Harman & Koohang (2005) stated that a learning object “ .. is not merely a chunk of information packaged to be used in instructional settings. A learning object, therefore, can include anything that has pedagogical value - digital or non-digital such as a case study, a film, a simulation, an audio, a video, an animation, a graphic image, a map, a book, or a discussion board so long as the object can be contextualized by individual learners. The learner must be able to make meaningful connections between the learning object and his/her experiences or knowledge he/she previously mastered. “ The above definition asserts that a learning object must have “pedagogical value” and that a learning object is 1) anything digital or non-digital such as a film, a simulation, or a case study, and 2) the ability of the learner to contextualize the object, i.e., the learner is capable of making “meaningful connections” between the object and his/her previous experiences and/or knowledge. Once the contextualization occurs, the object will have “pedagogical value” and it no longer merely an object, it is a learning object. Can all objects be contextualized? Is it necessary for all objects to be contextualized? What shall one call an “object” that is retrieved (and may even have some value other than pedagogical value and/or use) from an open access or commercial learning objects repository labeled as a “learning object” with no pedagogical value? If these objects are not learning objects, but have some sort of value and use, how shall one refer to these objects? Perhaps “informing objects”?
A Methodological Framework to Initiate and Design Transition Governance Processes