Some Barriers:
- Accessibility – If faculty cannot easily locate a LO that meets their instructional needs the first time around they are bound to pass on the new technology until they are convinced to try again.
- Time - Lack of time to learn a new technology. The time expended to retrieve or develop a LO prohibits their use.
- Language – Educators are content experts not technology experts and the language of information technology is foreign to them.
- Tools - The more sophisticated the LO, the more tools/software required and some of the programming tools can be quite specialized.
Strategies for Encouraging Faculty Adoption of LOs:
- Emphasize link between LOs and pedagogy. LOs can be used for a variety of teaching functions: introduce new concepts, explain abstract models, reinforce conceptual understanding, and provide strategies for applying ideas to problem solving.
- LOs as content resources. Just as faculty make use of ideas, concepts, examples or other chunks of content found in textbooks, they can use LO to serve similar purpose, as another chunk of content resource.
- Explain the concept of chunking. Faculty understands the notion that people remember information better when presented in short segments or groupings of 5 to7 units.
- Use common language. Avoid technical jargon in discussions on LOs and stick to language understood by faculty.
- Provide a set of LO criteria. Help faculty understand the major characteristics defining quality and effectiveness.
- Use LO criteria as a source of quality standards. Create tools for use in evaluating the usefullness of learning objects within instructional contexts: checklists, rubrics, questionnaires, interview questions, etc.
- Involve faculty in reviewing LOs created by others. This will give them hands-on experience in understanding LOs, in assessing the characteristics that contribute to content and design quality.
- Help faculty locate LOs. Make finding LOs less time-consuming. Create a webpage with links to repositories, search strategies, shared tips, and a list of criteria to consider in evaluating objects.
- Help faculty develop LOs. Provide templates or storyboards that walk faculty through the steps of designing simple LOs.
- Provide consistency in design and evaluation. Use LO criteria as a source of guidelines for designing, developing, and reviewing learning objects.
