The Instructional Use of Learning Objects

This is the online version of The Instructional Use of Learning Objects, a new book that tries to go beyond the technological hype and connect learning objects to instruction and learning. You can read the full text of the book here for free. The chapters presented here are © their respective authors and are licensed under the Open Publication License, meaning that you are free to copy and redistribute them in any electronic or non-commercial print form. For-profit print rights are held by AIT/AECT. The book was edited by David Wiley, and printed versions of the book are published by the Association for Instructional Technology and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. If you find the online book useful, please consider purchasing a printed copy.

In addition to reading the book, at this website you can participate in discussions of the book's chapters with the authors and others, submit any corrections should you find errors in a chapter, and discuss other issues related to learning objects, instruction, and learning.


News: February 2002. The book website is now the first result on Google when searching for learning objects! Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed and linked to the book!

August 2001. The book is off the press and now available for purchase! Buy the book here! There has been a delay adding the nicely formatted PDFs of the book chapters to the website (to replace the awful Word files); however, they are coming. Thanks for your patience.

May 2001. The book has gone to the printer as of 9:00am, May 30th! Links for ordering print copies will be available soon. Also, watch for nicely formatted chapter PDFs to replace the ugly Word files below sometime next week!

April 2001. During April of 2001 we saw the 10,000th chapter downloaded (six months from site launch)! Thank you for your continued support and interest in The Instructional Use of Learning Objects. Please don't forget to take part in a Chapter forum if you feel so inclined.

November 2000. Site launch! The chapters below have not yet undergone their final pre-print-publication formatting. Until this occurs they will only be available in MS Word format. I apologize for the inconvenience.

The book is divided into five major sections.
  1. Learning objects explained
  2. Learning objects and constructivist thought
  3. Learning objects and people
  4. Learning objects implementation war stories
  5. Learning objects and the future
Click on a section heading above to go directly to that section, or scroll down to browse the entire book.


1.0. Learning objects explained

 1.1. Connecting learning objects to instructional design theory: A definition, a metaphor,
 and a taxonomy

 by David A. Wiley

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 1.2. The nature and origin of instructional objects

 by Andrew S. Gibbons, Jon Nelson,
 and Robert Richards

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2.0. Learning objects and constructivist thought

 2.1. Learning object systems as constructivist learning environments: Related
 assumptions, theories, and applications

 by Brenda Bannan-Ritland, Nada Dabbagh,
 and Kate Murphy

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 2.2. Designing resource-based learning and performance support systems

 by Michael J. Hannafin, Janette R. Hill,
 and James E. McCarthy

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 2.3. Learning objects to support inquiry-based online learning

 by Chandra Hawley Orrill

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3.0. Learning objects and people

 3.1. Designing learning objects to mass customize and personalize learning

 by Margaret Martinez

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 3.2. Evaluation of learning objects and instruction using learning objects

 by David D. Williams

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4.0. Learning objects implementation war stories

 4.1. Battle stories from the field: Wisconsin online resource center learning objects project

 by Kay Chitwood, Carol May, David Bunnow,
 and Terri Langan

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 4.2. A university-wide system for creating, capturing, and delivering learning objects

 by Joseph B. South and David W. Monson

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5.0. Learning objects and the future

 5.1. Collaboratively filtering learning objects

 by Mimi M. Recker, Andrew Walker,
 and David A. Wiley

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 5.2. Knowledge objects and mental models

 by M. David Merrill

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 5.3. The future of learning objects

 by H. Wayne Hodgins

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This site is maintained by David Wiley. Please feel free to send complaints, suggestions, or (heaven forbid) praise to david.wiley@gmail.com.


Copyright © 2000 by the authors listed above. This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Open Publication License (the latest version is available at http://opencontent.org/openpub/. Commercial print sale rights are held by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

The Instructional Use of Learning Objects