Angela Dowd • ITEC 865 • Reusable Design • May 23, 2010

Reusable Design

Allan McCollum–Introduction to The Shapes Project

There are many design categories in the e-learning world and at least as many types of designers. Reusable design is embraced by most designers because it can be used in different contexts and shared with other individuals and teams. When developed with a well defined structure, reus- able design helps designers to be more efficient and more consistent in their work. Instructional designers, graphic designers, software engineers and information architects can all benefit from easy access to reusable design. are a form of reusable design, as are Reusable Learning Objects, templates, components and symbols. This paper will explore some of the roles reusable design plays in e-learning and discuss the value that libraries and repositories add to successful e-learning development.

Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) are used by designers and instructors to create instruction. RLOs are context independent and cannot link to any content outside of the learning object. Ac- cording to Olgren and Ploetz1 some characteristics of RLOs are reusability, accessibility, interop- erability and durability.

Templates can be examples of reusable learning objects. Designing e-learning using RLOs can save time and money because they are versatile and portable. When they are organized in a Learning Object Repository (LOR) along with their metadata and descriptions, they are also accessible. LORs use three categories to identify characteristics: General and content characteristics, technical characteristics and quality characteristics (Tzikopoulos, Manouse- lis, and Vuorikari)2.

1 Learning Objects for Instruction Design and Evaluation, by Pamela T. Northrup, published by IGI Global in 2007. p178 2 Learning Objects for Instruction Design and Evaluation, by Pamela T. Northrup, published by IGI Global in 2007. p34

Page 1 Angela Dowd • ITEC 865 • Reusable Design • May 23, 2010

Web Standards, a combination of XHTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and Semantic Markup, are a form of reusable design that is widely used in the design of e-learning. CSS can be used to control the look and feel of websites. Global changes can be made in an instant from distant locations. CSS can be reused and adapted over and over for different courses. The XHTML template semantically describes the document. Semantic Markup can deliver e-learning content to regular browsers, mobile devices, screen readers and text browsers for better accessibility.

Designing with Web Standards, Third Edition by Jeffrey Zeldman with Ethan Marcotte

One application of CSS that seems very applicable to e-learning is a style sheet that can take e-learning directly from the screen to print. The side menu is removed, fonts are optimized and all urls are live. All of this is done with a style sheet designed by Eric Meyer (Eric Meyer on CSS). In his book Designing with Web Standards, Jeffrey Zeldman explains web standards in detail. He co-founded the and has a personal website at www.zeld- man.com. Jeffrey also is the creator of A List Apart, a popular blog on design, usability and accessibility. Page 2 Angela Dowd • ITEC 865 • Reusable Design • May 23, 2010

Graphic designers also use style sheets to make global changes to e-learning and libraries to organize, classify and code components. In his book Modular Web Design: Creating Reusable Com- ponents for User Experience Design and Documentation, Nathan Curtis talks about designing with components and using a component library. Chunking is a term that is often used in e-learning. It is also used in visual design and has a similar function. Chunking visual content decreases cogni- tive load and improves flow so the brain can process information easier. Page designs need to be broken down into chunks of visual design called components. Some examples of components are headers, footers, logos, symbols, buttons and other artwork typically used in e-learning. A com- ponent library saves the designer from having to create content from scratch.

A library provides portability. Course content is linked to these libraries and accessible from anywhere there is an internet connection. Symbols can be stored in libraries to be used in Flash animations. Logos, charts and maps, with full vector quality, can be pulled into courses and presen- tations in moments. Menus, sidebar graphics, and any type of button can be at your fingertips quickly. Of course, a library needs to be properly maintained. There should be a curator to check for quality. Components can be standardized and cataloged for better usability. Every organization will approach this differently.

Prepared by Nathan Curtis Modular Web Design: Creating Reusable Components for User Experience Design and Documentation

Standardization does not mean that everything will look the same or be boring. It does set a tone by making certain components available. This can create unity and cut down on production time, which is something that is very important in e-learning design.

Page 3 Angela Dowd • ITEC 865 • Reusable Design • May 23, 2010

Prepared by Nathan Curtis Modular Web Design: Creating Reusable Components for User Experience Design and Documentation (from Safari online books)

Reusable design is everywhere. Open source software is a perfect example of reusable design because it can be re-engineered and reused in various applications. There are also proprietary software applications, such as PowerPoint, that produce reusable design. Sometimes with propri- etary software a designer is limited by having to use certain types of plug-ins or canned designs. Open Source applications offer more freedom in this sense, but only if you understand how to work with them. The world of e-learning is constantly evolving and expanding. Reusable design helps instructional designers to move with this fast flow and still have the capability to produce high quality design.

Page 4 Angela Dowd • ITEC 865 • Reusable Design • May 23, 2010

Resources

Learning Objects for Instruction Design and Evaluation, by Pamela T. Northrup, published by IGI Global in 2007. Designing with Web Standards, Third Edition by Jeffrey Zeldman with Ethan Marcotte, published by New Riders, November, 2009. Modular Web Design: Creating Reusable Components for User Experience Design and Documentation, published by New Riders, Jun 24, 2009.

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