an overview of learning technology specifications and standards bill olivier director, cetis

An Overview of Learning Technology Specifications and Standards

Bill Olivier

Director, CETIS

Learning Technology Standards

• Benefits• Who is doing what globally & in the UK?• What is a specification? What is its lifecycle?• What stage are current specifications and standards at?• De facto & De Jure standards• Supporting actions

Why?

• The Internet is founded on open standards

• The Web is also based on the open standards that build on Internet standards

• Learning Technology is creating open standards

that build on Web and other Internet standards

• It is now very hard to see any Internet application for widespread use that is not built on open standards

• iLearning is too big for any one company to build alone - interoperability between systems from many sources

Why?

• The Internet is based on open standards

• The Web is based on Internet standards

• Learning Technology is creating open standards based on the Web

• Any widespread Internet application will be built on open standards

• iLearning is too big for any one company to build alone

- need interoperability between systems from many sources

Internet Standards

Web & other Standards

iLearning Standards

What for?

Front of House: CONTENT• Content Vendors want: their content to run on all

platforms• Platform vendors want: all content to run on their system• End users want: their content of choice

to run on their platform of choice

Back of House: SYSTEMS INTEGRATION• Managed Learning Environments will have many parts• Bespoke systems integration is expensive and inflexible

What for?

Open standards aim for:

• Portable learning activities and content– Big savings when moving content

• Reusable learning activities and content – Productions costs offset over many more uses

• Plug & play modular systems– Big savings in systems integration costs– Adaptable systems that are easy to change and evolve

• They also help build & maintain a bigger open market– essential in a young field like learning technology

Technology, Pedagogy & Organisations create an evolving system

Learning Technology

Learning Technology

Specifications

OrganisationPedagogy

VLE/Services

Learner Record - Transcript - PDR

Negotiationof

Learning

Learning Development- Curriculum- Courses- Modules

Course Catalogue Student Record System

Enrolments

Options

ISO Collaborative

Learning

Learning Design

SCORM, Simple Sequencing

QTI Results

Enterprise

HTML, XHTML, XMLPNG, SVG, SMILJPEG, MPEG Digital

Repositories

MetadataMetadata

Content Packaging

QTI

Enrolment

Enterprise

Outcomes LIPTranscriptLIP

Aspirations

Existing Knowledge

LIP

Search & RetrieveContent Packaging

Content Authoring

Test Authoring

Learning Activity Design

Content Packaging

Metadata Tagging

Content Management/ Digital Repository

Publish

Learning Design

SCORM, Simple Sequencing

Learning Set-up

Learning Activities

Results

System /Activity

Data Flow, Transaction

Specification Used

Search & Retrieve

UnmetDemand

Process/Potential System

Key

Co-ordination

Content/Sequencing

Collaboration

Assessment

Lifelong Learner: Personal Development

Planning

Who is doing what globally?

Creating Specifications• AICC (Aircraft Industry CBT Consortium)• IMS (No Longer: Instructional Management System!) • CEN/ISSS (Centre Europeen de Normalisation)

Creating Standards• IEEE LTSC (Learning Technology Standards Committee)• ISO SC36 (International Standards Organisation)

(Standards Committee 36)BSI (British Standards Institution) IST 43

Who is doing what in the UK?

Working with Learning technology Specifications

US• ADL for the US DoD – SCORM

– (Shareable Content Object Reference Model)

UK• JISC – CETIS for F/HE sectors• UfI• BECTa – NlN materials• SUfI• UKeU

ADL

Functions (provides a model for supporting other specifications):

• Gather requirements from its constituency

• Provide a Reference Model for US DoD web-based training

• Reference model integrates specifications & standards

• Provide an Open Source reference implementation

• Support implementers, mainly via Plugfests

• Feedback problems & suggest changes to spec bodies

• Gather new requirements from vendors and constituency

CETIS

Acts as a 2-way link between F/HE & standards bodies

Functions:

• Gather requirements from its constituency

• Develop application profiles with users and vendors– VLE-MIS, ISR/ILR, Dearing Learner Record (Transcript & PDR),

Metadata

• Support implementers via JISC Programmes & Plugfests

• Feedback problems & suggest changes to spec bodies

• Support specialist users via SIGs

• Support more general users via Fora

• Gather new requirements from vendors and constituency

CETIS SIGs

Special Interest Groups• Main Link with F/HE community• Disseminate information re existing and forthcoming specs• Gather requirements expert views and opinions• Learn from experience of implementing and using specs• Mutual support & problem solving• Develop and share good practice

5 SIGs and 3 Fora• Accessibility, Assessment ,Educational Content, Learner

Information and Profiles, Metadata• FE Focus Group, Pedagogy, MLE (Managed Learning Environment)

Two Questions

• What is the lifecycle of a specification?

• Which stage have particular specifications reached?

