A screen shot from an e-Soils prototype (view an enlargement or the prototype in a new window)

At the December 2, 2003 TEL seminar on Learning Object Technologies, Swenson explained that she and Rehm elected to include metadata with the nodes because even though it will make the project "harder, it [also] will make a much better product." They decided to use the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative standards because the educational descriptors "enable creators to describe factors specific to the intended audience (students, farmers, researchers, etc.), instructional level," and the like.

She also noted that it is much "easier to convince faculty to contribute [nodes or] learning objects if . . . the material is [password-protected]."

DMC Home : Exemplary Projects :

e-Soils Case Study

Professor George Rehm and Information Technology Professional Jenni Swenson from the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate on the Twin Cities campus are combining materials previously developed as part of the e-Course 2002 and e-Library projects into e-Soils, an online library of learning objects organized into informational "nodes" about basic principles or concepts in soil science.

Instructional Goals

According to their 2002 TEL Program proposal (PDF), the investigators plan to support College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences strategic initiatives by facilitating

• "information access";
• "consistency in core knowledge delivery";
• the development of educational information that can be used in different situations such as "'just in time' courses, modules, and/or presentations—delivered via PowerPoint, CD-ROM, posters, informational handouts, etc.—to address local sitations and needs within communities."

Technology Strategies

The investigators are using software purchased for the e-Course and e-Library projects to develop online informational "nodes" made up of text, images, animations, and/or movies and associate them with database variables such as the following:

• objectives;
• keywords;
• assignments and exercises;
• exam/quiz questions; and
• user feedback mechanisms.

Their development process includes the following steps:

1. An interested faculty member contacts Rehm or Swenson.
2. Swenson interviews the faculty member and converts the materials to digital and the e-Soils formats.
3. Swenson determines the most appropriate node(s) to associate with the materials.
4. Swenson then works with the department head to determine how to present the most relevant information the most effectively, then reworks the material accordingly.
5. Swenson develops metadata following Dublin Core Metadata Initiative standards.

Learning Outcomes

The investigators identified potential sponsors, nodes, and variables in March and April 2003, conducted a media analysis in April and May 2003, and began developing the nodes and variables in May 2003. They plan to continue developing the nodes until February 2004. From May 2004 to January 2005, they will use the nodes to develop e-Soils products and also evaluate them by collecting feedback from department knowledge experts and students and by tracking learner outcomes.

Related Resources

• You need Acrobat Reader software to view portable document format (PDF) files. You can download it for free from the Adobe Acrobat Reader page.

Contact:
dmc@umn.edu

212 Walter Library
117 Pleasant Street S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455
(612) 625-8030

69 McNeal Hall
1985 Buford Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
(612) 625-8030