Editorial Comment
Joseph M. Scandura
I want to thank Ingo and all of the authors for bringing TICL readers up to date on the latest developments, directions and challenges in evolving e-learning standards. As one who has viewed the subject primarily from a distance, let me share some thoughts deriving from the perspective of a theorist. Globally speaking, the standards proposed appear to range from Google-like search, in which little is required other than the learning objects/components (LOs) themselves, to relatively formal relational models (connecting such LOs), such as that proposed by Paquette.
Viewing what has been said globally from a theoretical perspective, it appears that the standards movement could benefit from, indeed appears to be moving increasingly toward knowledge representation as a foundation for the work. “If true, this certainly would be desirable because KR has been the subject of important advances and considerable discussion in TICL in recent years. From my own Structural Learning Theory (SLT) perspective, for example, structural (domain) analysis provides a natural starting point. It offers an indefinitely precise, operational and generally applicable specification of what needs to be learned for success in any content domain, whether narrowly or broadly defined.”
It would be interesting to hear from the authors, or others involved in the standards movement on this subject, either for publication or more informally in the new TICL ning (http://ticljournal.ning.com/) organized by Amy Adcock, TICL’s Managing Editor.