Lea ning Objec s Managemen : Theo y and P ac ice
ERLA MORALES, FRANCISCO GARCÍA & ÁNGELA BARRÓN
Depa men o Compu e Science,
Uni e si y o Salamanca
Plaza de los Caídos s/n, 37008, Salamanca, SPAIN
ga ci[email p o ec ed]
Depa men o Theo y and His o y o Educa ion,
Uni e si y o Salamanca
Pº de Canalejas, 169, 37008, Salamanca, SPAIN
e lamo al[email p o ec ed], [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac : - Al hough LO managemen is an in e es ing subjec o s udy due o he cu en in e ope abili y
po en ial, i is no p omo ed e y much because a numbe o issues emain o be esol ed. LOs need o be
designed o achie e educa ional goals, and he me ada a schema mus ha e he kind o in o ma ion o make hem
eusable in o he con ex s. This pape p esen s a pilo p ojec in he design, implemen a ion and e alua ion o
lea ning objec s in he ield o uni e si y educa ion, wi h a speci ic ocus on he de elopmen o a me ada a
Typology and quali y e alua e ool, concluding wi h a summa y and analysis o he end esul s.
Key-Wo ds: - Lea ning Objec s, Managemen , Quali y, E-lea ning, Me ada a, E alua ion
1 In oduc ion
Many s udies ha e been done on he concep o
lea ning objec s (LOs) bu no consensus has been
eached on a s anda d de ini ion o on he echnical
and pedagogical equi emen s. Speci ica ions a e
being de eloped bu ha e ye o be no malized, and
he use o me ada a schemas is s ill unde discussion.
This has p e en ed LO c ea ion and managemen
om becoming common p ac ice
This pape p esen s ou esea ch on he design,
implemen a ion and e alua ion o a p o o ype LO
managemen ool o e-lea ning sys ems, con aining
quali y c i e ia designed o enable LOs o be
s anda dized and a uned o educa ional needs. The
p o o ype was buil on he basis o ou own
knowledge model, and comp ises speci ic me ada a
alue spaces o classi ying LOs in o he LOM “5.
Educa ional” me ada a ca ego y [7].
The pape begins by ou lining some issues o
lea ning objec s quali y and Managemen (sec ion
2). On his basis, sec ion 3 p esen s ins uc ional
sugges ion o leaning objec design. In o de o
suppo ou p oposal we p esen s he de elopmen o
ini ial p o o ype lea ning objec (LO1) and
de e mines wha ype o me ada a should be applied
(sec ion 4).
I goes on o desc ibe how we implemen ed and
e alua ed LO1 using ou LO e alua ion ool (sec ion
5); hen desc ibes how he esul s o hose ials we e
used o p oduce a second p o o ype (LO2), which
was also implemen ed and e alua ed (sec ion 6).
Finally i p esen s ou conclusions and plans o he
nex s ages o ou wo k (sec ion 7).
2 LOs quali y and managemen
The e olu ion o he Web in ega ds o seman ics
suppo s he idea o gi ing mo e signi icance o
con en han o syn ax. In his way, he machines can
ealize complex asks o deli e use s he necessa y
in o ma ion o mee hei needs.
Knowledge managemen and e-lea ning a e
closely ela ed because e-lea ning use s need a
sui able knowledge managemen ha can help hem
o ob ain he kind o con en hey need oge he wi h
as co ec and comple e in o ma ion as possible.
Howe e he knowledge managemen concep is
no easy o de ine because i is ai ly wide. In a
en e p ise con ex [8] his concep is de ined as
“some ac ions in ended o en e p ises o o ganize
and s uc u e p ocess, mechanisms and
in as uc u es wi h he p oposes o c ea e, sa e and
euse o ganiza ion‟s knowledge”.
In ano he way, [21] emphasize people
pa icipa ion in a knowledge managemen p ocess.
Acco ding o his he de ines his concep as “a
p ocess o suppo c ea ion, s o ing and sha ing o
alue in o ma ion as well as expe ience and
pe cep i eness inside o h ough people and
o ganiza ions communi ies wi h simila in e es and
necessi ies”.
Taking in o accoun bo h de ini ions, we hink
knowledge managemen o e-lea ning sys ems mus
suppo all he issues ha in ol e he eaching and
lea ning p ocess, specially con en managemen
because i is one o he mos impo an issue in
dis ance lea ning [12].
The possibili y o managing con en h ough e-
lea ning sys ems has an addi ional alue. Knowledge
is a sou ce o powe ha needs o be sha ed and
acqui ed, e-lea ning sys ems mean he possibili y o
managing in o ma ion aking in o conside a ion
people ha can con ibu e wi h hei expe ience and
en ich he in o ma ion independen o ime and place
limi s [19].
The challenge o de ining he ype o
in o ma ion o manage o e-lea ning sys ems is a
opic ha has led o he eme gence o new concep s
o esou ce de elopmen . One o hese concep s is
he lea ning objec , which conside s esou ces as
independen uni s ha can be e-used o new
educa ional si ua ions.
