PROFIL: a method for the development of multimedia courseware

Refer to: Koper, E.J.R. (1995). PROFIL: a method for the development of multimedia courseware. British Journal of Educational Technology, 26 (2), 94-108This article from 1995 describes a dedicated method for the design of multimedia courseware, called PROFIL. The method integrates instructional design methods and techniques with software engineering methods and techniques. Furthermore it integrates media selection methods in the design methodology and it takes account of the design of courses of which courseware is a only a part. In six phases (preliminary investigation, definition, script, technical realisation, implementation and exploitation) a program is designed and produced. The essence of the method is that a distinction is made between functional objects and the implementation of the functional objects in the available media and that the same design process is repeated a few times at different aggregation levels

Open Source and Open Standards

Publication reference: Koper, R. (2008). Open Source and Open Standards. In J. M. Spector, M. Merrill, J. van Merriënboer & M. P. Driscol (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology (3rd ed., pp. 355-368). New York: Routledge.The objective of this chapter is to create an understanding of the importance of open source software and open standards (OSS/OS) for e-learning research. Open source is a fundamental new way to develop software, and open standards are needed to make software components work together. It is argued that OSS and OS can improve the convergence of knowledge in the e-learning field, improve the general quality and interoperability of e-learning applications, and improve collaboration between researchers and users. All of these are beneficial and necessary requirements for e-learning research. After a general introduction into basic OSS and OS concepts, the following questions will be answered: a) How does OSS/OS facilitate the technological activities of the researchers in terms of methodology, collaboration and dissemination of results? b) How does OSS/OS facilitate the development of technological knowledge in the field? c) How does OSS/OS facilitate the development of technological artifacts in the field? The development and use of the open standard “IMS Learning Design” (a formal design language for online courses), and the open source applications that are developed to run and present IMS Learning Design courses will be used as an example to demonstrate the use of OSS/OS in e-learning research. In the concluding section we provide some practical information for researchers how to get involved in OSS and OS and how to use it in e-learning research

Stimulating competence development of individuals and organisations in Europe

Summary of the keynote speech for the Book of Abstracts of the Online Educa Berlin, Nov.30-Dec.2-2005. See: http://www.online-educa.com/en/The emerging knowledge society places new demands on both individual workers, groups, and organisations. Central to these demands is the need to continuously develop and manage the competencies which provide a competitive advantage to individuals, groups and organisations. To achieve lifelong competence development there is a need for better integration of learning and knowledge dissemination facilities offered by the different knowledge support organisations in society, e.g. educational institutes, training departments, HRM support organisations, government, libraries, research institutes and others. To build this technical and organisational infrastructure, the EU is funding a new 4 year integrated project called TENCompetence1 (IST-TEL/FP6). There are 13 partners in this project from 9 European countries. In this keynote this new project will be introduced

From Change to Renewal: Educational Technology Foundations of Electronic Learning Environments

Koper, E.J.R. (2000). From change to renewal: educational technology foundations of electronic learning environments [inaugural address]. Heerlen: Open Universiteit Nederland.Translated version of Inaugural Address. Discusses: - Educational Modelling Language - Soft Systems Approaches - Learning Networks Translation from: http://hdl.handle.net/1820/3

Rethinking learning and employment at a time of economic uncertainty:Proceedings of the 6th TENCompetence Open Workshop, Manchester, UK, 19th and 20th November 2009

These proceedings consist of the peer reviewed papers presented at the Sixth TENCompetence Open Workshop. This was the final event of TENCompetence, which was an Integrated Project funded by the EU 6th Framework Programme with the goal of developing a European, open-source infrastructure to support the lifelong development of competences. The workshop took place at the Edwardian Hotel, Manchester, UK, on the 19th and 20th November 2009. The theme chosen was “Rethinking Learning and Employment at a Time of Economic Uncertainty”, reflecting the environment in which results of the project were to be deployed. The eight papers are grouped into three thematic sections: (1) strategic issues related to the provision competence development activities; (2) aspects of the technical infrastructure required to provide flexible support for competence development; (3) the results of pilots which make use of TENCompetence tools to provide competence development opportunities in four contrasting contexts of lifelong learning, outside the traditional context of formal education

Conditions for effective smart learning environments

Reference: Koper, E.J.R. (2014) Conditions for effective smart learning environments. Smart Learning Environments,1(5), 1-17. http://www.slejournal.com/content/1/1/5/abstract doi:10.1186/s40561-014-0005-4Smart learning environments (SLEs) are defined in this paper as physical environments that are enriched with digital, context-aware and adaptive devices, to promote better and faster learning. In order to identify the requirements for ‘better and faster learning’, the idea of Human Learning Interfaces (HLI) is presented, i.e. the set of learning related interaction mechanisms that humans expose to the outside world that can be used to control, stimulate and facilitate their learning processes. It is assumed that humans have and use these HLIs for all types of learning, and that others, such as parents, teachers, friends, and digital devices can interact with the interface to help a person to learn something. Three basic HLIs are identified that represent three distinct types of learning: learning to deal with new situations (identification), learning to behave in a social group (socialization) and learning by creating something (creation). These three HLIs involve a change in cognitive representations and behavior. Performance can be increased using the practice HLI, and meta-cognitive development is supported by the reflection HLI. This analysis of HLIs is used to identify the conditions for the development of effective smart learning environments and a research agenda for SLEs

XML-documentschema’s en e-learning

Versie gepubliceerd als: Koper, E.J.R. (2001). XML documentschema’s en e-learning. Informatie, 43, 30-34.XML kan gebruikt worden om ieder type document op een eigen, uniforme wijze te beschrijven, passend bij de aard van het document. Het document kan daartoe geassocieerd worden met een zogenoemd ‘documentschema’ waarin is vastgelegd welke elementen, attributen en notaties geldig zijn in het document en in welke volgorde ze moeten of mogen voorkomen. Dit artikel beschrijft de waarde van XML in een eLearning context

Changing the Business Model of a Distance Teaching University:The Case of the Open University of the Netherlands

Reference: Koper, E.J.R. (2014) Changing the Business Model of a Distance Teaching University. In R. Huang, Kinshuk, Price, J.K. (eds.), ICT in Education in Global Context: emerging trends report 2013-2014, Lecture Notes in Educational Technology, Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, pp. 185-203 ISBN 978-3-662-43927-2, chapter 11, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-43927-2_11In distance educaton teachers and students do not have classroom contact, but the educaton is mainly delivered through distance media. This dependency on technology makes these insttutes extremely sensible for changes in technologies: from tme to tme fundamental shifs in the business model are needed in order to maintain the quality of their ofering. In this chapter a case study is presented of a business model change of the Open University of the Netherlands in the period 2008 – 2013. The triggers for change and the new business model are presented. The implementaton of the business model is discussed in terms of adaptatons in course development (including the use of Open Educatonal Resources), course delivery, ICT infrastructure, and a revised model for the implementaton of innovatons