1Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

An Educational Taxonomy for Learning Objects

Learning Objects StandardizationIntroduction Metadata Sequencing

2Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Work is based on results from German Lighthouse Project L3 – LifeLong Learning conducted by SAP and 20 partners from academia and industry.

Background:

Transformation from industrial to an information society is characterized by dramatic technological developments.

Increasing need for continuing education.

Classical résumé – school – apprenticeship/ university – job – retirement is incrementally challenged phases on the job take turns with phases of continuing education.

Still many barriers: expensive, time consuming, bound to time and place, not individualized, ...

Learning Objects StandardizationIntroductionIntroduction Metadata Sequencing

3Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

e-Learning over the Internet offers ideal conditions to overcome these barriers: Globally available 24/7. Multi-/ Hypermedia. Potentially accessible to everyone. Offers new opportunities for communication and collaboration.

In this sense Internet is becoming the basis of knowledge globalization, a universal library accessible worldwide for continuing education.

Problems: Consistency of courses already in existence. Retrieval of relevant and significant information regarding the thematic and

didactic context. Also not individualized. Usage rights. Payment issues. …

Solution: Standardization and Metadata.

Learning Objects StandardizationIntroductionIntroduction Metadata Sequencing

4Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Objects StandardizationStandardizationIntroduction Metadata Sequencing

From im-c, 2001

Focus on technical issues and financial opportunities. Wiley 2002: Surprisingly scarely a discussion about didactical or instructional design implications of learning

objects. Exceptions: IMS Learning Design, Educational Modeling Language (EML).

Description of learning processes or pedagogies on an abstract level. Objective here:

Description of learning processes on a concrete, granular level based on a specific metadata set. Usage for more individualized contents and adaptive navigation through the material.

5Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Learning ObjectsObjects

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Course

PartialCourse

LearningUnit

PartialCourse

LearningUnit

LearningUnit

KnowledgeUnit

KnowledgeUnit

TextAudio

Video

Course

Partial Course

Learning Unit

Knowledge Unit

Hierarchy of Learning Objects

6Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Learning ObjectsObjects

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Knowledge Unit

Knowledge unit = Smallest units of knowledge. (~2-4 min. ALT)

7Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Learning ObjectsObjects

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Microstrategy

Learning Unit

Learning unit = Container for thematically related knowledge units. (~20-40 min. ALT)

8Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Learning ObjectsObjects

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Partial Course

Macrostrategy

Partial Corse = sequence of learning units. (~3-6 h ALT)

9Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Learning ObjectsObjects

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Course

Macrostrategy

Corse = Sequence of partial courses and learning units (~30-60 h ALT)

10Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Objects

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Metadata Categories:

Classification within 5 different dimensions:

Thematic dimension

Relational dimension

Knowledge-type dimension

Competence dimension

Media dimension

11Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Objects

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Metadata Categories:

Thematic dimension: Classification according to a given topic (semantic dimension) using a controlled thesaurus.

12Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Objects

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Receptive

Interactive

Cooperative

Media dimension: Classification according the degree of interactivity.

13Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Objects

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Text

Table

PictureImage

Sound

Movie

InteractiveTransaction

ActionTable

StateTable

DiagramCognitiveMap

GraficModel

AnimatedPicture

SingleImage

SlideShowNotAnimatedSlideShow

AnimatedSlideShow

Music

Speech

Noise

StoppedMovie

Simulation

ProgrammedInstruction

Media

Media dimension: Classification according to media presentation forms.

Metadata Categories:

14Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Objects

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Cognitive

EmotionalSensomotoric

Social

CompetencyType

Metadata Categories:

Competence dimension: Classification according to an ability that correlates to the didactical object (similar to Bloom’s Taxonomy supplemented by the social dimension).

15Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Learning Objects

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Orientation

ActionExplanation

Reference/Source

History

Scenario

HypotheticalSituation

StoryProblem

VirtualWorld

Facts

Summary

Overview

Rule

Procedure

AdministrativeDirections

OperatingDirections

SocialDirections

Checklist

Principle

Stategy

Law

Decree

LawComment

ExplanationWhyConclusion

Proof

ExplanationWhat

Theorem

Description

DefinitionFormulaDefinition

TermDefinition

ExampleCounterExample

Argument(ation)

AssumptionHypothesis

Reflection

ArchiveReferenceDocumentReference

StatisticReference

ReportReference

ProtocolReference

LexicalReference

HandbookReference

CrossReferenceAnnexReference

GlossaryReference

KnowledgeTypes

Metadata Categories:

Knowledge-type dimension: Meaning knowledge as an answer to questions.

16Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

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Metadata Categories:

Relational dimension: Determining the possible courses of acquiring knowledge.

Objective/ Factual Relations Didactical Relations

Hierarchical Relations: generalize part_of

Associative Relations: similar_to alternative_to analogical_to oppositional_to determines ...

didactical_before prerequisite_of belongs_to

A

CB

Is_part_of

Similar_to

17Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

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Realized Strategies

Macro-Strategies: From the whole to the details: Follows the deductive didactical approach From details to the whole: Follows the inductive didactical approach Table of contents: Lists all available objects and ignores the relations between objects

Micro-Strategies: Orientation only: Shows only knowledge-objects indicated as orientation-knowledge.

Strategy results in an overview course. Orientation first: Objects classified as orientation knowledge will be presented first. Action-oriented: Objects classified as action knowledge will be presented first. Explanation-oriented: Objects classified as explanations will be presented first. Example-oriented: Objects classified as examples will be presented first. Table of contents: Lists all available objects and ignores the relations between objects

18Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

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Explanation Orientation

Action Reference/Source

Example_n

Explanation Orientation

Action Reference/Source

Explanation Orientation

Action Reference/Source

Example 1: An Email written with Outlook Express

Example_1 Example_2

Example-oriented

19Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

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Example_1

Orientation

Action Reference/Source

Example_n

Explanation Orientation

Action Reference/Source

Example_2

Explanation Orientation

Action Reference/Source

Explanation

sender´s address

receiver´s address

receivers of copies

subject of the message

message text area

sender information

Explanation of the sending form of Outlook Express:

Example-oriented

20Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

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Example-oriented

Example_1

Explanation Orientation

Reference/Source

Example_n

Explanation Orientation

Action Reference/Source

Example_2

Explanation Orientation

Action Reference/Source

Task 1:

You would like to make an appointment with a customer. Unfortunately he is currently not available by phone.

Arrange the appointment by email!

Action

21Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

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Example-oriented

Example_1

Explanation Orientation

Action Reference/Source

Example_n

Explanation Orientation

Action Reference/Source

Explanation Orientation

Action Reference/Source

Example_2

Example 2: Inserting an attachment

22Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

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Action_1

Explanation Orientation

Example Reference/Source

Action_n

Explanation Orientation

Example Reference/Source

Action_2

Explanation Orientation

Example Reference/Source

Action-oriented

23Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

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Action-oriented

Explanation Orientation

Example Reference/Source

Action_n

Explanation Orientation

Example Reference/Source

Explanation Orientation

Example Reference/Source

Task 1:

You would like to make an appointment with a customer. Unfortunately he is currently not available by phone.

Arrange the appointment by email!

Action_2Action_1

Task 2:

Attach a draft document to the email to your customer!

Task 3:

Change the priority of your Email to “high”!

24Giselher H.J. Redeker ICALT 2003, Athens, Greece

Thank you for your attention!

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