Distance-Educator Article: An Exploratory Study into the Efficacy of Learning Objects

An Exploratory Study into the Efficacy of Learning Objects

A study was conducted on the effectiveness of learning objectives as a learning tool, versus using a textbook-based method of instruction. A learning object is a subject matter-specific learning resource or item of content (digital and multimedia-based) that can be reused and combined with other learning objectives to support instruction. Specialists of the digital generation described the need for educators to continue to motivate students and learning objects could be the vessel used to help. Using learning objects is thought to be an appropriate companion with web-based distance learning because of their ability to be easily delivered through the Internet.

The participants included over 300 undergraduate college students. An accounting lesson using traditional text instruction was given to the control group. The experimental received instruction using an interactive learning object. After given the assessment, results showed that the experimental group performed significantly better, some cases three times better. The results provided suggestions on how instructional methods can be more stimulating for the student. The characteristics of learning objects lend themselves to collaborative efforts with other educators. Learning objects are or can be the new standards for instructional design and curriculum development.

The term learning objects was definitely a new term for me. I went online to do some light research and discovered a site, What are Learning Objects?, that provided examples of learning objects. What I discovered is that learning objects are those building blocks that we have all either used or provided for others to use to enhance instruction. One learning object example I viewed included a tutorial about adding and subtracting fractions. Learning objects are appropriate in a distant learning course, because of its ability to be reused and linked with other objects. This study is worth reading to help better understand the efficacy of learning objects used now in distant learning and the transformation it can have in future distant learning.