Online learning objects combine text, graphics and movies to create a learning resource that is both fun and effective.
Throughout the history of institutionalized learning, there have been a number of different teaching paradigms that have proved to be dominant and effective styles of teaching. With growing interest in using technology as a teaching tool, computer-based learning resources known as "learning objects" have become a go-to method of teaching children. With learning objects becoming more standardized and widely used in the everyday instruction of children, there are a number of things you should know about them.
Definition
A learning object is defined by the innovative learning technologies website EduWorks as a resource that breaks learning content down into "bite-sized chunks." These chunks are then presented to the student through a combination of text, graphics and movies. These informative bits are navigated by the student through a table of contents and/or menu. At the end of each learning object, there is an assessment test designed to assess how well the student retained the information presented.
Standards
Several standards are required of a learning object, Mihaela-Monica Vladoiu, professor and researcher, writes in a 2003 paper for the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics in Vilnius, Romania. These standards include showing a clear purpose, reflecting a learning preference, being applicable to different areas of study, being able to stand alone, supporting competency at the appropriate level, and helping the student understand the material being presented. Another study, conducted by researchers Ferdinand Krauss and Mohamed Ally and published in "The Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects," concludes that the standards for evaluation of a learning object are "content quality, learning goal alignment, feed-back and adaptation, ability to motivate learning, presentation design, usability, reusability and supporting resources"
Pros
Learning objects have inherent benefits that make them an ideal choice for almost any situation, Vladoiu writes. These benefits include flexibility to use the information in a module in multiple contexts, ease with which these chunks can be updated, the module's capacity to be customized, and the ability to match specific learning objects with students who have individual competency gaps in specific areas. But Susan Nash, professor and researcher at Excelsior College, argues that a learning object is useless if it is not effectively implemented into a curriculum.
Cons
There are also several limits to using learning objects, according to Vladoiu. Teachers who use the learning object method must limit themselves to the information covered in the learning objects currently available. While the types of information available in learning object form are growing every day, the cost to create new learning objects can be steep. Also, institutions that wish to convert to a learning object-based system must retrain their instructors to use learning objects in the classroom, thus increasing the entry threshold for the use of learning objects. Researcher Pithamber R. Polsani compares the difference between traditional in-class learning and learning objects with the difference between books and e-books, a difference that is on both the "conceptual and metaphorical levels." For learning objects to be effective teaching and learning tools, they must be designed as learning objects in and of themselves, rather than as a new subset of traditional learning.
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