Design, development and evaluation of open interactive learning objects for secondary school physical education

The aim of this study was twofold: (a) the design and development of a set of open, interactive, digital Learning Objects (LOs) for high school Physical Education (PE), and (b) the evaluation of the newly-created LOs by PE teachers, experienced both in teaching PE and in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), as to their quality and usefulness, before the dissemination of the use of the LOs in schools. The design and development framework, which was included in an innovative national project, is first presented, followed by descriptions of the 19 LOs that were produced, grouped in two categories (instructivist-oriented and constructivist-oriented LOs). Thirteen (13) of the LOs were subjected to external, summative evaluation by 19 qualified PE teachers, each of whom evaluated all 13 LOs through completing an online evaluation form for each. The form consisted of a standard LO evaluation instrument comprising 4 criteria of quality (interactivity, design, engagement, usability), and of an additional item assessing the usefulness of the LO in the teaching of PE. The LOs were found to be adequate in terms of interactivity, design, engagement, usability and usefulness, which corroborates their suitability for use in schools. Instructivist-oriented LOs and constructivist-oriented LOs were not found to differ significantly in terms of design and usability. However, the latter were found to be significantly more interactive, engaging, and useful in PE teaching than the former. The study provides useful guidance for the future design and development of LOs for PE.