Projects: New Practices in Flexible Learning: Just-in-time learning assistant

The Just-In-Time Learning Assistant project explores new practices in online development and blended or online delivery. The project concept was to prototype a learning assistant that could complement existing and new online resources and deliver related or support content depending on how the user interacted with the original resource. For branding and end-user identity, the Just-In-Time Learning Assistant was dubbed Your Online Leaning Assistant (YOLA). The YOLA concept is demonstrated in this case with the Building and Construction Toolbox. YOLA supports this Toolbox with a range of small numeracy learning objects. Portability is a key feature of YOLA because: YOLA can be applied to other learning resources the numeracy learning objects can be used either within YOLA or on their own, and YOLA can serve any other learning content it is given so it could provide support in other subject areas.

Theo Kavadias Multimedia Project Coordinator Holmesglen Institute of TAFE Download a video overview of the project - QuickTime (13.3Mb) or MPEG (8.9Mb) Read transcript (6Kb, rtf)

This portability is possible because YOLA uses metadata to cross-reference its own catalogue of resources against the resource it is supporting. Where it finds a match it delivers support content. In this way if a page in the Building and Construction Toolbox is given the metadata tag 'ratio', YOLA will serve the appropriate ratio learning content.

YOLA is both a demonstration of a concept in learning support and what can be achieved if planning and design are given to the application of metadata in online resource development projects. It is also a demonstration of how online content can be given longevity leveraged in future.

Further discussion is detailed in the project report (470Kb, PDF).

There are multiple audiences for this 'New Practice'.

• Preapprentices, apprentices and trainers engaged with the Building and Construction Toolbox may benefit from the deployment of YOLA.
• Any learner or trainer engaged in mathematics at this level can make use of the learning objects provided as stand-alone content.
• Developers and managers may be able to apply both the learnings documented in this report and the structure of the YOLA tool itself to their own design, development and resourcing methodologies.
• Anyone else engaged in online or blended delivery can add or remove learning objects to YOLA and apply YOLA to other online resources.

The Installation Guide provides the following.

• Specific instructions for applying YOLA to the Building and Construction Toolbox. This is a simple procedure of copying and renaming certain files and directories.
• Specific instructions on adding new learning content to YOLA. This may require some support from technical or development roles who can interpret simple XML.
• General instructions on how to add YOLA to other online resources. This may also require support from technical or development roles who can interpret simple XML and instructional or training skills to identify the nature of support required by the original online resource.

YOLA consists of several portable components that have been designed to support the sample Building and Construction Toolbox both in terms of instructional and technical design.

YOLA may be viewed in components of the Building and Construction Toolbox or as a stand-alone demonstration.

This version of YOLA is provided for demonstration only and is not for general use. Users wishing to utilise YOLA with the Building and Construction Toolbox should obtain a copy of the Toolbox and load YOLA as specified in the installation guide.

To run YOLA on your own computer, save the ZIP file and then extract it. To open YOLA once all the files are extracted, navigate to the _yola_engine folder and double-click on the yola_engine.htm file.

	View YOLA with Building and Construction Toolbox components
	View YOLA as a stand-alone
	Download the YOLA stand-alone ZIP file (2.6Mb)
	Download the YOLA Installation Guide for Integrating with Toolboxes and other HTML Resources (1.1Mb)
	Related link: the series 4 Building and Construction Toolbox

The project resources available on-line through the links above, as well as additional video footage, sound and images have been developed into a multimedia resource of 'new practices'. This CD-ROM is available and can be ordered through your local Framework communication officer by completing the online order form.

Order a New Practices in Flexible Learning CD-ROM.

Update - October 2006

Workshops that explore this project are now available as professional development opportunities on a fee for service basis. We invite you to download the workshop resources relating to YOLA by going to our Workshop Resources page on the current Australian Flexible Learning Framework web site.

You can also download details of the professional development workshops for 2006.