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The design of quality learning materials depends on two aspects: good instructional design and easy-to-use Web development tools.Instructional design can be defined as the “ science of creating detailed specifications for the development, evaluation, and maintenance of situations, which facilitate the learning of both large and small units of subject matter” (Richey, 1990). Instructional design grew out of the systems approach to training developed by the military during World War II. It was based on the premise that learning should not occur in a haphazard manner but should be developed in accordance with orderly processes and has measurable outcomes (Gustafson & Branch, 1997).
The role of models in instructional design is to provide conceptual and communication tools that can be used to visualise, direct, and manage processes for generating episodes of guided learning. Analysis, design, production, evaluation, and revision steps are included in virtually all instructional design models created in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. However, some authors of this period (Hassan, 1978; Merrill, 1981) used the term instructional development in a much more limited way, typically to describe only the design element (Gustafson & Branch, 1997).
Instructional design is usually very time-consuming and laborious. Two hundred hours of manual instructional design is required for one hour of instruction (Lippert, 1989). Programming computer-based instruction requires an even more astounding 500:1 ratio (Bourdeau et al., 1993). A possible solution to both problems will be to automate instructional design. In such learning environment, the learner would have maximum flexibility as to what would be learned, in what sequence, and perhaps in how it was even measured. Automated instructional design (AID) can be defined as “the processes identified for manipulating the knowledge objects in a knowledge structure provide the bases for computer algorithms that can emulate some of the processing done by a learner”(Merrill, 2000).
The second aspect addressed in this paper, reusability, revolves around the reuse of codes and modular programming. Reusability deals with the issue of laborious Web development, a deterrent to the novice instructor. Reuse-based software engineering includes three methods (Sommerville, 2000). Firstly is application system reuse where the entire application system may be reused either by incorporating it without change into other systems (COTS reuse) or by developing application families. Secondly is component reuse where components of an application from sub-system to single objects may be reused. Thirdly is function reuse where software components that implement a single well-defined function may be reused (Sommerville, 2000).
The advantages of reusability are (Sommerville, 2000):
· increased reliability where components are exercised in a working system
· reduced process risk, due to less uncertainty in development costs
· effective use of specialists where we reuse the components instead of people
· standards compliance in reusable components, and
· accelerated development
The major technology contributing to reusability that is extensively used today is the eXtensible Markup Language (XML). XML is fast becoming a standard format for Internet/intranet data information exchange. It serves as an excellent means for representing data to provide an open, Internet-based integration of cross-enterprise applications especially in e-learning applications (Lakshmi et al., 2004). How this XML technology will be put into practice and in what fashion it promotes reusability will be described in the subsequent section.
One of the components of Multimedia Knowledge Base e-learning (MKBe), an ongoing project developed in Multimedia University is the OntoID authoring tool. The OntoID is an essential part of the LCMS (Learning Content Management Systems) as creation and content management is done through the authoring tool. The OntoID authoring tool includes instructional design as a precursor to the design and development of Web pages. The authoring tool provides a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to enable the user to create learning objects and store them in central repositories. Ideally, once created, these learning objects should function in two or more instructional contexts. Highlights are given to the reusability of the templates and online self-assessment tool in this authoring tool.
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