Learning Object

A learning object is a collection of content items, practice items and assessment items combined around a single learning objective. The term is credited to Wayne Hodgins and dates to a 1994 working group that used the name, though the same underlying concept is known by many other terms, including content objects, chunks, educational objects, knowledge objects and reusable learning objects among others. The use of learning objects is characterized by discoverability, supported by Learning Object Metadata formalized as the IEEE 1484.12 standard; reusability, supported by specifications such as the IMS Consortium's IMS Content package; and interoperability, supported by the U.S. military's Advanced Distributed Learning organization through the Sharable Content Object Reference Model, with learning objects designed to reduce the cost of learning, standardize learning content, and enable the reuse of learning content within learning management systems.