Skip to main content

Learning Object Repositories



Learning objects differ from conventional learning materials in that they use a variety of media sources including text, graphics, audio, and video (Muirhead and Haughey, 2005). Learning objects are essentially the digital resources (e.g., audio, photos, graphics, animations, video, Word/PDF documents, HTML pages, Java applets, and interactive exercises) that are designed to generate and support learning activities and enrich learners’ experiences (Richards, et al., 2002).
Within the last five years, institutions and academics have developed approaches to facilitate access to a wide range of learning objects to support teaching across the curriculum. Suthers (2000) believes that this interest is motivated in large part by the desire to be able to find and reuse the work of others. Institutions (such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or IEEE) have developed standards for learning object packaging.
Although learning objects could be reused in many instructional contexts, much of this investment is used for specific audiences and remains unknown beyond the immediate developers and consumers (Richards, et al., 2002).  Wiley (2002) indicates that learning objects are generally deliverable over the Internet, meaning that teachers can access and use them anywhere and simultaneously (as opposed to traditional media, such as maps or videotapes, which can only exist in one place at a time). Moreover,  teachers can collaborate on and benefit immediately from new versions. LORs provide faculty, teachers, curriculum developers, and students with easy access to a large storehouse of learning objects that can be shared and used within and across universities and schools (SREB, 2005).
According to JORUM (2004), it could be argued that a repository, at its core, is only a database of objects, with import and export interfaces. However, there is a distinction to be made in LORs between the database (that holds the metadata and objects) and the tools that are used to interact with this database (by searching, downloading, importing, etc.).  A review of existing learning object repositories reveals that a repository is essentially a file storage system that has a form of control over the quality of the files (learning objects) to classify and store them using metadata, a searchable database to categorise and locate learning objects, an easy-to-use mechanism for uploading, updating, retrieving, and exchanging learning objects and an appropriate technical infrastructure, including software (e.g., database, and security system) and hardware (e.g., server and telecommunication capabilities).

Popular posts from this blog

Flickr

While there are tens of photo-hosting applications on the Web, one of the most innovative is Flickr. Flickr is a photo management and sharing online application that provides a place to share photos and meet people with similar interests, even if photography is not their focus. Using Flickr, users can upload, download, tag, rate, and c om ment on photos. Users can manage and organize images, and create private or public groups to cultivate a sense of c om munity.   Flickr offers a vast collection of images that are not available elsewhere, and its collaborative tools have made it popular in higher education. Flickr contains imagery that can be used in teaching to help develop visual literacy skills. University instructors have begun using Flickr images in their courses to share, critique, and analyze visual information. In addition, the design of Flickr intentionally promotes the development of community. The ability to engage users in a conversation about a photo, and to u...

الناجح من يستطيع رؤية ماهو أبعد من أن يراه الآخرون

رسالة من صديق في أحد الأيام دخل صبي يبلغ من العمر 10 سنوات الى مقهى وجلس على الطاوله ، فوضعت الجرسونة كأساً من الماء أمامه فسئل الصبي : بكم آيسكريم بالكاكاو ؟ أجابته : بخمس دولارات. فأخرج الصبي يده من جيبه وأخذ يعد النقود فسألها مرة أخرى : حسنا ً وبكم الآيسكريم لوحده فقط بدون كاكاو ؟ في هذهِ الأثناء كان هناك الكثير من الزبائن ينتظرون خلو طاوله في المقهى للجلوس عليها فبدأ صبر الجرسونه بالنفاذ ، فأجابته بفظاظه : بـ أربع دولارات. فعد الصبي نقوده وقال: سآخذ الايسكريم العادي فأحضرت الجرسونة له الطلب ، ووضعت فاتورة الحساب على الطاولة وذهبت أنهى الصبي الآيسكريم ودفع حساب الفاتورة وغادر المقهى وعندما عادت الجرسونة إلى الطاولة إغرورقت عيناها بالدموع أثناء مسحها للطاوله حيث وجدت بجانب الطبق الفارغ .. دولار واحد أترون .. لقد حرم الصبي نفسه الآيسكريم بالكاكاو حتى يوفر لنفسه دولاراً يكرم به الجرسونة. ما دعاني لطرح هذا الموقف أو القصه القصيره هو أننا كثيرا مانقع في حرج أو نتسبب في شحن نفسي تجاه أناس آخرين نحمل لهم الكثير من الحب والتقدير ولكن الاستعجال بإصدار حكمنا عليهم يتسب...

The Third International Conference of e-Learning and Distance Education - Riyadh - 4-7 February 2013

As e-learning is increasingly being embraced and implemented  in Higher Education, it is important to explore and measure whether it is empowering, engaging and performance driven. Over the last decade, many e-learning projects have been initiated and many impactful research papers have been published. The next step is to make sense of the past, the present and the future e-learning research initiatives to strategize and implement e-learning that is engaging and performance driven. The Ministry of Higher Education Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the National Centre for e-Learning and Distance Education are taking leadership roles in transforming e-learning into engaging performance driven learning experiences, by organizing the Third International Conference of e-Learning and Distance Education (eLi3)  This conference will bring together educators, trainers, researchers, practitioners, futurists, policy makers, and users to discuss and ...