We de ine a LO as a uni wi h a lea ning
objec i e, oge he wi h digi al and independen
capabili ies con aining one o a ew ela ed ideas and
accessible h ough me ada a o be eused in di e en
con ex s and pla o ms.
On ag eemen wi h his, knowledge managemen
o e-lea ning based on eusable uni s o lea ning
means he possibili y o accessing speci ic con en
acco ding o he lea ne s‟ needs.
Many o ganiza ions ha e c ea ed hei own e-
lea ning pla o m solu ions o knowledge
managemen . As a consequence hey ha e had
in e ope abili y p oblems a he momen hei
con en is sha ed wi h o he e-lea ning pla o ms o
a he momen i is upda ed.
In o de o his o be possible, speci ica ions
and s anda ds a e in de elopmen which allow o
in e ope abili y o hese objec s on di e se
pla o ms.
Howe e , he abili y o in e change lea ning
objec s does no mean ha he esul s a e o good
quali y.
Some au ho s [23] de ine quali y in eLea ning as
he e ec i e acquisi ion o a sui o skills,
knowledge and compe ences by s uden s, by means
o de eloping app op ia e lea ning con en s gi en
wi h a sum o e icien web ools suppo ed ia a ne
o alue-added se ices, whose p ocess – om
con en de eloping o he acquisi ion o
compe ences and he analysis o he whole
in e en ion- is ensu ed by an exhaus i e and
pe sonalized e alua ion and ce i ica ion p ocess,
and i is moni o ed by a human eam p ac ising a
s ong and in eg al u o ial p esence h ough he
whole eaching- o-lea ning p ocess.
Acco ding o his, in o de o p omo e quali y
Lea ning Objec s Managemen i is impo an o
p omo e quali y di ec ed o all he elea ning
componen s in ol ed, o example: c i e ia and
ins umen o hei e alua ion [13], sui able
me ada a ypology, me hodology and aining o
online u o ing [23] pedagogical design o he
p ac ice communi y, e c.
LOs ha e some inhe en p ope ies acco ding o
hei cha ac e is ics ha may be e alua ed
independen o he con ex [18].
P incipal LOs cha ac e is ics a e: du abili y,
in e ope abili y, accessibili y and eusabili y.
Howe e acco ding o [17] [19] LOs ha e inhe en
cha ac e is ics ha can be use as be o ehand quali y
measu e.
Fo his eason, in his sec ion we explain issues
ela ed wi h he LOs cha ac e is ics which help o
imp o e hei quali y o a sui able managemen .
 Reusabili y. This is he p incipal
cha ac e is ic o alue o LOs. Howe e , i
is no easy o e alua e LOs eusabili y
because i is ela ed wi h he con ex o use.
In he case o LOs (as well as so wa e
enginee ing) exac measu es do no exis ,
howe e i is possible o de ine quali y
indica o s o usabili y ha may be
con i med acco ding o he eusabili y
le el. I is an heu is ic e alua ion acco ding
o a con ex o use.
When a LO is eused in o a one o
di e en o ganiza ions, use s may be able
o e alua e hem in a empi ical way, hen, i
is possible o wa ch and sa e esul s abou
LOs managemen and add his in o ma ion
o hei me ada a. In his way me ada a
could p o ide mo e comple e in o ma ion
o LOs eusabili y.
 Sui able o ma : LOs eusabili y depends o
hei con en as well as hei me ada a
in o ma ion. Howe e me ada a compa ible
wi h some s anda ds like LOM [7] o
SCORM [22] is no enough o make hem
eusable.
Acco ding o [1] Seman ic Web is an
ex ension o he cu en web in which
in o ma ion is gi en well-de ined meaning,
be e enabling compu e s and people o
wo k in coope a ion.
The idea is ha machines can ead
in o ma ion o de elop complex asks o
use s. To make i possible LOs me ada a
mus ha e a o ma di ec ed o au oma ed
p ocess.
 Me ada a in o ma ion: Me ada a is he
mos impo an hing o know LOs
cha ac e is ics o his eason acco ding o
[25] me ada a in o ma ion mus be as co ec
and comple e as possible because i is
necessa y o know all he in o ma ion as
possible abou he LO o euse i in a
sui able way.
Me ada a a e g ouped in o nine
ca ego ies, howe e we ha e o ake special
a en ion o educa ional ca ego y because i
con ains en sub-ca ego ies wi h di e en
kind o pedagogical in o ma ion as:
in e ac i i y ype, lea ning esou ce ype,
in e ac i i y le el, seman ic densi y,
in ended end use ol, lea ning con ex ,
ypical age ange, di icul y, ypical
lea ning ime, and desc ip ion.
 Size o deg ee o g anula i y: O he
impo an issue o euse LOs is hei deg ee
o g anula i y because i is ela ed o hei
capabili y o be eused in ano he con ex s
and pla o ms o e-lea ning sys ems.
