What is a Learning Object?
In educational literature, you might see the term "learning object" with the associated acronym "LO." When I think of LO, my mind immediately goes to 'learning objectives' since that is what we are very focused on here at UICOM. The 'other' LO is also important to know about but dare I say, mainly just for background details (or 'nice to know') versus a 'need to know' or 'must know' term. Here is one definition of LO that is being discussed here:
Learning object is any entity, digital or non-digital, that can be used, re-used or referenced during technology-supported learning. Examples of learning objects include multimedia content, instructional content, instructional software and software tools that are referenced during technology-supported learning. - IGI Global
So, if we look at this definition, we use LO's (both learning objectives and learning objects) almost equally as regularly in our curriculum. Some of our learning object LO's include a series of pre-recorded videos developed by faculty, videos from Osmosis (either a single video re-purposed or a playlist of multiple videos on a topic), Poll Everywhere, Zoom polls, etc. So, you see, you can probably also come up with some examples of LO's that you use regularly.
Some key aspects of LO's to keep in mind:
- Is it interoperable, meaning, it can 'plug-and-play' with multiple systems or delivery tools?
- Is it reusable, meaning, can it be reused in multiple ways?
- Is it easy to find in storage systems for future re-use?
- Can usage of the LO be tracked over time to determine effectiveness?
Other terms that have been used in place of learning object include:
- asset
- knowledge object
- educational object
- instructional object
Some of the most popular repositories of learning objects for the medical education realm include:
What are some others that you know of and/or use?
The more you know!