New Trends in eLearning On Learning Objects Terminology Quality Organisations / Institutions/ Projects LOs Evaluation

1. New Trends in eLearning • On Learning Objects Terminology • Quality Organisations / Institutions/ Projects • LOs Evaluation • Integrating RSS-LOM and weblogs inTimsoft VLE eLearnTS Carmen Holotescu - Director Timsoft Ltd, Romania http://www.timsoft.ro

2. What means eLearning • eLearning means the use of multimedia technologies and Internet quality materials, simulations  online resources  collaboration, sharing, communities

3. Current situation • “eLearning: Designing tomorrow’s education” initiative – CE, 24 May 2000 • eLearning Europa • http://www.elearningeuropa.info • Many schools and universities offer online modules for their courses, online courses, or even degrees online; 75% companies use eLearning in their training programs • eLearning Romanian Projects – universities, schools, firms • http://www.timsoft.ro/resurse.shtml • Accreditation: by the Open Distance Learning ( ODL ) Commission of the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth • eLearning Programme 2004-2006: “Promotion of digital literacy, creation of European virtual campuses, e-Twinning of schools in Europe and promotion of teacher training and transversal actions for the promotion of e-learning in Europe”

4. New trends in eLearning • Learning Objects - LO - a bit of reusable digital content that can support learning • RSS-LOM • Repositories - LO repository is a system for organizing and managing learning objects ( static ) • Content Syndication - instead of packaging and distributing content, access to original content is made available to a wider audience on an as-needed basis -> immediacy and flexibility • weblogs, RSS - World Live Web • Personalisation - content selection, based on individual needs • Learning Environments - using simulations to support learning, open for communication, syndication Stephen Downes ( http://www.downes.ca ): From Classrooms to Learning Environments: A Midrange Projection of E-Leaning Technologies - http://www.collegequarterly.ca/2004-vol07-num03-summer/downes.html

5. Learning Object Terminology Rory McGreal - Learning Objects: A Practical Definition http://itdl.org/Journal/Sep_04/article02.htm

6. 2003 - Stephen Downes RSS-LOM Standard: RSS is a LO implementation - http://www.downes.ca/xml/rss_lom.htm • LOs Syndication

7. Quality Organisations / Institutions/ Projects (1) http://www.eqo.info • Multiple perspectives of quality in e-learning • To find a concept for handling this multitude.

8. Quality Organisations / Institutions/ Projects (2) Education-Observatories  - http://www.education-observatories.net/eduobs - eLearning related projects carried on by the MENON Network • eLearning policies (eWATCH and POLE) • eLearning market, practices and research developments (L-Change) • eLearning measurement through ad hoc indicators (DELOS) • eLearning products and processes quality (SEEQUEL) • eLearning projects and practices adopted in EU funded actions(eLearn) • students' perspectives and expectations on eLearning (SPOT+) • regional dimensions of eLearning (ReLL) • future development scenarios (L-Change and LEONIE)

9. Quality Organisations / Institutions/ Projects (3) • http://e-quality.uta.fi/en/ Objectives:To produce a common reference methodological framework for Quality in ODL in Europe, taking into account cultural differences, experiences, needs and best practices, linked to ongoing normalisation work. • http://www2.trainingvillage.gr/etv/quality Forum: framework where the Commission, Member States and the social partners cooperate to improve the quality of vocational training

10. Quality Organisations / Institutions/ Projects (4) • http://www.aln.org/publications/view/v3n11/coverv3n11.htm/ in USA Quality Matters - Project implemented bySloan Consortium - to help learning organizations continually improve the quality, scale, and breadth of their online programs

11. Quality Organisations / Institutions/ Projects (5) • Lifia - Learning Innovations Forum – Canada - http://www.lifia.ca • EIfEL - European Institute for E-Learning - http://www.eife-l.org • The Open eQuality Learning Standards - Open eQLs – European Pan-American Agreement • http://www.lifia.ca/en/learn_equal_proj_oeqls.htm

12. LOs Evaluation Projects which establish LOs Quality criteria. The last 4 projects provided methodologies to assess the quality: • Wisc-Online - http://www.wisc-online.com • Reusable Learning Objects - Queensland Department of Employment and Training, Australia - http://www.tnqit.tafe.net/RLO • Project DESIRE - Development of a European Service for Information on Research and Education - http://www.desire.org • MERLOT - Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) http://www.merlot.org • LORI – Learning Object Review Instrument - in eLera – E-Learning Research and Assesment network - http://www.elera.net • Stephen Downes “Projecting Quality” Proposal presented at MADLaT Conference ( http://www.madlat.ca/quality_learning/ ) -  http://www.downes.ca/files/nutn.ppt • Westhern University of Timisoara: A Predictive Model for Learning Objects Quality Evaluation http://thor.info.uaic.ro/~rosycs/presentations/jichici-negru-pop.pdf.

13. Timsoft experience in eLearning • Timsoft Ltd – http://www.timsoft.ro - is an active actor in eLearning: • Products: • eLearnTS - Virtual Learning Environment - with versions in Romanian and English, which is used for online courses, online communities, e-collaboration, online workshops • IntraTS– Intranet application for information management, communication and collaboration • eTestTS–for online testing – dynamic building of online modules and questionnairs. • offers online courses – IT, Management, Councelling, Training the eTrainers • for 3 universities, firms, individual learners • hosts Romanian eLearning Community • eJournal; Weblog; eLearning Resources • organizes international online workshops – partner e-Learning Centre UK – http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk • Partner in Educational Projects

14. eLearnTS • Authoring system - An authoring component used by the space administrators in creation and edition of the materials. • Registration system - The database with the participants specific information. • A content delivery function - The content may be in the form of text, images, sounds, animations. • A navigation model - Syllabus, members list, links, search. Students Portfolios • Synchronous tools - Chat-room allows the members to communicate in real time between them and with the instructors; Live Chat . • Asynchronous tools - public,private,gated conferences • Security system - A component for controlling the access to the virtual environment. • VLE was recently extended with RSS feed, RSS-LOM Editor, authoring tool based on XML for tutorials, evaluation

15. Integrating RSS-LOM in eLearnTS • build/import modules as RSS-LOM • blogs, links collections described as RSS-LOM • LOs as RSS-LOM are freely distributed, can be also imported in LOM compliant LMSs • standards aggregators/RSS readers are used: Bloglines, Serence • OPML file similar with a repository • personalization, evaluation

16. RSS-LOM Editor • Used the LOM metadata presented in International LOM Survey: Report - http://phenom.educ.ualberta.ca/n/papers/LOM_Survey_Report.doc • RSS-LOM modified for syndication using standard aggregators

17. Syndication – RSS-LOM LOs are published using standard aggregators: search, evaluation, personalization

18. RSS-LOM, RSS, weblogs used in Timsoft online courses • RSS-LOM – courses modules, resources • RSS collections proposed by facilitators, participants • Private RSS for each course – announcements, new messages • Weblogs – ePortofolio • RSS Reader - Serence.com

19. Thank you!