Howe e he deg ee o g anula i y could
o a ec LOs eusabili y depending o hei
size and me ada a in o ma ion.
I is known ha oo li lle LOs as well as
oo big LOs ha e less p obabili ies o be
eused because hei possibili ies o
in e change dec ease. In he case o oo
li le LOs like a ideo wi hou sound o a
igu e i is no easy o manage o e-
lea ning sys ems because hey ha e a lack
o in en ion and hei me ada a may esul
oo poo .
Howe e i we manage LOs acco ding o
ou de ini ion, i is means LOs ha has a ew
ela ed ideas is mo e easy o euse hem han
a big con en like a so wa e because i is
c ea ed o a e y speci ic si ua ion.
Taking in o accoun ou de ini ion
eache s a e ee o decide in which lea ning
con ex hey mus o be used. This is because
hey do no be necessa ily ela ed o any
ime, me hodologies, ins uc ional design,
e c.
3 Ins uc ional sugges ion o LOs
Design
LOs a e indi idual uni s o lea ning o modules
which need o be enabled wi h o he ones o build
la ge uni s (didac ic uni s, cou ses, e c.). This means
ha hey a e pa o he whole, bu each LO mus be
capable o being eused by i sel in o he didac ic
uni s. In o de o comple e an LO as a quali y uni o
lea ning and o compose didac ic uni s (DU) wi h
hem, we belie e he ollowing issues should be
conside ed. [16], [19]
 O e iew: Acco ding o [2] [3] and [20] a
didac ic uni needs a gene al o e iew o
explain gene al objec i es and in oduce he
LO con en . An in oduc ion is an impo an
elemen o any kind o con en s because as
well as p o iding in o ma ion abou he
con en s, i se s ou he pu pose o he opics
and gi es lea ne s an idea o wha hey a e
expec ed o lea n.
Fu he mo e, i is a mo i a ional elemen
ha aims o engage he s uden s by le ing
hem know why he subjec is impo an o
hem.
An o e iew mus also p o ide an LO
objec i e. As we explained in he de ini ion o
LOs, because o hei eusabili y
cha ac e is ics, ideally he objec i e mus be
simple, wi h one o se e al ela ed ideas. We
sugges ha an objec i e should be di ec ed o
lea ning one kind o con en s because in his
way he whole ins uc ional design would be
a ge ed o achie e his speci ic objec i e.
O he impo an aspec s ha mus be
included in an LO o e iew a e: i s i le and
he i le o he lea ning uni , so ha s uden s
can know wha pa o a whole hey a e
wo king wi h; he sequenced lis o opics; and,
inally, keywo ds o in o m s uden s abou
wha ela ed a eas a e in ol ed wi h he LO
con en .
 Con en s: In gene al, any kind o con en mus
ha e some quali y cha ac e is ics ha ake in o
accoun di e en issues.
F om a pedagogical poin o iew, con en s
mus be logical and psychologically
meaning ul.
Tha means, on he one hand, a logical iew
o he discipline (con en s sequence,
me hodology, kind o ac i i ies, e c.) and, on
he o he , use sui abili y (le el o di icul y,
use in e es s, e c.). O he issues ela ed o any
kind o con en s a e in o ma ion e aci y,
co ec da a, good w i ing and spelling,
sui able size, colo and on ype, e c.
Howe e , as ega ds LO cha ac e is ics, i
is impo an ha con en s should no men ion
any hing abou ime, o example, “ his week”
o “ his semes e ,” e c., because his could
delay i s eusabili y o o he educa ional
si ua ions. The same mus be aken in o
accoun ega ding he audience, hen ph ases
like “dea enginee ing s uden s…” mus also
be a oided.
Ideally, con en s should be p esen ed in
mul iple o ma s in o de o a end o di e en
cogni i e skills and lea ning s yles, e.g. ideos,
anima ions, g aphics, e c.
 Ac i i ies: Ac i i ies may be add essed o
p omo ing new knowledge acquisi ion and o
p epa ing use s o a inal assessmen .
Ac i i ies may be included in any kind o
con en s du ing he en i e eaching and lea ning
p ocess. They help use s o know i hey mus
go on o he nex lesson o whe he hey should
seek eedback.
An o e iew mus also p o ide an LO
objec i e. As we explained in he de ini ion o
LOs, because o hei eusabili y
cha ac e is ics, ideally he objec i e mus be
simple, wi h one o se e al ela ed ideas. We
sugges ha an objec i e should be di ec ed o
lea ning one kind o con en s because in his
way he whole ins uc ional design would be
a ge ed o achie e his speci ic objec i e.
O he impo an aspec s ha mus be
included in an LO o e iew a e: i s i le and
he i le o he lea ning uni , so ha s uden s
can know wha pa o a whole hey a e
wo king wi h; he sequenced lis o opics; and,
inally, keywo ds o in o m s uden s abou
wha ela ed a eas a e in ol ed wi h he LO
con en .
