Continuous refinement of reusable learning objects: The case of the interactive graphing object

The development of reusable learning objects (RLOs) is currently gaining popularity in higher education and schools. There is a need for reusable learning objects that are more than a collection of 'learning assets'. This paper describes a new incarnation of an earlier computer-based cognitive tool, the Interactive Graphing Tool (IGT). The original tool enabled students to sketch a graph on screen, using the mouse as a drawing tool to respond to a wide range of common graph types. Students could adopt an iterative approach to articulating and understanding graphical representations of knowledge. The Interactive Graphing Object (IGO) is intended to address some of the limitations of the IGT (technical, functional and pedagogical) by increasing the range of curves that can be interpreted by the underlying software algorithm and providing a more robust and simple-to-use authoring environment. Copyright © 2004 The Association for Advancement of Computing in Education.