E-Learning and the Digital Library A Report on Collaboration between IMS and OKI 2002 CNI Fall Task Force Meeting Steve Griffin, COO & co-founder IMS Jeff Merriman, OKI Project Leader

2 Presentation Overview  IMS Update  OKI Update  Collaboration  Digital Repository Efforts  Q&A

3 About IMS Non-profit worldwide consortium –54 contributing members –75 developers network members –Sectors represented: Standards bodies, Domain consortia, Learning providers, Government agencies, Content providers, Technology vendors, Researchers, Labs & Test beds Creates e-learning specifications Fosters adoption and best practice Fosters collaboration between e-learning constituencies focused on specific segments of the market (K-12, HE, Training)

4 IMS Contributing Members (a partial list)  ADL, UKeUniversities, Ufi, U-Cal Berkeley  Industry Canada, MIT, Giunti Interactive Labs, Fretwell-Downing, Thomson Learning  Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, IBM, Sun  Saba, NetG, Can Studios, Question-Mark  Blackboard, WebCT, CIC  SCT, Eduprise, EDUCAUSE, PeopleSoft  BECTa, JISC, DEST, Open University, ETS  Texas Instruments, Boeing… and more.

5 IMS Specifications Content Packaging Metadata Enterprise Learner Information Question and Test Simple Sequencing Digital Repositories Learning Design Accessibility

6 Content Packaging (v1.1.2) Provides a way to package learning information and metadata: –Packaged Learning Objects –Bundled Question and Test Objects –Learning Information Packages –Sequencing Information –Learning Design Support –Adopted by US DOD for SCORM

7 Metadata (v1.2.1) A structured way to add information to content to facilitate search and delivery: –Organized into 13 types of information –Extensible to include new elements –Now standardized by the IEEE’s Learning Object Metadata standard –Adopted by US DOD for SCORM

8 Enterprise (v1.1) Facilitates the transfer of organizational information about students and groups: –Support for record synchronization –Defines a person and group membership –Demographics –Growing international support –Supported by all major HE ERP and CMS vendors

9 Learner Information (v1.0) Used to manage a learner’s profile (and as such it complements the IMS Enterprise specification). Provides a means to describe a person and collect information about them: –Can also describe content developers, etc. –Specify affiliations and groups –Manage identity and identifiers –Future support for accessibility-based preferences

10 Question and Test (v1.2) Comprehensive support for the description and delivery of online tests: –Support for question banks and random tests –Strong multimedia support –Selection and ordering –Scoring calculations –Result reporting

11 Simple Sequencing (v1.0) A means to specify the sequencing of learning content: –Support for flow and choice –Limited support for adaptive learning –Score rollups –Integrates with content packaging –Final Release due January 2003 –Adopted by US DOD for SCORM 1.3

12 Digital Repositories Interoperability (DRI) (v1.0) Provides a basic interface recommendation to allow the following operations: –Federated data-base architecture –Search / Retrieve / Update –Based on XQuery and Z39.50 –Final specification due by end of 2002

13 RDCEO (v1.0) The ‘Reusable Definitions for Competency and Education Objectives (RDCEO)’ specification was issued in October It supports: –A package for competencies –Portable competency definitions –Relationships to taxonomies –Prerequisites and conditionals –Separating completion from evaluation

14 Learning Design (v1.0) Provides a means to specify: –Roles and participants –Resources needed –Instructional design approach –Integrates with content packaging –Final specification due by end of 2002

15 Projects Accessibility Abstract Framework Web Services International Conformance Program

16 Accessibility “Guidelines to Developing Accessible Learning Applications” - see IMS website Currently working on Accessibility issues in the IMS Learner Information specification. Investigating new work on Accessibility Meta- data.

17 About OKI Open Knowledge Initiative - Project of MIT; started with Mellon funding Goal: Increase flexibility, functionality, and scalability of e-learning tools for Higher Ed. Deliverables (Open Source) –Architecture (I.e. Java-based APIs) –Learning Management System Components

18 OKI Core Institutional Partners Cambridge University Dartmouth College Indiana University MIT North Carolina State University Stanford University University of Michigan University of Pennsylvania University of Wisconsin

19 IMS and OKI US & International E-learning Community Higher Education Community HE Vendors Collaborative Implementations Implementation Feedback and APIs Requirements Approved Specifications APIs and Reference examples

20 IMS and OKI Collaboration IMS hosting OKI Developers Network OKI participating in IMS Abstract Framework Team Founding members of global e-learning coalition

Jeff Merriman OKI Project Lead

22 Phase 2Phase 1 OKI Overall TimeLine Jan 01Jan 02Jan 03Jan 04Jan 05Jan 06 Initial Core Service DevelopmentFurther Spec. Development Ref. Implementation Applications Developer Community Core Service Maint/Evolution Adopter Community Vendor Engagement Web and Client Tool Coordination Further Implementations

23 OKI Common Service Spec Status Authentication Authorization DBC Logging LocalID Shared Filing Hierarchy User Messaging Scheduling Workflow 0.9 – Public

24 OKI CS Implementation Activity Current Activity: Authentication Authorization Filing DBC LocalID Logging Hierarchy Required Activity: User Messaging Workflow Scheduling

25 OKI Educational Service Spec Activity Class Admin –Student Information Systems Community Content Management/Digital Repository –Digital Library Community –Learning Assets Assessment

26 OKI Application Activity LMS’s –Stellar – MIT –CourseWork – Stanford University –CHEF – University of Michigan –Indiana University Demo Apps –Filing Demo –Hierarchy Demo Digital Library –DSpace –Fedora Various Educational Tool Development

IMS & OKI Digital Repository Efforts

28 IMS Digital Repositories Interoperability Specification Provides a basic interface recommendation to allow the following operations: –Federated data-base architecture –Search / Retrieve / Update –Based on XQuery and Z39.50 –Final specification due by end of 2002

29 Functional Architecture

30 Phase 1 Scope

31 OKI Digital Repository Service API Insulates Educational Application Developers from Details of DR Implementations Separates Functional Spec from Data Spec Supports Both Client and Web-based Applications

32 Many Repositories IDC iMac I BM Remote Local IDC Institutional

33 Key Elements of OKI DR Spec Digital Repository Learning Asset –Asset ID –AssetType –InfoType InfoPart –InfoRecord

Q & A