Transforming Education through Learning Design and LAMS: Strategic Perspectives 2

1. Transforming Education through Learning Design and LAMS: Strategic Perspectives 2 James Dalziel Professor of Learning Technology & Director, Macquarie University E-learning Centre of Excellence (MELCOE) james@melcoe.mq.edu.au www.melcoe.mq.edu.au Presentation for LAMS Open Source Pre-launch Workshop, 13th April, 2005

2. Overview – Part 2 • Background to LAMS – lessons from COLIS • Implications for assessment • Student portfolios • Innovations in delivery • Community sharing • Educational publishing • Upcoming LAMS features • The importance of open source • Conclusion

3. Lessons from COLIS • Collaborative Online Learning and Information Services (COLIS) project: 2002-2004 • Investigated integration of various e-learning and information systems from a standards-based approach • Three important insights that influenced LAMS • The pedagogical failings of most e-learning standards • “Global use case” – roles and tasks in the educational cycle • “What is a Learning Object?” – layered framework for content and activities

4. Pedagogical Models and Standards • With the exception of Learning Design, current e-learning standards/specifications tend to assume: • Single, isolated learner • Primary focus on content delivery • Interactivity provided by self-test questions, exercises • Course length generally 30 minutes to a few hours • Pedagogical theory? • Transmission model of education • Computer as authority by proxy • Learning as short, bite-sized “chunks” • Focus mainly on technical details, not learner experience

5. Pedagogical Models and Standards • Learning Design assumptions: • Single or multi-learner environments, flexible groupings • Primary focus on sequencing of learning activities • Interactivity provided by discussion groups, chat rooms, etc (as well as by self-test & simulations) • Includes content delivery as one type of learning activity • Able to describe long-term learning • Pedagogical theory? • Supports different models, including constructivist & transmission • Computer as gateway to other learners and resources • Learning is still broken down into “chunks”, but can be part of a broader whole

6. COLIS Global Use Case: Final Version (Feb 04) Authority Creator Cataloguer Arranger Infoseeker Learner Facilitator Monitor Prescribe Author Add Metadata & Submit to Learning Object Repository (LOR) Outcomes/ Competencies Design Learning Activity Search LORs via Gateway for LOs & Learning Designs Review Metadata & Resources (& Licenses if DRM) Quality Assurance Obtain Links or Download LOs & Learning Designs Package New/ Modified LO/LD Structure LOs & Activities Certify Structure Assessment Organise Student Roles/Groups Manage Identities Student Login Student Searches Do Learning Facilitate Learning Monitor Learning Do Assessment Facilitate Assessment Monitor Assessment Record

7. COLIS Global Use Case: FinalVersion (Feb 04) - Learning Activites = Authority Creator Cataloguer Arranger Infoseeker Learner Facilitator Monitor Prescribe Author Add Metadata & Submit to Learning Object Repository (LOR) Outcomes/ Competencies Design Learning Activity Search LORs via Gateway for LOs & Learning Designs Review Metadata & Resources (& Licenses if DRM) Quality Assurance Obtain Links or Download LOs & Learning Designs Package New/ Modified LO/LD Structure LOs & Activities Certify Structure Assessment Organise Student Roles/Groups Manage Identities Student Login Student Searches Do Learning Facilitate Learning Monitor Learning Do Assessment Facilitate Assessment Monitor Assessment Record

8. Learning Objects versus Learning Activities Run-time tool description XML Learning Object Meta-data XML Data interchange XML “Rendering” XML

9. Learning Objects versus Learning Activities Run-time tool description XML LAMS Learning Object Meta-data XML Data interchange XML “Rendering” XML

10. Implications for assessment • Much of the assessment conducted in education is designed to “prove” learning has occurred • Assessment is often at the end of an educational process; and progress during the tasks is often ignored • Many educational assessments lack authenticity • Multiple choice questions to assess counselling • Often we have little if any record of how a student’s ideas have developed during a course

11. Implications for assessment • LAMS provides a full record of every activity for every student • Rich basis for assessment across the set of activities, not just at the end • Relevant evidence is available to teacher and student • Provokes the question – when do we really need formal assessment at the end? • Potential for student reflection over time, based on record of activities • Student portfolios

12. Student portfolios • “E-Portfolios” have been one of the hot topics of e-learning in the past year • Personal storage system for activities and achievements • LAMS is not an e-portfolio, but it could make important contributions to an e-portfolio • Upcoming features allow text export of student activities • Students can see their development over time • Full records are a byproduct of normal LAMS functioning • Example: “What is Greatness?” at age 13, then at age 15, then again at age 17 • Not just personal development, but peer development

