Implementing Effective Course Design with Reusable Learning Objects

February 10 2003

Strategies and Techniques for Designers, Developers, and Managers of eLearning

THIS WEEK — DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES Implementing Effective Course Design Gain an in-depth understanding of With Reusable Learning Objects how Deere & BY PEDER JACOBSEN AND KIM E. RUYLE Company leveraged reusable learning his is the second article in a two-part series that objects to support presents an e-Learning case study. Previously, we their course design. Tdescribed the project with particular attention to two of the goals of the application: 1) to use effective guided Discover the tech- discovery methods and 2) to achieve reusability with learning nical underpinnings objects (LOs). and design consider- The application is a large-scale e-Learning course that is ations of working one component of a blended learning strategy to address RLOs. The authors financial literacy. The course involves Learning content management system learned a lot from learners in solving problems faced by an (LCMS) entrepreneur during the initial start-up and Because we had a goal of achieving this project and ongoing operations of a café. Both guided learning object (LO) reusability, it made they share their discovery and expository learning paths sense to use a learning content manage- are provided for the learner. For more ment system (LCMS) to develop the course lessons here. If you about this course, see The eLearning content. An LCMS is a multi-user platform Developers’ Journal for February 3, that allows organizations to author, store, are considering “Guided Discovery Teaching Methods share, maintain, personalize, and deploy using learning and Reusable Learning Objects.” e-Learning applications using reusable Technical aspects of reusability learning objects (RLOs). For this purpose, objects, you must we employed LogicBuilder 3, a full-featured In this article, we will pay particular LCMS from LogicBay Corporation. read this article! attention to the technical underpinnings of The learning object repository allowed the application, some lessons learned, for centralized control and management of and thoughts about future applications of all the content. The course content was A publication of learning objects. Continued on next page

WWW.EL EARNINGG UILD.COM DEVELOPMENT / techniques

available for reuse in four levels of hierarchy: 1) Individual content items/media assets, e.g., graphic elements and the Flash!® calculators 2) All pages of content, whether static or interactive, stored as reusable information objects (RIOs) 3) Topics composed of RIOs and content items and stored as RLOs 4) The course itself consisting of a set of RLOs and supporting elements The system was capable of supporting a full array of content management functions, including: • Version control for RIOs and RLOs • Metadata tagging • Extensive search capability • Reporting, workflow, and other management tools that were critical to maximiz- ing the learning experience during initial delivery, enabling reuse, and maintaining content Most of the content authoring was accomplished using Microsoft Word templates that were translated by the LCMS and automatically converted into XML- based objects within the learning object repository. This was the standard method of creating simple text and graphic content for the application. However, some development, including the integration of Flash! elements, was done within the visual authoring environment provided by the LCMS. Figure 1 depicts a sequence of screens that included an embedded Flash! object. In the page illustrated, the Flash! object is being linked from the repository to this page of content. All Flash! elements came into the system with full interactivity. Figure 2 on page 3 shows the authoring environment in which Flash! elements are integrated. Delivery was accomplished by creating a web page link to the course on the production server in the LCMS environment. Since the LCMS includes some of the features provided in a typical learning manage- THE ELEARNING DEVELOPERS’ JOURNAL ment system (LMS), we had some delivery / options. Rather than host the course at Deere (and implement an enterprise-level LMS), we decided to host the course with the vendor. The course is delivered from the LCMS database, and all the users’ movements through the course and information about responses to questions are

FEBRUARY 10, 2003 automatically tracked in detail. The LCMS gives us basic reporting capability as well. 2 FIGURE 1 Cost of assets Flash element showing a sequence of screens. DEVELOPMENT / techniques

Publisher David Holcombe Editorial Director Heidi Fisk Editor Bill Brandon Copy Editor Charles Holcombe Design Director Nancy Marland

The eLearning Guild™ Advisory Board Ruth Clark, Conrad Gottfredson, John Hartnett, Bill Horton, Kevin Moore, Eric Parks, Brenda Pfaus Marc Rosenberg, Allison Rossett

