Adding semantics and context to media resources to enable efficient construction of learning objects

No matter which pedagogical method of delivery is selected by an instructor, there is a need to develop appropriate content for the learner. The content may be original, published or a combination of both. Published material may take many forms, and one form that is rapidly growing in popularity is that of a sharable learning object. Many repositories are being built where learning objects are stored for sharable access, and meta-data is added to give each learning object a context. Crafting a course of study may require a combination of sharable and personal learning objects. In many instances an instructor/facilitator may only require part of a learning object, such as an image, rather that the entire learning object. This paper describes a meta-data model that would standardize the description of a media resource, by tagging the resource with derived and annotated metadata. Further, this would allow the resources to be given-a context for efficient inclusion into a course.