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EDITOR'S CORNER
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We hope you find the second issue of this Newsletter interesting
and useful. Comments about the Newsletter, or about any article, for possible
publication in future issues are welcome so please send them to me. If you have
short articles to be considered for publication please send them as well. The articles
could deal with ADL developments, instructional objects, anytime-anywhere learning,
or e-learning more generally,
Newcomers to ADL will find descriptions of some of the models and terms mentioned
in the first issue of the Newsletter. (See Newsletter Archive link below.)
Sig Tobias
(stobi@aol.com)
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Newsletter Archive
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The Effectiveness of
Web-Based Training: Research Evidence
There is now enough research evidence to determine the effectiveness
of Web-based instruction (WBI) and to identify course design characteristics associated
with trainees learning more from online training. Sitzmann, Kraiger, Stewart, and
Wisher (in press) and Tallent-Runnels et al. (2006) conducted independent reviews
of the literature on the effectiveness of WBI and reached similar conclusions. Sitzmann
used meta-analytic procedures to statistically summarize 96 research reports on
the effectiveness of WBI relative to classroom instruction (CI) while Tallent-Runnels
qualitatively reviewed 76 studies on the effectiveness of WBI. Both focused their
reviews on adults participating in work-related training courses.
Both researchers concluded that overall WBI and CI were equally effective for teaching
trainees work-related facts and skills. In addition, Sitzmann found trainees were
equally satisfied with WBI and CI. However, technical support for students and faculty
is critical for ensuring success in online training courses. Students low in computer
proficiency should be provided with computer and Internet skills training prior
to participating in WBI to ensure student success. The researchers also agreed that
the design and implementation of WBI has a large effect on learning outcomes. Students
in well-designed and carefully implemented Web-based courses learned significantly
more than students in Web-based courses that were not carefully planned.
Sitzmann and Tallent-Runnels provided several guidelines for designing more effective
Web-based training courses. First, WBI should provide trainees with control over
the content, sequence, and pace of instruction. Second, WBI should require active
involvement of trainees rather than having trainees passively learn the material.
Trainees are active when they are completing assignments, taking practice quizzes,
writing papers, discussing the course material, and looking up information online.
Third, incorporate a variety of instructional methods in WBI to allow trainees who
are having difficulty mastering the course content to utilize multiple instructional
methods when reviewing the material. Instructional methods refer to techniques used
within a course to convey course content such as lecture, reading textbooks, assignments,
or group discussions. Fourth, WBI should incorporate practice and provide trainees
with feedback throughout the course. These findings can serve as a baseline for
the ADL Initiative as it promotes specifications and standards to enhance learning
outcomes in WBI.
Sitzmann, T. M., Kraiger, K, Stewart, D., & Wisher, R. A. (in press). The Comparative
Effectiveness of Web-Based and Classroom Instruction: A Meta-Analysis.
Personnel Psychology.
Tallent-Runnels, M. K., Thomas, J. A., Lan, W. Y., Cooper, S., Ahern, T. C., Shaw,
S. M., Xiaoning, L. (2006). Teaching courses online: A review of the research. Review
of Educational Research, 76, 93-135.
Contributed by Traci Sitzmann
Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Lab
Alexandria , VA
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Introduction to KERIS
 One
of the newest partnerships
of the Academic ADL Co-Lab is with the Korean Education and Research Information
Service (KERIS). Dr. Dae-Joon Hwang, President of KERIS and two of his staff visited
the Academic ADL Co-Lab in March to sign the official partnership agreement. Pictured
above with Dr. Hwang are Judy Brown and Dr. Ed Meachen of the Academic ADL Co-Lab.
Korea understands that “education is the competitive power of a
state.” As such they are the first country in the world to enact an e-Learning related
law, the e-Learning Industrial Development Act of 2004 targeting companies, organizations,
and schools. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE) reports that
the Korean e-Learning Industry is growing fast. As of 2005 Korea’s e-Learning industry
was as big as the US at $1,421M and their average growth rates were 13.3% (17% for
content business, 9.8% for solutions, and 12.9% for learning services). Enterprise
education and training leads the growth of the e-Learning market. It comprises 46%
of the demand-side e-Learning market and has increased 26% over 2004.
On the education side, as a part of their effort to introduce Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) into elementary and secondary schools, the Koreans have developed
the Cyber Home Learning System (CHLS) of Korea, based upon SCORM 2004 (see below
for description of SCORM). This is an e-Learning system jointly developed in 2004
by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, KERIS, and 16 Metropolitan and
Provincial Offices of Education. CHLS is distributed nationwide for all K-12 students.
The system consists of learning resources, human resources (tutors), and environmental
resources to support the students and adapt the online learning program to students’
abilities. There are around one million students using this system with 185,000
daily users. This makes them the current largest user of ADL technologies, attesting
to the importance of ADL to education.
