Challenging the Mortality of Computer Assisted Learning Materials in the Life Sciences: The RECAL Project

Abstract

The development and use of computer assisted learning (CAL) materials in the life sciences is well established and, in the UK at least, significant resources have been provided to enable this. Some years on from when the major investments took place teachers are facing the problem that the technologies used to develop and deliver the CAL programs have become obsolete in the face of rapid and constant changes in desktop computing. The content and pedagogical design of these programs were intrinsically tied to their delivery technologies such that when the technology becomes obsolescent the programs are either abandoned or redeveloped again and again at a significant cost in time and resources. The RECAL project, based at the University of Edinburgh, is developing methodologies that make use of new ways of abstracting and managing a CAL program’s assets, pedagogical design and run-time components to allow for much greater longevity and flexibility of such materials. This paper is an introduction to the RECAL approach, its use of common standards and specifications for describing materials and educational activities and how this can benefit developers and users of CAL materials.