Some au ho s [4] [5] p omo e cons uc i is
lea ning en i onmen s o Lea ning Objec s.
They emphasize ha ac i i ies mus be as
di e se as possible o accommoda e di e en
kinds o use s: case s udies, p oblem sol ing,
eamwo k, e lec ing on si ua ions, e c. We
ag ee on he need o hese kinds o ac i i ies,
bu we eel ha deep e lec ion abou hem is
necessa y be o e hey can be applied o LOs.
Fi s , ac i i ies a e highly ela ed o he
con en s. This issue may a ec he kind o
ac i i y o use; o example, i LO con en s
a e me ely alking abou basic concep s, ac s
o da a, he kind o ac i i ies may be di ec ed
o ein o cing hem, by ela ing he co ec
concep s, checking ue o alse, e c. Mos
likely, an ac i i y such as a case s udy does
no need o be employed a his le el o
complexi y.
In acco dance wi h his, in o de o suppo
di e en complexi y le els o con en s and
cogni i e domains, we sugges aking in o
Is based on
Impo o
C ea e
-Da a and Concep
Con en s
-Compu e Science Inginee ing
-
CONTEXT
-Objec i e
-In oduc ion
-Typical Lea ning Time
-Keywo ds
O e iew
-Schema
-Compa a i e Table
Summa y
-Sel -E alua ion
P ac ice Ac i i ies
LEARNING OBJECT 1
Objec -O ien ed P og amming:
Gene al Issues
(Agg ega ion Le el 2)
Da a and Concep
LEARNING OBJECT 2
Objec -O ien ed
P og amming: Li e Cycle
(Agg ega ion Le el 2)
Da a and Concep
-Names, ac s, cha ac e is ics
Da a
-Abs ac p inciples
Concep
-Cogni i e Le el
Objec i e
-Re lec ion
Assessmen Ac i i ies
-Ini ia ion
Type -Indi idual
-Collabo a i e, e c.
Wo k Modal
-Lec u e
-Fo um pa icipa ion
S a egies
-Knowledge
-Comp ehensión
-Analysis
-Syn hesis
Cogni i e Le el
and
+ + LEARNING OBJECT 3
(Agg ega ion Le el 2)
+
LEARNING OBJECT X
(Agg ega ion Le el 2)
+
+
TEACHER
Compose
Compose
-O e iew
-Lea ning Objec s
-Summa y
-P ac ice Ac i i ies
-Assessmen Ac i i ies
MODULE 1: Objec O ien ed P og amming
Agg ega ion Le el 3
-O e iew
-Lea ning Objec s
-Summa y
-P ac ice Ac i i ies
-Assessmen Ac i i ies
MODULE 2
Agg ega ion Le el 3
-O e iew
-Lea ning Objec s
-Summa y
-P ac ice Ac i i ies
-Assessmen Ac i i ies
MODULE X
Agg ega ion Le el 3
-O e iew
-Modules
-Summa y
-P ac ice Ac i i ies
-Assessmen Ac i i ies
COURSE: Objec -O ien ed P og amming
Agg ega ion Le el 4
-Ini ia ion
Type
-Indi idual Wo k
Wo k Modal -Lec u e
-Sel -e alua ion ac i i ies
S a egies
+
Fig. 1, Knowledge Model o LO1
accoun h ee kinds o ac i i ies: Ini ia ion,
Re-s uc u ing and Applica ion.
Ini ia ion ac i i ies a e designed o each
he basic con en s o a speci ic subjec . An
example o his is a quiz. Re-s uc u ing
ac i i ies may be di ec ed o p omo ing new
knowledge acquisi ion, such as ac i i ies ha
p omo e ques ions, esea ch, e c. Finally,
applica ion ac i i ies may be add essed o
os e ing s uden s‟ expe ience in o de o
s eng hen hei acquisi ion o new concep s.
An example o his ac i i y is a case s udy.
A Didac ic Uni is composed o a g oup o
indi idual LOs. Because o he eusabili y
cha ac e is ic, ecommend ca ying ou some
ac i i ies a he end o he didac ic uni o
a oid consis ency p oblems wi h he
adap a ion o new LOs [2] [20].
 Summa y o Conclusions: As wi h any kind
o eaching and lea ning p ocess, a summa y is
ad isable a e a con en s e iew. A good
summa y should poin ou he main ideas and
he ela ions be ween hem, making i possible
o ein o ce he con en s. I is also impo an o
ela e he con en s o o he a eas o knowledge
by means o diag ams, ou lines, concep ual
maps, e c.
 Assessmen : An e alua ion mus ake in o
accoun each o he lea ning objec i es. I
mus hus be add essed o any kind o con en s
and i s le el o di icul y. E alua ion may be
ca ied ou as ac i i ies; howe e , i is e y
impo an ha s uden s know wha ac i i ies
will be e alua ed p io o he assessmen .
