The Art of Knowledge

 

Cisco - Reusable Learning Object Strategy

I have just started reading about the RLO's and the seem pretty interesting. I don't think it really has any of the answers when it comes to retention or retooling absolutely but I think it's a nice corporate model. When I think of the scope of the project, I imagine retolling individuals with computer knowledge but no formal training, I envision base cognitive skills that shoudl be molded. When I read this I merely got the impression that the retooling only happens within a sector (i.e. Your HR department becomes more efficient in a new system or a new corporate initiative). While this is absolutely necessary I don't think it really adresses the root of any human capital issues. Fortunately, it does have value as a vehicle for delivering information. Herea re my notes:

1. Metadata is essential to any LMS system. XML, or the SCORM initiative being used by the apparent leaders AICC and DoD. Having information meta'd correctly becomes essential to the retrieval and application aspects of a true LMS/KMS.
   
2. IEEE has a definition of a learning object under the IEEE P1482.12
   
3. Ruth Clark seems to be a major player in the RLO arena. Her website is horrible though. Making me doubt her viability. I hate when smart people have lazy websites.
   
4. She also developed the 7 step program for writing and implementing learning objects.
   
   
   
   1. Grannular analysis - analyzes the required skill needed, identifies perfomrance outcomes, develops reports on how the learner has changed
      
   2. Design and Mine - Mining previous solutions or self-inundated solution to solve the problem. Needs metadata...this sounds like the most interesting part but I have two problems with it...one - self-identified problems are a horrible way to arise change. Initiative is not necessarily a key factor in elearning that can be assumed. Two - I like the idea that the user will be learning in a medium that is best suited to them. Cisco is a little blind when it comes to mediums. I can imagine their set up as really boring already.
      
   3. Write Learning Objectives - does 2 things
      1. Makes content easier to write (how?)
      2. Objective keeps the learner on a track to succeed
      I like the idea of the tack. I think if someone knows the exact end goal of what is to be attanined then the road becomes muich clearer and more self-constructed. In that Freshman seminar paper they mentioned that retention of students is highly hieghtened by clearly defined goals. I think that's extrememly important.
      
   4. Identify the Cognitive Level - What the learner is required to remember and use.
      
   5. Classify Learning objects - Categorize objects as a concept, fact, procedure, process, principle. If you look at the pdf you will find a nice table of the definitions of all these. This was somewhat helpful.
      
   6. Identify the Primary Learning Approach - Receptive, directive, guided discovery, exploratory. Here is where teh paper almost started cooking but they gave me a chart that made it seemed of less importaance. I will delve into this a little later.
      
   7. Sign off on the Design - You need a DDD (detailed Design Document) that explains the scope, what has been builtm resources. Basically a blueprint.
      
   
   All this seemed a little plastic. But hell it's Cisco so it's gonna be very dry but what I wrote about it was. "What if the final goals are different? My final goal is for them to teach themselves not only the system or the skill but the deisgning of their own system. Therefore teh mechanism takes an organic/bio approach. The user/database/KMS can keep track of thow they got to the terminal goal (obvioulsy different for each user) and then reutilizes that to achieve future objectives. The selling key is that the mechanism can change with them to take advantage of inherent strengths.
   
   
5. A vast network app is needed to deliver a proper LMS. Is this what Tim had in mind when he talked about Friendster, I need to research more LMS and KMS systems that actually work.
   
6. Maintaining the system for life is extremely important. Makeing the user aware of changes or new technologies or protocol actively and not passively is essential. Making them make themeselves aware is utopic.
   
7. Methods of delivery - You are going to need a vaste assortment of delivery methods to implement such a vision. Assuming that people are always on a network or online can limit you.
   

Link posted by JVMM : 11:10 PM