Copyright 2003. The eLearning Developers’ Journal™. Compilation copyright by The eLearning Guild 2003. All rights reserved. Please contact The eLearning Guild for reprint permission. The eLearning Developers’ Journal is published weekly by The eLearning Guild, 525 College Avenue, Suite 215, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Phone: 707.566.8990. The eLearning Guild is an operating unit of Focuszone Media, Inc., 1030 Beatrice Street, Eagan, MN 55121. FIGURE 2 Screen shot of the authoring environment. The Journal is included as part of Guild membership. To join the Guild go to www.eLearningGuild.com. Production templates Metadata can be classified into two The authoring capabilities of an LCMS basic types: objective metadata and sub- The eLearning Developers’ Journal™ is design- greatly increase the productivity of content jective metadata. Objective metadata are ed to serve the industry as a catalyst for inno- authors/developers. In our case, we could those that the technology can correctly vation and as a vehicle for the dissemination of use any of six different Microsoft Word pro- identify without human intervention. These new and practical strategies and techniques for duction templates to script the application. data, like filename, file location, global e-Learning designers, developers and man- Each template converts to a specific page unique identifier (GUID), size, object type, etc., were automatically tagged by the agers. The Journal is not intended to be the layout in the LCMS and is ready to “drag definitive authority. Rather, it is intended LCMS as objects were imported, convert- and drop” into the course structure. This to be a medium through which e-Learning practi- ed, or created. allowed off-line authoring using a common tioners can share their knowledge, expertise tool (i.e., Microsoft Word), provided param- Subjective metadata are those that

and experience with others for the general THE ELEARNING DEVELOPERS’ JOURNAL / FEBRUARY 10, 2003 require human intervention for creation. eters for the instructional scripting, and betterment of the industry. streamlined development by fully automat- Creating them is a manual process. With As in any profession, there are many differ- ing the process of moving from script to dozens of possible tags, we found the key ent perspectives about the best strategies, finished web page. was to balance the need for subjective techniques and tools one can employ to accom- Two basic templates became the work- metadata with the effort required to create plish a specific objective. This Journal will share horses for the course. In Figures 3 and 4 it. Too little subjective metadata would these different perspectives and does not posi- on pages 4 and 5 you can see examples mean that we would have trouble finding tion any one as “the right way,” but rather we of these templates and the corresponding all the objects available for reuse in the position each article as “one of the right ways” screens in the course. future. Too much subjective metadata for accomplishing a goal. We assume that would mean that the project would bog readers will evaluate the merits of each article XML metadata tagging down with cost and timeline overruns. In and use the ideas they contain in a manner A critical component of any plan for the end, we decided upon a minimalist appropriate for their specific situation. We reusability is the application of metadata approach that included some basic subjec- encourage discussion and debate about articles tagging to content. The LCMS we used tive metadata but relied heavily on the full- and provide an Online Discussion board for allowed for configurable Learning Object text search capabilities within the LCMS. each article. The articles contained in the Journal are all Metadata (LOM) for each object type. Examples of subjective metadata tags we written by people who are actively engaged in However, we opted to stay with the default employed include: classification keyword, this profession at one level or another — not tags provided by the current version of the interactivity level, keyword, and status. by paid journalists or writers. Submissions are LCMS. This set of tags, shown in the side- (See Figure 5 on page 7.) always welcome at any time, as are sugges- bar on page 4, overlaps with the set of Standards and specifications tions for articles and future topics. To learn SCORM 1.2 metadata. We used the capa- compliance more about how to submit articles and/or bility to tag objects on all levels — content ideas, please refer to the directions in the side- Aviation Industry CBT Committee (AICC) items, RIOs, RLOs, and the course itself. bar on page 8 or visit www.eLearningGuild.com. specification levels one and two are built 3 DEVELOPMENT / techniques

