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The generic term for computer-based skill-building materials appears to be “Reusable Learning Objects” (RLOs). RLOs are any sort of cloud-stored tool to help students—readings, videos, exercises, cases, essay assignments, simulations, etc. The organizing theme is their specific learning goals. As an instructor teaching a class of future healthcare managers works systematically through the required competencies, RLOs open new opportunities:

• Timesaving: Selecting an object is easier than creating one. At least the beginners’ RLOs can be fully automated. More advanced RLOs can be scored quickly with rubrics.
• More and better student feedback: RLOs can show in detail how a student’s answer compares to alternatives, how classmates responded, and how the instructor’s recommendation differs. Instructor time can be refocused to student questions and struggling students.
• Greater scoring reliability: Rubrics improve consistency.
• Expanding instructors’ ability to analyze responses: Challenging issues and commonalities among similarly scored responses can be identified.
• Identifying educational OFIs: Cohorts can be compared and analyzed. Factors contributing to success can be identified. Over time, RLOs can be evaluated and compared. Classroom performance can be compared with initial professional performance.

So let us build a library of RLOs useful to create healthcare managers, a reference for instructors to plan a sequence of skill-building similar to a text book’s presentation of cognitive material. Each RLO will help students master one or more of the professional acts that support excellence in healthcare management. AUPHA’s Management and Innovative Teaching Forums can be the cloud we need. This is a place for discussion and argument, including critical reviews of specific material. It can also be a catalogue and “links” that make it a virtual library. To make it work, we need a few rules (as few as possible).

RLO Definition

Any “object” should contain:

• an opportunity to simulate a professional action,
• a method for capturing individual student’s responses,
• a method for evaluating and scoring the responses,
• a method for conveying both the evaluation and the recommended response to the student.
• a method for recording scores for collective analysis, with relevant but anonymous student data.

(Note that scoring” is not “grading”. “Recommended/Not recommended” is a score, “Your percent recommended is high enough to pass the course” is a grade. The distinction is the judgement of which scores pass.)

 (RLOs usable for grading must be protected against student cheating. ACHE’s Health Administration Press will soon support a limited access, with easy transfer to most LMS, related to their publications.*)

RLO Criteria

 I propose these criteria to guide RLO designers:

1. Realism: The object should reflect real problems faced by HCO managers.
2. Excellent response or solution: The recommended responses should be those an excellent professional would pursue. (“Recommended” is more accurate than “correct.” Even the simplest problems often have several constructive responses, where the best depends heavily on context.)
3. Best Practice: Recommended responses should be consistent with excellence in HCO performance. They should support servant leadership, evidence-based medicine and evidence-based management. They should apply principles of empowerment, performance measurement, benchmarking, and continuous improvement.

RLO Classification

The library should be accessible by name, author, date, and title, but also by classes that allow systematic search:

1. Subject Area: A classification such as Clinical, Clinical Support, Environmental Service, Logistic, Financial, Knowledge Management, Training, and Strategy could be used and expanded from experience. The Baldrige Framework, (Leadership, Strategy, Customers, Knowledge, Human Resources, and Operations) is an alternative.
2. Difficulty: A difficulty classification, e.g. “Moderate” “Advanced” “Challenging” should guide instructors to tailor assignments to student need. As RLOs are used by varying populations, data can be collected to refine the classification.
3. Type: RLOs cover a broad range. “Type” should indicate how the specific RLO could be used, such as “Multiple Choice,” “Essay Response”, Case Study, “Consulting Assignment”. A second classification might address media: LMS, text, video.

 So I propose to start, with RLOs that I have listed in “What’s In Our Toolbox Now.” My entries will be organized around the textbook I use, but they should be useful to instructors using other material. I’m hoping others will contribute, use, and comment.

* If you are unable to access HAP’s “Learning Suite”, email jrg@umich.edu. I can provide many of these things in an LTI file that probably can be loaded to your LMS. I will want evidence of instructor status.