Learning Technology StandardsStatus & Direction
Robby Robson
Chair, IEEE LTSC
President & Senior Partner, Eduworks
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Outline Who wants standards Types of Learning Technology Standards The standards process Who is doing it Metadata The Learning Content Program Other areas of standardization Testing and certification How to participate Questions and Answers
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What Will NOT Be Covered Details of the standards and specifications
– Best covered in longer workshops Comparative Analyses and Impact on Academic
or Industry Segments– Different topic with different value– Presenter will try to be neutral
All specifications and standards in the world– Specific to learning technology and distance
learning – Limited to what presenter knows– Concentrate on areas of most activity
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Who Wants Standards?
Learning Technology Companies Universities Training Administrators Learning Content producers Consortia
Standards help products work together and enable solutions to scaleStandards help products work together and enable solutions to scale
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The Value of Standards
Standards mark the spot!
StandardsEmerge
Demonstration Adoption
Pioneers
Everyone
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1. LEARNING CONTENT STANDARDS– Describe Learning Content – Package Learning Content – Track the results of Learning Content
2. LEARNER STANDARDS– Store and share learner information– Describe competencies and certifications– Ensure privacy and security
3. INTEROPERABILITY STANDARDS– Integrate components of learning systems– Integrate multiple systems
Types of Learning Technology Standards
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Types of Learning Technology Standards
LearningContent
Learner
Interoperability
Metadata
Packaging
Sequencing
Competencies
Learner Records
Privacy/Security
Architecture
API’s
Protocols
Learning Information
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The Standards Process
RequirementsVision
Use Cases
Testand Use
DefineRefine
and consolidate
AccreditedStandards
Specifications,Best Practice
New Products,Pilot Programs,Testbeds
Consensus,Consolidation,Conformance
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Who is Involved? Consortia – gathering requirements,
producing specifications– Alliance of Remote Instructional and Authoring
Distribution Networks for Europe (ARIADNE)– IMS Global Learning Consortium– CEN/ISSS Workshop on Learning Technology– Customized Learning Experiences Online– Aviation Industry CBT Committee– HR-XML Consortium– Energy Industry CBT Alliance
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Who is Involved?
Testbeds and Reference Models– Advanced Distributed Learning initiative– Advanced Learning Infrastructure Consortium– Education Network Australia– European Commission– Chinese Distance Learning Standards
Committee !!!
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Who is Involved?
Formal Standards Bodies– IEEE Learning Technology Standards
Committee– ISO/IEC Joint Technology Committee
Subcommittee on Standards for Learning, Education, and Technology
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IMS Contributing Members ADL Co-Lab Apple Artesia Technologies Becta Blackboard Boeing Campus Pipeline Centra Software CIC Cisco Systems Click 2 Learn Calif. State Universities Can Studios CMU DETYA Digital Learning Interactive Digitalthink Docent Educational Testing Service
EDUCAUSE Eduprise Epic Group Fretwell-Downing Group GIUNTI Interactive Labs IBM Corporation Industry Canada JISC LON LUVIT Miami-Dade Community
College Microsoft MIT NIST NYUOnline Oracle OU Netherlands Pearson Education
PeopleSoft Prometheus R5 Vision Saba Software SCT SUFI Sun THINQ Thomson Learning UFI Unext UC - Berkeley University of Michigan University of Wisconsin University System of Maryland US Department of Labor Virginia Tech Virtual Education Space WebCT
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ADL Plugfest Participants
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IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee
185 Individual Experts Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada,
China, Finland, France, Korea, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US, the Ukraine, Yugoslavia
Vendors, Government agencies & contractors, Academic institutions, Consulting/solutions firms, other learning technology organizations
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ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 Standards for Learning, Education and Training Membership by National Bodies
– Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America
Liaisons with other organizations and subcommittees Four Working Groups
– Vocabulary– Collaborative Technology– Learner Information,– Management and Delivery of Learning, Education
and Training,
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Metadata Data about data:
– Description of learning resources– Author, title, subject, etc.– Copyright, Cost– Technical requirements– Educational intent and nature of the content
Metadata enables: – Cataloging– Discovery– Retrieval– Interoperability
Ultimately: match learning & learners
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Learning Object Metadata
IMSDublin CoreARIADNE Started 1997
Learning Object Metadata• Almost an IEEE Standard• Many language versions• Used by virtually all content specifications• Coordinated with Dublin Core
Standardization Expected early 2002
Ottawa communiqué:Expected early 2002
EUAUSTRALIAASIA 2000 - 2002IMSSCORM
2001 - 2002
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Remarks on Metadata
It’s the Metadata!– No lack of content but it’s hard to find– People pay for metadata, not content
Metadata Mastery– Modular and extensible– Application profiles for communities of practice– Multilingual– Labels are tokens– Multiple records for a single resource– LOM is structured data
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The Learning Content Program
Existing Content
Learning Content Authoring Tools
Learning Content Authoring Tools
Chunk
Create
Repurpose
Assemble
LearningCatalog
LearningCatalog
LMS
Import
Find
Track
Deliver
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Learning Content Standards
AICC – file and HTTP communication protocols– Includes pedagogic elements– Many existing implementations– AICC concerned with many other things
IMS– Question & Test– Packaging & Sequencing– Digital Repository Interoperability
LTSC: Taking up AICC/IMS specifications
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The Driving Force Behind Content
ADL/SCORM– Combination of AICC, IMS, IEEE and other work– Learning objects are shareable content objects– Addresses packaging, assembly, sequencing,
communication and metadata
SCORM versus AICC– JavaScript API– Fits into IMS Packaging– Explicit use of LOM
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OTHER AREAS OF STANDARDIZATION I
System interoperability– IMS Enterprise– XML, SOAP, etc.– Open Knowledge Initiative (IMS/ADL/Open Source)
Learner Information– IMS Learner Information Package– SC36 Personal And Private Information, Identifiers– Competencies (HR-XML), Competency Definitions (LTSC)
Collaboration– SC36 work
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OTHER AREAS OF STANDARDIZATION II
Architecture, Vocabulary, Platform Profiles, Communication protocols etc. (LTSC & SC36)
Accessibility– Major issue in Europe and North America
Quality (CEN/ISSS) Learning Design and Architecture
– Educational Modeling Languages (CEN/ISSS, IMS)
Digital Repositories– IMS Group– OCLC
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Testing and Certification
Needed for consumer and industry confidence
AICC has certification program in place IMS planning to enable testing ADL has developed test suites An important IEEE LTSC role is to work with
certification and testing labs
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Invitation to Participate
The IMS Global Learning Consortium Contributing Members:
specification development, review, approval leadership
Developers Network Members: exchange of tools, techniques, and trials
Dissemination and Participation: workshops, briefings, information, setting up
program to enable conformance testing
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Invitation to Participate
The Advanced Distributed Learning initiative
Co-laboratories corporate, federal, and academic
Dissemination and Participation publications, plugfests, work with other organizations
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Invitation to Participate
The IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee
Working Groups standards, technical reports, guides open, consensus-driven process with due
process and right to appeal
Dissemination and Participation publications, liaisons with other
organizations open to all with a material interest
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Questions & Answers
Email: [email protected]
IEEE LTSC: http://ltsc.ieee.org