into the LCMS. This allowed us to publish the course in AICC format with a single click if we desired. The LCMS then gener- ates all four of the course structure files (CSF) required to establish basic integration with most LMSs. The LogicBuilder LCMS had already been successfully test- ed with seven LMSs when we started creating the course and, although we were not initially using an LMS for delivery, AICC compliance was an important considera- tion in keeping our future delivery options as open as possible. As described above, the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) Version 1.2 was the basis for our metadata approach. However, the version of LogicBuilder we used was not completely compatible with SCORM (though it is expected to be so in the first quarter of 2003). We didn’t have the option of exporting the course or the learning objects as sharable content objects (SCOs) initially, but the available functionality and the promise of enhanced compatibility was considered sufficient to move ahead and keep our future options open. The LCMS also provides a graphical sequencing capability within learning objects that positions it well for SCORM 1.3. The IEEE/LTSC formally adopted the LOM specification as a standard in June of 2002 — a couple of months after we started development of the course. Although the course was not built to this standard, we will have the option to synchronize the LOM in future versions. FIGURE 3 Example of Template 1 and associated screen shot. Technical process overview SIDEBAR 1: Default tags provided by the current version of the LCMS Our technical development process ran concurrently with and, in some instances, Aggregation level Interactivity level was fully integrated with our instructional Author Keywords design process. If you develop your Browser Language instructional and reusability strategies with- Catalog Learning resource type out considering the capabilities of your sys- Classification description Location tems for managing and delivering content, Classification keyword Metadata scheme you’ll probably wind up making major Content type MIME type changes during development. Likewise, Context Minimum version THE ELEARNING DEVELOPERS’ JOURNAL you would not (could not!) develop your

/ Contribute Modified Copyright Purpose metadata-tagging scheme independent of Cost Requirements your reusability strategies. Here are the Difficulty Size steps we followed to develop the technical Duration Status underpinnings of our application: Entry Structure Project scope definition. We did our File Type Typical age range best at the outset to estimate the number Format Typical learner time of screens, media objects, Flash! objects,

FEBRUARY 10, 2003 GUID Width questions/interactions, etc. based on our Height course map and detailed outline (which 4 was our crude substitute for a storyboard). DEVELOPMENT / techniques

This approach allowed us a very granular ty testing. We put together a usability lab cam), and their posture (from the side wall- look at project scope that could flex as we that consisted of an isolated cubicle with a mounted cam). We could also hear them moved through the project. Because the workstation and connection to our intranet. talking to themselves (or muttering or sigh- expenses for putting the course into pro- Web cams were mounted in the ceiling, on ing). This extensive usability testing with duction varied with the size of the applica- the workstation monitor, and in the cubicle about 30 subjects provided clear direction tion, we could easily calculate our costs wall to the side of the user. We ran sig- for modifications that were made before based on page count, graphics, and anima- nals from a microphone and those three the course was put into production. tions. When this was completed, our work cameras to an adjacent control room. The Deployment. Deployment is too often order with the vendor was prepared. camera images as well as a screen cap- an afterthought in many e-Learning efforts. Creative and technical design. Our ture of the workstation went through a For us, the potential audience was too instructional design was addressed thor- splitter and to a monitor in an adjacent large and the profile within the company oughly in the first article in this series, but room. The resulting four-quadrant image was too high to not plan well here. We we need to discuss other design approach- and audio was then captured on videotape. used LogicBay’s data center that included es used in this project. The user interface From this one image we could view users a load-balancing server farm with dual was designed to be consistent with other working in the application. We could simul- OC3 Internet connectivity on a self-healing Deere e-Learning applications and to incor- taneously see what they were looking at SONET Ring. (Editor’s note: See Glossary porate sound design principles to facilitate (from the screen capture), their facial on page 9). That was enough horsepower navigation, usability, comprehensibility, and expression (from the monitor-mounted and connectivity for this course and our aesthetics. When the look and feel was cam), their mouse movement and note-tak- expected future needs. Deployment finalized it was saved within the LCMS as a ing activities (from the ceiling-mounted involved promoting the course from the series of eXtensible Stylesheet Language (XSL) stylesheets. Some were applied to the course as a whole and others were applied to individual learning objects. When the creative design was captured in XSL, the stylesheets became reusable as well. We can now apply the course styles or the learning object styles to future courses in the same way you would apply a style to a paragraph in Microsoft Word. The ability to alter the styles and make global creative changes to all courses and learning objects in one step is a significant enabler of reusability. During the technical design we reconciled any technical limita- THE ELEARNING DEVELOPERS’ JOURNAL / FEBRUARY 10, 2003 tions around the user interface and determined the granularity of our learning objects. The end deliverable was a design document that contained a description of all our instructional, creative, and technical decisions. Application development. We’re big believers in rapid prototyping and used it extensively in developing this course. Subject matter experts (SMEs) were only used to validate (not develop, only validate!) the competency map (see the first article in this series for more information) and prototypes as soon as they became available. Basically, we only used SMEs to answer two questions: 1) Is this information accurate? And 2) Is this information complete? As soon as we had prototype RLOs, we provided links for the SMEs and asked for very quick turnaround on the validation, which was generally achieved within 24 hours. After validation, we did extensive usabili- FIGURE 4 Example of Template 2 and associated screen shot. 5 DEVELOPMENT / techniques

