Learning Object Repository (LOR)

What is Possible with ICON's Learning Object Repository (LOR)?

• Store single copies of course content files that can be linked to multiple ICON courses.
• Share course content files between ICON courses.
• Share course content files with other instructors.
• Preserve valuable University server space.

9 October 2007

What is the Learning Object Repository (LOR)?

Many ICON courses have content files that require large amounts of University storage space and/or are used in multiple courses or over multiple semesters. To help preserve this valuable — and finite — space on the ICON server, we have set up the Learning Object Repository (LOR). Files hosted in the LOR can be linked to multiple ICON courses, thereby avoiding duplication (and saving instructors time during course setup). Instructors with large or numerous content files are encouraged to "publish" them to the LOR and then create links to the LOR from their ICON courses.

Items published to the LOR are called "learning objects" (or just "objects"). A learning object can be an individual file or a set of files organized as a content module. If the latter, the hierarchical file structure is maintained, and the module can be linked to multiple courses the same way individual files can.

Students access materials hosted in the LOR through links on an ICON course Course Content menu. The LOR's basic search function locates files using descriptive terms instructors enter when they publish the files. These descriptive terms, called "metadata," are very important in locating LOR materials, since lists of LOR content cannot currently be generated, and because the LOR cannot be searched by the full text of files.

Publishing materials to the LOR actually copies the files from the ICON course in which they originated. When a file or set of files is published, a new copy is usually created in the LOR. Thus, it's important that instructors delete duplicate copies of the files they publish, whether those duplicates are in individual ICON courses or in the LOR.

Most instructors, TA's, and support staff have access to publish and use materials in the Large Files LOR. You can share your materials with other instructors through the LOR, or you can "hide" your materials so only you and your students can find or view them. Only you can delete the materials you publish to the LOR. Files cannot be edited once they are published; to update files, you must edit them in your ICON course and then re-publish them.

9 October 2007

Acceptable File Types in the LOR

Some file types that usually work in ICON cannot be stored in the LOR because the publishing process cannot read the file structure correctly.

• File types that can be distributed through the LOR include .aiff, .csv, .doc 2003, .jpg, .mov, .m4a, .mp2, .mp3, .mp4, .mpg, .pdf, .png, .pps 2003, .ppt, .pptx, .sav, .spss, .spss doc, .swf, .txt, .wav, .xls, and .zip.
• File types that can NOT currently be distributed through the LOR include .asx, .flv, .wma, Adobe Presenter files, and Articulate files.

Individual audio and video files that are over 2 MB should be offered as streaming media. These large media files should therefore be put on a streaming server instead of in the LOR. However, links to the files on the streaming server can be stored on the LOR if you want them to be organized with other files in the LOR.

You can publish a zipped file, but in order to view or use the contents you will need to retrieve it from the LOR and unzip it in the Manage Files area of your course.

If you have questions about a file type, contact ICON-Support.

11 January 2008

Publishing to the LOR

You can publish a single file or an entire content module at one time to the LOR. If you publish a content module, its hierarchy of files will be maintained. This enables you to publish an organized set of files quickly. However, the content module will be published as a single learning object, so you will need to link to it (on your course Course Content menu) as a set. If you want to link to its files individually, you will need to publish them one at a time.

The following steps are for publishing to the LOR from the Manage Content area, which is the only way you can publish a content module. You can also publish a single file from the Manage Content page, in which case it is referred to as a "Topic." If you haven't yet posted the file to the Course Content menu, you could alternatively publish it from the Manage Files area. (Of course, you would need to upload it first.)

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. Click the Publish to LOR icon to the right of the topic or module (to publish the whole course, click the Publish to LOR icon to the right of the course name (above the topic/module listing). The Publish to LOR page displays. (Note: If you click the Publish to LOR icon for a set of items, they will be published (and consequently retrieved) as a single learning object.)
3. Select a learning object respository from the Destination repository drop-down list.
4. Click the Edit Metadata icon for the topic or for the module as a whole. (You have the option of entering metadata for any of the files in a module, but this could become redundant, not to mention tedious.)
5. Check that the Title field contains an appropriate title for the object. ICON will auto-fill the Title field with the module's name from the course content page, but you can change it here. Changing the Title field in the metadata will not change the module name in your course Course Content menu.
6. In the Description field, enter metadata, including keywords, that will allow you or others to find the item. Put everything in a single Description field. Do not create additional Description fields, since they will not display in Basic Search results. (They would, however, be visible in the Details area for the object.) You may wish to include the following:
   1. A short description of the materials
   2. Your course number and course name.
   3. Your own name. (This will enable you to search for all the materials you have published to the LOR.)
   4. Keywords (e.g., jazz in the example below). Do not place keywords in the Keyword field, because everything entered in an "and" search must be in a single field to be locatable. For example, if Blankstein was in the Description field while jazz was in the Keyword field, a search for Blankstein jazz would not find the object. (Even though the object's metadata contained both terms, the LOR would be looking for both terms in a single field.)

