the future of standards robby robson, eduworks corporation chair, ieee learning technology standards...

The Future of Standards

Robby Robson, Eduworks CorporationChair, IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee

The slides in this work are each separately licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.5/



30-06-2005

The Future of Standards: EDMedia 2005 2This slide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License. Some rights reserved.

Outline

• Standards

• Learning Technology Standards

• Technology Changes

• Standards Changes

• Directions in Standards

• Discussion

WARNING: THE SURGEON GENERAL HAS DETERMINED THAT STANDARDS HUMOR IS AN OXYMORON

30-06-2005


Interoperability Standards

• Help systems talk to each other• Help systems interpret data• Help systems exchange information• Help people exchange information

Really its all about plumbing …

30-06-2005


Standards are the infrastructure that works behind the scenes

WOW! Look WOW! Look at those at those

pipespipes

COOL! That COOL! That one’s made by one’s made by

ACME!ACME!Are Pipes-R-Us Are Pipes-R-Us

and We-Do-Pipes and We-Do-Pipes the same the same

company? company?

YUK! there’s a YUK! there’s a leak! leak!

But I But I wanted wanted

pipes for pipes for my my househouse!!

Uh oh! These Uh oh! These pipes don’t pipes don’t

quite fit quite fit together!together!

PVC? HDPE? PVC? HDPE? LDPE? ERW?LDPE? ERW?

30-06-2005


Why bother with standards?

RESEARCHRESEARCH

• Design new systems / create new reality

• Solve problems

• New technologies• Vision

• New technologies• Vision

CONSUMER CONSUMER PROTECTIONPROTECTION

• Prevent lock-in• Increase quality

through choice

• Commoditization• Transparency

• Commoditization• Transparency

BUILD MARKETSBUILD MARKETS

• Lower production costs

• Modularize the supply chain

• Shared suppliers• Shared effort

• Shared suppliers• Shared effort

Market moves from underserved to overserved*

* Clayton M Christensen & Michael E Raynor, (2003). The Innovator’s Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth, Harvard Business School Press, Cambridge, Mass.

30-06-2005


Who is in the game, and why

• Academics and Researchers– Focused on their own disciplines and needs– Culture of innovation driven by attribution

• What really turns them on*: Inventing the future and getting recognized for it.

RESEARCHRESEARCH

•Design new systems / create new reality•Solve problems


• Prevent lock-in• Insure against

supplier failures


•Lower production costs•Modularize the supply chain

*The opinions expressed here are opinions.

30-06-2005



• Government Agencies• Corporate / Academic consumers

– Consumers with specific needs– Responsible for purchasing decisions

• What really turns them on*: Software that works and saving money.

RESEARCHRESEARCH




supplier failures




30-06-2005



• Technology Vendors (Commercial and not)– Market driven– Competitive

• What really turns them on*: Growth (of markets, revenue, profits and footprint)

RESEARCHRESEARCH




supplier failures




30-06-2005


So what has happened in learning technology?

30-06-2005


Lots of organizations formedDLF(1995)

SIF

ARIADNE

AICC(1988)

ADLIMS

IEEELTSC

JTC1SC36

EdNA(1994)

ALIC

OKI

OASIS

CEN/ISSSWS-LT

W3C(1994)

ebXML

EICA

CanCore

DublinCore

(1995)

SISO(1994)

MERLOT

HR-XMLCONSOR-

TIUM

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Bu

t few sin

ce B

ut few

since

20012001

30-06-2005


Goals and drivers evolved

• GOAL: Standardized Standardized learning infrastructurelearning infrastructure

• Characterized by– Many activities– Little implementation– Proliferation of

organizations

• GOAL: Learning Learning content interoperabilitycontent interoperability

• Characterized by– Public stewardship

– Focus on “learning management systems”

– Adoption & Implementation

19961996 19971997 19981998 19991999 20002000 20012001 20022002 20032003 20042004 20052005

Research Driven Consumer Driven

30-06-2005


In formal standards bodies working theories were replaced

IEEE LTSC Web Site, October 12, 1999

30-06-2005


With Accredited Standards

IEEE Approved Learning Technology Standards (as of June, 2005)

