Investigating the suitability of pedagogical descriptors for digital learning resources

This paper reports on the initial work conducted by a project focussed on exploring how learning objects could be used by university teachers and instructional designers to create learning experiences for their students. The project's aim is to devise a Smart Learning Design Framework to guide the development of quality learning experiences. The framework is based on the concept of a learning design within which learning objects can be integrated. The premise is that learning objects are reusable and if effectively described with metadata, they can be retrieved and incorporated into a learning design. Pedagogical descriptors within the IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM) standard were examined to determine their suitability for use in this project. The findings indicate that some enhancements to these descriptors are required.