Reusable Learning Objects to Support Soil, Water, and Environmental Education.

Traditional distance education has been constraint by experts/specialist to produce and reproduce digital learning material and closed (password protected) learning spaces that are focused on courses or larger learning modules. Recent shifts towards user-generated online learning content and open learning environments that are focused on smaller learning chunks have received attention. The Web 2.0 movement has facilitated to build online user communities in which people are empowered to actively participate in creation of learning material.     We developed the EcoLearnIT (http://EcoLearnIT.ifas.ufl.edu) system that provides access to Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) which are small learning units. Learning content in EcoLearnIT is focused on soil, water, and environmental sciences, ecology and agricultural management, which are current thematic areas underrepresented in open-access educational online systems. The learning material is peer-reviewed (published) and shared among EcoLearnIT users. Users can participate as: (i) authors or author-teams to create RLOs, (ii) instructors to include RLOs in courses, or (iii) learner to search for content, browse, rate RLOs, and learn.     An RLO is a type of online instruction that provides a digital educational resource that can be reused, scaled, and shared from a central online repository in the support of instruction and learning. RLOs in EcoLearnIt consist of: (i) RLO title (theme), (ii) learning objectives, (iii) knowledge/instructional component, (iv) assessment component, and various mandatory entries such as author name, keywords, target audience, and level of complexity of learning material.    Content to build RLOs can be implemented (uploaded) in various digital formats including text, artwork (various graphics formats and Power Point), video and audio files, and Flash animations to add interactive features. To mix different digital media provides an opportunity to create stimulating learning material that engages learners. Uploaded material is compiled on-the-fly and a Flash wrapper encapsulates the completed RLO to provide a common feel and look.