Some au ho s [2] [16] a e in a ou o p ac ice
ac i i ies and e alua ion ac i i ies. The i s has o
help s uden s o acqui e new knowledge by
p o iding eedback, poin ing ou he mos impo an
in o ma ion, and o p epa e hem o a inal
e alua ion. The second ype mus be a inal
expe ience ha le s he s uden s know whe he hey
ha e mas e ed he objec i es o no , i.e., whe he
hey ha e passed o ailed.
4 LO Design and P oposed Me ada a
Typology
The i s ask o c ea e ou ini ial p o o ype lea ning
objec (LO1) was o chose a con ex in which o
conduc ou ials: he Objec -O ien ed P og amming
(OOP) op ion o he Compu e Science cou se a
Salamanca Uni e si y [12] [15]. We hen de ined a
se o speci ic lea ning objec i es wi h which we buil
a knowledge model ha se ed o p oduce a basic
uni o lea ning which, in u n, se ed as he basis o
designing LO1, en i led “Objec -O ien ed
P og amming: Gene al Issues” (see igu e 1). One
o he key goals he e was o enable a knowledge
model o be used o s anda dize LOs, which is c ucial
o hem o be ailo ed o educa ional needs, aking
in o accoun key elemen s o lea ning [17].
Sound LO managemen equi es he
inco po a ion o eliable me ada a, bu he iabili y
o he only me ada a schema cu en ly ega ded as a
s anda d [7] has been called in o ques ion because i
uses as quan i ies o ill-de ined ypes o da a, and
some o i s me ada a ca ego ies do no make i clea
wha kind o in o ma ion has o be added, hus
u he complica ing he ask o LO managemen [6].
Acco ding o [24] selec ion and composi ion o
lea ning objec s a e wo essen ial ac i i ies in
au oma ed app oaches o Web-based lea ning. Such
ac i i ies equi e high-quali y me ada a eco ds ha
a e no only con o ming o cu en speci ica ions and
s anda ds, bu ha p o ide clea sys em-o ien ed
un ime seman ics ha suppo au oma ed decision
p ocesses.
Al hough he lack o cla i y in he IEEE LOM
s anda d makes i s alue spaces ha d o in e p e ,
mos me ada a edi o s oday con inue o use ha
s anda d wi hou seeking o explain he meaning o
each space.
We se ou o add ess his issue – and, hence, o
enable sui able LO managemen da a o be
in oduced in o lea ning en i onmen s – by de ising
a se o de ini ions o cla i y he con en o each
alue space in he LOM “5. Educa ional” me ada a
ca ego y:
 5.1. In e ac i i y ype: exposi i e
LOs ea u ing a e y low in e ac i i y le el,
wi h s uden s ecei ing in o ma ion ye
emaining unable o in e ac wi h he con en .
 5.2. Lea ning Resou ce Type: web pages
 5.3 In e ac i i y Le el: low
LOs wi h an exposi i e in e ac i i y le el –
minimal s uden pa icipa ion (web pages
wi h ew links)
 5.3 Seman ic Densi y: medium
LO con en designed o p omo e smoo h
lea ning and applica ion o knowledge
 5.5 In ended End Use Role: lea ne s
 5.6 Con ex : uni e si y le el
 5.7 Typical Age Range: Unspeci ied
 5.8 Di icul y: easy
In o ma ion is easily associa ed wi h p e ious
knowledge
We hen inco po a ed hese de ini ions in o ou
p o o ype LO1.

5 LO1 Implemen a ion and E alua ion
Ha ing designed LO1 based on ou knowledge model
and inco po a ing ou p oposed me ada a ypology –
using D eamwea e MX – we hen se abou
implemen ing i wi h Moodle, in oducing he
ollowing supplemen a y elemen s:
 a pd ile: so ha ou sample s uden s could
p in ou he LO con en
 a sel -assessmen sec ion: so ha hey could
see how much hey knew abou he con en ,
and o epea he es whene e necessa y
 a o um: so ha lea ne s and eache s could
discuss he con en
 an e alua ion ool: o he s uden s o a e he
quali y o LO1.
Cu en p oposals o lea ning esou ce e alua ion
ools include web si es [10] [26] and mul imedia
ools, [9], and o he p oposals ha e been made o
assessing he quali y o LOs aking in o accoun hei
ins uc ional use-o ien ed design [27] and sequencing
[28]. We d ew on hese o design an ins umen ha
would enable lea ne s o assess he alue/quali y o
hei LOs (see igu e 2).
Ou sample s uden s we e able o access he LO
and he e alua ion ool ia Moodle and o a e hem
on a scale o 1 o 5: 1= e y poo ; 2=poo ;
3=sa is ac o y; 4=good; 5= e y good.
As seen in igu e 2 (abo e), he e alua ion ool
was designed o ga he quali a i e and quan i a i e
da a abou LO1.