development/staging servers to the pro- content from the course outline for presen- Technically, what’s working and duction servers and establishing a link tation to different audiences. what still needs work from a launch page to the course content In addition, the question pools and layout Current technology can do many things in the LCMS. information we created were also reusable. well, but some things simply don’t exist Questions were grouped into pools and can Achievements in reusability yet. We’ll discuss some things that need now be reused as a pool or as individual to be developed. From a technical standpoint, our content content items. The XSL stylesheets that management capabilities included the abili- determine the layout and interface for this Reusing vs. repurposing ty to reuse objects on multiple levels. course can be applied to any new course There’s a big difference between reusing There is a definite hierarchy for content we create. Layout style-sheets and tem- objects and repurposing objects. By our reuse — from content items and media plate wrappers for learning objects deter- definition, reusing an object means using assets through RIOs, RLOs, and finally mine everything from the look of a button it in its entirety without modification. When courses. or the type of checkmark used in a multiple this is possible, development, mainte- Media assets, including Flash! anima- response question, to whether or not the nance, and storage dollars are saved tion, audio and video, can be stored once feedback appears above, below or beside because when the parent object is updated in the content repository and reused as the question. all the instances of use are also updated. required. RIOs are constructed from the These styles and template wrappers are Repurposing breaks the link to the par- media assets, text objects, layout informa- stored as objects that can be reused in ent object, creates a copy, and allows for tion, and elements constructed to interact future courses. Even URL links are stored as modification of the copied object. In this with the learner (e.g., buttons to initiate an objects and are reusable. We were able to case, development dollars are saved, animation, questions/feedback, etc.). reuse these style-sheets when we recreated but maintenance and storage costs are Each RIO is reusable even if it contains the basic course (see the previous article in increased because there is now a separate interaction elements. RLOs are created by this series for more information). The reusa- (modified) version of the parent object. sequencing RIOs and obviously are bility we’ve achieved allows us the ability to Without a doubt, in the industry as a reusable. Courses are created by update an object once, whatever the object whole, there’s a lot more repurposing sequencing RLOs and are also reusable. type, and see the change ripple through our going on than true reuse. The course stylesheets described above entire course and any future courses. From a technological standpoint, the allow a single course to easily adapt differ- reusability strategy we employed appears ent interfaces and even add or subtract

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FEBRUARY 10, 2003 www.eLearningGuild.com 707.566.8990. 6 THE ELEARNING DEVELOPERS’ JOURNAL / FEBRUARY 10, 2003 7 techniques DEVELOPMENT / DEVELOPMENT Find screen in the LCMS allows complex search capability. Objective and subjective metadata tags assist in management of objects. Objective and subjective metadata tags assist FIGURE 6 FIGURE 5 claimed in our previous article that

In short, until the technology can accom- We Search capabilities are provided at multi- Once the parameters are set, you set Search, retrieval, and naming conventions to be sound. However, as described in the as described However, to be sound. first article didn’t even in the series, we achieve reusabilityattempt to for the RLOs used in our guided discovery learning path. Even in the expository learning path, the ability to reuse RLOs is as dependent on as it is on technical the absence of context In our case, we capabilities of the LCMS. failed to predict the need for some objects to be reused erred and context by including the objects — context that contaminated and required us to repurpose (rewrite) them. by dynamically modate embedded context turning elements on and off, the real limi- tations in reusability are in the design stra- like to claim we’ve tegies employed. We’d figured this out, but we suspect that would be akin to a couple of medieval barbers who practice blood-letting and (Heaven help the patients!) anesthetic-free amputation and yet claim to have figured out medicine. ple levels. If you want to find a particular object, you can bring up the window shown in Figure 6. This Find window offers functionality for searching much more than can define metadata tag values. You search parameters to direct your search with ANY/ALL Boolean operators in these categories: Course, Image, Audio, Text, URL, Assessment, Feedback, Video, Section, Flash!, Applet, ActiveX, File, Ask-a- Simple Function, RIO, Lab, Question, GoTo, External Video, Simulation, Question, or Page Layout Template. the criteria for your search in the six fields As an example, let’s shown in the window. say you wanted to find every object that in a text string. When the contained “SVA” Contains” string is entered in the “Text granularity is the paradox of reusability. The more granular the object, the more likely the object is free from context and can find its way to be reused in alternate as granularity applications. However, increases, the problems of content management are compounded because there are simply more to tag, store, objects and later retrieve. The LCMS contains advanced search features that greatly mitigate the difficultyobjects in a dense- of locating ly populated content repository. DEVELOPMENT / techniques

