DEALER Distance Education And Learning Repository The First Draft Idea Zlatan Sabic Sarajevo, July 1998 Soros Foundations Open Society Fund Bosnia and Herzegovina MIT Center Sarajevo

Basic presumption To support educators by interactive distance learning technologies WE should NOT think of ways how educators SHOULD work, but think instead how educators REALLY work What are their PROBLEMS? How can we help solve them?

Modern Educator’s Problems 4 Need for rapid updates in curricula 4 Curricula more complex 4 Audiences more complex 4 High preparation costs 4 Multiple learning sites (class, home..) 4 Technology innovations continuous 4 Teaching cooperation needed to manage complexity

Need for rapid updates in curricula 4 Knowledge and technology continuously changing 4 Innovative education demands continuous change in course curricula 4 Rapid updates critical 4 PROBLEMS –high costs for high quality updates –need high quality content –need rapid and timely access –need ‘digestible’ formats

Curricula more complex 4 Some critical technical content may be needed across several courses 4 PROBLEMS –core content may be difficult to parse across multiple contexts –organization of core content within different contexts

Audiences more complex 4 Even if the content is located only in one course, different audiences require different approaches 4 PROBLEMS –small changes in lessons produce "versions" confusion –lessons need to be well-organized to recognize small differences

High preparation costs 4 "Construction" of new courses based on existing and new material needs to be fast 4 PROBLEMS –too much time ‘removing’ the updatable core lessons from needed context –problems with course scope and sequence can become critical

Multiple learning sites 4 Teachers and students work on computers in classrooms and at home 4 Distance learning creates multiple course sites PROBLEMS – Different learning environments may need different approaches and materials

Technology innovations continuous 4 It is hard to survive as modern and successful educators without continuous adopting of new technologies 4 PROBLEMS –technology dependant teaching materials are too time-expensive (need for structure and technology conversions) –educator has to spend some time to learn the use of technology

Teaching cooperation 4 The most of the topics are too complex for only one educator 4 Cooperation synergy can be very "profitable" 4 PROBLEMS –cooperation coordination –again context dependance of lessons –incompatibility of formats (technology dependance)

What to do? 4 Develop smaller units with more complex organization 4 Downsize lessons –make content loosely coupled with context –make content easy to access and update 4 More complex organization –use multiple criteria to classify modules –faster searches for appropriate lesson –design more rapid ways to update curriculum

Downsizing lessons Small Can Be Beautiful ! A lesson can be constructed using a Learning Module format a Learning Module format (comparable to 15 min.- 1 hour of instruction) Each lesson can contain commercial and/or professionally-created materials and/or digitized objects in hardcopy, on the Internet or on CD ROM

Continuous innovation creates an instructional dilemma Classification by topics (Project Scheduling Software) –more appropriate in dynamic environment and for smaller lessons –Topics updated often 4 Classification by courses (Project Mgt) –more appropriate in static environment and for larger lessons

Example - Classic Hierarchy Classification by Courses 4 Course: System Analysis and Design –System Analysis Methodology Preliminary Analysis Problem Detection... –System Analysis TechniquesInterview... –System Design –Project Management –... 4 Course: Strategic Use of Information Technologies –TPS, MIS, DSS Basic Concepts –System Analysis (partly) –Interview (in different context) –Group Technologies (partly Groupware lesson) –... 4 Course: Short Seminar on MIS and Groupware –MIS Basic Concepts (partly TPS, MIS, DSS lesson) –Groupware (partly Group Technologies lesson) too big too context sensitive

Example - Classic Hierarchy Classification by Topics 4 Topic: System Analysis –System Analysis Methodology... –System Analysis Techniques... –... 4 Topic: System Design –Coding System –Database Normalization –... 4 Topic: Project Management –Project Definition and Planning –Leading the Project –... 4 Topic: Group Technologies –Group Work and Behaviour –Groupware –... Instructional dilemma too big and context sensitive to be easily updated but if context is removed, instruction less useful in a dynamic environment hierarchical organization can become quite complicated (Gopher v. WWW)

Problems with classic hierarchy classification 4 They have rigid classification relationships 4 Unique not multiple search criteria 4 Need for multiple connections creates redundancy 4 Unstable in dynamic environments such as teaching team curricula design 4 Continuous adjustment is expensive 4 Matrix or Hypertext concept more flexible

Organizing Lessons Learning Modules can be classified: 4 Statically –always on topic criteria –time independent 4 Dynamically –on course criteria –time dependant

1. Define topic(s) Generic topics... Topic 2Topic 1Topic 3

2. Learning modules small and somewhat context insensitive... Topic 2Topic 1Topic 3... LeM 11 LeM 12 LeM 13 LeM 14 LeM 21 LeM 22 LeM 23 LeM 24 LeM 31 LeM 32 LeM 33 LeM Classification by Topics LINEAR-NO HIERARCHY

3. Enhance context through choice and sequence... Topic 2Topic 1Topic 3... LeM 11 LeM 12 LeM 13 LeM 14 LeM 21 LeM 22 LeM 23 LeM 24 LeM 31 LeM 32 LeM 33 LeM Classification by Topics LINEAR-NO HIERARCHY Course 1 Course 2 Course 3... Classification by Courses LINEAR-NO HIERARCHY Static Dynamic

Small Modules + Matrix Structure 4 Simple 4 Flexible 4 Low maintenance 4 Technology independent 4 Can be created dynamically, step-by-step 4 Can be created and used by more than one educator

Creating Courses 4 Can be designed and updated quickly 4 Complex but not too complicated for users 4 Could be highly automated 4 Easy to test

Learning Modules could have two possible structures: 4 Small context free module 4 Another independent matrix structure: Marketing Management Practical Use of PC Financial Management Market Marketing Communic. MS Word Basic Terms...

Build Modules Using Digitized Objects 4 Learning Module can be –text on paper –HTML text –MS Word document –PowerPoint presentation 4 Can contain digitized multi-media objects –Picture.GIF,.JPG,.TIF... –Excel graphs –Audio Clip.WAV, Video Clip.RM,... Courses contain LM with instruction LM contain digitized objects for use the number of adopted standards must be small

System management 4 Need to organize teaching groups 4 Small set of materials, use "paper" database –very simple and effective 4 By computer database –simple to construct –large scale of possible technologies (RDBMSs, ODBMSs, HTML+Java+CGI, macro languages, …)

In context of Soros DL Project 4 Tri-level structures create the possibility for immediate work on materials restructuring 4 Structures are simple to communicate 4 1st level - unique materials and/or digitized objects and limited context 4 2nd level- lessons with instruction and some context 4 3rd level courses with rich context

Matrix structure for DEALER should be the main principle in every segment of the project: standards development, database development, materials restructuring, communication, cooperation with other institutions (GLEN),...

LEMON Repository Learning Modules Network Repository END Zlatan Sabic Sarajevo, July 1998 Soros Foundations Open Society Fund Bosnia and Herzegovina MIT Center Sarajevo