A Study of the Design and Evaluation of a Learning Object and Implications for Content Development

This paper reports on a case study that examined the process of designing and evaluating a learning object to help students understand the therapeutic principles of drug administration. The challenges and issues associated with creating learning objects using interactive multimedia software will be described. The study had two broad objectives: (1) to analyze and document the process of designing a learning object and (2) to evaluate the outcome of applying these practices. To achieve its purpose, this illustrative case study examined the following areas, 1) theories of learning and cognition that influence the design of learning objects; and 2) instruments that can be used to assess the quality of the learning object and to provide designers with information for improving the learning object. The results from the evaluation revealed that the learning object was rated highly in the areas of content quality, learning goal alignment and motivation. Interaction/ usability and feedback/ adaptation were areas identified as needing improvement. The comments and ratings obtained in the student surveys provided the basis for the learning impact study and indicated that this learning object provides added value for the study of pharmacokinetics.