The Structure and Operation of AtaNesA Object Repository

Abstract

World scale academic institutions, professional organizations and associations have been showing a great effort to offer their networks and databases to leaming environments. Learning Objects Repositories (LOR) is one of the methods of achieving this goal. LORs which contain metadata and other learning objects, include such funetions as categorization, search, access and member monitoring system. Since LORs can provide reusable and sharable leaming objects, they are of great value. Learning Objects, which are based on the object oriented programming paradigm of Computer programming, were introduced to lnstructional Technology by Dr. David Merili and Dr. Charles Reigeluth. The underlying principle of this approach is to divide leaming content into smaller chunks and reassemble them in accordance with leaming objjetives. In this study, the stracture and operation of the AtaNesA, which is a LOR developed at Atatürk University, Kazım Karabekir Faculty of Education, is presented. AtaNesA, which has been developed in accordance with intemational and national standards, contains more than 9,(XX) different types of leaming objects from chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and other subjects at secondary and higher education levels.