13. Innovations in delivery Wide range of potential innovations, including: • Integration with Learning Management Systems • LAMS is a complement to a LMS, not a competitor • LMS provides central course/class page, announcements area, email system, document area, etc • LMS could also provide whole of course discussion forum • For sequences of learning activities, a link in the course area would point to LAMS: “Click here for activities for weeks 3 & 4” • Once completed, LAMS links back to LMS course page • Integration with Content Repositories • LAMS sequences, as well as content included in them, can be stored in repositories, incorporating metadata, search, etc

14. Innovations in delivery Wide range of potential innovations, including: • Collaborative tasks in classrooms with few computers • Careful design of asynchronous collaborative tasks, complemented by other non-computer tasks, eg Q&A • Using LAMS with interactive whiteboards • Displaying and commenting on student responses (Q&A) • Negotiated curriculum through collaborative authoring • Interactivity in large lectures • Wireless laptops • Text messaging from mobile phones to LAMS

15. Innovations in delivery Wide range of potential innovations, including: • Getting true value from laptops in the classroom • Rapid switching between F2F and online tasks, according to the educational benefits of each option (eg, Q&A, chat) • Maximising the value of face to face interactions through complementary online tasks • Review content and question online for face to face debate • “Wrapping” Learning Objects with a series of collaborative tasks • Initial collaboration, review object, further collaboration, assess

16. Community sharing • LAMS sequences are a fundamentally new kind of media • “Digital lesson plans” – instructions for running collaborative tasks • LAMS sequences can be stored, and hence re-used, adapted, shared, etc • Potential for government education departments, professional associations, etc to provide “best practice” examples of how to teach • “Top-down” approach

17. Community sharing • Potential for a Community website for sharing of LAMS sequences • “Bottom-up” grassroots approach • Community website could support not just sequence sharing but also: • Rating of sequences • Recommendation of sequences • Annotations/commentary on use of sequences • Number of downloads • Links to related sequences …...Amazon for education?

18. Educational Publishing • Many textbooks come with digital content • But often “more of the same” as physical book • Potential for a new type of educational textbook • Combine physical text with LAMS sequences • Each chapter could come with several different sequences • Teachers free to use prepared sequences, or adapt to their local context • Empowering teachers with more than just content

19. Educational Publishing • Going further – custom publishing of textbooks with embedded activities • Select individual chapters, • Combine with a mixture of print and online activities, • Produce custom published text and accompanying online course which are tightly integrated • No longer “their” textbook, but becomes “your” textbook • Textbook publishing “just for you” • Ability to add you own content or activities – no longer one big rigid resource

20. Upcoming LAMS Features • Already mentioned: • Online/offline delivery choice and print-outs • LAMS Community • Including community-based feature description and prioritisation • Technical features • V1.1 tools interface • User features (mock-ups only – may change!) • Instant messaging (V1.1 – mid 2005) • LAMS Author Express (V1.1 – mid 2005) • Branching and advanced grouping (V1.2 – late 2005)

21. The big list ofrequestedfeaturesandpossibledev timelineThis willsoon be apublicprocess for suggestionandprioritisation Draft!

22. Tools Interface document describing how to build Learning Design activity tools to run in LAMS Key element of OSS approach NB: Draft!

23. New “Instant Messaging” area for live collaborationin parallel with activities

24. Draft for a sequence selection/templatesystem – a LAMS “wizard”

29. New potential visualisation of branching in future LAMS

30. Example of potential advanced grouping and branching functions in future LAMS releases

31. The importance of open source • Open source means: • Freedom to use LAMS as you wish • Freedom to modify LAMS as you wish • The ability to see exactly how everything in LAMS works • No requirement to pay anyone anything • No more forced upgrades, proprietary data formats, etc • Ability to build new activity tools for LAMS • Evolution of a global community of developers

32. The importance of open source • What about open source ideas applied to LAMS sequences? • Open content based on the Creative Commons licensing system • When you share a LAMS sequence, you can specify a license such as “free for non commercial use, and any changes must also be shared under this same license” • Ability to search for open content • Why did we do it? Many reasons, but here’s one: • The benefit to society of widespread adoption may far out-weigh the commercial benefit from sales to a limited number

33. Summary – Part 2 • Background to LAMS – lessons from COLIS • Implications for assessment • Student portfolios • Innovations in delivery • Community sharing • Educational publishing • Upcoming LAMS features • The importance of open source • Conclusion • Panel response and discussion