Here are the goals of the project. This is not The Truth, just what I think at the moment. Please comment, so we can understand things better.
LCAS, LS, and learning science
LCAS helps authors create learning content, in the form of a Web site, called a Learning Site (LS). An LS is designed to help students learn new stuff, that is, advance from one knowledge state to another. Currently, the best example of an LS is http://coredogs.com/.
LCAS helps authors build LS that implement principles from learning science research. Learning science researchers study how people learn, and how teachers etc. can help them learn more effectively.
Useful principles include:
- Outcome-based learning. Decide what you want students to know and be able to do at the end of the course. Work backwards from that outcome to define the course .
- Deep learning. Don't just give facts. Help students learn how to use them.
- Formative feedback. For a construction exercise, give students a list of what they did right and wrong.
- Mastery learning. Students must learn a topic well before they can move on to the next topic.
- Metacognition. Help students use efficient learning processes.
- Nudging. Monitor student performance. Nudge those who fall behind.
- Badges and levels. Gamification techniques that motivate some students.
An LS has content, which can be text, video, audio, animations, etc.
An LS has tools, like calculators, and notation tools.
An LS has exercises.
LCAS is supported by a course design guide, and a community. The course design guide is a wiki explaining how to author an LS based on learning science principles. It is more than a user manual.
The community helps authors, instructors, students, and others make best use of LCAS.
LS content
Content is organized in trees. A content tree often maps to a single course. An LS can have more than one content tree.
Content trees have chapters. Chapters have pages. Pages have content and, optionally, subpages. There is no limit to tree depth.
Content trees are usually designed to be worked through in sequence. (Chapter 1, page 1), (chapter 1, page 2), etc. Authors design the sequence for effective and efficient learning.
A page can mix media. LCAS does not assume that video is the preferred content type.
An LS can have a Resources section with content that is not part of a content tree.
Content is tagged with keywords. Users can access content via a keyword list.
LCAS lets tools and exercises be embedded within content.
LCAS/LS tools
LCAS has tools to help authors create LS. It also embeds tools within each LS, to help instructors, students, and others use the LS.
Author tools
Design tools
These tools support an LS design process explained in the guide. The tools help authors:
- Document assumptions about students' knowledge state at the beginning of the course.
- Document other assumptions about the context of LS use, e.g., software available to students, and course length.
- Choose course outcomes.
- Create a prerequisite graph, that is, a graph showing which concepts/skills are prerequisite to other concepts/skills.
- Define exercises.
- Define patterns.
- Map a prerequisite graph into a set of chapters and pages.
- Keep notes on implementation.
Construction tools
These tools help authors implement the design.
- Content editors, like CKEditor.
- Templates/styles for inserting useful content objects, like characters (pedagogical agents, of a type), notations, and hints.
- Tools for making exercises, with sample solutions, grading rubrics, configuration options (e.g., whether students can see a solution before they have completed the exercise), notes for instructors and reviewers, and maybe other things.
- Tools for inserting exercises into content.
- Tools for making patterns, and inserting them into content.
- Content organizers, helping authors arrange pages.
Author group tools
Each LS has el jefe, called the director.
- The director has tools for creating the roots of content trees, publishing/unpublishing entire content trees, authorizing authors, and other jefeness.
- Author discussion tools.
Social tools
There'll be a social site for authors to help each other. LCAS will have links to that site.
Instructor tools
Instructors manage courses that use an LS.
Important! How these are done will depend on LS integration with an LMS (using LTI/SCORM/TinCan).
Content customization
- Make content and exercises required/optional/hidden.
- Create annotations that will be available to all students.
- Create custom pages.
- Create custom patterns.
- Create custom exercises.
- Create custom tools.
Student management
- Manage student membership in courses.
- Review student performance, at the individual and aggregate level.
- Comment on student exercise solutions.
- Create student groups.
- Communicate with students and groups.
Social tools
There'll be a social site for instructors to help each other. LCAS will have links to that site.
Reviewer tools
Reviewers evaluate students' work. They give formative feedback. They answer students' questions about the feedback.
Student tools
- Create/edit exercise solutions. The most important tools, for skills classes anyway.
- Read feedback, and (maybe) respond.
- Work tracking. What the student has done so far.
- Annotation.
- Domain-specific tools. Calculators, spreadsheets, drawing tools, whatever is needed for the particular domain.
- Group-work, study group, and other social tools.
Exercise solution tools need to be able to show how students' created solutions, where appropriate. Consider, for example, an algebra course. Perhaps students write their solutions on paper, photograph their work with a cell phone, and send the photo to the LS. Or maybe they use a track pad.
LS theme
The Weber is the human who sets up the look-and-feel of the LS. Also sets up menus, creates noncontent pages, other Drupal site builder things.
If the LS is so configured, instructors can modify the LS's look for their courses. Show their school colors, for example.