IEEE LTSC Web Site, October 22, 2003

30-06-2005


While in specification consortiaIM

S G

lob

al Learn

ing

IM

S G

lob

al Learn

ing

C

on

sortiu

m W

eb S

ite, C

on

sortiu

m W

eb S

ite, 24 F

ebru

ary, 200024 F

ebru

ary, 2000

30-06-2005


Specs were released and horizons broadened

IMS

Glo

bal L

earnin

g

IMS

Glo

bal L

earnin

g

Co

nso

rtium

Web

Site, 29

Co

nso

rtium

Web

Site, 29

July, 2003

July, 2003

30-06-2005


By 2004 We had a good Portfolio of Interoperability Standards*

• Separated content from delivery – Based on early research work– Driven by consumers to avoid lock-in– Driven by vendors to support their supply

chain

• Specialized to the learning community– Driven by training departments– Driven by educational institutions – Driven by smallish vendors

*Standard in the sense of adopted by industry

30-06-2005


Metadata

Purpose Standards

Search / Discovery / Cataloging / Processing

• Learning Object Metadata*• Dublin Core Metadata (DC-

ED)

* Part of SCORM 2004

30-06-2005


Learning Content Formats

Purpose Standards

Organize & Transport Learning Content & “Learning Objects”

• IMS Content Packaging*

• AICC Course Structure Format

Store & Exchange Online Quiz Questions

• IMS Question & Test Interoperability


30-06-2005


Data Exchange

Purpose Standards

Communicate data between content & delivery platform

• HTTP AICC Communication Protocol

• IEEE Runtime Communication (JavaScript API)*

Define and Encode data to be exchanged

• AICC CMI Data Model (adopted by IEEE)*

Exchange Enrollment Data

• IMS Enterprise


30-06-2005


Learner Records

Purpose Standards

Exchange Learner Information

• IMS Learner Information Package

Record status of learning objectives

• AICC CMI Data Model (adopted by IEEE)*

• Parts of IMS Simple Sequencing*


30-06-2005


Managing Learning

Purpose ExampleTelling a Management System what to deliver next

• AICC CMI specifications• IMS Simple Sequencing*

Higher level organization of Learning Activities

• IMS Learning Design


30-06-2005


Adoption (Compiled in 2004)Sources: Various Brandon-Hall Reports (Excepting Last Column)

1997/8 LMS

2000 LMS 2001 LCMS

2003 LMS

2003 LCMS

2004 Authoring Tools

Current Course Management Systems

Number of Systems 27 56 29 23 43 23

AICC Support 41% 52% 83% 87% 65% 26%

Certified * * 7% 13% 9% *

Compliant * * 76% 74% 56% *

Support Planned * 23% * 4% 0% *

No AICC Exists / Planned 59% 25% 17% 9% 35% 74%

SCORM Support * 17% 83% 87% 72% 43%

1.2 * * * 83% 63% 39%

Other * * * 4% 9% 4%

Support Planned * 2% 7% 13% 5% *

No SCORM Exists / Planned 100% 80% 10% 0% 23% 52%

IMS Metadata * 34% * * * 43%

IMS Metadata Planned * 25% * * * *

IMS Content Packaging * * * * * 61%

IMS QTI * * * * * 22%

IMS (not specified) * * * * * 9%

30-06-2005


But the world of But the world of learning systems is learning systems is changing in some changing in some significant ways …significant ways …

30-06-2005


The Topology is Changing

• Client / Server is being replaced by (massively) distributed (increasingly heterogeneous) networks– Institutions are federating

• Repositories• Learning Technologies• Identities• Games / Simulations are an

influencer

30-06-2005


Architectures Are Changing

• Services from other domains

• Componentization challenges product categories

• New barriers to entry

• Standards re-thought

Service User

Service Provider

Service Registry

Describe: WSDL

Access: SOAP

Publish:UDDI

Find:UDDI

30-06-2005


The Context is Changing

Learning Management

Human Capital Development

Learning Content

Management

Enterprise Content

Management

Training Transformation

E-Knowledge Transformation

Supply Chains

Customer Relations

Globalization

Enterprise Learning

Technology

Enterprise Architecture Workflow

Learning

Learning is becoming an ubiquitous embedded applicationLearning is becoming an ubiquitous embedded application

30-06-2005


The Technology is Working!

And so is the research …And so is the research …

30-06-2005


30-06-2005


Metadata

Structured Metadata

Abstract Models

Descriptive Metadata

Contextual Metadata

CataloguingMeta-search /

Federation

Metadata Ontologies

Semantic Web

Query Standards

Automated Generation

Ontology Languages

Why isn’t

the answer?

What was the question?What is life like in a metadata-rich world?What is life like in a metadata-rich world?

