WHAT MAKES A LEARNING OBJECT A “LEARNING OBJECT”? LEARNING LESSONS IN ANIMAL WELFARE EDUCATION FROM THE ANIMAL WELFARE INDICATORS PROJECT

Learning objects (L.O.) have become central in the latest development of the field of Education and E-Learning. According to the Higher Education Academy in the UK the definition of an L.O. is:

“... a particular type of online electronic learning material that is generally defined as a small, digital and self-contained unit of learning that can be broadly (but not exclusively) described as context independent, reusable and adaptable.”

So according to the definition, three dimensions are central to defining what could and could not be an L.O.: the ‘Content’ dimension, the ‘Technological’ dimension and the ‘Pedagogic’ dimension.

However, a central question when creating an L.O. is: ‘How small is small enough?’ This issue becomes a huge complication factor for anyone trying to define the scope of an L. O. and can only be answered with the inclusion of a fourth dimension: the 'Communication’ dimension. Without support from communication theories and recent advancements of audience awareness, there will be difficulties in creating truly usable L.O.s.

In this poster, we present a case study of defining an L.O. in the field of Animal Welfare education. Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN), a project that is being supported by the European Community, is tackling the L.O. methodology to generate truly exemplar L.O.s that can become templates to universities and other stakeholders interested in the field. Some existing L.O.s in the area of animal pain assessment are presented, as are suggestions for future ones, focusing mainly the ‘Communication’ dimension.

The question of “How small is small enough” is discussed here, using examples from other mass media channels. Today, we are dealing with a new generation of students with shorter attention spans and that are used to multitasking in the digital world. Therefore, L.O.s should not exceed more than 30 minutes. However, being able to focus a large amount of complex information into such a short time span is the main barrier to success in this area. We suggest that each new L.O. should be tested within the primary target audience to test for efficacy, comprehension and ease of use.