laclo 2010 - openness and analytics: the future of learning objects
DESCRIPTION
Keynote address delivered September, 2010, to the LACLO 2010 conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil.TRANSCRIPT
Openness and Analytics: The Future of Learning Objects
David Wiley, PhDInstructional Psychology & Technology
Brigham Young University
“Curricular units can be made smaller and combined, like standardized Meccano parts, into a great variety of particular programscustom-made for each learner.” Gerard (1969)
Wayne Hodgins (1994)
“Learning Objects”
“Learning objects are like Legos”
Wayne Hodgins
The Big Question
We must all ask ourselves…
Why???
They’re cool!
To help students learn better!
To save money!
That’s what funders want!
The Answer
Changes our work significantly
My Own Answer
Let me tell you a few stories…
Once upon a time (1996)
There was a JS calculator
Something Had Changed
Something deeply important…
Expertise Is Nonrivalrous
Can be given without being given away
“He who receives ideas from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine receives light without darkening me.”
Thomas Jefferson
External Expressions Aren’t
To give a book you must give it away
Digital Expressions Are Magical
They are nonrivalrous expressions
E.g., Online Book
We can all read simultaneously
An Indescribable Advance
The first time in human history
Expertise and Its Expressions
Give without giving away
Unprecedented Capacity
The Two Paths
The First Path
Create once, thensell infinite perfect copies at $0 cost!
The Second Path
Create once, thengive away infinite perfect copies at $0 cost!
My Initial Interest Was Financial
Learning objects could give us Increased affordability and access
40 / 15 years
Several years have passed,and where are we?
Approx 300 journal articles
Literature reviewhttp://www.citeulike.org/user/opencontent
Conclusion?
This research is a mess
Computer Science “Invasion”
Educator “Evacuation”
Research Effort on Learning Objects
Computer ScienceEducation
Technical Standards Soup
IMS, SCORM, IEEE, LOM, DC, ARIADNE, Etc.
Ontology Proliferation
Multiple definitions and approaches to design and function
“If only everyone would do it my way...”
Has a certain arrogance
What if, instead…
We asked what everyone does?
Repositories
IEEE LOM
Tagging
OAI-PMH
RSS / Atom
IMS-CP / SCORM
HTML / Zip / etc.
Ontologies
Folksonomies
LMSs
Wikis / Blogs / Social Networks
Learning Objects
Resources
What’s different?
Complex
Simple
Little use
Massive use
“Simple Wins”
We can spend our energy
Trying to change behavior
Trying to leverage behavior
The Terrible Questions
With apologies
What is a learning object?
“Any digital resource that can be reused to facilitate learning” Wiley (2000)
Four components
“Resource”
“Digital”
“Learning”
“Reuse”
Lots of (1) digital (2) resources for (3) learning
Very little (4) reuse
Why is reuse so hard?
Two reasons
First
Context suggests meaning
What is context?
Things next to each other
In space or time
http://www.quest-online.com/NewFiles/images/barak-obama.jpg
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/slavery/abraham-lincoln/pictures/abraham-lincoln-625.jpg
http://www.britannica.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/bin-laden.jpg
http://hunternuttall.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/tiger-woods.jpg
http://digitalheadbutt.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/michael-jordan.jpg
More things together=
More complex meaning
More complex meanings=
More “fit” problems
What big should a learning object be?
What does “size” mean?
Size
Amount of context inside the learning object
The Reusability Paradox
Easy to Reuse
TeachesEffectively
Big Learning Objects
o Teach wello Hard to reuse (don’t “fit”)o SO… o No one reuses them
Small Learning Objects
o Easy to reuse (fit anywhere!)o Don’t teach wello So… o No one reuses them
Second
Scope and Sequence
Instructional Design
Flic
kr
/ n
et_
efe
kt
What if you had this…
But needed this?
Or this?
Just Adapt It, Right?
Complete (c) Assumed
Ambient, Ubiquitous Copyright
Reuse => Exactly As is
When does “as is” suffice?
Not Very Often
We always want to tinker
Adaptability is Critical
But missing from our normal conception of learning objects
Copyright Permissions Are…
Too hard to getToo expensive to get
So We Give Up
Either we choose a different LO, orwe break the law, or
we do a poor job
Reuse is hard because:
(1) context, reusability paradox(2) copyright issues
What do we do?
Learning Objects + Open Source License
Open Educational Resources
What is an Open License?