   Example of metadata for a content module:

   Title:	Songs from the 1930's
   Description:	Ten .mp3 audio clips of popular songs from the 1930's, with documents on listening suggestions. 34:105:001 American Music in the Twentieth Century. Barbara Blankstein, instructor. Keywords: jazz, music, American, Ellington, Porter, Gershwin

7. Click Save and Close.
8. Click Publish. A processing window appears, followed by the Publishing Complete page. (If the latter does not appear, click Next until it does.)
9. Your content module is published to the collection. (To check, click Learning Object Repository and search for your content module.)
10. Publishing files to the LOR copies the files. To help conserve valuable file storage space, please delete the original copy from the Manage Files area of your ICON course.

26 November 2007

Searching for a Learning Object in the LOR

Once you have published your file(s) or content module(s) to the LOR, you can search for it (them). The LOR has a number of advanced search options, but if you have added your metadata to the Title and Description fields as recommended above, a learning object (the LOR's term for a file or content module) can be found with the Basic Search function. To perform a Basic Search:

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. Click Add Learning Object (that's right, even though you're performing a search). You could also click Learning Object Repository from the Manage Files tool.
3. Enter your search terms and click Search.
4. To preview an object, click on its title. It will open in a new window.

To get a better idea how the LOR search works, let's look again at the metadata you saw earlier:

Now let's consider a number of example searches and see whether or not they would find this module:

6 November 2007

Linking a Learning Object to your ICON course

Once you have published a learning object (file or content module) to the LOR and located it with the search function, you can link to the object from an ICON course. Your students can then access the object by clicking on a link in your Course Content menu. Here's how to create the link in your Course Content menu:

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. Click Add Learning Object.
3. Enter your search terms (metadata) and click Search.
4. In the Search Results page, click the radio button for the learning object you want to link to.
5. Click Next. The Retrieve Object page displays.
6. The radio button for creating a dynamic link is already selected, so click Next.
7. Select a parent module from the drop-down list, or select None.
8. Click Create Link. A processing bar indicates progress.
9. Click Close.
10. The file is linked to your course. To check, click Content in the navbar.

Like all web links, if you move or delete the object in the LOR, the link will break.

9 November 2007

Deleting an Object from the LOR

If you've published multiple copies of a large learning object (whether it is an individual file or a set of files), please delete from the LOR the versions that you no longer need.

1. Click Edit Course in the NavBar.
2. Click Import/Export/Copy Components.
3. Click the radio button for Import Components. (Deleting LOR objects does not actually involve importing them. This is simply a route through which the delete function is accessed.)
4. Click the radio button for from Learning Object Repository.
5. Click Next.
6. Enter your search terms and click Search.
7. Click the Delete icon at the right of the file's record. You may also select the checkboxes for multiple objects and then delete them together by clicking the Delete icon at the top or bottom of the list of search results.
8. If there was a link to the object on your Course Content page, delete the link. (This doesn't happen automatically.)

13 November 2007

Retrieving an Object from the LOR

If you want to edit a file you've placed in the LOR, "retrieve" the file to your ICON course and then download it to your desktop from there.

1. Click Edit Course in the NavBar.
2. Click Files.
3. Click Learning Object Repository.
4. Enter your search terms and click Search.
5. Click the radio button for the object you want to retrieve.
6. Click Next.
7. Click Download files from Learning Object.
8. Click Browse to select/create a specific folder for the object. It is recommended that you create a new folder, to help keep the files organized, and so that there is no risk of overwriting existing course files that may have the same name.
9. Click New Folder.
10. Enter a name for the folder and click Create.
11. In the Select a Path window, click the title of the new folder and click Select a Path.
12. Click Import.
13. A processing bar reports progress. Click Close.
14. Your object's files will be in your Course Files area. You may now open or save your file(s) to your desktop. There may also be extra files that downloaded with your object. These files are part of the LOR's internal functioning and may be deleted.

13 November 2007

Assigning Hidden Status to LOR Objects

Assigning a hidden status to objects allows you to provide your students access to files hosted in the LOR while not making those files available to other instructors. The object will not appear in LOR search results lists for other instructors, even if they enter search terms included in the metadata. Your students will be able to view your object, however, using the link you create in your ICON Course Content menu.

The easiest way to hide an object is to select the Hide Learning Object check box during the publishing process (on the Publish to LOR page). You may also hide or unhide an object once it is published, however. To assign hidden status to an object that has already been published:

1. Click Edit Course in the NavBar.
2. Click Import/Export/Copy Components.
3. Click the radio button for Import Components. (Setting the visibility of LOR objects does not actually involve importing them. This is simply a route through which the visibility function is accessed.)
4. Click the radio button for from Learning Object Repository.
5. Click Next.
6. Enter your search terms and click Search.
7. Click the Edit icon at the right of the file's record.
8. Beside Visibility, click to check (uncheck) the checkbox for Hide Object.

13 November 2007