Transcript E-learning Standards

E-learning Specifications
& Standards
Solvig Norman
Open School British Columbia &
EduSpecs Technical Liaison Office
and
Ann Bowering
Multimedia Learning Group
Industry Canada
AMTEC May 27th 2003
Montreal
Making Sense of
e-Learning Specifications & Standards
“The phrase
‘e-learning standards’
is one of the most
powerful and most
misunderstood aspects
of the e-Learning
revolution.”
The MASIE Center, 2002
“techno-mumbo-jumbo and engineering speak?”
Rapid growth since 1998 of organizations working to develop specifications
and standards for learning technology interoperability.
Piecing all the Concepts Together…
Learning Objects
Mark-Up
Languages
Metadata
Interoperability
Object oriented
programming
Digital
Repositories
Standards &
Specifications
Structured Approach
Modular
approach
Educational
Modelling
Language
Open School British Columbia - Profile
 Core business- content development (K-12)
 Decision to implement structured approach to
content development 1996-1997
 Implemented “SGML” as a technology to support
content design, development, and delivery
 Developed “Document Type Definitions” (e.g., tags)
as content framework of defined structure and
hierarchy for content development
 Following and implementing e-learning standards &
specifications
 Why? To Leverage & maximize content
What are SGML/XML?
 SGML – Standard Generalized Markup
Language
 International standard published in 1986
(ISO 8879:1986)
 Used for documentation with high tech
and publishing industries
 Structure and hierarchy of content
 XML – eXtensible Markup Language
 SGML profile for the Web
 maximize information retrieval and
ease of interchange
SGML/XML EXAMPLE
What is the structure of the content?
Presentation is applied later.
Structure – Course Level
Course (Metadata)
Module(s) (Metadata)
Section(s)
(Metadata)
Learning outcomes (broad)
Formal assessment (Metadata)
Lesson(s) (Metadata)
Learning outcomes (specific)
Topic(s) (Metadata)
Informal assessment (Metadata)
Resources (Metadata)
Repurposing:
Addressing Multiple Audiences




Granular, re-purposed content
Multiple Learner profiles
Assessment strategies
Address multiple standards and
learning outcomes
Information Technology 11
Teacher Education Program
Computer Journeys
Elementary Level
Company Profile
Open School
Before
 Developed content in Word,
QuarkXpress, HTML, other…
 Cottage industry approach to
course design
 Individual course designers
doing their ‘own’ thing
 Lack of management of
content (resided on various
computers/servers)
 Developed “humongous”
print-based courses
After
 Developing in SGML/XML
(single source)
 Consistent approach to
course design & production
(structured approach)
 Digital management of
content
 Implementing metadata
specifications & standards
(e.g., CanCore)
 Output to various media
 Import content into different
LMS
 Developing learning objects
Concept of Learning Objects
Lego Example
Content
is seen as
“building
blocks”
Module from one course
using ‘chunks’ of content.
Module from another course
re-purposing ‘chunks’ of content and
adding new content.
Learning Object Models
 Lego
“Ideal”
concept




Small pieces
Assemble in many ways
All lego blocks fit together
Anybody can put Lego
together
Definitions vary:
• “as small as a drop, as wide as the ocean”
• the context of how learning objects are
used is important
• need the “glue” to tie learning objects
together to create a meaningful learning
experience
 Atoms (D. Wiley)
 Small pieces
 Not every atom is
combinable with every
other atom
 Atoms can only be
assembled in certain
structures prescribed by
their own internal structure
 Some training is required in
order to assemble atoms
A bit more
reality-based
concept
Metadata:“Information about Information”
 Administrative metadata
 Map
 Text
 Interactive
 Image
 Video
(Learning Object)
 Author
 Revision date
 Rights, . . .
 Technical metadata (medium-specific)
 Duration
 Digital format
 Platform requirements, . . .
 Subject classification
 Catalogue system
 Subject heading
 Keywords
Digital Repositories… an Analogy
Labeling = “Metadata”
• Market’s Organic Yogurt (title)
• 2% plain yogurt (description)
• 500 grams (size)
Container of yogurt
= ‘learning object’
Refrigerator = ‘Digital Repository’
• A large storage area for objects
• Different shapes and sizes and content
• Metadata allows for search and retrieval
Janet Bartz 2002
Examples of Canadian Learning
Object Repositories
Campus Alberta Repository of Educational Objects
 http://www.careo.org
LearnAlberta.ca
 www.LearnAlberta.ca
TeleCampus
 http://courses.telecampus.edu/about/index.cfm?fuse
action=introduction
eduSource Canada Project
 http://www.edusource.ca/
The Australian
Experience
 The Le@rning Federation
Project (TLF), Australia
 Developing a national pool of quality online learning for
Australian schools
 Goal – to support teachers in enhancing student
learning
 High quality online content, approved, & developed according to
specifications
 Discrete ‘objects’ to be reassembled and repurposed to meet
particular needs of teachers & students
 Testing and trailing basic tools for selecting, sequencing, and
using learning objects
 http://www.thelearningfederation.edu.au/
European Examples of Learning
Object Repositories
 Learning &
Teaching in Scotland
 Implementing digital
repositories
 Evaluating and testing implementation with teachers
 http://www.ltscotland.com/
 European SchoolNet
 Modeled after our SchoolNet
 Provides access to a wide
range of resources in different
languages
 http://www.eun.org/portal/index-en.cfm
USA-Based Examples
 Multimedia Educational
Resource for Learning and
Online Teaching
 http://www.merlot.org
 Gateway to Educational Materials
 http://www.thegateway.org/
History of Standards
Railway Tracks
 By the late 1860’s nine different train track gauges sizes were in use in
North America.
 Why? Strictly used for local transportation or rival ambitions of the
competition
“Standardization of gauge facilitates the exchange of rolling stock,
enabling freight shipment and passenger traffic to pass over the
track of multiple companies.”
Source: Standardization of Track Gauge on North American Railways (2000) Journal of
Economic History
Standards = Interoperability
E-Learning Specifications &
Standards
WARNING
Many acronyms
ahead!
Tracking & Monitoring
CETIS (UK)
EduSpecs Technical Liaison Office (Canada)
PROMETEUS (EU)
Specifications
AICC
EdNA
GEM
IMS
OKI
SIF
W3C
Test &
Implementation
CanCore
SCORM
USOeC
Standards
CEN/ISSS
IEEE/LTSC
ISO
IMS Global Learning Consortium
 55 contributing members from around the globe
(e.g., UK, Canada, USA, Australia, Italy, Netherlands, Finland)
 Two key activities:
 Define technical specifications for interoperability of
applications and services in distributed learning.
 Support the incorporation of the IMS specifications into
products and services worldwide, promoting the widespread
adoption of specifications that will allow distributed learning
environments and content from multiple authors
to work together (in technical parlance, "interoperate”).
 Working on Specifications that include:
 Learning Design, Metadata, Content Packaging, Learner
Profile, Accessibility, to name a few
 http://www.imsglobal.org/
SCORM
(Sharable Content Object Reference Model)
 SCORM is an e-learning technical specification
developed and adopted by ADL (Advanced Distributed
Learning)
 “accelerate large-scale development of dynamic and
cost-effective learning software and to stimulate an
efficient market for these products in order to meet the
education and training needs of the military and the
nation's workforce of the future.”
 Sponsored by the US federal government
 Being adopted outside of the defense sector
 Version 1.2 incorporates the IMS Metadata & Content
packaging and specifications
 A reference model to test effectiveness/application of
specifications and standards.
 http://www.adlnet.org/
CanCore
 CanCore - the Canadian Core Learning Resource
Metadata Protocol (CanCore) Protocol.
 A “made in Canada” recognized sub-set of the IMS
Learning Resource Metadata Specification
 Facilitates easier implementation of the IMS Metadata
Specification
 Achieving recognition and adoption within Canada
and internationally
 http://www.cancore.org
Bringing it All Together
So, what do each of these specifications &
standards actually do?
Metadata Tagging
We want content to be marked with info so it
can be browsed or searched in a consistent
way.
 Specs: IMS Metadata, Dublin Core
 Implementation: SCORM
 Standard: IEEE LOM
Content Packaging
We want content to be packaged in such a
way it can be moved from one system to
another in a consistent way.
 Specifications: IMS Content Packaging
 Implementation: SCORM
Standard: None
Bringing it All Together..
Enterprise
We want a Learning Management System to
be able to talk to a student record system
(e.g., student info, grades etc.)

