The official Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) website provides a very detailed overview of the organization’s history and purpose. Under the direct care of the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (OUSD P&R), the ADL Initiative was created in 1997 and given the task of standardizing and modernizing the delivery of training and education. On January 12, 1999, Excutive Order 13111 signed by President Clinton tasked the DoD to develop and lead a partnership with business and university groups for the purpose of creating standardized training software and related services. (http://www.adlnet.gov).
The need for standards
Image source: Academic ADL Co-Laboratory
The above graph illustrates the flow or evolution of ideas and concepts and follows to the point they become accepted standards. In addition to compatibility issues, the establishment of standards increases efficiency and minimizes costs. Summarizing the an example by author Atsusi Hirumi, if the cost to create a multimedia instructional unit is $1,000 and if 1,000 organizations pay that cost individually to create their own unit, it would result in an expenditure of $1,000,000. Comparatively, if the institutions shared the development cost each institution would pay $1 each. (Hirumi, 2005)
Balancing the details
In describing the functionality of the Shareable Content Object Reference Module (SCORM) concept, military representatives often compared it to the “Rubik’s Cube™” (Duncan, 2005). A SCORM provides the ability to take stand-alone sequences of content be reused or applied to different courses or move entire courses from one Learning Management System (LMS) to another. SCORM libraries or media repositories allow these segments to be stored, retrieved, and used simultaneously across different learning environments and by multiple users. Two important considerations when constructing a learning module are the granularity and reusability. Granularity could be described as the level, size, or amount of content. Too little or too much content will impact the overall reusability of the module, meaning its ability to be used in multiple courses or learning environment.
Sequencing
In order to progress and complete SCORM based training, users must have a clear path of navigation. Learning paths provide a limited or predetermined path through course material while branching offers a non-liner method that is dependant on the individual’s response to a question.
Organizing
Returning to the idea that SCORM objects are stored and shared training segments with a wide and varied group of users, organization is essential. Metadata provides a common nomenclature for indexing objects for storage and searches and provides useful information and descriptions for potential users.
Closing
The ADL Initiative continues to provide an effective standardized means for developing and distributing learning content that is easily integrated into a variety of platforms such as LMS.
References
Duncan, S. (2005). The U.S. Army’s impact on the history of distance education. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 6(4), 397+.
Hirumi, A. (2005). In search of quality: An analysis of e-learning guidelines and specifications. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 6(4), 309+.
I liked your information on ADL and standardized learning. I question whether standardized learning and training is the right way to continue in education because not all children/learners learn the same way. Standardized testing has failed child after child and should be outlawed when children can't meet the standard and fail. The standard may not have been set too high; that child may just learn in ways that the standard doesn't focus on.
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I also did a review of ADL and SCORM. I agree with Kenya that standardized education is a failure. All we have learned from Howard Gardner and Eric Jensen suggest multiple intelligences and brain based learning. I cannot believe in a world where RTI is now mandated, that standardized education can be tolerated any longer. RTI stands for response to intervention which is basically another way to say differentiated instruction. If we do not allow students to have a personal learning environment, how can we grow? We cannot differentiate if we standardize, which is strictly my opinion.
ReplyDeleteActivity: ADL/Standards/SCROM
ReplyDeleteIt’s apparent that you have done considerable research and have a great grasp and personal knowledge with the military. I think that standardization is paramount when engaging large groups in the learning process it simplifies and brings efficiency to the whole. In a military settings readiness, preparedness, repetitions of tasks are of major importance to survival. Compatibility issues are key to streamlining the process and cost containment. I had personal experience with this, as a facilities project manager for Southern Pacific Transportation Company. One of my tasks was working together with the purchasing department in selecting the right task, manager, executive, and 24hr chairs (analogous to SCROM) systems wide. We had to create a matrix with different variables to determine the outcome: body type, height, weight, job description, casters (what type of floor? soft or hard surfaces), bio- synchronization, chair pan tilt, life cycle factors, delivery times etc. After extensive research, testing and feedback. The railroad very much like the military had to make decisions that were cost effective and at the same time meet the needs of the end users. Our outcome was standardized seating with multiple vendors, gave us the ability for readiness, preparedness, and streamlined the process of quick ship, delivery, maintenance, and ordering of chairs seamless. That is what ADL/ Standards/ SCROM brings to education/training. You may not meet everyone’s needs but you try to meet the majority. Moreover, there should be additional variable modifications built in to the system for the special conditions ADA act is one we identified.
Everyone is out there trying to develop the best materials to move society forward. Standards help us to focus on content and structure in the delivery of that content as with SCORM. We must be able to reuse the content created on different systems, because technology is ever-evolving and the system an institution uses today may not be the same system two years from now. Great job, Billy. Your information is very clear and informative.
ReplyDeleteAfter the reading your post and the comments I have to wonder if the ultimate us of an LCMS is that it allows both standardization and differentiation. These are definitely educational buzz words that may actually get real life application in an LCMS. The process of creating SCORM compatible training objects seems overwhelmingly complex and daunting. The cost and man hours much be astronomical. The concept of something the is stable but always changing is difficult to grasp. I believe that is the ultimate goal of an LCMS, but it seems it will always be in process. It's also hard to fathom a technology that will still be of use in another few years when it all seems to be changing at lightning speed on a daily basis.
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