Putting the Activity in E-learning

James DalzielDirector, LAMS Foundation

Professor of Learning Technology &

Director, Macquarie E-Learning Centre Of Excellence (MELCOE)

Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

james@melcoe.mq.edu.au

www.melcoe.mq.edu.au

Keynote Presentation for Medbiquitous Annual Conference, Baltimore, USA, April 17 th, 2007

Overview

• An Aussie Welcome

• The missing concept of e-learning

• Learning Design

• Case Study: LAMS– Bedside manner

– PBL

– Learning Design + Virtual patient mockup

• LAMS – LMS integration

• LAMS Community

• Further information

An Aussie Welcome

Australian

• G’day

• I’ve been flat out like a lizard drinking,

• But I’m stoked to be part of ya shindig

• You’ve got some fair dinkum tucker here

• But I miss me vegemite sandwiches

American

• Hello

• I’ve been very busy,

• But I’m pleased to be at this meeting

• The food is excellent

• But I’m missing ???? sandwiches

The missing concept of e-learning

• “Single-learner” content vs “multi-learner” content

• LMSs have collaborative tools (forum, chat) and courseware has sequencing of content….

But why no sequencing of collaborative activities?

• Face to face classes/workshops often use collaborative activities and content in a structured way– So why is this so rare in e-learning?

“Rendering” XML

Data interchange XML

Run-time tooldescription XML

Learning ObjectMeta-data XML

So what is a Learning Object anyway?So what is a Learning Object anyway?

Learning Design

• The pre-history of Learning Design exists in decades of work on systematic lesson planning, and more recently in the technical work of Educational Modelling Language (EML)– EML formed the basis for the IMS Learning Design specification

– NB: When I say Learning Design, I mean the wider field, not just IMS LD

• Definitions vary, but some typical examples include:– Koper (2001): “modelling units of study”

– Sloep (2002): “people doing activities with resources/environments”

– IMS Learning Design specification (2003): “a description of a method enabling learners to attain certain learning objectives by performing certain learning activities in a certain order in the context of a certain learning environment”

Learning Design

• For me, the key to Learning Design is:

Re-usable sequences of collaborative learning activities

• Re-usable: Can easily be captured, stored, shared and adapted

• Sequences: Managed flow of tasks (not a list on a course page)– (But not necessarily a linear flow of individual tasks)

• Collaborative learning activities: “Multi-learner” tasks– (….as well as “single-learner” tasks like content and quizzes)

• Alternatively, a Learning Design is a “digital lesson plan”– But not simply a narrative description – rather, it can “do” something

Learning Design

• Each activity in a Learning Design requires details about:– Who: People/roles

– What: Content/Instructions (“Activities” in IMS LD)

– How: Tool setup (“Environment/Services” in IMS LD)

• Plus the overall Learning Design has:– When: A description of the flow of tasks/sequence structure

(“method” in IMS LD)

– Why: A set of educational objectives/competencies (optional)

• The details of who, what and how for each task (and the sequence structure & objectives) are encoded in a machine-readable format

– Eg, EML file, IMS LD XML file, LAMS XML file

• So a Learning Design authoring environment creates a Learning Design file, which is then “played” by a run-time environment

Case Study: LAMS

• World’s leading software for Learning Design– 1000s of educators across 80+ countries– Translated into 23 languages

• Visual “drag and drop” approach to designing activities

• Educator designs activities, then “runs” them with students, and monitors student progress

• **Lessons can be stored, re-used, adapted and shared

• Freely available as open source software

LAMS sustainability

• There is no licence cost for LAMS – it is freely available as open source software– LAMS is freely provided by the non-profit LAMS Foundation

• Fee-based services and support for LAMS are provided by a commercial company – LAMS International

• Both LAMS Foundation and LAMS International are supported by Macquarie University

LAMS Demonstration

Simulation of a module onon bedside manner (8 students)

LAMS Login

Home: Showing course (Healthcare Education) and sequence (Bedside Manner)

Learner View of Bedside Manner sequence – first activity (Noticeboard)

Learner – Q&A – individual answer

Learner – Q&A – Collated answers

Learner – Voting – individual answer

Learner – Voting – collated answers

Learner – Grouping

Learner – Chat

Learner – Access Resources

Learner – Forum discussion

Learner – Notebook reflection

Author – Bedside manner sequence

Author – Editing of individual Q&A

Monitor – Live view of sequence progress by learners

Monitor – Detailed view of monitoring of chat

Monitor – Live view of individual learner progress

Author – Alternative sequence structure - PBL

Author Mockup – Learning Design + Virtual Patient (from Karolinksa Institute)

Learner Mockup – Learning Design + Virtual Patient (from Karolinksa Institute)

LAMS/LMS Integration page: http://lamsfoundation.org/integration

Sharing Lesson Plans: The LAMS Community

• The “LAMS Community” is global website for communities of LAMS users. www.lamscommunity.org– Discuss the use of LAMS, new features, technical issues

– **Share sequences, search for sequences, comment on and rate sequences, and get statistics on downloads

– Find colleagues with similar interests, form sub-communities

• We use Creative Commons“open content” licensingof LAMS sequences

• Approximately 2000members, 86 countries, 110 shared sequences, 2500 discussion postings

LAMS Community – View of various communities & forums

LAMS Community – Repository Summary

LAMS Community – Detailed view of individual sequence

Further Information - LAMS

• General information: www.lamsfoundation.org– Especially CD link for case studies, video, demos; downloads

• Online community: www.lamscommunity.org– Forums, sequence repository, regular newsletter, resources

• Demonstration – LAMS V2– demo.lamscommunity.org

• Fee-based services and support– www.lamsinternational.com

Learning Design for Medbiquitous

• Where could it fit?– Collaborative sequences as a missing level between content

(eg, SCORM objects) and objectives/competencies

– Orchestration layer over virtual patients?

– Enrich education where collaborative learning is important

– Sharing of “good practice” of educational processes, collaborative adaptation and improvement

– “Portfolio export” of sequence activities as a detailed record of learning activities behind certifications

– Practical illustration of objectives/goals/competencies