Over the last 6 or so weeks I have been working on some (reusable) learning objects and developing online spaces for personal development. For this project I have assumed a role which sits between the ‘teachers’ of PD and a brilliant media development team, interpreter is possibly the best description of the role.
The project has produced a number of outputs: Videos, walk throughs, quizzes and hotspot tools. In rolling up my sleeves and co-creating (and facilitating) learning objects I am reminded of the benefits which are heightened by release as open resources :
- Institutional presence on the cyber-scape
- Contribution to teaching and learning community (it will be nice to return something!)
- Time saved (By using RLO’s interspersed with online scaffolding and narrative for high volume provision there is inevitably some saving)
- Consistency (Again with high volume provision, RLO’s can inevitably have an impact on consistency of delivery).
- Richer contact hours (If some foundations can be laid using an online approach it leaves contact hours to cover complex, personal and troublesome issues, in so doing I imagine a raising of the quality of experience gleaned from the contact time).
For more on RLO’s Harper Adams, along with Oxford University and Oxford Brookes is involved in a project called Ripple. I should attribute my own recent surge in interest and buy in to RLO’s to the ripple influence of this project!
Lydia Arnold 