a digital object at all. However, this is where most of the research is being focused, and some groups have included the relationship in their definition. See RLO-CETL, a British Learning Objects Center which defines the objects as “web-based interactive chunks of e-learning designed to explain a stand-alone learning objective.”Such objects can be very useful to organizations when used correctly. They can be easily transferred between applications, provide new knowledge and skills in self-contained elements in much less time than usual, and can be grouped together to provide a comprehensive lesson plan.Learning objects can be organized in learning content management systems (LCMS). Theoretically, it should not matter which LCMS an organization uses if a learning object is developed according to the universal Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) standard. This dictates how communications between the client content and the host system should proceed, as well as how the content should be “packaged” for transfer. Learning objects should also include meta-data, a set of information that describes the object. Metadata should include the object’s objective, the prerequisites for the object, the topic, the object’s Interaction Model, and the system requirements for viewing the object.There have been several learning object projects created so far. The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Center for International Education lists many of these. Examples include: AGORA, a learning object environment at the Virtual Museum of Canada; Wisc-Online, developed by faculty from the Wisconsin Technical College System; Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT); and the North Carolina Learning Object Repository (NCLOR), offered by the North Carolina Community College System.If your organization is considering integrating web-based learning environments, you should certainly see whether learning objects will be a good fit for you. They can provide drastic savings while also offering significant results.