Specifications: IMS Enterprise
Questions/Assessment
We want to be able to exchange question and
test banks from one system to another and
be able to track usage and results from these
questions in a Learning Management System.
 Specifications: IMS Question & Testing
Bringing it All Together..
Learning Design (Instructional Design)
We want to design learning that captures
pedagogical diverse experiences, while
promoting interoperability of learning
content.

Specifications: IMS Learning Design
(Public draft recently released)
The “Abilities” of E-Learning Standards




Interoperability
 does your system work with other systems within and between
institutions or organizations?
Re-usability
 can learning objects or resources be easily used in different
subject areas, learning settings, and for different learner profiles
Manageability
 can a system track information about the learner and the
content?
Durability
 will the technology evolve with the standards to avoid
obsolescence? Future Proof!
Content Development & Delivery:
The Big Picture
Learning Content
Authoring Tools
Existing
Content
Repurpose
Create
Chunk
Assemble
Import
Track
LMS
Deliver
Courtesy of Robby Robson,
Eduworks 2002
What Companies are Doing with
E-Learning Specifications and Standards
 Recombo
 Series of products to assist in “tagging” content
 Converting “legacy” content into content that can be
managed and delivered in more flexible ways.
 Odyssey’s Nautikos
 Learning Content Management System
 Meta data tags using CanCore
 eTraffick Solutions
 South Island Distance Education School
 Building a “learning object” approach to second language
teaching/learning
Canadian Interoperability Issues

Feb 18 & 19 2003 meetings with stakeholders from the e-learning
community (federal, provincial, research, K-12, higher education,
industry)

Tools to Support Implementation:

Not there yet…
Tools need to be more transparent and easier to use
“don’t mention the word ‘metadata’ to faculty”
Complexity of implementing e-learning specifications and standards
Early Adopters: Various initiatives are happening on a federal,
provincial, and industry level.
 The “usual suspects” involved, but how do we get the “unusual
suspects” involved to form communities to promote the use and
adoption (e.g., build community of users)?




