21339f


 * Proposal submission #21339**

Learning Objects: Where to Find Them and Why
 * Title**

Barbara Frey, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, baf30+@pitt.edu Millie Sass, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, sass@cidde.pitt.edu
 * Presenter(s)**

//Purpose// The purpose of this presentation is to establish audience awareness of the vast array of Learning Objects (LOs) that are available today, and to present selected Learning Object Repositories (LORs) that provide gateways to LOs.
 * Description**

//Educational Level// Our focus is online LOs used within higher education, although some of the LOs and associated Repositories are applicable to other educational levels.

//Background// As instructors and instructional designers, we are called upon to develop courses and learning materials in decreasing time frames. The reusable LOs we heard about in the 1990s have matured into organized, online collections of digital materials such as simulations, PowerPoint presentations, Flash animations, and other multimedia components. We will review some key repositories like Merlot, Fathom, INTUTE, CITIDEL, and SMETE that offer hundreds of free, web-based resources. These learning objects are praised for speeding the development of courses and for providing richer content and learning experiences than might otherwise be possible.

//Methodology// We will discuss various definitions of LOs and characteristics of LORs. We will present what we consider to be good examples of LOs and LORs and will provide our rationale for selecting them. During the session, we will demonstrate the use of selected Repositories to locate LOs and will highlight the advantages/disadvantages of the various search approaches and reusable objects. If time permits, topic requests from the audience will be taken.

Some questions remain and may be discussed: - Why do I need an LOR when Google is available? - Should I submit my LOs to an existing LOR? - Should my institution have an LOR? - Do institutions provide rewards for contributions to an LOR?

Forum Not previously published Novice audiences
 * Notes & Comments**