introduction to digital repositories opening pandora’s box?

Introduction to Digital Repositories

Opening Pandora’s Box?

Topics for today:

• What is a digital repository? And what is a learning object?

• Examples of repositories with focus on healthcare• Sharing of resources – in our school and/or beyond?

Pros and Cons …• Potential areas for sharing …• Do we want to take the repository matter further, and if

so, how?

Repositories, Portals, Learning Objects …

What is a digital repository?

General definition: a place for storing digital objects, i.e.– Images (common formats: jpg and gif)– Word documents, pdf documents– Powerpoint slideshows– Forms– Videos (or sequences of videos, common format: wmv, mpg)

…

Our PLU portal is an example for a digital repository – mainly for administration purposes, while the module-related WebCT courses are (or should be!) mainly for teaching and learning.


In the learning and teaching context a more specific definition of digital repositories applies, which focuses around the management of ‘learning objects’.

Terminology - informal use

Members of staff create and manage their own learning objects:Lecture notes, slideshows, tutorials, assessment questions, reading lists,

instructions for activities, images …

There is a variety of ways to distribute learning objects (or “LO”s) to students. A suitable tool for the sharing of objects in an electronic format are the facilities of a VLE, i.e. in our case a WebCT module.


Terminology in instructional design

– a definitive answer?“Any entity, digital or non-digital, which can be used, re-used and referenced during

technology-supported learning” (IEEE, 2001)

• “Any digital resource that can be reused to support learning.” (David Wiley, Utah State University, Feb. 2002)

• “A digital piece of learning material that addresses a clearly identifiable topic or learning outcome and has the potential to be reused in different contexts.” (H806 "Learning in the Connected Economy" Open University course team: Robin Mason, Martin Weller, Chris Pegler, IET, Open University, Oct. 2003)

My preferred definition:


“[A learning object] is defined as the smallest independent structural experience that contains an objective, a learning activity and an assessment.” (L’Allier 1997)

Learning Objects or Designs?

IMS Learning Design - a specification to describe learning scenariosStructure of learning scenario separated from learning materials and services. Materials can be reused in different scenarios and scenarios reused with different materials.

Re-usable "Pedagogical Templates"


“[A learning object] is defined as the smallest independent structural experience that contains an objective, a learning activity and an assessment.”

(L’Allier 1997)But….“The learning object is raw material that can be used in different ways. It is the activities you do with it and their integration in meaningful scenarios or functions that count.” Paquette and Iona Rosca 2002, Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology Volume 28(3)

The reusability paradox

"If a learning object is useful in a particular context, by definition it is not reusable in a different context. If a learning object is reusable in

many contexts, it isn't particularly useful in any.” In D. A. Wiley (Ed.), The Instructional Use of Learning Objects: Online Version.

Accessed 2006-07-05


Features commonly associated with learning objects:

• Learning objects are digital • Learning objects can be stored in a database or

repository • Learning objects can be described using a metadata

standard or specification • Learning objects are discoverable through searching a

database • Learning objects are interoperable in that they are

independent of hardware, operating system and browser type


DERPability (Duncan 2004)

Learning Objects should pass the DERPability test. They should be:

D iscoverableE ditableR epurposeable (Reusable)P ortable (Interoperable)


Types of Learning Object

• Assets– Documents, images, videos, Flash, audio

• Aggregations– Web pages– Aggregations of aggregations: modules

• Questions/assessments• Templates (learning design ideas)• …


• Learning objects tend to be, but are not necessarily, small or granular in nature

• Learning objects tend to be, but are not necessarily, disassociated from context

• Learning objects are reusable • Learning objects can be repurposed for different

educational contexts

• Learning objects have an explicit educational purpose

Found in “A short course on structured course development”, http://careo.prn.bc.ca/losc/

Highly recommended website!


Learning Object “Economies”

– communities that agree terms on which they can share and reuse learning objects

A learning object economy requires– a technological framework– a “business” model (agreed working mode)


Places for further investigation:Links and short info about 3 large repositories for healthcare on the

SONET website (yes, it’s Nottingham again)http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/nursing/sonet/rlos/rlo_repositories.html

HEAL, MERLOT and Wisconsin Online Resource Centre

Example: Anatomy of the Hip, found in section ‘Occupational Therapy Assistant’

http://www.wisc-online.com/objects/index_tj.asp?objID=OTA2204

ELSIE: E-Learning Support for Interprofessional Educationhttp://www.ucel.ac.uk/elsie/

Conference summary:Share – conference about digital repositories


http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/nursing/sonet/rlos/rlo_repositories.html