Using and re-using learning objects

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• Using and re-using learning objects
• Julie Watson
• Academic Co-ordinator, eLanguages
• jw17_at_soton.ac.uk

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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

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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

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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

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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

Student Questionnaires Student Observations Tutor Questionnaires Learning Log Entries Semi Structured Interviews
Summer 2004 (Blended) 194 58 21 120 N/A
Summer 2005 (Blended) 260 14 40 N/A N/A
Summer 2005 (e-tutored) 46 N/A N/A N/A 16
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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

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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.

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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

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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?