Frequently Asked Questions about CLARe

What does CLARe stand for?

CLARe stands for Contextual Learning Activity Repository. This is an online store for learning objects and pedagogic resources (assets).

What can I find in the repository?

It contains learning objects and pedagogic assets and their associated metadata (see below).

What is a learning object?

A learning object is an interactive resource which allows a learner to learn and/or practice a learning point connected with a skill, or a subject area. It contains both a resource for learning (pedagogic asset) together with an activity with a pedagogic aim and integrated support and feedback. A learning object can often be used both independently by the learner or in a blended learning context.

What is a pedagogic asset?

A pedagogic asset is a resource, such as an audio extract, that has value for pedagogic purposes. The asset can be either a single resource or a collection of very small resources (for example a collection of 3 x 1 minute lecture introductions). Several pedagogic assets may be related to a single learning object, for example, an audio extract and a transcript of its content. These are assets in their own right, i.e. they represent separate pedagogic assets. Each asset in the repository can be retrieved individually since it has implicit pedagogic value.

What is metadata?

Metadata is information that describes learning objects or pedagogic assets. It has pedagogic and technical value for users since it provides key information such as the level that an activity is aimed at, or the running time of an audio extract.

Which subject areas do the materials relate to?

Currently, learning materials available relate to language-learning or study skills. This bank is continually being expanded to include other subject areas.

Who created the materials?

The materials were created as part of the JISC L2O project and comprise materials initially supplied by developers at the universities of Portsmouth, Reading, Surrey and Southampton. Details about the developer of a particular learning object in the bank can be found in its associated metadata. The future development of the repository envisages other educational materials developers being able to upload materials to the repository.

Who can use these materials?

Anyone who has access to CLARe can download and use these materials for non-commercial purposes.

Why should I be interested in using these materials?

The materials have been designed to be flexible: they can be used in a blended learning/teaching situation or independently by students, for example, they can be closely integrated into a taught, face-to-face course, or used as a resource for students’ self-directed study. Technically, the materials are easy-to-use, interoperable, and suitable for different contexts of use. All materials have been tested with students before being added to CLARe.

What software does CLARe use?

CLARe is running on GNU EPrints repository-creating software, which generates eprints repositories that are compliant with the Open Archives Protocol for Metadata Harvesting OAI 1.1 and 2.0.

The GNU EPrints repository-creating software is available for free at http://software.eprints.org/.