Assembling Instructional Sequences using Learning Components

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Assembling Instructional Sequences using Learning
Components

• Thor Anderson, Ph.D.
• Utah Valley University

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35 Students need to learn XHTML and CSS

• Class setting lab with each student on computer
• Class materials web pages with instructor
  presentations and demonstrations
• Time to proficiency 16 weeks
• Assessment quizzes (recall), online forums
  (reflection), 13 projects graded (performance)
• Feedback quizzes (immediate), projects (within a
  week), forums (if I get around to it)

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Sample LecturePage
Each XHTML tag is discussed with example code
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Current Instructional Sequence

• Students read the page
• Professor demonstrates how to create XHTML or CSS
  as shown on the page
• Students assigned project to complete
• When it comes time for students to perform,
  however, there may or may not be sufficient and
  timely feedback available.

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Immediate Feedback

• Students work using only plain text editors
• Browsers are very forgiving at displaying HTML
  that is full of errors
• If nobody is there to point out their errors,
  they will go on thinking their work is correct
  promoting confusion and mind bugs in the
  learner.

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James Zull, The Art of changing the Brain pg. 18
but what about these parts?
Students would get this part via lecture/demo...
and maybe some time to reflect...
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Problem Summary

• There appears to be a significant disconnect
  between the concrete experience and the active
  testing which forms the basis for more concrete
  experience... which is, of course, what makes for
  a learning cycle

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Proposed Solution

• Create fine-grained learning activities for
  each task where
• the computer provides as much immediate feedback
  as possible (to confirm hypotheses and promote
  active testing leading to concrete experience)
• sequences of learning activities can be easily
  inserted into web pages
• Common Cartridge and other learning standards are
  utilized whenever possible

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Notice the progress bars used over the heads of
each character to quickly indicate their levels
of health
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BYOL Activity 1

• Experiencing an instructional sequence composed
  of Learning Components from the Learners point
  of view.
• First, you can watch me execute the assigned
  Learning Activities.
• Then, point your browser to the following URL
• https//www.learning

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What is a Learning Component?

• A Learning Component is any Adobe Flex 3 module
  that implements the com.learningcomponents.ILearni
  ngComponent interface and is compiled into a
  single SWF file.
• A Learning Component has one or more Learning
  Activities distributed with it. A Learning
  Component may include any MXML component that can
  serve as a Custom Property Editor.

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Its a what?
A Learning Component is like a Lego block. It is
a software module that has studs that allow it
to connect inside a development environment (IDE)
that has matching tubes. It can also be played
back inside a Player that has matching
tubes. The Flex framework allows for Modules
and the ActionScript 3 language allows for
definition and implementation of software
interfaces.
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Implementing Interfaces
Simple Interfaces make Legos work
The key to the interfaces here is in the precise,
engineered dimensions of the stud and the
tube. They havent changed in 60 years.
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Implementations change...
Well designed interfaces endure!
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This interface has 6 studs for connecting this
module
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BYOL Activity 2
Create an instructional sequence composed of
Learning Components from the Instructional
Designer/Developer point of view. Point your
browser to the following URL https//www.learnin
g
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BYOL Activity 3
Deploy your instructional sequence to be
accessible from a URL. Package your instructional
sequence into a Common Cartridge. Point your
browser to the following URL https//www.learnin
g
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BYOL Activity 4
Modify a sample Learning Component to include
another Learning Activity from the Learning
Component Developer point of view. Point your
browser to the following URL https//www.learnin
g
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Thank You