International Journal of Technologies in Higher Education
2004, Volume 1, Number 3, 56-63.

The Teaching of Quality: Convergent Participation for the Professional Development of Learning Object Designers.

Griff Richards and John C. Nesbit
Simon Fraser University

Abstract
This study examined the perceived effectiveness of a collaborative evaluation process for teaching qualitative aspects of learning object design in a distance education course at Athabasca University in Alberta, Canada. Working in groups of four, 24 distance students in a graduate level instructional design course participated in two 2-hour audio conferences, using a convergent participation model for the evaluation of learning objects. After the first conference, which featured study and application of the nine criteria of the Learning Object Review Instrument (LORI), the participants independently rated a set of learning objects. In the second audio conference they reconvened to compare and discuss their ratings. Six to nine months later the participants reported favorable outcomes from the experience in their understanding of learning objects, and confidence in determining learning object quality. In judging the impact on their subsequent design efforts, the most frequent comments indicated that the convergent participation experience provided both an appreciation of the complexity of learning object design and a method for judging their quality.

Citation
Richards, G. & Nesbit, J. C. (2004). The teaching of quality: Convergent participation for the professional development of learning object designers. International Journal of Technologies in Higher Education, 1(3), 56-63.

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