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Using and re-using learning objects Julie Watson Academic Co-ordinator, eLanguages jw17@soton.ac.uk. Overview. Our starting point Designing learning materials for online delivery and re-usability Design features of Learning Objects (LOs) and Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) Example
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Using and re-using learning objects Julie Watson Academic Co-ordinator, eLanguages jw17@soton.ac.uk
Overview • Our starting point • Designing learning materials for online delivery and re-usability • Design features of Learning Objects (LOs) and Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) • Example • Some applications of use and re-use • Research overview • Conclusions • Research interests for the future
Our starting point… • eLanguages Project • Funded to develop e-tutored, online modules in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) • Currently… • Bank of 1500+ learning objects in EAP; generic and discipline-specific study skills for NS • Refined, re-templated, researched, increased and re-used
LO design features • Designing for online delivery and re-usability • make learning activity-led • scaffold learning (provide sufficient feedback and help) • create clear and prominent task instructions • ensure consistency of style and granularity* • create context-independent LOs* • use single template and development tool* • recreate tasks using bank of interactive task templates* • connect and maintain weblinks easily* • develop LOs as single packages, interoperable - for use in different VLEs*
Brief summary of research to date Data Capture Methods Student questionnaires, Tutor questionnaires, Student observations, Student learning log entries, Semi-structured interviews with students, VLE user tracking Data Captured
Research findings – summer 2004 • Student Response • frequency of use (78% made use of learning materials ‘once a day’ to ‘once a week’) • ease of use (90% found materials ‘very easy’ or ‘easy’ to use) • perceived usefulness (88% found them ‘very useful’ or ‘useful’) • ease of access (19% chose to access them from two or more ‘locations’) • Tutor Response • materials support students’ independent (non-tutor directed) study (81%) • materials support students’ lesson-related (tutor-directed) study (57%) • materials have a role in lessons (38%) NB Integrated use – 10-15% (estimate) of tutors made use of the learning materials in the classroom
Student and tutor feedback: summer 2004 • Student comments: • I feel this is much more that just useful and helpful. • I want to keep the online materials after the course – please make it possible. • I very much appreciate the quality of the course, the structure of the material and the logic of the content. • Tutor comments: • The materials were useful in addressing specific difficulties students had. • They have been a real help. • Would you support the use of online materials if they were available in a future course? Yes, definitely.
Conclusions • Some LOs can be re-used as they stand • Others need a degree of re-purposing to ‘fit’ new contexts of use • Individual LOs can be broken down and re-combined • Certain elements of LOs (e.g. task templates, instruction formats) can be re-used • RLOs allow considerable time and cost savings
Research interests • What role do LOs have in students’ learning in various applications of use? • To what extent does discussion board activity and e-tutoring add value in different applications of use? • How far should we map discussion board activity onto LOs?