field, a search will yield every object that ity for searching metadata tag values for all Prior to development, we established includes the term SVA. You can further 35 of the tags identified in Sidebar 1 on standardized folder structures and naming control the search by determining where page 4. The metadata attributes available conventions for all imported, converted, you want to search — in a specific folder for search vary according to the search and newly created content. This was nei- OR by searching all. You can also specify parameters identified — each search ther a stroke of luck nor a stroke of genius case sensitivity. parameter has certain metadata tags — we’d learned this lesson on other proj- Of course, the LCMS contains functional- associated with it. ects; we can’t overemphasize its importance! Determine standardized folder structures and naming conventions before Do you have an any development. An enterprise-level effort becomes especially important if interesting story to tell? you’re extending reuse outside the bounds of a department or business unit. Good folder structures and naming conventions allow current and future users to Get It Published in... use the LCMS to browse entire folders of media objects in thumbnail mode. Without a folder structure and naming convention, this capability will diminish with the expan- sion of the content repository. Standardization in folders and names also let the development team find materi- al by navigating directly to content without having to take the time to use the search This publication is by the people, for the people. engine during development. We strongly That means it’s written by YOU the readers and members of The eLearning Guild! recommend that you make adherence to We encourage you to submit articles for publication in the Journal. your conventions an imperative for anyone Even if you have not been published before, we encourage you to submit a query using your LCMS or content repository. if you have a great idea, technique, case study or practice to share with your peers Granularity and context — they won’t in the e-Learning community. If your topic idea for an article is selected by the edi- go away tors, you will be asked to submit a complete article on that topic. Don’t worry if you These concepts are intertwined and are have limited experience writing for publication. Our team of editors will work with at the heart of creating a learning object you to polish your article and get it ready for publication in the Journal. strategy. We believe in the effectiveness By sharing your expertise with the readers of the Journal, you not only add to the of our course design — the implementation collective knowledge of the e-Learning community, you also gain the recognition of of dual learning paths and the separation of your peers in the industry and your organization. context-laden RIOs from RLOs. Here are the tactics that are proving effective: How to Submit a Query • Create a guided learning path by If you have an idea for an article, send a plain-text email to our editor, Bill Brandon, assembling RLOs that are rich in context at [email protected], with the following information in the body of the email: (story elements) to help learners create a • A draft of the first paragraph, written to grab the reader’s attention and identify mental model and a framework that aids in the problem or issue that will be addressed. transfer to the job. Do not attempt reusability of these RLOs. • A short outline of your main points addressing the problem or resolving the • Consider providing levels of context in issue. This could be another paragraph or it could be a bulleted list. the guided learning path. At one level, the • One paragraph on your background or current position that makes you the one highest level, you have a world context that to tell this story. is meaningful to the widest spectrum of THE ELEARNING DEVELOPERS’ JOURNAL • A working title for the article. learners. In our application, this was / embodied in the Maddie’s Café storyline. • Your contact information: name, job title, company, phone, email. This informa- At the next level, you have job context — tion is to be for the writer of the article. We are unable to accept queries from RIOs that take the world context to a job agents, public relations firms, or other third parties. focus that is meaningful for a segment of All of this information should fit on one page. If the topic fits our editorial plan, Bill the learner population. In our application, will contact you to schedule the manuscript deadline and the publication date, and this was achieved in the role-specific case to work out any other details. studies for eight functional business areas.