The quali a i e esul s show a gene al ag eemen
on i s quali y. The highes sco ing alue was he
di icul y le el (3.87), ollowed by he objec i es and
con en (3.82). These esul s e lec ou sample
s uden s‟ app o al o he con en in e ms o i s
quan i y, consis ency, eliabili y and so on.
Na iga ion was conside ed well-designed and use -
iendly (3.79).
The s uden s we e sligh ly less happy wi h he
o e all design o LO1 (3.74), and sugges ed a numbe
o possible imp o emen s. They also made a numbe
o posi i e commen s on he eedback (3.66).
„Ac i i ies‟ and „in e ac i i y‟ we e a ed sa is ac o y
(3.51), as was he lowes sco ing c i e ion:
„mo i a ion‟ (3.41).
The eedback gained om he space p o ided in
LO e alua ion ool o s uden s o make commen s
p o ided e y use ul poin e s o us o see wha
needed o be imp o ed when de eloping ou second
p o o ype (LO2). He e is a selec ion o hei
commen s:
 Add a glossa y o key concep s and lis o
ac onyms.
 Add examples o illus a e/cla i y abs ac
concep s.
 A oid able cells in web page design (as i
impeded accessibili y o sigh less use s).
 Highligh main poin s (e.g. in bold).
 A oid oo many e e ences in sho ex s.
 Adjus window esolu ion o a oid oo many
sc oll ba s.
 P o ide mo e de ailed in o ma ion on wha
aspec s o he c i e ia he ool is e alua ing.
To inpu he quan i a i e and quali a i e da a on
he quali y o LO1 in o ou me ada a ypology, we
used he LOM “9. Classi ica ion” me a ada ca ego y
in combina ion wi h ou own LO quali y a ing
classi ica ion scheme. Fi s we de eloped he LO
quali y a ing scale shown in Table 1 (below).
Table 1, LO Quali y Ra ing Scale
Ra ings
Quali y
1.0 – 1.5
e y poo : oo low. LO o be
elimina ed
1.6 – 2.5
poo : low, wi h much oom
o imp o emen
2.6 – 3.5
sa is ac o y: could be be e
3.6 – 4.5
high: good bu could be
be e s ill
4.6 – 5.0
e y high: good, wi h no
need o u he imp o emen
Table 1 se s ou he a ious LO a ings on he
e alua ion scale and explains hei co esponding
quali y le els. We belie e ha quali y measu emen
EVALUATION CRITERIA SCORE
DIFFICULTY The le el o di iclu y was sui able o my p e oius knowledge
3,87
OBJECTIVES I ha e achie ed he lea ning objec i es
3,82
CONTENTS Con en s we e solid (sui able o objec i es, enough in o ma ion, eliable, suppo ed by e e ences, e c.)
3,82
NAVIGATION Sui able and o ien a i e na iga ion
3,79
DESIGN Con en design was clea and o ien a i e
3,74
FEEDBACK I had eedback possibili ies all he ime
3,66
ACTIVITIES Ac i i ies and sel -assessmemen we e clea and meaning ul o lea ning
3,51
INTERACTIVITY Sui able o achie e he lea ning objec i es
3,51
MOTIVATION I el mo i a ed du ing he lesson
3,41
DESCRIPTION My pa icipa ion was clea ly explained 3,28
LO QUALITY FINAL VALUE 3,64
COMMENTS (Desc ibe some examples whe e his LO can be eused)
Fig. 2, LO1 E alua ion Resul s
using a scale like his should be in oduced in o he
“9. Classi ica ion” me ada a ca ego y. Table 2
(below) shows ou p o o ype adap a ion using he
inal quali y sco e aken om he LO1 e alua ion
esul s ( igu e 2).
Table 2, LO1 quali y a ing inco po a ed in o LOM
9. Classi ica ion
9.1 Pu pose
Quali y
9.2 Taxon Pa h
9.2.1 Sou ce
Table 1. LO E al. Ra ing Scale
9.2.2 Taxon
CA*: 3.64 (high)
9.2.2.1 Id
CA: 3.64 (high)
9.2.2.2 En y
High
9.3 Desc ip ion
LO conside ed high quali y by
sample s uden s. Lowes sco ing
quan i a i e i ems we e
„mo i a ion‟, „ac i i ies‟ and
„in e ac i i y‟. Quali a i e
eedback sugges ed adding a
glossa y and examples; a oiding
use o able cells in LO design;
using ewe e e ences in ex ;
and imp o ing sc een esolu ion
9.4 Keywo d
quali y, alue, high, CA_3.64.
*CA: CALIDAD (quali y)
Ou hinking was as ollows:
 Adding a quali y alue o he LO me ada
 ca ego y would help loca e and e ie e an
LO h ough a sea ch based on keywo ds (e.g.
quali y, alue, high, e c.) and alphanume ic
alues (e.g. CA_3.64). An alphanume ic
alue makes i possible o de ine a speci ic
ocabula y o unning an LO sea ch.