30-06-2005


LEARNING CONTENT FORMATS

Darwin Information Typing

Architecture

OpenOffice

S1000D: International

specification for technical

publicationsutilizing a commonsource database

Metadata Encoding and Transmission

StandardMPEG-21 Digital Item Description

Language

Content Content PackagingPackaging

30-06-2005


The Copernican Content Revolution

MPEG-21 Digital Item Description Language

Multimedia Multimedia ContentContent

Content Packaging

Learning Learning ContentContent

Metadata Encoding &

Transmission Standard Digital Digital

LibrariesLibraries

S1000D: Tech Pubs /

Common Source Data

Base

Tech Pubs & Tech Pubs & DocumentationDocumentation

Darwin Information

Typing Architecture

Help Screens Help Screens (EPSS)(EPSS)

E-ContentE-BusinessE-KnowledgeE-Learners

OpenOffice

““Office” Office” DocumentsDocuments

30-06-2005


Future of Content Formats

• Learning content as structured content (no more “Black Box SCOs”)– Presentation– Assets– Behaviors– Addressable Locations

• Interoperability among content standards– Reference model for Resource Aggregations

(IEEE LTSC project)

XML

30-06-2005


Data Exchange

• Web Services• Middleware• Distributed Control

Diagram Courtesy Icodeon

Business Process Execution LanguageBusiness Process Execution Language

30-06-2005


APIAdapter

SCORMAPI

DeliveryService

TrackingService

SequencingService

ContentManagement

Service

LearnerProfilesService

Testing/Assessment

Service

CourseAdministration

Service

LocalContent

Repository

RemoteContent

Repositories

SCORMContent

Packages

Browser(Presentation)

GeneralizedLearning Management

System Model

Selection

Launch

SCORMTracking

Data

SCORMContent

(SCOs & Assets)

From P. Dodds, A Hoberny & From P. Dodds, A Hoberny & W. Blackmon:W. Blackmon:Next GenerationNext GenerationSCORMSCORM

30-06-2005


JISC / DEST E-Learning Framework(http://www.elframework.org/)

30-06-2005


Learner Records

Competencies

Relationships Among

Competencies

Definitions of Competencies & Objectives

People

Learner Information

Evidence of Competency

Learning Experiences

• Another Copernican Revolution

• KISS: Keep It Separated, Stupid

30-06-2005


Managing Learning

Managing Learning is a No-brainer …

Because distributed, service orientedArchitectures have no brain

* IMHO

So the focus will be the emergent patterns among heterogeneous applications (Not on learner management)*

30-06-2005


Different Standards for Different Architectures

30-06-2005



Type of SystemType of System Top IssuesTop Issues Enabling StandardsEnabling Standards

Monolithic (e.g. Plato) • Programmed Learning

• Data reporting

• Standardized language

• Standard reports

30-06-2005





• Data reporting



Client / Server (e.g. institutional LMS)

• Data exchange

• Separation of content & platform

• Comm. Protocols

• Data models

30-06-2005





• Data reporting




• Data exchange


• Comm. Protocols

• Data models

Distributed Homogeneous (e.g. Enterprise clusters)

• Information Management

• Data Exchange

• ID / Registries

• Services / Metadata

• Data models / protocols

30-06-2005





• Data reporting




• Data exchange


• Comm. Protocols

• Data models

Distributed Homogeneous (e.g. Enterprise clusters)

• Information Management

• Data Exchange

• ID / Registries

• Services / Metadata

• Data models / protocols

Distributed Heterogeneous (“Advanced Distributed Learning”)

• Services

• Behaviors

• Unified User Experience

• Intellectual property

• Behavior models

• Workflow

• Resolution architectures

• Learning design

• Rights / Access control

30-06-2005


Which leaves us producing Standards that are

• Learning profiles of core e-knowledge and e-business standards

• Small• Strategic• Semantic• Behavioral• Service - oriented

• Universal• Adaptable to

Regions and Communities

• Compatible with current learning technology standards

30-06-2005


And there is a lot of activity …

• Cross-community activity

• Research maturing into prototypes

• Prototypes maturing into products

• Products maturing into research

• Application of external standards to learning

• Lots of new ideas and real examples

30-06-2005


But Don’t Forget

GOOD ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE > GREAT FOR ME

Standards are dedicated to the proposition:

30-06-2005


THE END -- DISCUSSION

AWAKE? NO DREAM

PRE-OCCUPIED?

YES

THINK DEEP THOUGHTS

NO

YES

QUESTIONS?

ASK QUESTIONS

YES

NO INTER-ESTED?

PARTICIPATE!

YES

NO LEAVE HAPPY

[email protected]

YES