Expert centred vs learner centred approach for evaluating quality and reusability of learning objects

The aim of the paper is to present and compare so-called bottom-up and top-down approaches for evaluating quality and reusability of learning objects (LOs). The paper proposes bottom-up methodology that outlines the central role of learners' individual and social behaviour while working with LOs. This includes social tagging and some parameters of interaction for measuring context to describe LOs usage, attention, and other aspects of the context as well as helps to exploit context data towards making LOs repositories more useful, and thus enhance the reuse. The paper also presents top-down methodology for the expert evaluation of LOs quality and reusability. This methodology consists of consecutive application of several scientific approaches, methods, and principles. The authors investigate how these two different, however complimentary approaches for evaluating LOs quality and reusability can be better applied for the aims of eQNet project in order to select reusable ("travel well") LOs for implementing in different educational contexts and countries. These approaches could be considered as suitable applications of information and communication technologies (ICT's) for development of human capital. The examples of practical application of these approaches for evaluating LOs quality and reusability in eQNet project are also presented in the paper. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.