Integrated... Interoperable... Institutional... Implementation...

Facilitating VLE - Library Integration using IMS Enterprise?

Project Objectives

● An overview of the findings from work undertaken within Strand 2 of the 4i project.

● This area of development focused on the development of technical integration methods to facilitate better interoperability between diverse systems and platforms.

● Institutional solutions implemented and recommendations for future standards developments are presented.

Session Overview

● Why integrate VLE and Library systems?

● 4i Project - a live use case scenario

● Benefits of metadata facilitated VLE - Library integration

● IMS Enterprise (& other) requirements

Why integrate the VLE & Library?

● All courses (traditional and virtual) require supporting resources

● Campus based students have ready access to the Library and all its services

● Remote users may not appreciate library services available

● Need to ease and integrate access to knowledge resources for all students (FT, PT & distance)

Synergy between System Organisational Models

VLE● Institutional (My WebCT)● Course (Programme)● Module

Library● Institutional ● Campus?● Subject / Department● Course / Module

resource lists

Project Stakeholders

● Academics / Students (learning experience)

● Librarians

● Information Services systems teams

● VLE vendors

● Library systems vendors

Drivers for Change

● Rapid roll-out of Distance Learning courses― Language and time zone issues*

● Changing student culture― Increasing demand for off campus library access by part-time

and full-time students*

● VLE courses - Library: well worn path

* helpdesk implications

Learner Benefits of Integration

● Promotes greater contextualisation by the learners (discovery v spoon feeding)

● Allows staff to reference quality resources from their courses in a managed way

● Learning increasingly taking place off campus - brings the library to the learners

● Increases awareness & utilisation of library resources and services

Opportunities for Integration● Course area - a natural library gateway● Within the course area, the users ID and course ID are

known (detailed profile available)● Additional course metadata may be available

(Department, School, Campus) - IF derived from course database

● VLE organisation model normally closed (programme, course, unit)

● Potential for single sign-on

Integrated... Interoperable... Institutional... Implementation...

Why Integrating Learning Resources is not Enough!

Integrating to Library Resourcesor the Library ‘Experience’

E-JOURNALS

LIBRARYCATALOG

LIBRARYWEBSITE

PAST EXAMPAPERS

VLECOURSE

AREA

LIBRARY RESOURCES

?LIBRARY

?

VLECOURSE

AREA

INTERNALRESOURCES

SUPPORT

SERVICESEXTERNAL

RESOURCES

CONTEXTUAL LINKS TO LIBRARY RESOURCES, SERVICES & SUPPORT

LIBRARY

Common approach to integration:

University of Ulster approach to integration:

Integrated... Interoperable... Institutional... Implementation...

A Live Use Case Scenario

UU Integration Objectives● Provide ALL UU (WebCT) module areas with:

― modular library perspective― contextual links to other library resources and services― seamless access to electronic resources (single sign-on)

● Initial pilot work involved collaboration with vendors― WebCT (institutional VLE supplier)― Talis Information Ltd (institutional Library system supplier)― Athens (national access management system)

● 2002/3 JISC DiVLE programme funded 4i project

4i Project Objectives

● Linking VLE’s with Digital Libraries: an integrated, interoperable, institutional implementation (4i)

― To assess the impact of institution wide VLE-Library system integration on library business processes and the user experience.

― To further develop technical integration methods to facilitate better interoperability between diverse systems and platforms and across institutions.

UU Library Requirements

● Engagement with Library staff identified three tiers of library links within WebCT course areas:― Institutional (library homepage)― Subject guides― Module Resources (Talislist)

● In addition:― Library Service Point – a gateway to further contextualised library

resource, service and support options.

● Further information on the technical development of the LSP is available

click web link to view full paper

UU Library Integration Schematic

UU myWebCTHome Area

UU Module Menu A

UU Module Menu B

UU Module Menu C

Library Homepage(Institutional)

TalisList(module / course)

Subject Guide(Faculty / School)

Library Service Point (module & person UID)

Library Homepage

TalisList(module)

Subject Guide (faculty)

Available ElectronicInformation Services

New Resources(school)

Past Exam Papers(module)

My Library Account(personalised)

IMS Enterprise in Action

● UU WebCT integrated with Student Registry, Human Resources and Course databases via IMS Enterprise API

● Systems used - local, Oracle based● People, Group and Membership all utilised● Students fully managed - staff membership managed by

dedicated database.● Library data derived from similar source● Migrating to common data feeds

UU Integration Methodology

● Current Approach..― Cookie with user and course ID payload― Data shared via single point of integration― Library Service Point (LSP)

● Way forward..― Web Services approach!!

UU use of Implicit Metadata● Implicit metadata available from UU course ID schema● Typical UU course ID: abc567j1

― abc: subject code― First digit(5): year code (discriminates PG / UG)― abc567: course code― j: campus identifier― Final digit (1): semester identifier― Additional field available to indicate DL

● Further detail on structure and coding is available click web link to view full paper

Integrated... Interoperable... Institutional... Implementation...

UU VLE-Library Integration Demo

4 standard Library links within VLE

navigation options

Generic link to the main Library

website via LSP

Library Services Link● ‘Library Services’ offers dynamic contextualised links with

seamless VLE-Library authentication to a range of internal and external Library systems and services via the LSP: ― Main Library Website and Catalogue (generic)― My Module Resource List (module-specific)― Library Information & Services for My Faculty (faculty-specific)― My Electronic Information Services (Athens) (person-specific)― New additions to the Library in My Subject (school-specific)― Past exam papers for this module (module-specific)― My Library Account (person-specific)

Clicking here passes user and module ID to LSP that

generates a contextualised menu of Library resource,

service and support options.

