Abstract
The definition of 'learning object' is still subject to debate and controversy, causing some degree of ambiguity. Proposed definitions differ in terms of broadness of scope, focus on reusability and requirements on metadata, among other characteristics. Nonetheless, if we approach the definition from the narrower perspective of engineering software systems that deal with learning objects, they can be characterised by the scenarios they are capable of engaging in or by the services for which they provide support. This connects the concept of metadata quality with a situation-specific definition of learning objects. Consequently, a resource may be considered - from the automation perspective - as a valid learning object in a given scenario, while in others it should be discarded due to the lack of certain characteristics. Since automated processes and Web services can be unambiguously specified, this definition enables the specification of conformance profiles with precise and specific requirements on learning objects.