 Using speci ic kinds o alues would p o ide
a means o de eloping mo e sophis ica ed
sea ch me hods, e.g. using an in elligen
agen o ind and compa e LOs acco ding o
quali y c i e ia. This would equi e a mul i-
agen a chi ec u e enabling pe sonal
e ie als om mul iple sou ces.
 LO managemen would be acili a ed by
inco po a ing LO quali y a ings in o
seman ic p o iles [11],[12].
 IEEE LOM me ada a ca ego ies a p esen do
no conside classi ying LOs acco ding o
quali y a ings and, hence, mos me ada a
edi o s do no o e he possibili y o adding
o he ypes o classi ica ion c i e ia.
 The sample s uden s‟ commen s p o ided
use ul poin e s o p oducing an enhanced
and mo e use - iendly design o ou second
p o o ype (LO2), wi h a di e en on , la ge
cha ac e s and links o u he eading (see igu e
3). The ac ual con en o LO2 ollowed on om
LO1, aking he lea ning objec i es o a mo e
Fig. 3, Knowledge Model o LO2
E alua ion Resul s
Is based on
Impo o
C ea e
-Da a and Concep
Con en s
-Compu e Science Inginee ing
-
CONTEXT
-Objec i e
-In oduc ion
-Typical Lea ning Time
-Keywo ds
O e iew
-Schema
-Compa a i e Table
Summa y
-Sel -E alua ion
P ac ice Ac i i ies
LEARNING OBJECT 1
Objec -O ien ed P og amming:
Gene al Issues
(Agg ega ion Le el 2)
Da a and Concep
LEARNING OBJECT 2
Objec -O ien ed
P og amming: Li e Cycle
(Agg ega ion Le el 2)
Da a and Concep
-Names, cha ac e is ics
Da a
-Abs ac p inciples
Concep
-Cogni i e Le el
Objec i e
-Re lec ion
Assessmen Ac i i ies
-Ini ia ion
Type -Indi idual
-Collabo a i e
Wo k Modal
-Lec u e
-Fo um pa icipa ion
S a egies
-Knowledge
-Comp ehensión
-Analysis
-Syn hesis
Cogni i e Le el
and
+ + LEARNING OBJECT 3
(Agg ega ion Le el 2)
+
LEARNING OBJECT X
(Agg ega ion Le el 2)
+
+
TEACHER
Compose
Compose
-O e iew
-Lea ning Objec s
-Summa y
-P ac ice Ac i i ies
-Assessmen Ac i i ies
MODULE 1: Objec O ien ed P og amming
Agg ega ion Le el 3
-O e iew
-Lea ning Objec s
-Summa y
-P ac ice Ac i i ies
-Assessmen Ac i i ies
MODULE 2
Agg ega ion Le el 3
-O e iew
-Lea ning Objec s
-Summa y
-P ac ice Ac i i ies
-Assessmen Ac i i ies
MODULE X
Agg ega ion Le el 3
-O e iew
-Modules
-Summa y
-P ac ice Ac i i ies
-Assessmen Ac i i ies
COURSE: Objec -O ien ed P og amming
Agg ega ion Le el 4
-Ini ia ion
Type
-Indi idual Wo k
Wo k Modal -Lec u e
-Sel -e alua ion ac i i ies
S a egies
+
ad anced le el.
6 LO2 Impleme a ion and E alua ion
LO2 was implemen ed in he same lea ning
en i onmen as LO1, and was e alua ed wi h an
enhanced e sion o ou quali y e alua ion ool (see
igu e 4).
The inal sco e e lec s a simila ly high a e age
quali y a ing on he pa o ou sample s uden s
(3.66). The highes sco ing i em was „na iga ion‟
(4.00), ollowed by „desc ip ion‟ and „ac i i ies‟
(sel -assessmen ) (3.91), bo h o which igu e in he
Didac ic Cu icula Issues ca ego y.
Con en design was conside ed high quali y
(3.74), as we e h ee o he didac ic-cu icula issues:
– achie emen o objec i es (3.69), lea ning ime, and
LO con en (3.63) – and one psycho-pedagogical
issue: „di icul y‟ (3.63) .
S uden commen s we e e en mo e posi i e o
LO2 han LO1, exp essing hei app o al o he new
sec ion wi h e e ences, links o u he eading, a
glossa y and a lis o ac onyms.
Some, howe e , conside ed ha he sc een esolu ion
was be e bu needed u he imp o emen : he e
we e s ill oo many sc oll ba s and accessing able
cells emained an impedimen o sigh less use s.
Ha ing comple ed ou e alua ion, we inco po a ed
he o e all LO2 quali y a ing in o he co esponding
LOM “9. Classi ica ion” me ada a ca ego y (see able
3), using he LO classi ica ion scheme based on ou
p oposed me ada a ypology [14].
Ou p oposed adap a ion o he LOM “9.
