Unit 4: Cases and Objects

My Initial Reactions

My reaction to Case-based Reasoning (CBR) was very positive. This was another model which I had implemented elements of without knowing the formal term. The context-based models seem very natural ways to learn, and I thought CBR, with the connection to various cases and stories, would be a model I could see being used in many different educational settings. The steps to the CBR (retrieve, reuse, revise and retain) seemed to provide a needed structure to the exploration.

I found Cognitive Flexibility Theory to be a challenging model. It involves learning in complex, even messy contexts-thus learning is interconnected as opposed to the more linear compartmentalized traditional approach in covering units of content. The component of Cognitive Flexibility Theory (CFT) I find most appealing is the focus on the transfer of complex knowledge. This was clear in the Plantation Letters sample lesson we worked through as students. Learners started with the accounts about the plantation letters, but quickly progressed to questions about evaluating the information on the letters and the questions about public health. The learners would take the knowledge gained from the previous scenarios and apply it to create a disaster response plan. The lesson was designed to give a lot of different contexts for the knowledge and learning as well as yield multiple perspectives in an interactive online environment-which it clearly did.

Finally I was familiar with Learning Objects prior to the course, but found the section and materials did increase my knowledge on the subject. I am interested in the ways Learning Objects and the sharing of Learning Objects might continue to progress. The sharing of these resources might be a great benefit to instructors in online environments.


Similarities and Differences
These models all  reminded me of each other and some other models we've studying with the common focus on context, elements of real-world scenarios and problem solving. Goal-Based Scenarios and Anchored Instruction from the last unit have elements of the exploration and problem solving (you might even go back to the PBL model). While CFT lacks the structure of the GBS and Anchored Instruction models, it is clearly in the same family.  Case-based Reasoning is also about contextual learning and would belong in the same group. Learning Objects is in a different category because it is not a learning theory or model but instead resources you might use in a learning theory. Another difference is while many of these models we've recently explored depend on context, a drawback of using Learning Objects may be the loss of context. However some kind of Learning Object could be used appropriately in any of these courses and was a good topic to bring closure to the course.



Would You Use It?
Like most of learning theories we explored this semester, I think there are areas of content these models would be very appropriate for and may make units of study much more engaging and interdisciplinary. However I think CBR would be a little easier to use and think there may be challenges to setting up the CFT model. Challenging isn't bad but the success of CFT in a course or class might hinge on the learners and how prepared they may be to undertake this new model. In addition, the instructor in a CFT lesson would want to be very clear about what the outcomes would be and how learning would be measured because it does lack the structure of a CBR lesson. I could see using Learning Objects if I could find a quality resource that fit my course. If so, I would gladly use Learning Objects, but would caution a Learning Object that doesn't fit the context of the learning or is poor quality would do more harm than good in many courses.

Web-based Tools and Resources
I've listed several tools in these blog posts and both the Case-based Reasoning and Cognitive Flexibility Theory seem to be better suited for a platform rather than a tool. Because the learner would be exploring cases or pages of content it would be good to have a site or platform. The "Plantation Letters" Ning was a good example of the kind of interactive platform that would best be used for these learning models. I think it might be best to find one platform like Moodle, WordPress, Edmodo or Google Apps that offer many ways to communicate, create webpages of content and post resources. You also might be able to accomplish the same environment with a wiki site-which again would allow for the creation of several pages. Two good sites for free wikis are wikispaces and pbworks.
Finally, Learning Objects are available but you'll need to search to find the right fit for your course. Here are some sites to get you started:

• MERLOT is great place to look for free and open resources for  higher education.
• The North Carolina Learning Object Repository (NCLOR) is a little "hit and miss" but it is worth checking out for shared learning objects.
• Another site to check out with a lot of content is the OER Commons . It's a good source for both K12 and higher ed, but you'll need to devote some time to explore. 
• Finally Creative Commons has a page devoted to listing  OER Resources . Again there are several sites here and some may be better quality than others but it's worth looking into.