L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org1 E-Learning Infrastructure/Standardization in Canada Norm Friesen, PhD

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org2 Overview What is CanCore? Why CanCore? CanCore’s metadata guidelines Other CanCore/AU aids for implementers Related Canadian projects

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org3 What is CanCore? Learning Object Metadata – standard: IEEE Is complex, general and ambiguous CanCore reduces complexity & ambiguity Provides guidance on low level of detail Look to solutions from library and information management world Guidelines for all 76 LOM elements

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org4 What is CanCore? Application profile: "customization of a standard to meet the needs of particular communities with common applications requirements." Subset of LOM elements: 76 down to 56; 39 are "active" Guidelines document: best practice recommendations, 200 pages

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org5 Rationale: Semantics E-learning specifications & standards communities are largely concerned with syntax and technical interoperation Effective metadata use requires semantic specification and consensus Incorporate best practice from library and heritage communities This is not otherwise done across e- learning projects

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org6 Rationale: Simplicity LOM Element 5.4 Semantic Density: " The degree of conciseness of a learning object." Recommends ways of calculating it; omitting it LOM Element 1.2 Title "Name given to this learning object." Word order, subtitles, multilingual titles, series/episode titles LOM Classification Element Group " Describes where this learning object falls within a particular classification system."

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org7 Rationale: Semantics The LOM framework leaves gaps.

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org8 Rationale: Semantics CanCore fills in the gaps.

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org9 Rationale: Specificity implementation requires a consistent interpretation of each element’s purpose and use Realize economy of scale by coordinating the implementation and interpretation of metadata for a number of learning object repository projects The range of implementations has consistently expanded

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org10 Rationale: Overview LOM Data Model: 76 elements, little interpretation Complexity decreases Specificity and Interoperability increases

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org11 CanCore Guidelines explication and interpretation of element definitions and descriptions recommendations based on best practice recommendations for vocabulary (or "value space") values and definitions multilingual plain language examples XML-binding examples technical implementation notes

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org12 CanCore’s Community: input Academic Technologies for Learning of the University of Alberta Alberta Learning Athabasca University British Columbia Open University Centre recherché LICEF CETIS UK Department of National Defense, Canada Eisenhower National Clearinghouse The Electronic Text Centre of the University of New Brunswick European Knowledge Network Galbraith Media Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Learning and Teaching Scotland Library and Archives of Canada Manitoba Education and Youth Memorial University Ontario Ministry of Education The Open Learning Agency of British Columbia Stem-Net NFLD-Lab. TeleEducation New Brunswick University of Calgary

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org13 CanCore’s Community: Federal Government Strategy

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org14 Guidelines: Online & Print

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org15 Clarification

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org16 Clarification Best Practice Recommendations

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org17 Clarification Best Practice Recommendations Survey of use

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org18 Vocabulary Definitions Best Practice Recommendations Survey of use Clarification

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org19 Vocabulary Definitions Best Practice Recommendations Survey of use Technical Implementation Notes Clarification

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org20 CanCore Guidelines: Online

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org21 CanCore Guidelines

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org22 CanCore and Standards Evolution User Needs Approved Standards R&D Concepts Labs Testbeds Markets Standards Bodies Spec Consortia Spec Consortia Spec Consortia Spec Consortia Labs Testbeds Markets Testbeds, Markets Standards Bodies SpecificationsImplementations, Reference Models, Requirements ADL IEEE ISO ©IMS

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org23 CanCore’s Participation in Standardization IMS: Next steps re: maintenance & best practices document IEEE LTSC: Java Binding, LDAP repository ISO Subcommittee on "Information Technology for Learning Education and Training:" Completed a survey & proposal for new approach to the LOM standard.

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org24 Other CanCore/AU aids for implementers: ADLIB Upload or link to resources Simplified interface based on CanCore best practice recommendations Create XML record, submit to a database, submit to AD LIB

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org25 AD-LIB Web-based; no software to download/install Portable, self-contained, linked Create, store and search metadata Open Source Open protocols for sharing records Browser-independent

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org26 MARC  CanCore/LOM Abstract datamodel-crosswalk developed with CanCore and MARC experts Automatic conversion of MARC records to XML-formatted CanCore/LOM records

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org27

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org28 Other CanCore/AU aids for implementers LOM Java Binding: Interface or API providing functions for working with LOM data in software systems Implementation neutral Java interfaces for exposing data objects corresponding to those of the LOM can be used by Java programmers for representation of LOM data objects within their own software as an interoperable way to communicate LOM data objects with external third party software components

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org29 LDAP LOR LDAP: A network protocol designed to work on TCP/IP stacks to extract information from a hierarchical directory; a tool to comb through data to find a particular piece of information. Builds a LOM record out of LDAP results distributed service for resolving globally unique identifiers into their locations

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org30 LDAP LOR Based on functions outlined in the IMS Learning Object Repository Interoperability Specification ( Harvest, Request, Search, Submit, list Results Developed for LOM data model

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org31 Supporters CANARIE Multimedia Learning Group, Industry Canada Alberta Learning Athabasca University University of New Brunswick Office of Learning Technologies TeleEducation NB New Brunswick NETERA

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org32 Related Projects: Edusource NewMIC Netera Athabasca Univ. Univ. of Waterloo Technologies Cogigraph Tele Education NB

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org33

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org34 aloha.netera.ca

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org35 eduSplash

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org36 edusplash Interface

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org37 LionShare: P2P, Uses Media organization (offline use) Publish personal media collections Person-to-person collaboration Group projects Formation of user communities Publication of academic collections

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org38 Technology Based on Limewire Open Source project Modified version of the Gnutella protocol P2P + Client/Server Architecture Decentralized + Centralized Topology Integrated Authentication with Kerberos Integrating with Learning Design workflow & runtime

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org39 LionShare Team Penn State University Internet 2 Middleware and P2P WGs eduSource Canada/Simon Fraser U. MIT - Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI) And others Dartmouth, Florida, Georgia Tech, OSPI Interim LionShare website:

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org40 LORNet Learning Object Repository Network Canadian Initiative Based on Semantic Web technologies: RDF, Ontologies, Inferential AI, etc. Built on eduSource infrastructure

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org41 LORNet: Themes

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org42 Repository to Reality (R2R) Learning Design (L.D.) specification implementation: investigation of associated technical and pedagogical issues in post-secondary educational contexts Focus on Vocabularies and Frameworks Produce Best Practices & Feasibility Reports

L3S Hannover February 6, 2004www.cancore.org43 Overview take existing learning resources from different contexts and evaluate what works and what does not from both technological and pedagogical perspectives

L3S Hannover February 6, Find out more about CanCore at: