Learning Object Generator Case Study

In 2002-03, Earl Schleske from Academic and Distributed Computing Services, Office of Information Technology at the University of Minnesota and Sue Kim, Bobby Lee, Eun-Ji Lee, and Dr. Wendy Tu from the Defense Language Institute Foreign Languages Center developed the Learning Object Generator (LOG), a lesson authoring tool Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) can use to rapidly create learning objects by choosing a sequence of pre-programmed activity templates from a broad palette and then completing Web forms.

Instructional Goals

Schleske and his colleagues started by converting a library of more than 500 individually hand-coded learning objects. They wanted to create a system that would make it easier for instructors to create and aggregrate objects into lessons.

Technology Strategies

They decided to create software that would do the following:

strip the standalone learning content from its formatting package;
enable instructors to aggregate and sequence the objects into lessons;
enable instructors to create templates and then mass produce new objects; and
deliver objects and lessons as standalone packages.

Learning Outcomes

The cost to create the tool was higher upfront, but it offers Defense Language Institute instructors the opportunity to mass produce lessons.