Start date: 1 March 2005
End date: 31 July 2006
Funding programme: Exchange for Learning (X4L) programme
Project website:
http://esdstudent.gcal.ac.uk/reset
JISC theme(s): e-Learning
This project aims to produce 200-300 reusable learning objects suitable for use by teachers on HNC, HND and Foundation Degree programmes in science, engineering and technology subjects and deposit these in JORUM.
The project will also produce guidelines for the workflow involved in the selection of suitable legacy resources through to integration of learning objects into a VLE and JORUM.
Aims and Objectives
Aim 1: Creation of learning objects
Create standards-compliant reusable learning objects by repurposing or re-implementing parts of TLTP packages, and other legacy material which have proven to be useful stand-alone units of learning.
Associated objectives:
O.1. Identification of sections from TLTP and other legacy materials that are suitable candidates for rejuvenation, i.e. sections that could form stand-alone units of learning, that are pedagogically sound but use dated technology or are inappropriately embedded in large courseware packages.
O.2. Clarification of who owns the rights over the work identified as useful, and whether they would allow disaggregation and repurposing of this work.
O.3. Replacement of these with suitable learning objects from other sources or the repurposing or re-implementation of a substantial number of these legacy resources as learning objects.
O.4. Quality assurance mechanism for the learning objects.
Aim 2: Description and evaluation of the learning objects
Provide information to help end users decide whether or not to shortlist a resource for use.
Associated objectives:
O.5. Develop a means of ascertaining from potential users of learning objects the educational qualities of the resources created. This may be used in the creation of educational metadata.
O.6. Creation of a (LOM) metadata record for each of the learning objects created.
O.7. Create a schema for recording how computer based learning resources have been used along with comments on the success of this use.
O.8. Record how the learning objects created by the project have been used and to what effect. This could be provided as additional information to other potential users, or could be used to rank results returned from a query.
Aim 3: promote the use of the learning objects.
Promote the use and integration into (current and future) learning environments of the learning objects that have been created.
Associated objectives:
O.9. Upload the learning objects to the JORUM repository.
O.10. Demonstrate compatibility, where possible, with interoperability tools such as RELOAD and relevant products of the JISC eLearning Framework.
O.11. Through exemplars, training materials and workshops aimed at teachers, the project will show how the learning objects can be tailored and integrated into VLEs. Teaching staff in colleges will become familiar with the concept of Learning Objects, and with their selection and use.
O.12. Academic and technical staff at the partner institutions will become familiar with the interoperability standards necessary for reusable learning objects.
Overall Approach
As a source of content, such resources contain assets (images, animations, video clips etc.) that could be suitable for re-purposing within the terms of the definition provided in JISC Circular 9/04. However, this would not release their full worth since these resources also contain a learning context (explanations, applications, assessments) that has proven to be suited to the topic addressed by the original package. ReSET will adapt these materials to produce learning objects that reproduce sections of the original package by using the best available standards-compliant tools for e-learning. For example a resource authored in ToolBook in the 1990's for delivery on CD-ROM could act as a prototype for the same content authored in Macromedia Flash and XHTML, which might be structured using the IMS Simple Sequencing specification, packaged using IMS Content Packaging, and described using the X4L/UK LOM Core profile of the IEEE Standard for Learning Object Metadata. As such, the rejuvenated resource would be suitable for re-use. An alternative to re-implementation, which will be investigated, is that some part of the original package may be replaced with a more up-to-date equivalent resource that requires less work in order to make it reusable.
For learning objects to be reused it is not enough that the resource simply be "made available", rather it is necessary that they can be found by other teachers and learners looking for similar material and that these teachers and learners must be able to ascertain that the material is suitable for their need, and that they have the right to use it in the way that they wish. Therefore this project proposes to pay particular attention to creating suitable resource discovery metadata, clarifying and expressing the digital rights claimed over the resource, and evaluating and describing the use made of the resource by teachers and learners.
Increased awareness of procedures for re-purposing Learning Objects, their suitability, quality and accessibility will be contribute to their wider adoption, thereby increasing the number of people able to re-purpose and contribute to the development JORUM.
The project will produce early outputs in the form of Learning Objects suitable for uploading to the JORUM repository. A substantial number of Learning Objects will be available by August 2005.
Project Outputs
• Deliverable 1 - Project Web site
• Deliverable 2 – 3 Progress reports (6 monthly) as Deliverables 2a, 2b and 2c
• Deliverable 3 - Creation of a substantial number (200 to 300) of reusable Learning Objects suitable for use in HNC, HND and Foundation degree programmes. These will be copyright cleared to be available for the UK HE and FE communities to reuse. They will be standards compliant. They will be quality assured and will be uploaded to the JORUM repository. This deliverable will be phased and released as Deliverables 3a, 3b and 3c as the project progresses.
• Deliverable 4 - Guidebook on the repurposing of legacy resources into standards compliant Learning Objects to be made available to the FE and HE communities. This guidebook will include information on the selection process and criteria, the quality assurance and evaluation procedures adopted, and the workflow involved in gathering descriptive and educational metadata.
• Deliverable 5 – Final report including evaluation.
Project Outcomes
• Outcome 1 – A significant range of learning objects for use in HNC/HND/Foundation programmes will become available from JORUM and for use in VLEs.
• Outcome 2 – The Learning objects created will be adequately described and evaluated to facilitate their selection for use by users of JORUM and VLEs
• Outcome 3 - Teaching staff in colleges will become familiar with the concept of learning objects, and with their creation, selection and use.
The ReSET project was represented at the X4L Programme Meeting in Birmingham in March 2005. The introductory presentation given at the meeting is appended to this page as a PowerPoint file.