Putting the Activity in E-learning

1. Putting the Activity in E-learning James Dalziel Director, LAMS Foundation Professor of Learning Technology & Director, Macquarie E-Learning Centre Of Excellence (MELCOE) Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia james@melcoe.mq.edu.au www.melcoe.mq.edu.au Keynote Presentation for Medbiquitous Annual Conference, Baltimore, USA, April 17th, 2007

2. Overview • An Aussie Welcome • The missing concept of e-learning • Learning Design • Case Study: LAMS • Bedside manner • PBL • Learning Design + Virtual patient mockup • LAMS – LMS integration • LAMS Community • Further information

3. An Aussie Welcome Australian • G’day • I’ve been flat out like a lizard drinking, • But I’m stoked to be part of ya shindig • You’ve got some fair dinkum tucker here • But I miss me vegemite sandwiches American • Hello • I’ve been very busy, • But I’m pleased to be at this meeting • The food is excellent • But I’m missing ???? sandwiches

4. The missing concept of e-learning • “Single-learner” content vs “multi-learner” content • LMSs have collaborative tools (forum, chat) and courseware has sequencing of content…. But why no sequencing of collaborative activities? • Face to face classes/workshops often use collaborative activities and content in a structured way • So why is this so rare in e-learning?

5. So what is a Learning Object anyway? Run-time tool description XML Learning Object Meta-data XML Data interchange XML “Rendering” XML

6. Learning Design • The pre-history of Learning Design exists in decades of work on systematic lesson planning, and more recently in the technical work of Educational Modelling Language (EML) • EML formed the basis for the IMS Learning Design specification • NB: When I say Learning Design, I mean the wider field, not just IMS LD • Definitions vary, but some typical examples include: • Koper (2001): “modelling units of study” • Sloep (2002): “people doing activities with resources/environments” • IMS Learning Design specification (2003): “a description of a method enabling learners to attain certain learning objectives by performing certain learning activities in a certain order in the context of a certain learning environment”

7. Learning Design • For me, the key to Learning Design is: Re-usable sequences of collaborative learning activities • Re-usable: Can easily be captured, stored, shared and adapted • Sequences: Managed flow of tasks (not a list on a course page) • (But not necessarily a linear flow of individual tasks) • Collaborative learning activities: “Multi-learner” tasks • (….as well as “single-learner” tasks like content and quizzes) • Alternatively, a Learning Design is a “digital lesson plan” • But not simply a narrative description – rather, it can “do” something

8. Learning Design • Each activity in a Learning Design requires details about: • Who: People/roles • What: Content/Instructions (“Activities” in IMS LD) • How: Tool setup (“Environment/Services” in IMS LD) • Plus the overall Learning Design has: • When: A description of the flow of tasks/sequence structure (“method” in IMS LD) • Why: A set of educational objectives/competencies (optional) • The details of who, what and how for each task (and the sequence structure & objectives) are encoded in a machine-readable format • Eg, EML file, IMS LD XML file, LAMS XML file • So a Learning Design authoring environment creates a Learning Design file, which is then “played” by a run-time environment

9. Case Study: LAMS • World’s leading software for Learning Design • 1000s of educators across 80+ countries • Translated into 23 languages • Visual “drag and drop” approach to designing activities • Educator designs activities, then “runs” them with students, and monitors student progress • **Lessons can be stored, re-used, adapted and shared • Freely available as open source software

10. LAMS sustainability • There is no licence cost for LAMS – it is freely available as open source software • LAMS is freely provided by the non-profit LAMS Foundation • Fee-based services and support for LAMS are provided by a commercial company – LAMS International • Both LAMS Foundation and LAMS International are supported by Macquarie University

11. LAMS Demonstration Simulation of a module on on bedside manner (8 students)

12. LAMS Login

13. Home: Showing course (Healthcare Education) and sequence (Bedside Manner)

14. Learner View of Bedside Manner sequence – first activity (Noticeboard)

15. Learner – Q&A – individual answer

16. Learner – Q&A – Collated answers

17. Learner – Voting – individual answer

18. Learner – Voting – collated answers

19. Learner – Grouping

20. Learner – Chat

21. Learner – Access Resources

22. Learner – Forum discussion

23. Learner – Notebook reflection

24. Author – Bedside manner sequence

25. Author – Editing of individual Q&A

26. Monitor – Live view of sequence progress by learners

27. Monitor – Detailed view of monitoring of chat

28. Monitor – Live view of individual learner progress

29. Author – Alternative sequence structure - PBL

30. Author Mockup – Learning Design + Virtual Patient (from Karolinksa Institute)

31. Learner Mockup – Learning Design + Virtual Patient (from Karolinksa Institute)

32. LAMS/LMS Integration page: http://lamsfoundation.org/integration

33. Sharing Lesson Plans: The LAMS Community • The “LAMS Community” is global website for communities of LAMS users. www.lamscommunity.org • Discuss the use of LAMS, new features, technical issues • **Share sequences, search for sequences, comment on and rate sequences, and get statistics on downloads • Find colleagues with similar interests, form sub-communities • We use Creative Commons“open content” licensingof LAMS sequences • Approximately 2000members, 86 countries, 110 shared sequences, 2500 discussion postings

34. LAMS Community – View of various communities & forums

35. LAMS Community – Repository Summary

36. LAMS Community – Detailed view of individual sequence

37. Further Information - LAMS • General information: www.lamsfoundation.org • Especially CD link for case studies, video, demos; downloads • Online community: www.lamscommunity.org • Forums, sequence repository, regular newsletter, resources • Demonstration – LAMS V2 • demo.lamscommunity.org • Fee-based services and support • www.lamsinternational.com

38. Learning Design for Medbiquitous • Where could it fit? • Collaborative sequences as a missing level between content (eg, SCORM objects) and objectives/competencies • Orchestration layer over virtual patients? • Enrich education where collaborative learning is important • Sharing of “good practice” of educational processes, collaborative adaptation and improvement • “Portfolio export” of sequence activities as a detailed record of learning activities behind certifications • Practical illustration of objectives/goals/competencies