Learning Objects

Learning objects are discreet units of learning that deliver a meaningful learning experience for the user. They can be linked together in appropriate clusters and are reusable for different scenarios. SHTM can minimize development time and cost and maximize utilization by developing content in this flexible way. Rather than develop a whole programme, we could aim at developing a number of small objects and build a whole stage by stage.

Learning objects can consist of various media and include a number of essential components. These would fall into five categories – theoretical knowledge (extracts from lectures, articles and readings), application of knowledge (checklists, simulations, report), context of application (case study or problem-solving), sharing of experience (discussion, chat, email communication, online tutorial) and evaluation of learning experience (exercise, questionnaire, test or examination).

When building learning objects we can produce and recompile them in different ways for executive development programmes, CPE, professional courses as well as building them together for full undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The advantage of this approach is that it helps us to develop a bank of reusable resources steadily, and gives us the opportunity to use them flexibly as opportunities arise. The objects would all be catalogued as metadata each with an alphanumeric descriptor. The descriptor would provide a unique reference that also indicated how long the learner could spend completing the object and how much time was spent creating it. In this way we would be able to judge the course time and budget the production time and cost for a particular course.

See how e-Cornell describe their learning design in learning molecules...

Read about Learning Repositories here...