MERLOT '05: "Designing and Managing Reuse" notes

• Reuse: Authors vs. instructors vs. students vs. collections
• 4 questions:
  
• Can I find it? -> metadata, search techniques (finding vs. searching)
  
• Is it useful? -> reusable design (context & pedagogy AND structure & presentation)
  
• May I use it? -> rights (copyright)
  
• Will it work? -> interoperability
• Reusable Design Guidelines
• for 2 different groups:
  
• authors (developers, etc) - max reuse by choosing the right tools (e.g. ones that support appropriate metadata)
  
• collections, digital libraries and librarians
• structure
• patterned after Web Accessibility guidelines
  
• guidelines: statement of guideline, explanation
  
• 3 priority levels: level 1 - must be followed to ensure reuse, 2 - should to increase reuse, 3 - may to enhance reuse.
• full set - www.reusablelearning.org/guidelines/
  
• checklist [PDF] - www.reusablelearning.org/guidelines/checklist.pdf
• Metadata
• different types:
  
• bibliographic
• contextual (difficult to abstract from LO, e.g. things like reading level) - often missing in full text searches
  
• technical
• legal
• usage info. (e.g. instructor, student, user guides)
• use a standard, 'speak to me in a language i can understand'
• examples: www.reusablelearning.org/examples/
• Copyrights:
• Important to both obtain and grant permission - provide a statement of rights and permissions. Easiest way with something like Creative Commons approach (www.creativecommons.org).
  
• Links are usually OK, but watch out for 'deep linking', 'framing', 'in-lining' - branding concerns, generally commercial.
  
• Fair use
• Reference
• Interoperability
• 2 approaches: standards (e.g. HTML, XML, SCORM, etc.) and common formats (e.g. PDF, Flash, Java, etc.)
  
• Reusable Design
• 5 layers:
  
• 1.Content is at the core: the meaning by a resource and the words and images used to convey it, information intended to affect a change in cognitive state.
• 2. Context - language, culture, subject, relations to other learning resources
  
• 3. Pedagogy - how resource is used
• 4. Structure - granularity, sequencing, the 'skeleton'
• 5. Presentation - visual appearance, auditory elements, interface
• Principle: separate the layers - e.g. don't let the presentation dictate how the resource is used
• context is both friend and enemy of reuse - the goal of reuse is to reduce context as much as possible without hurting the pedagogy
• tips:
• reduce limiting physical and location requirements (e.g. provide a virtual environment instead)
  
• separate learning experience that require human intervention
• writing style, graphical style and structure affect audience
• use tools that support multiple languages
• use language, image, scenarios and examples that make sense in as many cultural contexts as possible
• examples:
• www.mcs.drexel.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/contents.html
• www.math.com/homeworkhelp/HotSubjects_fractions.html
  
• www.csszengarden.com
• resources:
• design guidelines & checklist: www.reusablelearning.org/guidelines
• presentations: www.reusablelearning.org/workshops
• www.reusablelearning.org/examples
• www.reusablelearning.org/resources/MERLOT