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Article Excerpt
Content development plays a key role in e-learning. Designing of content with good interactivity is essential for an effective teaching and learning system. Development of such an interactive content is not an easy task for instructors who lack technical knowledge. It requires a collaborative work among experts from various fields. To overcome this problem, this article suggests the use of patterns in e-learning content development. Three types of patterns and the problems for which these patterns can be deployed are discussed in detail. The constructive templates that are used for implementing the proposed patterns are also presented. Each patterns is illustrated with example instances, which are created by using the constructive templates. The article concludes with a discussion on a web-based pattern database application, which can be used to store all the recognized patterns. It is expected that this research project will lead to the development of a new e-learning authoring tool, which uses patterns as its metaphor.
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The major activity in e-learning is the content development. Content development requires expertise from different fields. The design and development of content require major inputs from instructors, instructional designers, graphic designers, and programmers. Normally instructors are expected to develop the content for e-learning on their own. The design and development of content is not an easy task for instructors who lack experience in instructional strategies and learning theories. They are not aware of the effective methods, which can be used to present their content to the learners. Obviously, these good interactive presentation methods can tremendously improve the quality of their content. In some institutions, this task is assigned to the developers. However, the support methods that are currently available for these developers do not make use of the existing instructional strategies and learning theories to an adequate level. When it comes to novice designers, they need additional support in developing interactivity, since it involves programming. Thus, each of these experts depends always on others' expertise. Unfortunately, there is always a communication gap among these experts. This leads to a poor content design, which is one of the key problems in the learning based on computer and Internet medium. The content developed for this new medium is very different from that developed by using the print-based method. Surveys of web sites for teaching and learning (LaRose & Whitten, 1999; Mioduser, 1999) show that the majority of the course material prepared for this new medium does not make use of the medium effectively.
The content development team needs a method, which can capture the strategies developed by the experts based on their experiences with specific sets of problems. Patterns have emerged as a solution to overcome this difficulty. Patterns are not merely solution to these problems; they also provide other information such as where the patterns can be used, why or how the patterns are used, forces, advantages, and consequences. Patterns can guide the instructors, instructional designers, graphic designers, and programmers with design solutions. Patterns can be used to enhance the communication among the members of the content development team. Studies and further research can improve the functionality of identified patterns. A pattern is a generic approach to solving a particular problem that can be tailored to specific cases. Properly used, the patterns can save time and improve quality (Fernandez, 1998).
Patterns have been used originally in the field of architecture to support both architects and the public in designing quality buildings. This research has resulted in 253 patterns (Pattern Language, 2001). Each pattern describes a problem that occurs over and over again in our environment, and then describes the core of the solutions to that problem, in such a way that one can use this solution a million times over, without ever doing it the same way twice (Alexander et al., 1977). Subsequently the computer programmers adopted patterns in object oriented programming styles. Patterns are emerging as a new concept in the field of educational technology. Recently the usage of patterns in the field of pedagogy led to "The Pedagogical Patterns" project (Pedagogical Patterns). A number of educators are involved in this project and they have contributed quite a few pedagogical patterns, which can be used in classroom teaching. Attempts have been made to show that patterns can be used effectively to provide solutions for designing web-based courses. "Learning community" is an example of a design pattern proposed for learners, who need to feel connected to other learners enrolled in the course (Frizell & Hubscher, 2002b). Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is another example of WBI design Pattern for learners, who have problems and questions that necessitate quick responses. (Frizell & Hubscher, 2002a). Furthermore, Central Queensland University is using the concept of patterns and pattern mining in their online teaching and learning (Jones & Stewart, 1999).
From the references previously cited, it can be concluded that patterns can serve as useful tools for capturing instructional and learning strategies, and good design practices that can assist educators and course designers in designing instructionally sound course materials. Even though the concept of patterns has been in use in the field of pedagogy for quite some time, it has not been applied so far, for the purpose of content design. The aim of this article is to show that the concept of patterns can be effectively made use of in e-learning content development. This article describes how patterns can enhance the communication among the experts, thus leading to an improved content design. In this article, three patterns for content development are proposed and it is shown how these patterns can be implemented by using constructive templates. The theories that from the basis for the design of the proposed patterns and templates are also presented. This article also discusses a web-based pattern database application to store the identified patterns, which can...
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