What do application profiles reveal about the Learning Object Metadata Standard?

• Published in: Ariadne (Bath, England) no. 41
• Main Author: Godby, Carol Jean
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.10.2004
• Subjects: Electronic media; Learning materials; Learning Object Metadata Standard; Library materials; Metadata
• ISSN: 1361-3200; 1361-3200

The full text of this electronic journal article can be found at [URL:http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue41/godby/]. As learning objects grow in number and importance, institutions are faced with the daunting task of managing them. Like familiar items in library collections, learning objects need to be organized by subject and registered in searchable repositories. However, they also introduce special problems since, as computer files, they are dependent on a particular hardware and software environment. The conventional wisdom is that a learning object should be accompanied by a metadata record, whose minimal form would contain the information typically found in the description of a book or periodical article, such as title, author, subject, and a unique identifier; but a more complete record would describe the technical and educational context required to activate the learning object and connect it with others to create a rich educational experience for an appropriate audience. These needs motivated the development of the IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM) standard. The most recent draft of the standard, issued in 2002, states that LOM was designed to facilitate the search, evaluation, acquisition, and use of learning objects by learners or instructors or automated software processes. (Quotes from original text)