FEBRUARY 10, 2003 Refer to www.eLearningGuild.com for more details. • Create supporting RIOs (free of context/instructional intent) that are linked to 8 THE ELEARNING DEVELOPERS’ JOURNAL / FEBRUARY 10, 2003 9 techniques a page. Additional scripting capabilities a page. Additional required.will also be Perhaps most daunt- proceduresing will be the authoring that will need to be created for developers to be effective. • If LCMS functions accommodate • Metadata-tagging schemes and meth- • Learning theory will be more important As learning objects become more widely Implications for instructional design competencies employed, we believe the skill sets of employed, we believe instructional designers and developers will become more demanding even as author- tasks. ing tools simplify many in RLOs, as embedded, adaptive context we believe, the level of complexity in course design will grow considerably. Designers who have the intellectual capaci- ty to effectively deal with multiple individu- alized context elements will be in demand for creating highly effective intelligent tutoring systems. ods will be important because of the need to use subjective tags to accommodate context. Designers will need to be fluent with these concepts. but it won’t be enough. There than ever, will be increasing integration of e-Learning applications with other enterprise data applications — knowledge management OC (Optical Carrier) connections to the internet over DEVELOPMENT / DEVELOPMENT A server farm is a group of computers acting as servers and housed A Synchronous Optical NETwork is a high-speed physical layer protocol stan- eturn to the e-Learning version, all r

This would be analogous to movie view- This would be analogous To Whether or not this will be practical is to GLOSSARY eusability, and it would provide the advan- eusability, epository (not embedded in any given OC3 Internet connectivity: than connections over wire.fiber optic networks operate many times faster Optical Carriers are For example, a T1 connec- rated as multiples of the base rate, or OC1. tion operates at 1.54 Mbps (millions of bits per second) over wire. The OC1 data rate is 51.84 Mbps, so an OC3 operates at 155.52 Mbps, over 100 times faster than the T1. A dual OC3 connection, discussed in the article, provides 310 Mbps. The SONET protocol (see definition below) provides signal rate multiples up to OC768. In terms $499 per month. of cost, a T1 connection typically costs about OC connections cost about $200 per month per Mbps. Server farm: together in a single location. In a business network server farms perform many services, among them centralized access control. In a situation in which there are many server requests, the servers are usually set up to provide so that load balancing more work gets done in the same amount of time and, in general, all users get served faster. SONET: technology using fiber-optic cable. SONET is based dard for Wide Area Network (WAN) on a ring topology and has “self-healing” properties that enable it to sense errors in transmissions and either retransmit the data or reconstruct it using sophisticated algorithms. (Editor’s Note: Additional IT definitions are available online at http://www.whatis.com or http://www.webopedia.com.) dynamically loaded fromdynamically a database to cus- application for the learner. tomize the context-specific Instead of keeping various page level as we’ve versions saved at the this would be truedone in our application, r version, even of tage of maintaining one text elements. ers entering a theatre and receiving an indi- and earphones vidualized set of glasses through film. which to view and hear the Though there is one reel of film to retrieve, a differenteach viewer would experience movie based on his or her characteristics. significant content items would have to be created, tagged, and stored in the content r page). Scripting would have to set variables that are active during operation of the course to control launching of the content items. If this can be accomplished, we will achieve the maximum reusability of objects and flexibility in instructional design. be determined, believe that it can but we be accomplished from a technical standpoint. The LCMS will have to handle text blocks as content items and store them in the content repository of as part instead of (Notice we did not say e’d like to see the promise of intelli- • Create a supporting expository path of W An effective ITS will minimize the noise How would this work? It might work if Imagine if, when a learner enters a Let’s do some blue-sky thinking... . eusable because they do not contain prac- eusable because they them generic, as eusability if you keep From context contamination to context camouflage Our crystal ball RLOs but are not in a parent-childrelation- These RIOs areship with RLOs. part of what learners as they explore discover the problems presented attempt solutions. and These information elements will be readily r other sourcestice, assessment, and of context contamination. (only as need- RLOs that can be accessed ed!) to support the guided discovery path. in potential These RLOs will be high r void of content as possible. gent tutoring systems (ITSs) someday When that happens, become a reality. learners will enter learning applications that are dynamically adapted and cus- tomized to address their levels of familiari- ty with the content, their vocabulary and native language, their confidence level, and their job context. the application would adapt to a learning believe that putting effortstyle. We into making an application that adapts to learning styles is an exercise in futility.) that comes from informationlearner the doesn’t need, context that is not meaningful, and assessments that are trivial or unreasonably challenging. An effective ITS will make learning more enjoyable, more efficient, and more effective. A new learning object paradigm that accommodates embedded context would be a tremendous enabler of such an application. the LCMS has the ability to dynamically load a page with all content items, including text elements, based on values of variables corresponding to learner characteris- this is done at the page tics. Currently, level with formatting through stylesheets, but these are mostly macro changes in headers, fonts, etc. course, variables are set based on whatev- These val- er’s known about the learner. ues can be altered as the learner progress- es through the course and demonstrates new characteristics. At each page, then, all context-sensitive elements would be About the Guild

