What are Learning Objects?

Learning objects are small stand-alone "chunks" of information designed to be easily reused and repackaged to meet the needs of different audiences. They typically are designed to achieve a certain narrow learning objective and may contain an assessment to determine success against that objective.

Learning objects may reflect varying degrees of granularity ranging from as large as a chapter in a book, a case study, or an interactive courseware topic, to smaller items such as a single pedagogical concept (teaching the boiling point of water, for example).

In order for learning objects to be reusable, portable, and flexible, they are indexed with metadata (like the information on a card catalog in a library) so that they may be later identified, located, accessed, retrieved, and assembled in the context of a particular task or learning event.

To achieve interoperability and maximum reuse, learning objects may conform to industry specifications such as the Department of Defense's SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) specifications. Learning objects in this model are called SCO's (Sharable Content Objects).

What is the ADL and SCORM?

The Department of Defense's Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) initiative is a collaborative effort between government, industry, and academia to establish a common framework that permits the interoperability of learning content and delivery technologies on a global scale. Its goal is to maximize human performance and effectiveness while simultaneously reducing development and delivery costs through advanced distributed learning technologies.

The  Shareable Object Content Reference Model (SCORM) is a collection of specifications that define this common framework. It has been collaboratively developed, widely recognized, and broadly supported.

What is a Learning Object Network?

LA Learning Objects Network is the infrastructure to manage the secure exchange of high-value learning objects across the Internet. By creating an efficient marketplace for the identification, acquisition, purchase and reuse of online business knowledge, eLearning content, media assets, and other high value content objects, a Learning Objects Network enables an object-oriented knowledge management layer for the Internet.

The LON infrastructure consists of families of applications or frameworks that provide all the needed services. These frameworks include digital content management, identification, search and delivery, security and content protection, digital rights management and payment.

For more information and an Architectural White Paper, see Resources.