SCORM was chosen because they needed a systematic and stable standard to distribute
and share with different organizations and to deliver content consistently to users
from 17 organizations. They have deployed the content aggregation model (packaging),
metadata, a data model and sequencing and navigation rules to move the learner appropriately
through the content. For the metadata, they have adapted the IEEE LOM (Learning
Object Metadata) for their specific needs into KEM, the Korea Educational Metadata
while still maintaining interoperability to LOM.
KERIS has developed a content packaging tool for sequencing and navigation and has
developed templates for the use of developers. The branching template allowing for
further study and/or supplementary study by the student has proved to be the most
popular.
One of the most difficult challenges Korea has faced is dealing with the granularity
and aggregation levels in the design phase. With sequencing they have experienced
challenges in using auxiliary resources and collaborative learning and are conducting
research in linking to auxiliary resources and collaboration using SCORM. They are
also very interested in offering more complex content such as games and simulations.
For additional information on KERIS, please visit
http://english.keris.or.kr/es_main/index.jsp.
Contributed by Judy Brown
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Introduction to Tamkang University’s MINE Lab
The Multimedia Information NEtworking (MINE) Laboratory at Tamkang University in
Taipei, Taiwan, is a long-time partner of the Academic ADL Co-Laboratory. The MINE
Lab focuses on research and development of SCORM related tools and projects, such
as Pocket SCORM, Hard SCORM LMS, and Hard SCORM Authoring Tool. These tools can
be downloaded from the “Implementing the SCORM Forum” under the ADL web site. Their
recent research interests include:
- Automatic testing of sequencing and navigation rules:
A systematic testing algorithm was developed to find traps and abnormal combinations
of sequencing rules. The algorithm can be integrated with authoring tools supporting
SCORM 2004.
- Caching strategies based on sequencing and navigation rules:
Caching strategies for pre-fetching and replacement of contents on mobile devices
are studied. The strategy is integrated with the Pocket SCORM LMS.
- Metadata Wizard: The wizard generates metadata based
on system information, user profile, and intelligent rules. The mechanism can be
integrated with SCORM 2004 authoring tools.
- Object Orientation Issues in SCORM and CORDRA: Reusability
of learning object is studied from the perspective of object-orientation. Our CORDRA
instance suggests that the search result due to an incremental search specification
can be a “reusability tree” which describes the evolution history of learning objects
and the relationships among them.
Interested readers are welcome to visit http://www.mine.tku.edu.tw/scorm
or contact Timothy K. Shih at tshih@cs.tku.edu.tw.
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Recent ADL Developments
SCORM 2004
SCORM 2004 3rd Edition
Public Draft – Request for Comment. The Sharable Content Objects Reference
Model (SCORM) describes specifications for ADL instructional objects to software
engineers and instructional developers so that they can articulate with other objects.
The SCORM 2004 3rd Edition Public Draft is available for comment from February
16- May 1, 2006. The Draft contains several changes that should make it more stable
and robust. For more information please go to the ADL
home web site.
Plugfest
ADL Plugfests bring together e-learning stakeholders in government, academia,
and industry to share lessons learned in making courseware conform to SCORM specifications.
At these occasions e-learning organizations and experts meet to improve e-learning
processes and standards, including the SCORM specification for software and system
interoperability.
The last meeting was held during January 16-19, 2006 in Taipei, Taiwan. Cooperating
institutions included Tamkang University in Taipei, Taiwan’s Institute for Information
Industry, and the Southern Taiwan University. The conference covered theory, design
and application of SCORM-related research issues. More that 200 participants
from over 59 organizations in 20 countries across the globe participated.
During a special session addressing International SCORM adoption, organizations
such as the Taiwan Institute for Information Industry, Higher Education Taiwan,
Department of Education Science and Training (DEST) in Australia, Latin American
Educational Communications Institute (ILCE) in Mexico, e-Learning Consortium in
Japan, and Korea Education and Information Service (KERIS) commented on the ways
in which they are implementing SCORM and broader e-learning advancements. With the
establishment of the U. K. and Canada ADL Partnership Labs and the pending establishment
of the Australian, Korean and Latin American ADL Partnership Labs, ADL is focusing
more intently on international e-learning efforts.
Wisconsin Academic ADL Co-Lab
Educators and Educational Researchers should consult the Wisconsin
Academic ADL Co-Lab site for developments that are particularly relevant
to education and educational research. For example, announcements about a conference
dealing with games, learning, and society,
or a project that examines a handheld computer
simulation platform designed to exploit the affordances of handheld technologies,
or projects dealing with
games and simulations.
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Publications
We will list references to publications, papers presented, and
technical reports relevant to ADL, anytime anywhere learning, instructional objects,
and to e learning more generally in this space. Please submit your references to
the Editor (stobi@aol.com) for possible publication
in future issues. Here are some references to start the process off.
Fletcher, J. D., & Tobias, S. (2005) The multimedia principle. In R. E, Mayer
(Ed.) The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (pp 117-133). New York,
NY: Cambridge University Press.
Fletcher, J. D., & Tobias, S. (2006). Using computer games and simulations for
instruction: A research review. Proceedings of the Society for Advanced Learning
Technology Meeting, Orlando, FL February.
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