Eduworks

ABSTRACT 

The structure and nature of digital learning content is changing.  Whole  courses that mimic training manuals and textbooks are giving way to smaller, topic-focused chunks of interactive content deployed in layered learning infrastructures.  At the same time, many organizations possess valuable learning assets locked into whole course formats created with first generation tools.  How can these organizations simultaneously retain these assets and benefit from advances that increase efficiency and effectiveness?  How can these organizations break the cycle of redeveloping content from ground up at great expense every time a course needs to be updated or a format changes?  This paper addresses three key questions related to this challenge:

• How can legacy content be set free to be used in multiple contexts and formats?
• How much value can be gained by doing so, and is it worth the effort?
• Can your organization address the past while preparing for the future?

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Deriving value from legacy content while laying the foundation for a future of effective, flexible and reusable e-learning experiences is an achievable, cost effective objective for many of today’s learning organizations. The key is to transform first generation (firstgen) courseware to genuine next generation (nextgen) content rather than simply copying existing courseware into a new format. Transformation adds value by making content more portable, searchable, customizable, and durable; by giving organizations and communities more control over their content; and by increasing its educational and training effectiveness. 

Breaking the Binding
Firstgen courses are largely variants of books on computers. It is now possible to break the bindings on these books. Emerging technologies and standards enable content to be extracted from whole course formats and recombined into modules tied to learning objectives and competencies.  These more granular resources can be placed into portable formats and structures that are easy to maintain and customize.  Transformed content can be more easily found, modified and deployed in new contexts, effectively breaking  the endless spiral of re-developing the same content from scratch every time a technical or instructional requirement changes.

Firstgen vs. Nextgen Content
There are significant differences between firstgen and nextgen content. Firstgen content tends to be locked into linear, fixed delivery packages intended for a single context and suitable for a single instructional strategy.  Firstgen content is valued for its ability to fulfill curricular requirements and its compatibility with specific systems.  It is controlled by its producers and used by its consumers. Nextgen content consists of granular learning objects that cleanly separate content from presentation and that can be re-combined and restructured to address multiple contexts and multiple learning modalities.  Nextgen content is valued for its discoverability, reusability, modifiability, and for the skills or knowledge it inherently addresses. It is a community or enterprise asset that can be customized to meet the needs of specific users rather than the demands of a specific system.

Conversion vs. Transformation of Legacy Content
Organizations with legacy content in expiring formats and environments have two options.  Content can be converted to a newer format while attempting to retain its appearance and structure, analogous to recording a tape onto a CD.  Conversion allows expiring content to be used for a few more years in its current form.  Alternatively, and for the same cost or less, existing courseware can be transformed into standards-based content that retains the instructional impact and underlying assets of the original content but that is more reusable, discoverable, and modifiable.

Nextgen Content Separates Layers
A key characteristic of nextgen content is that is it separated into distinct layers that include content, structure, presentation, context and pedagogy.   Separating these layers makes it easier to manage, reuse and personalize content and will ultimately result in more effective learning.

SCORM Done Right!
Industry standards such as SCORM* play an important role in nextgen content.  SCORM is a set of rules that define how Web-accessible content is packaged, transported and tagged, and how data is exchanged between content and a learning management system.  Just as following the rules for writing music does not necessarily produce a pleasing melody, using SCORM does not guarantee that content will be reusable or educationally effective.  To achieve true nextgen functionality, best practices must be implemented in key areas addressed by standards such as SCORM, including metadata tagging, content granularity, results reporting, and the use of learning objectives.

*SCORM stands for “Shareable Content Object Reference Model” and is a collection of standards and specification compiled by the U.S. Advanced Distributed Learning initiative (www.adlnet.gov).

The Bottom Line
An effective combination of planning, design, infrastructure evolution and content transformation can prepare your organization to address today’s e-learning content issues while laying an effective foundation for a highly productive nextgen learning environment. For those faced with a legacy content problem, tools exist that make it possible and cost effective to transform content into nextgen content.