1. Learning Design: Why does it matter?
James Dalziel
Professor of Learning Technology &
Director, Macquarie University E-learning Centre of Excellence (MELCOE)
Presentation for Standards Australia IT-19 Conference, Sydney, Nov 25th 2004

2. Overview Pedagogy and standards at the crossroads
The problems of e-learning content
Introducing Learning Design
Learning Design example: LAMS
The recipe analogy
Learning Design and librarians
Whither e-learning standards?

4. Pedagogy and Standards: At the crossroads
After almost 3 years intensive work in the e-learning standards world as an advocate of teachers, learners and pedagogy, I have reached a crossroad
Fundamentally, my concern is that e-learning standards have lost contact with the heart of education:
The role of the teacher
The purpose of the classroom
The importance of student collaboration
Multi-learner, not just single learner, activities
Could Learning Design provide a way forward?

5. The Role of Teachers
Teachers and lecturers play several key roles in education:
Structure learning activities and content (“lesson planning”)
Transmit content
Facilitate learning activities (especially collaborative tasks like debate, discussion, brainstorming, etc)
Guide, mentor, advise students
Provide feedback and assessment
How does the role of teachers map to current standards work?

6. The Purpose of the Classroom
Educational theory and research tells us that to encourage deep approaches to learning, we need:
Active engagement by students (not just passive absorption)
Collaborative activities
Construction of understanding and meaning
Structured “flows” of tasks that build towards educational objectives
Timely feedback and authentic assessment
This is why education is not just access to a library – we need the classroom
How does the purpose of the classroom map to current standards work?

7. The Importance of Student Collaboration
Transmission models of education are rarely the best approach to student learning
“Single learner” content absoption is not enough
Students need to collaborate with their teachers and peers to actively debate ideas and construct meaning
Sequences of collaborative (and individual) tasks make up the heart of education
“Lesson plans” in K-12 schools
No equivalent term in HE/VET, but think of tutorials and similar
How does collaboration map to current standards work?

8. The Problem: E-learning Content Today
Most assumes single learner, self-paced learning
Often little more than textbooks online?
Content-centric, transmission model of education
What is the implied pedagogy?

9. ICT
Information and Communication Technologies ?

10. Pedagogical Models and Standards
With the exception of Learning Design, current e-learning standards/specifications tend to assume:
Single, isolated learner
Primary focus on content delivery
Interactivity provided by self-test questions, exercises
Course length generally 30 minutes to a few hours
Pedagogical theory?
Transmission model of education
Computer as authority by proxy
Learning as short, bite-sized “chunks”
Focus mainly on technical details, not learner experience

11. Pedagogical Models and Standards
Learning Design assumptions:
Single or multi-learner environments, flexible groupings
Primary focus on sequencing of learning activities
Interactivity provided by discussion groups, chat rooms, etc (as well as by self-test & simulations)
Includes content delivery as one type of learning activity
Able to describe long-term learning
Pedagogical theory?
Supports different models, including constructivist & transmission
Computer as gateway to other learners and resources
Learning is still broken down into “chunks”, but can be part of a broader whole

12. Introducing Learning Design
Learning Design = Sequence of Collaborative Learning Activities
Learning Designs can incorporate single learner content, but also collaborative tasks such as discussion, voting, small group debate, etc
Learning Designs can be stored, re-used, customised

13. Introducing Learning Design
Learning Design has various other names:
Pedagogic Design
Pedagogic Frameworks
Learning Trails
Learning Activity Sequences
“Powerpoint for educational activities”
Educational Modelling Language,
“Process VLE”, etc
Learning Design as Lesson Plans
But not just a description of the activities - Learning Design software can help facilitate the activities

14. COLIS Global Use Case: Final Version
Authority
Creator
Cataloguer
Arranger
Infoseeker
Learner
Facilitator
Monitor
Prescribe
Author
Add Metadata & Submit to
Learning Object Repository (LOR)
Outcomes/
Competencies
Design Learning
Activity
Search LORs via Gateway
for LOs & Learning Designs
Review Metadata & Resources
(& Licenses if DRM)
Quality
Assurance
Obtain Links or Download
LOs & Learning Designs
Package New/
Modified LO/LD
Structure LOs &
Activities
Structure
Assessment
Certify
Organise Student
Roles/Groups
Student Login
Student Searches
Do Learning
Facilitate
Learning
Monitor
Learning
Do Assessment
Facilitate
Assessment
Monitor
Assessment
Record

