Whats the difference between RLOs and Computer-Assisted Learning (CAL)?
In principle, none: both RLOs and CAL are computer applications to support learning. In practice, RLOs are small, ‘bite-sized’ chunks of e-learning focussing on a particular narrow topic (eg drug half-life), containing typically 15-30 minutes of learning material. CAL applications are much larger, usually disk-based, packages containing many hours if not days of instructional content, exploring a particular topic (eg the autonomic nervous system) in detail. RLOs are more flexible than CAL applications and can be developed in much shorter timescales, but at the cost of depth of instructional content. An important difference is that SoNM RLOs can be accessed anywhere there’s a web browser and an Internet connection, whereas University CAL applications can only be run on campus or from disk. RLOs are not better than, or intended to supplant, ‘traditional’ CAL packages – rather, each should be used in appropriate contexts, and RLOs and CAL may often be used together. A case of horses for c
