Digital

the capabilities and options. That experience
and research has now given us these 71
defined characteristics.
As you read the 71 Characteristics
definitions, it’s important to understand
and distinguish between what the
Learning Counsel considers the “lowvalue”
and “high-value digital curriculum
on a continuum scale based on technical
engagement capability, or user-interface/
user experience (UI/UX) considerations.
At the top of the scale is what we
consider the “fully-adaptive-immersiveenvironment-curriculum-courseware”
or
shorted to Immersive Courseware. We
could euphemistically call this the “Room
of Requirement” (as in Harry Potter-famed
magic room that does anything for you,) or
the Holodeck (as in StarTrek which is also a
science-fiction-imagined holographic room that
creates any environment for you.) While not
rooms, but virtual environments, the reality of
Immersive Courseware is real today. This is not
the same as Adaptive curriculum or learning,
which may or may not be a full course with
scope and sequence along subject or topic lines
but for sure uses Intelligent Learning Engines to
“adapt” using pattern recognition and logic to
give the right questions to the user but perhaps
not entirely new content.
What’s important is that many of the new
commercially available, and some free open
education resources (OER), offer these leaps
ahead with automation. We hope that now
with these definitions you can distinguish
between things of probable high value and
development, and those of lower engagement
value – and fit the right learning elements to
the right subject and use pedagogically.
Again, this Special Report does not address
rigor, only the character of the digital learning
object’s development or programming.
Digital Curriulum Technical Sophistication Scale
71 Characteristics ■ Special Report p 5 of 35