15. COLIS Global Use Case: Final Version - Learning Activites =
Authority
Creator
Cataloguer
Arranger
Infoseeker
Learner
Facilitator
Monitor
Prescribe
Author
Add Metadata & Submit to
Learning Object Repository (LOR)
Outcomes/
Competencies
Design Learning
Activity
Search LORs via Gateway
for LOs & Learning Designs
Review Metadata & Resources
(& Licenses if DRM)
Quality
Assurance
Obtain Links or Download
LOs & Learning Designs
Package New/
Modified LO/LD
Structure LOs &
Activities
Structure
Assessment
Certify
Organise Student
Roles/Groups
Student Login
Student Searches
Do Learning
Facilitate
Learning
Monitor
Learning
Do Assessment
Facilitate
Assessment
Monitor
Assessment
Record

16. Learning Objects versus Learning Activities
Run-time tool
description XML
Learning Object
Meta-data XML
Data interchange XML
“Rendering” XML

17. Learning Objects versus Learning Activities
Run-time tool
description XML
LAMS
Learning Object
Meta-data XML
Data interchange XML
“Rendering” XML

18. Demonstration Example: LAMS
LAMS illustrates the Learning Design approach
Inspired by the IMS Learning Design specification
In trials for over a year in Australia and UK
Strong positive response from both teachers and learners
Applicable to all education sectors (schools, VET, HE, corporate training, adult and community learning, etc)
Eg, UK DfES/SST & JISC trials; Oxford, Cambridge, ANU, etc
LAMS to be released as freely available open source software in February 2005 by the LAMS Foundation

19. LAMS Live Demonstration (For a screenshot walkthrough of a demonstration similar to the one shown live, see the “What is Greatness?” example at the end of the slides at

20. Why content is not enough: The recipe analogy (1)
Any recipe is made up to two fundamental components
A list of ingredients (ie, content)
A set of activities to create the meal (ie, process)
A list of ingredients (no matter how amazing the individual ingredients) does not a meal make
Imagine a cookbook full of only lists of ingredients….
Expensive ingredients are no guarantee of an edible meal

21. Why content is not enough: The recipe analogy (2)
Most cooks like to change recipes and ingredients easily – they avoid rigid, complex lists of ingredients
Substituting different ingredients leads to a new meal
Pre-packaged whole meals are rarely considered high quality food, and involve little joy in creation for cooks

22. The Future of Content and Activities
The concept of a “dual repository” for e-learning
One area contains various content objects
Another area contains various activity/process objects
Educators could search for a content object, and then view pointers to good activity sequences as “wrappers”
Equally, educators could search for activity sequences, and then view pointer to good content objects to incorporate into the sequence
Librarians can help educators manage both sides of the repository – content and activity sequences

23. Learning Design and Librarians
How can librarians contribute to Learning Designs?
Project with the National Library of New Zealand to define “exemplars” or “templates” of good sequences of learning activities
Generic templates exhibit good pedagogical practice
Applicable to many subject areas
Librarians adapt general templates to specific topics, and find appropriate resources to include in templates

24. Learning Design and Librarians
Template Example: What is Greatness?
Week 1: Discussion environment - initial thoughts
Week 2: Review of content and search for websites
Week 3: Small group debates with scribe reporting back to whole class
Week 4: Submit report for marking and comments
Alternatives – What is jazz? What are ethics? What is a volcano? What is a poem? What is a rectangle?
Librarian task – adapt questions and debate topics, and find appropriate resources according to topic, insert into generic template to create specific sequence

25. Librarian starts with existing template, then double clicks on each activity to adapt to new topic: What is jazz/ethics/volcano/etc

26. Librarian edits text to adapt topic: What is jazz/ethics/volcano/etc

27. Librarian searches for and enters appropriate web content and files: Content about jazz/ethics/volcano/etc

28. Once complete, save adapted version
Librarian edits topics for debate: Questions about jazz/ethics/volcano/etc
Once complete, save adapted version

29. Learning Design and Librarians
Step 1: Start with generic activity template designed by pedagogical experts
Step 2: Adapt template to specific topic area
Adapt task description text
Find and insert relevant resources
Student search tasks of relevant repositories/web
Step 3: Save new “specific” topic version of generic template for use by teachers/lecturers
The next generation of guides by subject librarians?

30. Whither E-learning Standards?
Personally at a crossroad – don’t know what to do next
The gulf between standards experts and teachers seems too great to bridge – my 3 years of concerted effort have failed
E-learning standards (apart from Learning Design) seem too content centric & single learner focussed
Simplistic transmission model of pedagogy
Additional concerns about politics, process, intellectual property and whether we are ready for standards yet

31. Questions and Discussion For further information about LAMS see: www
Questions and Discussion For further information about LAMS see: