Reusable learning objects
Re-usable learning objects (RLOs) are materials, often in an electronic format, that are designed for re-use by others in a learning context.
There is a wealth of RLOs to support information literacy already in existence and new ones are being created all the time. Many librarians are keen to re-use these RLOs in order to avoid duplication of effort and to share best practice. However, there are a number of challenges in the re-use of RLOs, including availability of software; time and skills needed to re-purpose objects; intellectual property rights and sustainable and appropriate repositories.
RLOs can range from a one page Microsoft Word document to an electronic interactive learning package. The resources listed below illustrate the wide variety of learning objects available to support information literacy.General reuseable learning object repositories
- Phil Bradley has produced a list of learning object repositories on his website swicki.
- Jorum is a free online repository service for teaching and support staff in UK Further and Higher Education Institutions, helping to build a community for the sharing, reuse and repurposing of learning and teaching materials. For you to re-use material, your institution needs to be a member of Jorum. You also need to register with the service.
The HEA (Ireland's Higher Education Authority) funded National Digital Learning Repository (NDLR) in Ireland is a national repository of learning objects, organised into subject areas known as communities of practice. The NDLR uses the Intrallect software, which also supports Jorum, to host a wide
variety of re-usable learning objects (RLOs), for use by members of Irish higher education institutions.
IL reuseable learning objects
- The University of Birmingham Library as part of a project called BRUM (Birmingham Re-Usable Materials) have developed 15 reusable learning objects (five types) for information literacy. They are downloadable from their website and will shortly be available from Jorum. They are great resources that illustrate different ways of teaching information literacy. The project has a blog and their final report is available.
- Cardiff University has produced the Information Literacy Resource Bank (ILRB), which is a repository containing bite-sized information literacy learning objects that can be used by lecturers and librarians in VLEs and other teaching materials. The resources are in a variety of formats, for example activities, quizzes, tutorials, diagrams and cartoons and cover a range of information literacy topics such as referencing, evaluating information and avoiding plagiarism. If you wish to re-use any of the resources please contact the team at Cardiff (ilrb@cardiff.ac.uk)
The Information Skills Community of Practice (ISCoP)within the National Digital Learning Repository (NDLR) is the home for RLOs to support the teaching of information literacy. The ISCoP RLOs will only be available to members.
- Library instruction.com contains library instruction lesson plans, articles about library instruction, a large library instruction bibliography, and links to library instruction resources. This site also includes material relating to information literacy.
- Lime project - Developing a module on Information literacy. Authored by Barbara Chivers these learning objects are designed to offer guidance to tutors interested in developing a module on Information Literacy. It includes suggested aims and learning outcomes and guidance is given on suggested content, use of assignments, exercises and workshops.
- Loughborough University Library with funding from the HEA-ICS have developed a questionbank designed to test students information literacy skills. There is a range of question types (multiple choice, multiple response, drag & drop, matching and fill in the blanks) that aim to test both factual knowledge and comprehension. Each question has metadata outlining which institution generated the question, which SCONUL seven pillar and which level of Blooms taxonomy it relates to. The questionbank is freely available from the HEA-ICS website.
- Manchester Metropolitain University have developed eleven e-usable learning objects for Law Librarianship covering subjects such as 'Introduction to Case Law', 'Using Medical Dictionaries' and 'Using Halsbury's Laws of England'. The objects are freely available in a variety of formats from the HE-ICS website.
- Newcastle University Library has created an Information Literacy Toolkit. The resources are aimed at lecturers at Newcastle who wish to teach their students information literacy. The Information Literacy Toolkit contains a range of resources, ideas and links which they can use to help students become more information literate.
- S.O.S. for Information Literacy! Is a dynamic web-based multimedia resource for educators, that promises to make a significant contribution to enhancing the teaching of information literacy skills to children. This is a US site that has been constructed in association with AASL (American Association of School Librarians).It provides access to lesson plans and virtual training. There is an opportunity to submit your own lesson plans to the database.
Updated and maintained by Nancy Graham, University of Birmingham and Ruth Stubbings, Loughborough University.
Last updated: 4 November 2008