Learning Objects & H806

Putting the pieces together: What working with learning objects means for the educator

This 2002 paper by Weller, Pegler & Mason outlines the thinking behind H806's use of learning objects, along with a largely positive evaluation of their implications for course designers & authors. It looks ahead to their anticipated benefits & drawbacks during the first (spring 2003) presentation of the course.

Of particular interest here:

• learning objects have their roots in a training rather than academic context


• they are generally designed for use in online rather than F2F learning situations - hence the definition of a learning object offered by Pegler et al:



"a digital piece of learning material that addresses a clearly identifiable topic or learning outcome and has the potential to be reused in different contexts"



• the loss of "narrative" implicit in a course built from learning objects may be beneficial, as students are required to make their own connections, rather than passively accepting the links put in place for them by course authors.

The paper concludes by noting that the learning objects agenda is currently "dominated by discussions between the various standards bodies and developers of e-learning platforms" & that the time is right for debate to "move into the practitioner's arena".