Repurposeable HTML Learning Objects

1. Repurposeable HTML Learning Objects Jim Flowers Professor & Director of Online Education Dept. of Industry & Technology, Ball State University jcflowers1@bsu.edu http://www.bsu.edu/web/jcflowers1/flowers.htm

2. Supported by Ball State Univ. • Online Master of Arts in Technology Education • Online Master of Arts in Industrial Vocational / Technical Education • www.bsu.edu/iandt/

3. Outline: • RIOs • RLOs • A personal evolution toward RLOs • Current and future projects

4. What are RLOs and RIOs? • Reusable Learning Objects • Reusable Informational Objects • (Reusable Knowledge Objects)

5. Informational or Instructional? • Is the purpose to provide information? • Is the purpose to guide a learner through a learning process?

6. Informational Objects: • A graphic • A block of text • A media file • A table • This graphic -> • A “chunk” • An interactive applet: http://www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/java/ruler/vernier.html

7. RIO and Granularity • Modular building blocks • Modular grains of information • Granularity or “chunk size”

8. Course Decomposition • Begin with rethinking learning outcomes and course redesign. • Break a course into small, reusable chunks, which can facilitate multiple ways of using those chunks. • Strip out course-specifics from RIOs. • Name, organize, and add metadata to RIOs.

9. Re-assembly of RIOs into RLOs • Guided by learning objectives (often, 1) • Design learning activities • Contextualize existing course-independent RIOs by adding course-specifics from other files as needed

10. You may ask, • “But when I lecture, I just give them the facts they need. So isn’t an RLO just a collection of information objects?”

11. e.g., Gagne’s 9 Events of Instruction • 1. Gain the attention of the learner/audience. • 2. Inform the learner of the objectives. • 3. Stimulate the learner's recall of prior learning. • 4. Present stimulus material. • 5. Provide guidance for the learner.

12. e.g., Gagne’s 9 Events of Instruction • 6. Elicit performance by the learner with the material. • 7. Provide feedback to the learner on their performance. • 8. Assess the performance of the learner. • 9. Enhance learner's ability to retain their learning and to transfer it to other situations.

13. Learning Objects • A sequence of learning events • Often around a single objective • Often comprised of many RIOs • Often with internal assessment/feedback for the learner • Not necessarily course specific

14. A Learning Object:

15. A Note on Distinguishing Between RIOs and RLOs

16. Hierarchy • Nesting one object inside another • RIO or RLO

17. Example of a personal evolution toward RLOs

18. Traditional Face-to-face • 3-ring binder course

19. 2. Syllabus deconstruction and uploading • Fall, 1998 Construction Systems Class • ITEDU306/306.htm

20. 3. Putting lectures and handouts online • Fall, 1999 Teaching Technology Class • ITEDU395/395.htm • So-called modules: • ITEDU395/395mod.htm

21. 4. Experimenting putting lessons online • Fall, 1999 Teaching Technology lesson on design briefs. • ITEDU395/8desbri.htm • Interactive elements

22. 5. Dedicated learning modules in an online class • Fall, 2000 Online Class • 510/Modules/01_orientation/orientation.htm • (But they contain course title, module number, hidden class assignments, and a link to the next lesson.)

23. 6. Making a lesson more generic • Online Lesson, particular to one course. • 510/Modules/01_orientation/login.htm • The same lesson, written more generically: • rlo/login.htm

24. 7. A module or RLO surrounding lessons • Spring, 2001 face-to-face class • rlo/206.htm • (Look at Module 4, Product Usability. Notice how the collaborative Anthropometrics Activity is not included in the Anthropometrics lesson.)

25. 8. Further dissection • A lengthy module on 17 technology assessment techniques • rlo/206.htmVisit Module 9, Lesson 9C. • An alternate format that dissects the lesson on technology assessment techniques into smaller chunks and provides multiple paths through the information: • rlo/ta.htm

26. 9. Using RLOs as a general approach • to developing curricular materials in a face-to-face class (promoting multi-use and online access.) • A new class on technical communication & presentation skills and applying math & science to solve technical problems: • rlo/160.htm

27. From: http://www.bitpipe.com/data/detail?id=962198364_445&type=RES&x=933961370 Cisco’s Learning Objects

28. Advantages of Web RLOs

29. RLOs can provide for better management • Minimal redundancy • Centralized updates • Constantly immediately updateable

30. Online RLOs can provide for increased accessibility • Multiple classes of an instructor • Multiple instructors’ classes • Learners with specific interests • (24-7 global access)

31. RLOs can provide for increased learning opportunities • Online access • Multiuse • By others than the initial target audience • By a student, repeatedly • Throughout the entire class or longer • May allow further levels of instruction in greater depth

32. RLOs can provide for multiple learning paths • Unified • Multiple • Customized by instructor • Customized by learner • Automated

33. Considerations in Creating Web RLOs • Initial development requirements • Testing • Database requirements • Metadata & Search features • Object granularity • Language, culture, reading level, type and amount of media, etc.

34. Some recommend RLOs that: • Are uniform • Are nearly media independent • Are written in XML

35. A common concern: • Will RLOs decrease degree of student/instructor interaction?

36. Current & Future Projects

37. Continue on the path • More objects • Standardized metadata • New contextualization • Object-based feedback to author • Studies of effectiveness

38. Ball State’s RIO Database • Planning stages • Metadata • Multimedia, text, etc. • Access to segments of objects (video)

39. Automated Lesson Selection • To create automated lesson selection based on (pretest) • Learner’s Knowledge and Abilities • Learner’s Objectives • Learner’s Preferred Learning Styles • Increased Customizability • Increased time for interaction with instructor

40. The Future • Build your learning with RLOs: Customized degree, specified credit

41. Summary • A general approach to curricular design • Educationally sound chunking and reassembly • Granularity • Multiuse • Don’t just provide content, stylize learning.

42. A New? Approach to Instruction • Instead of • Only answering a common question by Email • Using a handout • Making an overhead transparency • Drawing that same problem on the board • Create online reusable informational objects and learning objects

43. Sources of Information • The Instructional Use of Learning Objects • http://reusability.org/read/ • Learning Object Design & Sequencing Theory • http://wiley.ed.usu.edu/docs/dissertation.pdf • Knowledge Management Through Reusable Information/Learning Objects • http://cluster.techlearn.net/exe/test/presentations/session_404/index.cfm?id=342

44. Sources of Information • Cisco’s Reusable Learning Object Strategy • Cisco’s Reusable Information Object Strategy

45. For more information: • For more information about Ball State’s online courses or Jim’s use of RIOs and RLOs, contact: • Jim Flowers • jcflowers1@bsu.edu

46. Reusable Learning Objects in Web-Assisted & Web-Delivered Instruction Jim Flowers Associate Professor & Director of Online Education Dept. of Industry & Technology, Ball State University jcflowers1@bsu.edu http://www.bsu.edu/web/jcflowers1/flowers.htm