3 Responses

1. Learning Objects
   This is the term currently being used by elearning developers to describe the small elements or components that can potentially be utilised to form an elearning course and a wider connected information base. The design of elearning courses, if done properly to release the potential of the medium, should be radically different in design to classroom courses. Conceptually it is a term taken from OO design, databases and programming and means small reusable components that can be accessed or assembled many times in different groupings. See http://www.whatis.com for good explanations of OO and other IT terminology. In short one of the latest Bu*****t terms to impress colleagues and bore others. But seriously it is relevant as most elearning developers think ppt files with a voiceover is elearning! Sadly they miss the point and the potential.

   Tony

2. "Learning objects" is a misleading term
   As Tony says, this is a term that appears to have IT origins and is meant to describe something that will enable ICT to be used to full effect in the learning business. Its rather misleading, because essentially the term refers to subjects and not objects!

   By disaggregating learning into “granules” that can be stored in a database, you can achieve some interesting things. You can make up a learning programme by picking/mixing from the database and you might use learning objects to make your selection, for example. You can update just one granule, and every course that contains that granule will be up-to-date. You can search the database for keywords and select all the learning objects (granules) containing that word. In fact, learning objects as the “face” of learning delivered by database as compared to a linear on-line course presents the user with the same differences as information held in a database as opposed to a word processed document.

   It is not a new concept, just new words. Training & education professionals have been working on this concept for years. Well now the IT people have it and they are reinventing learning processes. Unfortunately, many of them have missed out on some fundamentals (you know, that Kolb and Gagne stuff). It’s a bit like putting school architects, builders or decorators in charge of the teaching. Actually, it’s potentially worse than that. It has the potential equivalent of building a school, equipping it with learning resources, and allowing the pupils to sort themselves out without any professional guidance.

   Is this where the LMS comes in? Sort of, but not entirely.

   Let me finish by saying that learning objects apparently provide more flexibility and choice for the learner. What they also do is to place even greater demands on those people who bear the responsibility for the quality of the learning.

3. A good start point
   The article “A Primer on Learning Objects”
   ( http://www.learningcircuits.org/mar2000/primer.html ) is a very good start for this topic, also providing other links.