Academic Exchange Quarterly     Spring    2004    ISSN 1096-1453    Volume  8, Issue  1

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Faculty Technology Training: Learning Objects

Judy Baker, San Diego Miramar College, CA

Nathan Botts, San Diego County Office of Education, CA

Karen Owen, San Diego Mesa College, CA

Judy Baker is a college dean. Her professional interest is in promoting teaching excellence. Nathan Botts works as the technology training assistant for the San Diego County Office of Education. Karen Owen is an associate professor in computer and business technology education.

Abstract

Promotion of the development and use of learning objects assists the ongoing evolution of modern instructional technologies and enrich the efforts and opportunities of distance education theory and research. In order to identify successful training strategies, faculty were recruited from southern California community colleges to receive training in the development and use of online learning materials called learning objects. A learning object is small, single concept, reusable, instructional content that is typically delivered using digital multimedia.

Background and Problem

Faculty members need training and support in order to teach effectively with technology (Fuller, 2000). They need to know more than merely the technical and administrative aspects of using technology. Faculty training and support must address how technology may be used to enhance student learning and performance; simply introducing software and other technological tools to faculty will not ensure that they are able to use them effectively to help their students learn (McKenzie, 2000).

Inadequate faculty expertise in educational technology presents a challenge to building quality distance education programs at community colleges. Faculty need training that provides them with the skills to develop and use pedagogically sound learning materials appropriate for online instruction. Training in learning objects addresses the challenges many online faculty face when converting from face-to-face instruction to online instruction.

Instructional materials should be developed as discrete learning objects to serve the needs of faculty members creating online courses. Learning objects are interactive instructional materials or small multimedia or digital modules that can be re-used to support a specific learning objective. Faculty teaching distance education courses need to be able to access instructional materials that teach the specific concepts they have set as objectives for their course (Bratina, Hayes, & Blumsack, 2002; Carnevale, 2001). Instructional resources available on the internet abound. However, many materials are designed at course or unit level, rather than the learning object level and hence lack reusability (Longmire, 2000).

To address this need, the California Virtual Campus Region 3 (http://www.cvc3.org/) funded the Learning About Learning Objects Project to train faculty in the development and use of learning objects. During 2003, community college faculty in southern California received instruction on the development of learning objects through their participation in the project. The project was developed and implemented by the San Diego Community College District. The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges and the Chancellor selected the project to receive the 2002-03 Technology Focus Award.

Learning Object Definitions

The project used the following definition for learning objects: A learning object is instructional content that is small, reusable, self-contained, durable in multiple contexts, and multimedia or digital modules. It usually involves interactivity and assessment, supports a single learning objective and can be grouped with other learning objects.

A learning object is content that can be used to help teach a particular concept (Jacobson, 2002; Longmire, 2000). Interactive elements and/or graphical elements used for learning objects include graphics, navigation schemes, assessments, collaboration tools, games, simulations, problem-solving, case studies, webquests, electronic calculators, animations, tutorials, websites, bibliographies, audio and video clips, photographs, illustrations, diagrams, graphs, maps, and charts (also see Mayer, 2001). One example of learning objects (see AliveTek website http://www.alivetek.com) is a 60 second animated streaming video that explains the difference between social conformity and compliance by asking viewers to engage in specific timed tasks. This learning object could be used in a variety of courses that require students to understand the meaning of social conformity or compliance behavior.

Project Significance

The project goal was to create a model of learning object training, design, and identification for use throughout the educational community. In order for a learning object to be truly reusable, instructors must be able to place it into the context of another learning objective or lesson in meaningful ways (Wiley, 2000). Project staff encouraged participants to apply the systematic instructional design process and transactional distance concept as they conceived and developed their learning objects.

Project Design and Implementation

The project was implemented in several stages: Participant application and selection process; launch of training website; orientation session; completion of lesson plan; completion of Learning Object Development Form, ongoing staff support; completion of learning objects by participants. Participants were given deadlines for completion of tasks through-out the Project duration. Three face-to-face meetings were conducted: Orientation Session; Drop-in Follow-up Training Session; Showcase Presentation of Completed Learning Objects.

The Learning Object Development Form has two purposes: 1) To provide a framework for the construction of a learning object based on instructional design theory; and 2) To provide descriptive information for the benefit of users and learners interested in the use and/or placement of a learning object into their own educational and/or instructional goals. The project website suggested the use of a number of different web design, evaluation, and accessibility tools that would be useful to faculty during development of their learning objects. Recommendations included: Camtasia Studio, Macromedia Tools, Microsoft Frontpage, Adobe GoLive, Yahoo Geocities, Evrsoft, Quia, Zoomerang, National Center for Accessible Media, Web Accessibility Initiative, and Bobby.

Project Participation Application and Selection Process

In fall 2002, project staff sent announcements of a training opportunity to community faculty in southern California via on various websites and newsletters. In order to be eligible, participants had to be employed by a CVC Region 3 community college.

In return for the training in the development of interactive instructional materials,