Leading Development of Indiana’s Digital Learning Space Functions of a Learner-Driven Environment Susan Scott Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System IHETS CUMREC May 2004

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Environment in Indiana Bottom of the list for “some college” Lack a “culture of learning” Suffering from a “brain drain”

Multiple Initiatives Corporate Colleges and Universities K-12 school leaders Libraries Public Broadcasting Unconnected

Network Technology Connecting the players may have an impact. What has happened… Dramatic Growth Everyone “at the table” Grappling with “content”

It became apparent…opportunity to: Use the partnership in place Expand thinking

Two-ways to Start Build it and they will come… Build consensus on what to do and why

Indiana Learning Portal In Indiana… Educational Silos stand side-by-side but separate. The Indiana Learning Portal Project will create access to educational opportunities, information, and learning and teaching tools no matter in which silo they reside. Indiana’s digital Learning Space

Indiana Learning Portal Partners Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System (IHETS) Vision Athena Distance Learning Indiana College Network (IN Virtual University) Indiana Humanities Council Indiana State Library Indiana Web Academy Academic Libraries of Indiana Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service WFYI Indianapolis/IPBS Indiana Department of Education Possibility Network IUPUI Inspire Virtual Library

Vision Athena Video ICN E-Learning K20 IHC Smart DeskTop Inspire Virtual Library Access Local Library Services E-Parent E-Locker EZ_Web DoE K-12 Resources Public TV & Radio Programs IUPUI CLN Courses IHETS ITN Network Access Academic Libraries Resources New Partners New Partners New Partners New Partners Possibility Network Adult Learning CES Adult Lifelong Learning

What Have We Done… Needs Assessment –24 Focus Groups –Needs Matrix with 161 Discreet Inputs Functional & Tech Requirements Prototype Design and Development –Available On-line Business Plan –Background/Market Analysis/Budget Details Partial funding by the Lilly Endowment

Learner Lifecycle Pre-school K-12 Higher Education Adult Lifelong Learning 5.7 Million Hoosiers Age Four Years and Older

Function:Search Focus group issues addressed: Users would like to be able to use one search engine that only searches learning content instead of the whole Internet. Google.com and Yahoo.com are good search engines, but they often return too many irrelevant hits. Users want to be able to target or narrow their search more effectively. Users find that they sometimes search for the same thing repeatedly or on a daily basis. Users need direction on how to perform an effective search on the Internet.

ILP Functions »Search »Personalization »User Profile »Collaboration »Learning Tools »Security »Application Integration »eCommerce »User Interaction and Feedback »Content Management »Administration Tools That Make The Portal Work

Expectations across the Learner Lifecycle often Reflect Multiple Roles PreschoolK-12 StudentsHigher EducationLifelong Learning Pre-K children tend to use educational software rather than websites Need to track my child's progress in school. Need resources for professional development (professional newsletters, classes going on in the area. Most childhood development websites have activities that are developmentally inappropriate, too much time spent looking for appropriate activities. Need to provide a Frequently Asked Questions for developmental resources, common social issues (i.e. biting) Difficult to find information that is the right depth and level. Search engine should flag the age appropriate content. Need to communicate with others online via a discussion forum. Ability to track my child's progress in school Students need to be able to collaborate with other students online to solve a problem, discuss and work on a class project, etc. Need lesson plan resources (especially that tie to IN standards) Would use this website if it contains credible, qualified content. Teachers need to be able to take online training classes (anytime, anywhere) in order to meet hour requirements Need "search wizard" to walk students through how to web search for better results Ability to track my child's progress in school Need "search wizard" to walk students through how to web search for better results Need to be able to post questions on a discussion board where they can be answered by an expert Students need to be able to collaborate with other students online to solve a problem, discuss and work on a class project, etc. Need to be able to separate or easily identify summaries versus full text documents Would like to have a portfolio tool to track things done over learning career. Need to communicate with others online via a confidential discussion forum. Learners need to know where to go to get a job, job related resources, who has this type of job and how to contact them for more info. Ability to rate content or courses and review other course ratings. Need calendar of educational opportunities/activities going on locally (by age group). Difficult to find information that is the right depth and level. Search engine should flag the age appropriate content. Would like to have a portfolio tool to track things done over learning career. Link businesses to share training courses that could be provided from one business to another.

Connecting Across the Learner Lifecycle Search Collaboration Security Profile Builder Most wanted more from search engines, but were less aware of what you can do with advanced searching techniques. Searching was the most universal need expressed. Ratings and specific content levels were mentioned across the learner lifecycle segments. Those who knew about collaboration tools (faculty and expert users) wanted more access. Those who had never heard of the idea were very interested. Creating new communities was intriguing. Protecting data and identity crossed all Learner lifecycle groups as a high priority. Only a few understood, but all wanted it. Value of developing a profile in order to get Greater personalized information seemed to be understood (Amazon model) but understanding (and trusting) security capability was less well understood.

The ILP Prototype is like a western movie set….very thin. Step through the door of the saloon and you’re standing in the desert.

Search, Partner Applications and Portals, Single Sign-on, Personalization Federation of Providers, Trust Relationship, Interconnections Metadata Tagging, Legacy Data Access Profile Builder, Intelligent Agents; Community Building, Real-time Needs Assessment Community Tracking Access Layer Middleware Layer Data Layer Community Development Layer Security Research and Development Indiana Learning Portal Opportunity Chart

“Portal” portal

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Susan Scott Director of E-Learning Dave King Executive Director Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System IHETS