Research Community Projects
Research projects
eLanguages is involved in various community-based research projects developing and studying aspects of eLearning pedagogy and practice. We have led the following projects:
- L2O Sharing Language Learning Objects
- MURLLO (Management, Use and Re-purposing of Language Learning Objects)
- DeTCOLM (Design Tools for Creating Online Learning Materials)
- CLAReT (Contextualised Learning Activity Repository Tools)
- The Language Box: A Faroes Project Repository for Sharing Language Learning Resources in Distributed Social Spaces
L2O Sharing Language Learning Objects
L2O is a JISC-funded Distributed e-learning Pilot Project. Led by the University of Southampton, a consortium involving 4 regional partner hubs, the Universities of Reading, Portsmouth and Surrey, have generated online re-usable learning objects (RLOs) from existing learning materials. These have then been tagged, stored and can be retrieved from the Project's customised learning object repository, CLARe (Contextualised Learning Activity Repository), by learners and teachers for independent learning, classroom-based learning or blended learning according to particular need. In broad terms, L2O has aimed to evaluate the feasibility of re-using learning resources across the regional community and in different educational and teaching contexts, and for different purposes.
MURLLO: Management, Use and Re-purposing of Language Learning Objects
The MURLLO project addresses some key issues that have been identified as critical success factors for effectively managing, using and re-purposing re-usable learning objects (RLOs). These involve the need to add context-rich metadata to assist in resource discovery and material selection; the need for more streamlined manipulation of resources, and an improvement in the ease with which resources can be re-used or re-purposed.
MURLLO tests models for collecting context-rich metadata, for IPR management of online resources and for identifying suitable business models for licensing content. These inform the development and testing of 'open source' tools. Innovative development allows practitioners to use a Wiki-type tool for editing and storing revised content and an 'online shopping trolley'-type tool for selection and export of collections of RLOs.
DeTCOLM: Design Tools for Creating Online Learning Materials
This is a project for JISC / Higher Education Academy which investigates the processes enabling educators to repurpose learning resources into online material. It involves the creation of tools and templates for online activity design; the delivery of these tools, through training, to partner institutions; the provision of support resources to users of the tools, and review and assessment of the tools in the light of practice.
CLAReT: Contextualised Learning Activity Repository Tools
This project explores and analyses the meaning and usefulness of contextual metadata to educators in relation to Re-usable Learning Objects and sharing expertise and practice. The project also involves the conceptual mapping of the teaching and learning domain, in addition to the creation of web services such as 'tag clouds', social software such as MySpace, and RSS feeds to facilitate the sharing and discovery of resources.
The Language Box: A Faroes Project Repository for Sharing Language Learning Resources in Distributed Social Spaces
The Faroes project is a JISC-funded Capital Project led by the Learning Societies Laboratory in ECS at the University of Southampton, and supported by pedagogic experts from the University of Portsmouth, and from Modern Languages and the Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies at the University of Southampton.