• The answers to these are critical to the issue of Government mandation or recommendation of specifications

Spec Lifecycle

Needs

LT SpecsMultiply-Sourced

Systems & Content used for Learning

Implement Systems

“Content” Creation& Exchange

R & D

Stages

New Needs

Tasks over a spec lifecycle

Needs

R & D LT SpecsImplement Systems


Multiply-Sourced Systems & Content used for Learning

Plugfests

New Needs

Identify Needs & Develop

Prototype Specs

Input NeedsExperience & Expertise

Define: Application Profiles

Achieve: Interoperability

Support Specialist Users

EstablishGood Practice

Support Effective

General Use

Stages

TestingInteroperable

Systems & Content

Tasks

Standardisation

Key Players over a spec lifecycle

Needs


PlugfestsInteroperable

Systems & Content



Identify Needs & Develop

Prototype Specs

Input NeedsExperience & Expertise

Define: Application Profiles

Achieve: Interoperability

Support Specialist Users

EstablishGood Practice

Support Effective

General Use

StagesTesting

Tasks

Domain Experts & Leading Edge

Developers

Domain & Technical Experts

Academic,Open Source &

Commercial Developers

Specialist UsersEducation & Training Providers

Practitioners

New Needs

Spec Lifecycle

Needs

LT SpecsMultiply-Sourced

Systems & Content used for Learning

Implement Systems


R & D

Stages

New Needs

DevelopApplication Profiles

Application Profiles

• A variant of a specification• Adapted to meet particular needs

– of a (large) organisation, sector, country, the EU, etc.

• Needs have to be identified & requirements specified

• Types– Proper subset – simplified as not all needed– More optional fields made mandatory – increases interoperability– Some mandatory fields made optional– Extended: some new fields added

• First two still compliant with original specification• Last two can produce content that is not compliant with

original specification

Application Profiles

Still needs the same processes as a Specification• Identification of needs & specification of requirements• Changes to be made then have to be agreed between:

– The user community (who, why, what, when, where)– The software developers / vendors (how)

• Documentation produced• Implementation in systems• Plugfests and other tasks to establish interoperability• Development of test suites• Testing Service• Adoption and development of best practice




IMS MetadataIEEE LOMMetadata Application Profiles

QTIQTI Results

Content PackagingSCORM 1.3 (+SS) SCORM 1.2 SCORM 1.1Simple SequencingLearning DesignDigitial Repositories (Systems)

IMS Accessibility GuidelinesAccessibility Addtions to LIP

Accessibility Additions to MetadataDigital Rights Management

EnterpriseUK FE Application Profiles

Enterprise 2.0 (Exchange)Learner Information

UK HE Transcript Application ProfileUK PDR Application Profile

SIF (Schools Interoperability Framework)Spec released Spec in full use

Stage of Spec in Lifecycle (Approx)

What does an LT specification look like?

IMS specifications have usually had three parts:

1. Information Model

2. Binding – so far all have been XML bindings

3. Best Practice Guide (Implementation)

Increasingly will also see:

4. Behavioural Model

5. Service Interface / Transactions / Protocols+ bindings XML-based

De facto & de jure: must work, provide benefits & evolve

• De facto standards are those adopted by the market– May be proprietary – set by the market ‘gorilla’– Internet: usually set by an open body with many participants

• De jure are those set by a (large) purchasere.g. Government / Govt. Department / large corporation

• Conditions for setting a de jure standard:– MUST provide interoperability in practice– MUST enable the exchanges needed to carry out wor– MUST be able to evolve and respond to:

• Changing world

• Changing technology

• Better ways of doing things

Needs, Processes, Use cases, Specifications & Application Profiles

• Specifications must meet interoperability needs

• What trying to do?– What human-level purposes?– How is task divided between humans and technology?– What do users want the ICT systems to do? (Use Cases)

• What systems are involved?– What needs to be exchanged between them?– How are they to communicate this information?

• Globally applicable = LT Specifications & Standards• Locally applicable = Application Profiles

Supporting Actions

• Gathering interoperability requirements

• Translation into Specifications & Application Profiles

• Open Source Reference Implementations

• Developer support

• Working to achieve interoperability– Access to ‘gold’ examples, plugfests, agreed interpretations,

Spec revisions, implementation notes

• Development of Test Suites and Testing service

• eLearning strategist, manager and specialist users support

Creation, implementation and effective use of specifications

• social not just a technical or even a domain issue

• need agreements at each level

• linked set of communities of practice

• CoPs complement specification and standards bodies

(standards bodies a cross between CoPs & work teams)

More Information

CETIS web site:• Introductory and background material• Information on who does what• News and forthcoming events• Features• Links to sites others involved and to other sources• SIG pages: extensive information on particular

specifications

http://www.cetis.ac.uk

an overview of learning technology specifications and standards bill olivier director, cetis

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