A component repository for learning objects: a progress report

ABSTRACT

We believe that an important category of SMET digital library content will be highly interactive, explorable microworlds for teaching science, mathematics, and engineering concepts. Such environments have proved extraordinarily time-consuming and difficult to produce, however, threatening the goals of widespread creation and use. One proposed solution for accelerating production has been the creation of repositories of reusable software components or learning objects. Programmers would use such components to rapidly assemble larger-scale environments. Although many agree on the value of this approach, few repositories of such components have been successfully created. We suggest some reasons for the lack of expected results and propose two strategies for developing such repositories. We report on a case study that provides a proof of concept of these strategies. repositories. We report on a case study that provides a proof of concept of these strategies. contributions from a more diverse audience, including especially those who have substantial classroom and pedagogical expertise but lack programming expertise. It also promotes the extraction of content from software so that collections may be better organized and more easily repurposed to meet the needs of a diverse audience of educators and students.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.3 INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION

General Terms:
Design, Documentation, Human Factors, Management, Performance, Theory

Keywords:
NSDL, components, design, digital library, education, learning objects, reuse, software engineering, standards