Reshaping the Structure of Learning Objects in the Light of Metacognition

Abstract

This paper is aimed to re-discuss the organization of Learning Objects in the realm of current research on metacognition. After a discussion on the structure of Learning Objects in the light of current standardization initiatives, a new model is proposed that explicitly introduces the representation of the Learning Design, expressed in terms of Metacognitive Framework and of Navigational Aids. Then, an example of the proposed structure put in practice is discussed, by showing the metacognitive framework for a Learning Object devoted to the fan-plate system (a basic experiment in a course on Automatic Controls). In the last section, a Learning Content Management System currently under development, which natively implements our model of Learning Object, is presented.