Getting Started with E-learning
Specifications and Standards
Different situations will have different needs
 Tip #1: Awareness/Familiarity with E-Learning
Standards & Specifications:
 Become familiar with e-learning specifications & standards
(e.g., ARIADNE, IEEE, IMS, Dublin Core, SCORM and CanCore).
 Monitor their web sites, read documents, participate in on-line
discussions.
 Be aware of various levels of emerging specifications such as
metadata or content structures.
 Bring up the issue of specifications & standards in your
organization.
 Get people thinking about it!
Getting Started with E-learning
Specifications and Standards
 Tip #2: Start Small:
 Start with Metadata:
 Design a small set of metadata to accompany your materials in
the form of a simple database.
 Creating Content:
 Begin authoring with a structured approach in mind
(e.g., course = a collection of modules, with sections, with
lessons, with topics & activities).
 Chunk your content
 Use unstructured applications (e.g., content writers in some
organizations use Word templates)
 Content can then flow into a structured model more easily.
Getting Started with E-learning
Specifications and Standards
 Tip #3: Get Involved with E-Learning Standards
& Specifications:
 Process for involvement with various standards bodies is similar in
most cases (some cost and others do not):
 Join as an individual or corporate member.
 Subscribe to email listservs
 Attend quarterly meetings
 Join working groups
 Check out various web sites for more specific information
Canada’s Innovation Strategy
 Goals:
 For Canada to become one of the most innovative countries in
the world
 Improve Canada’s innovation performance to secure
competitiveness and a higher standard of living
 Priority areas:
 knowledge performance, skills, innovation environment, and
skills
 Both papers describe need to strengthen capacity for innovation
and improve the levels of skills within the Canadian population
E-Learning and SchoolNet
 Information Highway Applications Branch of Industry Canada
has developed a number of programs that facilitate the
integration of ICT into learning
 Network of Innovative Schools, GrassRoots (www.schoolnet.ca)
 Canada’s Campus Connection (www.campusconnection.ca)
 Multimedia Learning Group, under the SchoolNet umbrella,
supports applications, tools, models, and practices for e-learning
which enable sharing of learning resources by education
institutions, governments, and business
What is EduSpecs ?
 Goal is to facilitate the creation and adoption of international elearning specifications and standards for Canada
 2002-established EduSpecs Technical Liaison Office; currently
being led by Open School British Columbia (formerly part of the
Open Learning Agency)
 Coordinates Canadian participation on Canadian international
specifications bodies including IMS, IEEE/LTSC,
ISO/IEC/JTC1SC36 to influence development of specs and
standards that reflect Canada’s unique linguistic and cultural
interests
 Disseminates information on specifications and standards to
Canada’s e-learning community
EduSpecs Web Site
 Newly updated and interactive Web site to become primary
vehicle for learners, educators, and practitioners to find practical
information on the application and implementation of standards
and specifications relating to on-line content development
 Detailed information about specifications, standards, learning
objects, and learning object repositories;
 Interactive e-learning communities for e-learning educators and
practitioners to exchange information, share best practices, and
add resources to the Web site;
http://eduspecs.ic.gc.ca
http://eduspecs.ic.gc.ca
EduSpecs Pilot Projects
Description
 Series of trials and experiments explored, evaluated, and tested
use of interoperability standards for on-line learning, digital
learning objects, and learning object repositories in education
community
 Projects involved retrieval/building of learning objects,
exchange, meta data tagging
 Participant: Canadian Virtual University, Canadian Virtual
College Consortium, Ottawa-Carleton Catholic District School
Board, Telus Learning, New Brunswick Distance Education
Network and eduSource
Pilot Projects
Primary Objectives
 Forster integration of ICT into real-life learning
settings
 Help create successful models of collaborative
development of on-line learning
 Test models of effective and efficient practices in the
creation and deployment of learning objects among
various communities of users
 Improve access to quality on-line educational
resources
Pilot Projects
Key Activities
 Forster integration of ICT into real-life learning
settings
 Help create successful models of collaborative
development of on-line learning
 Test models of effective and efficient practices in the
creation and deployment of learning objects among
various communities of users
 Improve access to quality on-line educational
resources
Pilot Projects
Results-Successes
 Ninety-six (96) learning objects were created or found for this
project, approximately 36 of these objects were uploaded to
CAREO. Fifty-four of the learning objects (K-12) were deposited
in a web site or a temporary (LOR- Learning Object
Repositories)
 Increased level of awareness and knowledge of learning objects
and meta data tagging
 Promotional collaboration among educators developing and
using learning objects
 Tested tools and provided opportunities to impact further
development. Fostered discussions around the potential
creation of a virtual community of practice.
Pilot Projects
Results-Challenges
 Building comprehensive learning objects was labour intensive
 Uploading learning objects required considerable persistence
and motivation; retrieval of learning objects was not always an
efficient process
 Numerous technical difficulties encountered during tagging of
learning objects; metadata instructions were too technical and
difficult to decipher
 Perhaps experts rather than teachers could be involved in
learning object development and tagging
EduSpecs: Next Steps





Establishing pan-Canadian network of experts and partners in the
Canadian e-learning community
Undertake further pilot projects to explore, evaluate, and test use of
interoperability standards for on-line learning, digital learning objects,
and learning object repositories among educational organizations
Focus on Aboriginal groups, persons with disabilities, and workplace
learning
Training sessions to introduce educators and practitioners to standards
and learning objects
Forster the creation of a virtual community of users developing and
using learning objects in education settings
A Few Things to Keep In Mind about
E-Learning Standards & Specifications
 E-Learning Specifications & Standards are emerging
as important considerations for content development.
 Supporting new ways of developing content (e.g., notion of
Learning Object, tagged content, structured content)
 Benefits of standards are many & varied:




Mix and match of content
Interchangeable content
Not “trapped” by a particular proprietary learning technology
Manage & track content
 Many e-learning standards and specifications
exist in varying degrees of development.
 Different standards bodies have different roles & responsibilities.
 Often compliment each other in a holistic way.
Resources
 EduSpecs Web Site
http://eduspecs.ic.gc.ca
 MAISE Centre Report
http://www.masie.com/standards/S3_Guide.pdf
 Centre for Educational Technology Interoperable Standards
http://www.cetis.ac.uk/
 Learning Objects (David Wiley)
http://reusability.org/read/
Contacts
Solvig Norman
Open School British Columbia
EduSpecs Technical Liaison Office
250 356 1313
[email protected]
www.openschool.bc.ca
Mary Da Costa
Project Officer,
EduSpecs Program
Industry Canada
613 954 0157
[email protected]
Ann Bowering
Multimedia Learning Group
Industry Canada
[email protected]