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Faculty technology training: learning objects.

Article Excerpt
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...

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