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Adding Web-based Learning Objects to your Online Courses

Before deciding that you need to create a learning object from scratch, review the following guide on MERLOT (Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching). “MERLOT is a free and open resource designed primarily for faculty and students of higher education. Links to online learning materials are collected here along with annotations such as peer reviews and assignments.” (MERLOT website (www.merlot.org).

The guide, created by CIDD staff, highlights some of the features of the MERLOT website. This guide does not endorse any of the artifacts/learning objects that are included on the MERLOT website.

MERLOT Guide

1. Go to the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) website at http://www.merlot.org.
2. Review the MERLOT website (its navigation and how to explore the contents). Do this by reviewing the links on the Home page (http://www.merlot.org/Home.po) under What would you like to know?
3. There are a number of ways to search MERLOT. Review the Search Tips provided before you initiate your search for materials/artifacts (http://www.merlot.org/help/SearchTips.po).
   1. General Search
   2. Advanced Search
   3. Browse Materials by Subject (Arts, Business, Education, Humanities, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Sciences).
4. After your search, you will get a list of items that match your search parameters. Clicking the title of an item will take you to the Detail View for that item. The detail view includes the following information:
   1. Average Ratings
   2. Type of learning object (tutorial, simulation, etc.)
   3. Location (url)
   4. Primary Subject Category
   5. Author
   6. Submission date and Modification date
   7. Description of the item
   8. Primary audience
   9. Technical format
   10. Languages
   11. Submitted by
   12. Cost involved in use
   13. Copyright and other restrictions, and
   14. Source code availability.
5. Once you find a learning object/artifact that you would like to include in your Blackboard course or link to it from your website, you will need to copy the url and link to it from your Blackboard course or website.
6. Become a MERLOT Member (free) and create your own learning objects/artifacts collection. This allows you to create a collection of objects that are of interest to you. You can also contribute your materials to MERLOT for use by others in the MERLOT community.

Webmaster CIDD
Last Updated May 13, 2004