Zen and the art of learning object repositories: an alternative methodology for creating successful learning object repositories.

Abstract

The vast majority of repositories, whether for research or learning objects, are suffering from a common failing, namely the lack of objects being placed in the repository. This paper seeks to identify the major differences in the way that a project like this would be created in a commercial, as opposed to an academic, environment. The central theme is that repositories projects have a greater success rate if, during the initial stages, the planning issues are identified from a ‘problem based’ rather than a ‘solution based’ perspective. The effectiveness of this approach is witnessed by those repository projects which are successful, including a number created by the University of Derby’s Innovation 4 Learning Unit. Introduction. The University of Derby describes itself as ‘