The eLearning Guild™ is Resources, Resources, Resources (KM), customer relationship management (CRM), a Community of Practice etc. The designer will have to have an understand- for designers, developers, The Guild hosts the e-Learning industry’s most and managers of e-Learn- comprehensive resource knowledge database. ing of the business principles behind these appli- ing. Through this member-driven community, Currently there are over 2,300 resources avail- cations. we provide high-quality learning opportunities, able. Members have access to all of these resources and they can also post resources networking services, resources, and publica- AUTHOR CONTACTS at any time! tions. Community members represent a diverse As Chief Learning Officer at LogicBay, Peder group of instructional designers, content devel- Guild Research opers, web developers, project managers, con- Jacobsen is an authentic pioneer in interactive tractors, consultants, and managers and direc- The Guild has an ongoing industry research media. Prior to co-founding LogicBay, he was tors of training and learning services — all of service that conducts surveys on 20 topics owner of Training Innovations, Inc., a developer of each year. These topics are identified by the whom share a common interest in e-Learning computer-based training programs. Peder brings design, development, and management. Research Advisory Committee. The data collect- ed is available for all members. more than 15 years of interactive multimedia and The eLearning Developers’ Journal™ training experience to the business. He has devel- It’s About Leadership The Guild publishes the only online “e-Journal” oped and taught advanced multimedia training for in the e-Learning industry that is focused on The Guild draws leadership from an amazing many companies in various industries. Peder is a Advisory Board made up of individuals who pro- delivering real world “how to make it happen in frequent speaker at national and regional training vide insight and guidance to help ensure that your organization” information. The Journal is events, and he has penned and published many published weekly and features articles written the Guild serves its constituency well. We are by both industry experts and members who honored to have their active engagement and articles that have appeared in industry publica- work every day in environments just like yours. participation. The Guild has also established tions. Peder lives with his wife and four children As an active member, you will have unlimited three committees made up of active members in Lakeville, Minnesota. Contact him by email at access to the Journal archive. who help steer its editorial, events program and research efforts. [email protected] People Connecting With People Kim E. Ruyle is Manager of Learning and Discounts, Discounts, Discounts The Guild provides a variety of online member Development Processes and Technology in Deere networking tools including online discussion Guild members receive discounts on all Guild & Company’s Global Learning and Development boards, and the Needs & Leads™ bulletin conferences and on other selected products group. There he leads an instructional design and services. Your Guild membership will save board. These services enable members to group responsible for enterprise applications. Kim discuss topics of importance, to ask others to you 20% off the list price of Guild events! has a rare blend of hands-on work experience and help them find information they need, and to Join today at www.eLearningGuild.com! provide leads to other members. extensive academic credentials. He started his career in the skilled trades, was a university pro- Become a member today! Join online at www.eLearningGuild.com. fessor, and ran his own business. His graduate degrees in instructional technology, business, and vocational education include an MS, MEd, MBA, THANK YOU TO THESE GUILD ENTERPRISE SPONSORS and a PhD. Kim serves on several expert panels for learning technologies and is a frequent confer- CLARK Training & Cyclone Intera- ence presenter and author. Contact Kim by email Consulting (CTC) is a glob- ctive is an inter- at [email protected]. al leader in instructional active media and design offering both training and con- web development firm creating online, sulting services. Our award-winning CD and presentation solutions for a ONLINE DISCUSSIONS seminars are based on the latest wide range of clients and industries. Extend your learning beyond the printed page! research in instructional psychology www.cycloneinteractive.com If you are looking for more information on this and human performance improvement. Contact: Earl Dimaculangan topic, if you have questions about an article, or www.clarktraining.com [email protected] if you disagree with a viewpoint stated in this arti- Contact: Kimberly Perkins 617.350.8834 cle, then join the online discussions and extend 602-230-9190 your learning.

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