Start date: 1 June 2006
End date: 30 November 2007
Funding programme: e-Learning Pedagogy programme
Project website:
project page
JISC theme(s): e-Learning
The project has a special focus on IMS Learning Design (IMS LD). This specification claims to capture a wide range of pedagogies in electronic form, and as such, promises unprecedented opportunities to build effective tutor support and presence into e-learning systems. Recent implementations of IMS LD compliant tools such as RELOAD, Coppercore and SLeD have made real the possibility of exploring the use of flexible and open learning activity management systems in a real institutional context.As part of the JISC-funded SLiDe project, the project team used the RELOAD IMS LD editor to support a tutor within the Computing discipline in drawing up units of learning (UoLs) and ran these using the SLeD/Coppercore system with a class group. During that project it was found that whilst the RELOAD editor was an invaluable tool for producing UoLs, a more usable interface for teachers/course designers would be required if such a tool were to be used in the wider institutional context, and especially by practitioners not possessing technical/programming skills.
Aims and Objectives
The aims of the project are to:
- develop an interface to an IMS LD authoring tool suitable for use by teaching practitioners
- produce learning designs and investigate sharing of these
The objectives of the project are to:
- evaluate the RELOAD IMS LD editor in use with practitioners
- produce a prototype user interface
- investigate implementation of the user interface
- produce IMS LD units of learning in a variety of situations
- investigate re-use of IMS LD units of learning
Project Methodology
The project will work with FE/HE teaching practitioners to evaluate the RELOAD editor in preparing learning designs (specifically IMS LD) to support delivery of their modules. In doing so, a set of requirements for a user interface to an IMS LD editor will be drawn up, and from this a prototype interface will be developed with an emphasis on usability. It is envisaged that a full implementation of an editor will be beyond the scope of this project; however the team will investigate how this might be done. The RELOAD team will act in an advisory capacity, and the outcome of this activity will be an evaluation of RELOAD in a real institutional context, recommendations for improvements and a prototype user interface for such an editor.
Practitioners within the subject areas of Law, Psychology and English at Liverpool Hope University, and practitioners at St Helens College will be supported in producing and using units of learning.
Deliverables
- An evaluation of the RELOAD IMS LD editor in use by practitioners, in real teaching and learning situations.
- A prototype user interface for an IMS LD editor.
- A report, a set of exemplar learning designs and one or more case studies.
- A report on the impact of the team’s experience in using RELOAD and the prototype user interface on design for learning.
Stakeholders
JISC; D4L programme; Liverpool Hope University; St. Helens College; The RELOAD team; The IMS LD community; Phosphorix Ltd
Other information
Although the project seeks to work with all projects under the Design for Learning programme, it has a particular synergy with the Developing for LD project led by the OU.