The Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative

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The Advanced Distributed Learning
Initiative Origins and Directions
Dr. Bob Wisher Department of Defense
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• the worlds increasing dependence on lifelong
  access to new knowledge is transforming the
  landscape of higher education and forcing the
  academy to rethink virtually all of its systems
  and traditions
• Strategic Choices for the Academy How the Demand
  for Lifelong Learning Will Re-Create Higher
  Education. By D. J. Rowly, H. D. Lujan, M. G.
  Dolence, Jossey-Bass Publishers, March, 1998.

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A Third Revolution in Learning?
Writing Content of learning made available
anytime, anywhere Books Affordable content
of learning made available anytime, anywhere
Technology Affordable content and interactions
of learning made available anytime, anywhere
Anytime, anywhere is the key idea
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DISTRIBUTED LEARNING
Movie clip removed for Web
.. in a digital world
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A Digital Learning World

• Learning Technologies (ADL), plus . . .
• Distributed Simulation
• Embedded Training / Job Performance Aids
• Communications Infrastructure

Focus Functional Applications - Learners -
Operators
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Magnitude of Education Training in DoD

• Addresses the needs of 2.5 million military
  personnel, DoD civilians, and their dependents
• Includes approximately 30,000 military training
  courses
• Costs about 16 billion annually to operate and
  maintain military schools
• Involves career-long learning recruit, basic,
  advanced, professional development, and education
• Encompasses a broad range of technical and
  decision making skills for both individuals and
  teams

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How Do We Deal With Change? Reuse and Durability
Is this a major impediment to increased and
efficient use of Learning Technology?
Can we avoid reengineering learning content
every time the platform changes?
4 of 30,000 Courses (1997)
Course Redevelopment
12-18 months
12-18 months
12-18 months
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But How To Avoid Shovelware?
This form of structure encourages teachers
designing new products to simply shovel
existing resources into on-line Web pages and
discourages any deliberate or intentional design
of learning strategy. (Oliver McLoughlin,
1999)
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The Learning Technology Continuum
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Improvement due to Technology-Based Instruction
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Advance Distributed Learning Vision
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High-level Direction

• Initiative that started out of the Secretary of
  Defense in 1997 from the Quadrennial Defense
  Review
• Major Milestones
• Nov 97 White House Co-sponsors ADL Kick-off
  Meeting
• Jul 98 NEC requests DoD expand and accelerate ADL
• Jan 98 Exec Memo citing ADL as a model for
  federal agencies
• Jan 99 Exec Order tasking DoD to lead
  collaborative standards dev.
• Jan 99 Secretary of Defenses Training Technology
  Vision
• Mar 99 Strategic Plan submitted to Congress
• Jan 00 Released Version 1.0 of SCORM
• Sep 00 Opened the ADL Co-Lab in Alexandria, VA
• May 00 Implementation Plan submitted to Congress
• Apr 01 Released Version 1.2 of SCORM

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ADL Strategy

• Use network-based technologies
• Promote large-scale cooperation to satisfy common
  needs
• Create platform-independent, reusable content
• Develop common specifications for
  interoperability / reuse
• Enhance performance with emerging and
  next-generation technologies
• Provide incentives for organizational and
  cultural change

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Distributed Learning Sites Army Only
475 National Guard
Combined Fielding End State
327 Regular Army
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Why We Need Common Specifications

• Surprising as it seems, before June 2000 we could
  not
• Move a course from one web-based Learning
  Management System (LMS server) to another.
• Run or reuse course content across different LMS
  systems (multiple proprietary vendor tools).
• Create searchable learning content or media
  repositories across different LMS environments.

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Sharable Content Object Reference Model A
software model that defines the interrelationship
of course components, data models, and protocols
such that content objects are sharable across
systems that conform with the same model.
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ADL will be driven by learning objects that can
be discovered in a repository and shared
between learning applications. What Is a
Learning Object?
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Learning Objects
A learning object can be compared to a LEGO
which can be snapped together with any others
piece. In the world of learning content, we see
the opportunities if we were able to have the
same standards to reuse and assemble or
disassemble content. Wayne Hodgins IEEE
Learning Technology Standards Committee
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Sharable Content Learning Objects
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LO 2
LO 1
Shared Object (Sharable Content Objects)
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Instructional Designer / Faculty Issues

• Designing small, modular units that stand alone
• Designing learning objects for multiple contexts
  of instruction
• Standardizing instructional content to be
  interoperable
• Tagging instructional units to be held in a
  repository

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Technology Issues

• Meta-data identification of LO content,
  structure, etc.
• Search and retrieval discovery of LOs
• Aggregation assembling LOs
• Sequencing arrangement of LOs for instruction
• Look and feel customize the learning experience

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What Makes This all Happen?

• Specification Groups
• Plugfests 5 have been held
• Incentives, including potential profits
• ADL Co-Laboratories

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ADL Co-Laboratories
An open collaborative environment for sharing
learning technology research, development, and
assessments. The Co-Lab goals are to

• Develop and refine the SCORM
• Assess ADL tools and prototypes
• Facilitate collaborative resource sharing
• Collect and disseminate data and lessons learned
• Conduct tutorials and demonstrations
• Support and advise federal, state, and local
  agencies, and private-sector partners

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ADL Co-Labs
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University of Wisconsin Academic ADL Co-Lab
The Pyle Center
Madison Campus
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Worldwide Network for Learning Technology
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The State of E-Learning in the States, National
Governors Assoc, June 2001
Of the three elements of e-learning -- content,
technology, and know-how --content is becoming
predominant, with spending on content now
overshadowing expenditures on technology 51.
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Tools for Learning Objects
Under development by various vendors

• Learning Management Systems
• Course Management System
• Collaboration Tools
• Aggregation Tools
• Repository Tools
• Authoring / Content Creation

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Questions?
www.adlnet.org secretariat_at_adlnet.org Robert.Wis
her_at_osd.mil