Learning Technology Standards Status & Direction Robby Robson Chair, IEEE LTSC President & Senior Partner, Eduworks rrobson@eduworks.com

Robby Robson - Standards Outline Who wants standards Types of Learning Technology Standards The standards process Who is doing it Metadata The Learning Content Program Other areas of standardization Testing and certification How to participate Questions and Answers 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

What Will NOT Be Covered Details of the standards and specifications Best covered in longer workshops Comparative Analyses and Impact on Academic or Industry Segments Different topic with different value Presenter will try to be neutral All specifications and standards in the world Specific to learning technology and distance learning Limited to what presenter knows Concentrate on areas of most activity 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Robby Robson - Standards Who Wants Standards? Learning Technology Companies Universities Training Administrators Learning Content producers Consortia Standards help products work together and enable solutions to scale 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Robby Robson - Standards The Value of Standards Standards mark the spot! Standards Emerge Demonstration Adoption Pioneers Everyone 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Types of Learning Technology Standards LEARNING CONTENT STANDARDS Describe Learning Content Package Learning Content Track the results of Learning Content LEARNER STANDARDS Store and share learner information Describe competencies and certifications Ensure privacy and security INTEROPERABILITY STANDARDS Integrate components of learning systems Integrate multiple systems 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Types of Learning Technology Standards Content Learner Interoperability Metadata Packaging Sequencing Competencies Learner Records Privacy/Security Architecture API’s Protocols Learning Information 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Robby Robson - Standards The Standards Process Requirements Vision Use Cases Test and Use Define Refine and consolidate Accredited Standards Specifications, Best Practice New Products, Pilot Programs, Testbeds Consensus, Consolidation, Conformance 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Robby Robson - Standards Who is Involved? Consortia – gathering requirements, producing specifications Alliance of Remote Instructional and Authoring Distribution Networks for Europe (ARIADNE) IMS Global Learning Consortium CEN/ISSS Workshop on Learning Technology Customized Learning Experiences Online Aviation Industry CBT Committee HR-XML Consortium Energy Industry CBT Alliance 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Robby Robson - Standards Who is Involved? Testbeds and Reference Models Advanced Distributed Learning initiative Advanced Learning Infrastructure Consortium Education Network Australia European Commission Chinese Distance Learning Standards Committee !!! 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Robby Robson - Standards Who is Involved? Formal Standards Bodies IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee ISO/IEC Joint Technology Committee Subcommittee on Standards for Learning, Education, and Technology 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

IMS Contributing Members ADL Co-Lab Apple Artesia Technologies Becta Blackboard Boeing Campus Pipeline Centra Software CIC Cisco Systems Click 2 Learn Calif. State Universities Can Studios CMU DETYA Digital Learning Interactive Digitalthink Docent Educational Testing Service EDUCAUSE Eduprise Epic Group Fretwell-Downing Group GIUNTI Interactive Labs IBM Corporation Industry Canada JISC LON LUVIT Miami-Dade Community College Microsoft MIT NIST NYUOnline Oracle OU Netherlands Pearson Education PeopleSoft Prometheus R5 Vision Saba Software SCT SUFI Sun THINQ Thomson Learning UFI Unext UC - Berkeley University of Michigan University of Wisconsin University System of Maryland US Department of Labor Virginia Tech Virtual Education Space WebCT 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

ADL Plugfest Participants 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee 185 Individual Experts Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, France, Korea, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US, the Ukraine, Yugoslavia Vendors, Government agencies & contractors, Academic institutions, Consulting/solutions firms, other learning technology organizations 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Robby Robson - Standards ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 Standards for Learning, Education and Training Membership by National Bodies Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America Liaisons with other organizations and subcommittees Four Working Groups Vocabulary Collaborative Technology Learner Information, Management and Delivery of Learning, Education and Training, 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Robby Robson - Standards Metadata Data about data: Description of learning resources Author, title, subject, etc. Copyright, Cost Technical requirements Educational intent and nature of the content Metadata enables: Cataloging Discovery Retrieval Interoperability Ultimately: match learning & learners 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Learning Object Metadata IMS SCORM 2001 - 2002 EU AUSTRALIA ASIA 2000 - 2002 Learning Object Metadata Almost an IEEE Standard Many language versions Used by virtually all content specifications Coordinated with Dublin Core Standardization Expected early 2002 Ottawa communiqué: Expected early 2002 IMS Dublin Core ARIADNE Started 1997 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Robby Robson - Standards Remarks on Metadata It’s the Metadata! No lack of content but it’s hard to find People pay for metadata, not content Metadata Mastery Modular and extensible Application profiles for communities of practice Multilingual Labels are tokens Multiple records for a single resource LOM is structured data 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

The Learning Content Program Existing Content Learning Content Authoring Tools Chunk Create Repurpose Assemble Learning Catalog LMS Import Find Track Deliver 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Learning Content Standards AICC file and HTTP communication protocols Includes pedagogic elements Many existing implementations AICC concerned with many other things IMS Question & Test Packaging & Sequencing Digital Repository Interoperability LTSC: Taking up AICC/IMS specifications 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

The Driving Force Behind Content ADL/SCORM Combination of AICC, IMS, IEEE and other work Learning objects are shareable content objects Addresses packaging, assembly, sequencing, communication and metadata SCORM versus AICC JavaScript API Fits into IMS Packaging Explicit use of LOM 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

OTHER AREAS OF STANDARDIZATION I System interoperability IMS Enterprise XML, SOAP, etc. Open Knowledge Initiative (IMS/ADL/Open Source) Learner Information IMS Learner Information Package SC36 Personal And Private Information, Identifiers Competencies (HR-XML), Competency Definitions (LTSC) Collaboration SC36 work 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

OTHER AREAS OF STANDARDIZATION II Architecture, Vocabulary, Platform Profiles, Communication protocols etc. (LTSC & SC36) Accessibility Major issue in Europe and North America Quality (CEN/ISSS) Learning Design and Architecture Educational Modeling Languages (CEN/ISSS, IMS) Digital Repositories IMS Group OCLC 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Testing and Certification Needed for consumer and industry confidence AICC has certification program in place IMS planning to enable testing ADL has developed test suites An important IEEE LTSC role is to work with certification and testing labs 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Invitation to Participate The IMS Global Learning Consortium Contributing Members: specification development, review, approval leadership Developers Network Members: exchange of tools, techniques, and trials Dissemination and Participation: workshops, briefings, information, setting up program to enable conformance testing 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Invitation to Participate The Advanced Distributed Learning initiative Co-laboratories corporate, federal, and academic Dissemination and Participation publications, plugfests, work with other organizations 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Invitation to Participate The IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee Working Groups standards, technical reports, guides open, consensus-driven process with due process and right to appeal Dissemination and Participation publications, liaisons with other organizations open to all with a material interest 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards

Robby Robson - Standards Questions & Answers Email: rrobson@eduworks.com IEEE LTSC: http://ltsc.ieee.org 12/16/2001 Robby Robson - Standards