Evaluation of Learning Objects Metadata in the Organizational Repositories of Iranian Universities of Medical Sciences based on the Learning Object Metadata Standard

This research aimed to evaluate and validate the metadata of learning objects in organizational repositories of Iranian medical sciences universities based on the standard of learning object metadata. This research was conducted with a thorough approach, utilizing observation and survey methods. We identified sixteen repositories related to Iranian universities of medical sciences. The metadata elements of learning objects and the standards used in organizing electronic learning objects in these repositories were meticulously identified. The elements from the electronic learning objects of the institutional repositories of Iranian medical sciences universities were then matched with the checklist of standard learning object metadata elements, and their overlap was determined to describe the electronic learning objects in the organizational repositories. The next part of the research involved the implementation of the Delphi technique and the validation of the metadata elements of the learning objects in the organizational repositories of the universities of medical sciences in Iran. A questionnaire was designed for the statistical community, which included specialists in the field of information organization and specialists in the field of e-learning, and was sent out in two rounds. The findings showed that many of the standard metadata elements of the learning object are not covered, and out of the 60 standard metadata elements of the learning object, 25 elements (41%) are covered. Metadata elements related to the life cycle characteristics of electronic learning objects had the highest degree of matching (66%). In comparison, elements related to the genera category of learning objects with six items (60%) of 10 features had the second highest degree of matching. The compliance rate is zero in the Annotation category of the metadata standard of the learning object. The degree of compliance is reported for one item for the description of metadata and the rights of learning objects. The findings from the Delphi rounds showed that in determining the importance of metadata elements for describing e-learning objects, which was designed with a Likert scale (very large to very low), the favourable result was about the presence of metadata elements in the organization. The storage of electronic learning objects in the institutional repositories of Iranian medical sciences universities was obtained with 89.73% frequency. The findings from the first and second rounds of Delphi about determining the correspondence of the metadata elements of the description of electronic learning objects with the standard metadata elements of the learning object showed that 97.24% had the highest correspondence. The potential impact of this research is significant. The findings suggest that in creating metadata schemas and guidelines, it is crucial to ensure their compliance with the chosen standard. The learning object metadata standard, with its breadth, comprehensiveness, and acceptability, emerges as a suitable standard for organizing electronic learning objects in the organizational repositories of Iran's universities of medical sciences. The evaluation of the questionnaire revealed that a limited percentage of experts disagreed with the presented items. However, the evaluators largely agreed with the mentioned items, enhancing the credibility and potential impact of the research.