In September 2002, fifteen leading practitioners and thought leaders in the world of learning object development from the U.S., Canada, and Australia gathered in San Francisco for two days of intense dialog and discussions. They represented the diverse sectors of business, higher education, and government, but came together for the common purpose of identifying the systemic challenges inhibiting the realization of a functional economy in learning objects. The overall purpose of the gathering was to begin to explore the components of such an economy, and to start to identify obstacles impeding a reality where learning objects are created and shared, not only within sectors, but across education, government, business — and national borders.

Most of the participants were drawn by the prospect of cross-sector collaboration. Several stressed the need to analyze and diminish barriers between business, government, and academia. Others were enticed by the idea of learning from fellow travelers who perhaps saw the world through a different frame. Some came because they had begun to see that the realization of a functioning economy in learning objects was going to require new forms of collaboration.

There was no question that the group was indeed serious about bringing learning objects into the mainstream. Several of the attendees were legendary advocates of e-learning who had worked for years to bring standards like SCORM into existence, leaders like Robert Wisher of the Defense Department’s Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative (ADL), Elliot Masie of the Masie Institute, and Michael Parmentier of Booz Allen Hamilton. Influential authors like Wayne Hodgins of Autodesk and Ellen Wagner of the Learnativity Alliance provided a compelling counterpoint to learning object pioneers like Jim Sphorer of IBM, who led the creation of the Educational Object Exchange (EOE), the first successful learning object repository. Joining these leaders was Gerry Hanley of California State University, and director of the MERLOT project, for several years now the premier repository effort in higher education.

Leading practitioners and training managers like Gerry Lang from Microsoft and Diana Wilkinson of AT&T Business Learning Services kept a realistic focus to the dialog. Emerging Technology Analyst Judy Brown, of the ADL’s Academic Co-Lab at the University of Wisconsin, and Patricia Brogan and Frances Himes of Macromedia helped participants see the technological horizon more clearly. Major national efforts in Canada and Australia were represented by Tom Carey of the University of Waterloo, a key leader in the Co-Operative Learning Exchange (CLOE) and EduSource Canada projects, and Barry Harper of the University of Wollongong, head of the “Use of ICTs in Flexible Delivery” project underway in Australia. Their insights and experiences added a critical international perspective to the discussions, and an expanded frame for considering funding and policy questions.

The group of fifteen visionaries that gathered in San Francisco were thought leaders, all passionate about and deeply committed to realizing the promise of learning objects. It would have been easy for such a group to rush from the discussion of challenges to the prescription of solutions, but this group did not. From the beginning of the discussions, they were very clear that the value that would come from this particular gathering, and the thoughts and ideas that would emerge from it, would not be prescriptions, but rather the impetus for a continuing dialog between business, education, and government leaders about how to realize the vision of an economy of learning objects. The discussion started in San Francisco would have to be expanded, and others invited to participate in devising solutions to these challenges and others that may be identified along the way.

The participants agreed that the very best outcome of the San Francisco forum would be a “starburst” of continuing dialogs — other forums in other settings asking similar questions and looking for answers. As one participant noted at the end of the meeting, “What happened here was extraordinary not only for what happened here, but also simply because is not ordinary to do such things. We interact almost exclusively on our own playing fields. It should not be such a remarkable thing for business, government, and education to work together.”

White Papers

In addition to greatly influencing the direction of the NMC's Learning Object Initiative, the San Francisco Summit resulted in two white papers:

Elusive Vision: Challenges Impeding the Learning Object Economy
In this paper, an overview of learning objects and their value introduces an analysis of the systemic challenges inhibiting the realization of a functional economy in learning objects, and the essential components of such an economy identified.

A Traveler's Guide to the Learning Object Landscape
This collection of summarized articles and annotated weblinks provides a accessible primer on e-learning and learning objects; a guide to key organizations, large scale initiatives, and projects; and summaries of selected articles and papers on learning object standards, pedagogy & androgogy, effectiveness, policy & digital rights, and learning technologies & tools. A final section identifies funding and development links