Learning Object

concept from Educational Technology - instructional chunk re-usable across pedagogical Context-s

term coined in 1994 by WayneHodgins

Meta Data standard http://ltsc.ieee.org/wg12/

• vs SCORM?

best if Loosely Coupled, not over-integrated Curriculum?

Apr'2015

• David Wiley: Learning objects are meant to be aggregated into a wide range of larger instructional structures. Over a decade ago I worked through the problems implied by this statement in excruciating detail. The tl;dr is that any learning object needs to fit into the aggregation in which you want to reuse it. The degree of fit is purely a function of two Context-s: (1) the internal context of a specific learning object and (2) the external context created by the juxtaposition of the other learning objects in the aggregation. Unfortunately, it turns out that the amount of internal context of any learning object is directly correlated with its educational efficacy, while that same amount of internal context is inversely correlated with the number of aggregations the learning object “fits” into. This is the famous Reusability Paradox.
  • Mike Caulfield breaks this paradox by suggesting that objects be remixed - changed as they are used and reused.
    • Apr'2016: Mike argues again for the ReMix tactic, and notes how formats (MP3 vs Streaming, etc.) and practices (Wiki nodes as having enough White Space to be building blocks)

Oct'2015: Michael Feldstein warns against "antisocial deconstructionism".