An in-depth discussion of the nature of learning
objects is not the primary objective of this
chapter, as this topic will be covered elsewhere
in this manual. However, in order to discuss
learning object metadata and its potential for
the curation of digital objects it is necessary to
have some familiarity with the concept of
learning objects. Since the term “learning
object” gained common currency within the
domains of learning, education and training
there has been considerable ongoing debate as
to what exactly constitutes such an object and
whether such an object differs fundamentally
from other types of digital objects.