Module Resources Link

Module resource lists are managed using the Talislist system● A standalone web-based resource list management system

that integrates with Library Management System.● Resource lists are structured and annotated as required● A CONTEXTUAL gateway through which internal and

external learning resources can be delivered.● Centrally managed by Library, with option to grant

academics editing rights.

Clicking here passes user and module ID to LSP; link to

appropriate Module Resource List (in TalisList) is automatically

generated.

TalisList: Clicking here opens the required subsection of the

Module Resource

External Library Resources:Selecting this e-journal from the

list of module resources generates a link directly to the article in

ScienceDirect using the Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

e.g. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0006-8993(00)02382-9

N.B. Athens Devolved Authentication used to enable seamless access to external library resources off-campus

Clicking here opens PDF containing full text of article

Internal Library Resources:Selecting this journal from the list of module resources generates a

link directly to details of this paper-based journal in the Library

catalogue (Talis LMS)

Paper-based journal holdings and campus locations in the

Library catalogue (Talis)

Link back to module resource list in TalisList

Subject Guide Link

● Organised on Faculty / School basis● Managed by Subject Librarians● Broader perspective than module resource lists - useful

for student research purposes● Provide some contextual support for students when a

module resource list is not yet available in Talislist

Clicking here passes user and module ID to LSP; link to

appropriate Subject Guide (in Library website) is

automatically generated.

Relevant Library news items along with a range of links to subject-

specific resources is presented to the user via drop-down menus

Interoperability Constraints of Current Approach

● Library integration achieved at course level.● Implications of this include:

― Managed at the designer level; difficult to deploy on institutional basis

― Changes must be done at the course level (1000’s of courses…)

― If exported to another institution, links still point to UU LSP

Benefits of Metadata Facilitated VLE-Library Integration

● Defined and managed at system level; Library can define integration institutionally.

● A number of integration strategies can be defined and implemented centrally.

● Course export issue avoided as integration parameter defined as the course instance is deployed (not part of Content Package manifest).

Relevant IMS Schema?

● Content Packaging? ― No. An undeployed course has no context (i.e. institution,

module code, campus etc.) to define any necessary library integration.

● Enterprise? ― Yes! This defines the deployment of a course instance. Further,

this definition includes relevant course data. ― Enterprise API is also the primary data management tool of

VLE administrators.― Proposal - use Enterprise to define and deploy library

integration at the course level.

Library Integration:A Special Case?

● Institutional integration to library environment is beyond the scope of a simple resource.

● To realise meaningful integration, additional course related data is required.

● Standard IMS Resource field not appropriate.● Dedicated LIBRARY data structure require.

Library Integration:Data Requirements

● What Library services (if any) are required?

● Where are these “library” services located?

● What information about the course is required to contextualise the presented library service?

● If multiple course data is required, is there a hierarchy?

Library Service(s)

● Example services identified by 4i project:― Specific Library webpages― Library Management System― Resource List Management tool― Library Gateway― Helpdesk

● Possibility - closed vocabulary!● N.B. suite of these likely to be required!

IMS Implications of Multi-library Service Requirements

● Within a Library element, we must be able to fully define each service.

● If Library integration is explicitly defined in underlying course metadata, a VLE could implement appropriate integration methodologies on a course by course basis across the institution.

Library Service Location

● As the aim of this work is integrating two web based services, the “library location” will be some form of web location, i.e. a url variable will suffice.

● Some use cases - external services - location must therefore be defined on a service by service basis.

Required Course Data to Facilitate a Given Service

● Depending on the availability of course data and the Library organisational model, the following course data could faciltate library integration― Course UID*― Department*― Subject area*― Campus*

● Required - which course metadata to use=closed list!* These are potentially available from existing course metadata

Is a Hierarchy Required for Multiple Data Based Queries?

● Some use cases (i.e. a campus and subject based query) are significantly improved if query is appropriately ordered.

● IMS implication - we must provide an option to define a hierarchy of service definition data elements

Possible Library Metadata Structure

Library definition

library service definition (1)

library service (1) locationrequired integ. data element (1)

data element (1) hierarchyrequired integ. data element (2)

data element (2) hierarchy

library service definition (2)etc. etc.

Integrated... Interoperable... Institutional... Implementation...

Complex Course Provisions…Need for a defined “my home library”?

Should a Users Home Library Link be Defined in LIP?

● Emerging trends in e-learning― consortia courses― virtual electives

● Such learners have multiple library associations● In many cases, learner may be best supported by their

local (home) library.● To inform and promote this option, should a learner’s

home Library URL be defined in LIP?

IMS Implications

● Enterprise● Enterprise Services● LIP?

Conclusions

● Integrating the library to a VLE course is preferable to integrating resources alone.

● IMS Enterprise - ideal to define library integration

● IMS Enterprise schema lacks an appropriate structure to achieve this.

● A dedicated Library data structure is necessary.

● Potential benefit of defining users home Library in LIP?

Useful Links● UU 4i Project website

― http://www.ulst.ac.uk/library/4i/● Athens Access Management service

― http://www.athens.ac.uk● TalisList

― http://www.talis.co.uk/products/lms/talislist.htm● WebCT

― http://www.webct.com● IMS Global

― http://www.imsglobal.org