Classi ica ion” me ada a ca ego y comp ises he key
quan i a i e and quali a i e da a collec ed wi h ou
LO quali y e alua ion ool. In p esen ing a summa y
o lea ne s‟ commen s on LO quali y, i em “9.3.
Desc ip ion” p o ides a use ul means o u he
imp o ing ha quali y.
Table 3, LO2 quali y a ing inco po a ed in o LOM
9.Classi ica ion
9.1 Pu pose
Quali y
9.2 Taxon Pa h
9.2.1 Sou ce
Table 1: LO Quali y Ra ing
Scale
9.2.2 Taxon
CA_3.66* (high)
9.2.2.1 Id
CA_3.66 (high)
9.2.2.2 En y
High quali y
9.3 Desc ip ion
LO2 was conside ed high
quali y by s uden s. Lowes
sco ing quan i a i e i ems
we e „mo i a ion‟,
„in e ac i i y‟ and
„ eedback‟. Quali a i e
eedback sugges ed a need
o imp o e sc een esolu ion
and a oid able cells in LO
design
9.4 Keywo d
quali y, alue, high,
CA_3.66.
Finally, he “9.4. Keywo d” i em gi es use s he
sea ch wo ds o inding and e ie ing he bes
possible LOs o sui hei needs [5].
7 Conclusion
The esea ch ou lined in his pape se ou o es a
model o enhancing LO managemen h ough
e alua ion o LO quali y. Ou p o o ype knowledge
model sough o demons a e how LOs can be
es ablished as a basic uni o lea ning, aking in o
accoun key educa ional needs. I can be used o
adap an LO o a speci ic ype o cou se a uni e si y
le el.
EVALUATION CRITERIA CATEGORY SCORE
PSYCHOPEDAGOGICAL ISSUES
MOTIVATION I el mo i a ed du ing he lesson
3,43
DIFFICULTY The le el o di iclu y was sui able o my p e oius knowledge
3,63
PARTICIPACIÓN Se ha explicado cla amen e mi pa icipación en la lección 3,63
DIDACTIC CURRICULAR ISSUES
DESCRIPTION My pa icipa ion was clea ly explained
3,91
OBJECTIVES I ha e achie ed he lea ning objec i es
3,69
CONTENTS
Con en s we e solid (sui able o objec i es, enough in o ma ion, eliable, suppo ed by e e ences, e c.)
3,63
ACTIVITIES Ac i i ies and sel -assessmemen we e clea and meaning ul o lea ning
3,91
TIME Sui able o achie e LO objec i es
3,63
FEEDBACK I had eedback possibi i ies all he ime 3,34
TECHNICAL AND FUNCTIONAL ISSUES
INTERACTIVITY Sui able o achie e he lea ning objec i es
3,34
NAVIGATION Sui able and o ien a i e na iga ion
4,00
DESIGN Con en design was clea and o ien a i e 3,74
LO QUALITY FINAL VALUE 3,66
COMMENTS (Desc ibe some examples whe e his LO can be eused)
Fig. 4, LO2 E alua ion Resul s
Ou sample s uden s a Salamanca Uni e si y
app ecia ed he pd ile, he sel -assessmen
componen and he o um because hese ea u es
enabled hem o p in copies o he con en , o assess
hei knowledge and o exchange iews, all o which
helped hem gain a clea e unde s anding o he LO
con en . The LO quali y e alua ion ool enabled us o
collec a wide ange o in o ma ion use ul o
imp o ing bo h LO1 and LO2. In a ibu ing a
nume ical alue o LO quali y, he a ing scale helped
speci y exac ly which da a o inco po a e in o he
me ada a schema.
I is impo an o emembe ha me ada a edi o s
oday only classi y LOs acco ding o speci ic
es ablished pu poses. We used he LOM “9.
Classi ica ion” me ada a ca ego y because we belie e
i use ul o de ining and adap ing new LO
classi ica ion schemes ha would allow use s o
acqui e and manage LOs sui ed o hei own
indi idual needs.
Finally, he esul s ob ained wi h he LO quali y
e alua ion ool helped highligh exac ly wha
imp o emen s needed o be made. So ing e alua ion
c i e ia in o di e en ca ego ies made i possible o
e alua e he LOs om bo h pedagogical and echnical
poin s o iew.
Ou u u e wo k will ocus on de eloping an LO
c ea ion ool based on ou knowledge model. We will
also seek o imp o e he quali y o LOs by aking in o
accoun he accessibili y issues ha a e c ucial o LO
managemen . Finally, we a e aiming o p omo e
in elligen agen -based au oma ed wo king me hods
by de eloping a p o o ype mul i-agen a chi ec u e
o quali y-based LO managemen .
Acknowledgemen s
This wo k was co- inanced by he Spanish Minis y
o Educa ion and Science, he FEDER-KEOPS
p ojec (TSI2005-00960) and he Jun a de Cas illa y
León local go e nmen p ojec (SA056A07).
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