Section+C+Overview

=Section C - Developing and Monitoring eLearning Content=

//The next big killer application on the internet is going to be education. Education over the internet is going to be so big it is going to make e-mail usage look like a rounding error. **-** John Chambers, CEO Cisco Systems//

Effective learning in the 21st century goes beyond preparing students to work within an increasingly global and competitive world. 21st Century technology-based eLearning includes emerging social and lifelong learning processes, moving away from mere electronic publication of content. Embracing 21st Century learning requires shifts in how we plan and develop eLearning content and monitor its implementation.

This section addresses content development, licensing, sharing and use across all sectors (K12, higher education, business, and government). The authors outline strategies for assessing requirements, authoring and distributing content. It provides insights into matters of evaluation and quality assurance and the impacts associated with making technological choices in an instructional context. Personal stories and practical examples provide ideas for readers with experience and expertise, as well as those new to digital teaching and technology-supported learning environments.

// Kaminski and Hoogbruin, co-creation of content: // provide educators with a means to actively engage learners in co-creation activities that not only boost their own learning, but help them to bring a tangible voice to issues that concern them, providing a venue through which they can share their ideas and concerns with the rest of the world. This chapter is intended to whet the reader’s appetite to explore the practice of co-creation in their course designs and delivery.

//West and Victor, the OER movement:// provide information on distributing digitalized educational resources freely over the Internet. Open educational resources make significant content available online for students, academics and life-long learners on a global level. Shared ideas, experience and knowledge help inspire new research and further learning. It is suggested that uploading open education resources to the Internet facilitates a synergy of intellectual exchange, participation in global collaboration and contribution to an international educational commonwealth.

// Hofman and West, open licences for educators: // introduces open licences and those that are of particular importance for authors and educators. Open licenses are also referred to as open content, or open source, describing any kind of creative work, or content, published under a license that explicitly allows copying and modifying of its information by anyone.

// LaBonte, quality in eLearning: // suggests that quality is not just about management process (learner achievement), customer satisfaction (learner opinion), or quantification of product (course content). It is the relationships between and among learners and teachers in the learning community that describe, and become the evidence of, quality learning. The chapter provides an overview and discussion about a quality-driven approach, including description of a case study, and invites further review about what constitutes effective learning, and quality, in an e-learning environment.

// Taylor, Lavin, and Deutsch, learning objects and personal learning environments: // examine the creation and organization of content and the technologies that support access to resources and delivery of teaching and learning. In particular, they focus on open education and open educational resources (OERs) and how they are key components in providing an innovative framework for learners.

// Prasad, online distance learning (ODL) for corporate training: // urges organizations to use ODL systems for staff training and development. He argues that they are cost effective, on demand, and essential to increase productivity and improve service delivery in all business sectors, including governments and universities, especially in the context of the emerging knowledge economies.

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