Implementing Learning Design to support web-based learning

Patrick McAndrew, Head of CITE, Insitute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA. UK. Email: p.mcandrew@open.ac.uk

Will Woods, Senior C&IT Officer, Insitute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA. UK. Email: w.i.s.woods@open.ac.uk

Alex Little, Programmer, Insitute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA. UK. Email: a.little@open.ac.uk

Martin Weller, Senior Lecturer, Insitute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA. UK. Email: m.j.weller@open.ac.uk

Rob Koper, Head Technology Development, Educational Technology Expertise Centre (OTEC), Open Universiteit Nederland, Valkenburgerweg 177, 6419 AT Heerlen, NL. Email: rob.koper@ou.nl

Hubert Vogten, Researcher, Educational Technology Expertise Centre (OTEC), Open Universiteit Nederland, Valkenburgerweg 177, 6419 AT Heerlen, NL. Email: hubert.vogten@ou.nl

Keywords

Learning Design, Education, IMS Specification

Abstract

In this paper we consider an initial implementation of a system for managing and using IMS Learning Design (LD) to represent online learning activities. LD has been suggested (Koper & Olivier, 2004) as a flexible way to represent and encode learning materials, especially suited to online and web-based learning while neutral to the pedagogy that is being applied. As such it offers a chance to address a gap in the preparation of learning materials and their eventual use by students by providing a formal description of the approach, roles and services needed for a particular unit of learning. The potential in learning design that most interests us is its scope for the exchange of validated and formalised designs and so encouraging reuse. Until full implementations exist this potential cannot be explored and it is hard to predict if learning design will provide value in describing either full courses or in describing isolated activities. The initial work is therefore to implement a system for managing, validating and inspecting learning design building on collaboration between the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University UK (OUUK) and the Educational Technology Expertise Centre (OTEC) at the Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL), who produced a Learning Design Engine CopperCore (http://coppercore.org/) released under Open Source.