Reuse - verbatim copies
Redistribute - share copies
Revise - make adaptations
Remix - combinations / mashups
Grants4 Rs Permissions
Creative Commons
Durable
Reusable
Interoperable
Accessible
Durable
Reusable
Interoperable
Accessible
Revisable
Remixable
Redistributable
LO OER
RAID RAID
4Rs
OER = Learning Objects 2.0
OER
o “Big” objects that teach wello Legal to revise / adapto So… o We can reuse them
OER Changes Assumptions
For example, we can keep OER organized in courses (in context)
(Not context-free repositories)
Is “Open” Financial?
Some thoughts about OER and improving learning
Legally Open vs Technically Open
Can OER be adpated?
Access to editing tools?Level of expertise required?Meaningfully editable?Self-sourced?
ALMS Analysis Framework
Access to Editing Tools?
Are editing tools practically available (platform / cost?)
Access to Editing Tools?
Example: html files
Non: MS OneNote files
Level of Expertise?
Can a file be adapted with little / no training?
Level of Expertise?
Example: Word or odt files
Non: 3d models, flash quizzes
Meaningfully Editable?
Can the content of the file even be changed?
Meaningfully Editable?
Example: Word or html file
Non: Scanned pdf of notes
Self-Sourced?
Is the file preferred for editing
also the file preferred for using?
Self-Sourced?
Example: html file
Non: Flash fla / swf files
Open... but not
Less Expensive
- Reuse - verbatim- Redistribute - share
- Revise - derivatives- Remix - combinations
More Expensive
- Reuse - verbatim- Redistribute - share
- Revise - derivatives- Remix - combinations
How Can Open Improve Learning?
An example
http://openhighschool.org/
Bloom’s 2 Sigma Challenge
Bloom, 1984
One-to-One Tutoring
And other methods compared to 30 students in the classroom
Average Tutored Student by 2 SD
In other words, the average student is capable of much more
Tutoring is Expensive
So we teach class instead!
Bloom, 1984
If the research on the 2 sigma problem yields practiced methods (methods that the average teacher or school faculty can learn in a brief period of time and use with little more cost or time than conventional instruction), it would be an educational contribution of the greatest magnitude. (p. 5)
To Tutor Or Not to Tutor?
That is the (false) question
“Strategic Tutoring”
What if we could do one-on-one tutoring just-in-time and just-on-topic?
Requires Great Insight
We’d have to know who needs help, when, and what they need help with
Data Are the Key
You’d need live, fine-grained data about students, assessment, and curriculum
Good Data Are Expensive!
Who gathers and analyzes data like this?
Each and Every Interaction
Recorded and stored for analysisto improve quality of service /
experience
Even the Grocer!
Almost every industry uses data more effectively than education
How Can We Get the Data?
One option is to follow Google, Amazon, Netflix, WoW, etc.
Do School Online
Where each and every interaction can be captured and stored for
analysis
What Kind of Data?
When they logged in, read, and workedHow long they logged in, read, and worked
Pathway information, Item-by-item analytics&c.
OHSU Teaching Model
OER teach as much as possible,teachers do proactive “strategic tutoring”
Another Benefit of Data
Engage in continuous improvement of curriculum materials
Can You Improve Curriculum?
Data aren’t sufficient – you need permission
OHSU Charter Requires OER
Founders’ way of “burning the ships”
Conjoint Continuous Improvement
Student learning and curriculum effectivenessgrow simultaneously
Curriculum Use
Curriculum Redesign
StudentPerformance
Data
Data Describing Curriculum
Performance
Data Supporting
Strategic Tutoring
FeedbackLoop
Visualizing Educational Data
Creating new visualization techniques to support teaching and learning
Some Conclusions
Finally!
Difficulties with Learning Objects
LOs have yet to fulfill their potential, because of copyright and technical
problems
Open Licenses Solve Problems
When “reuse” can also mean “revise” and “remix,” LOs can more
fully realize their potential
OER = Learning Objects 2.0
When “reuse” can also mean “revise” and “remix,” LOs can realize
their potential
OER => Google Searchability
Google, Bing, and others support specialized OER search
OER = Lower Cost
Freely available
OER => Increased Learning
Continuous quality improvement
Utah Open Textbooks Project
Replacing expensive textbooks with remixed OER textbooks from
CK12.orgFunded by the Hewlett Foundation
2010-2011
1800 students in Earth Systems, Biology, and Chemistry
Traditional Context
$100 textbooks replacedevery 7 years
< $7 per book
And remixed specifically to students’ needs
Textbook as Consumable
Students can highlight, annotate,and keep their textbooks
At Least 50% Cost Savings
We believe levels of learning will be constant or improve slightly
Huge Policy Implications
If we can increase learning and decrease costs, then what?