Co-funded by European Commission eContentplus OpenScout Skill-based Scouting of Open Management Content OpenScout Consortium August 2012 Partners
Contents OpenScout Project and Solutions Project overview »»»» Solutions in detail »»»» Technical architecture »»»» Skill and competence based search »»»» Tool Library in detail »»»» OpenScout for Content Providers »»»» Application Profile: Cultural Specification »»»» Background More about OER in general / for management »»»» © OpenScout Consortium, August 20122
Co-funded by European Commission eContentplus OpenScout Skill-based Scouting of Open Management Content Project Overview OpenScout Consortium August 2012 Partners
About OpenScout OpenScout is a European project Co-funded by EU eContentplus Programme Targeted Project in the area Educational Content 18 partners in 14 countries organized in 8 groups Duration: Sep – Aug OpenScout stands for Skill-based scouting of open user-generated & community-improved content for management education and training © OpenScout Consortium, August 20124
Motivation Development of management skills essential Continuous self-directed learning in management Learning scenarios Business trips, at home, in office, with colleagues, formal learning at University Growing need for online learning materials © OpenScout Consortium, August Diverse topics Up-to-date High-quality Inexpensive Easy to access Skill-specific Adaptable Re-usable
OpenScout Objectives Support continuous learning in Management … … Utilizing Open Educational Resources (OER) Support all phases of using open learning materials © OpenScout Consortium, August Re-publish Search Validate solution Re-use / adapt Validate re- usability Validate re- usability
Open Educational Resources (OER) Freely available digital learning materials Distributed all over the Web For all kinds of organizations Numerous initiatives © OpenScout Consortium, August 20127
OER Challenges Finding OER Many repositories with OER for management, but No exchange and interconnection Isolated solutions Not widely known No single access point Consequence Learners use Google Learning material unfiltered & often inappropriate Using OER Quality & trust issues Licensing / IPR Lack of tools and knowledge to adapt resources © OpenScout Consortium, August 20128
OpenScout’s Approach © OpenScout Consortium, August Federation of Management Repositories Search services By disciplines & keywords By competence & category Tools & Scenarios Adaptation & re-use Community Share, rate, recommend, discuss content with peers Publish Upload your OER Share interesting links to OER Extensions & plug-ins Integrate into LCSM, CMS, Social Networks
Solutions – OpenScout Portal © OpenScout Consortium, August learn.openscout.net
Solutions – Tool Library © OpenScout Consortium, August
Solutions – OpenScout Community © OpenScout Consortium, August
Solutions – Extensions & Plug-ins © OpenScout Consortium, August Search WidgetMoodle Blocks iOS App Any HTML page
Integrated Repositories More than resources from 23 repositories (> hours learning content) Resources In many languages: English, Spanish, German, Dutch, Portuguese and more Of different types: Articles, case studies, HMTL pages, courses, simulations, … OpenScout supports integration of further repositories © OpenScout Consortium, August
Who can benefit from OpenScout? © OpenScout Consortium, August Instructors, professors, trainers Higher educational institutions Entrepreneurs, freelancers, SMEs Librarians & documentation experts Content providers TEL providers Learners & students
What are the benefits of OpenScout? You are looking for learning materials Get access to learning materials Free – avoid time and budget constraints Flexible – when-and-where-you-want Easy to use – single access point Filtering – find what you need Multilingual – content and portal Enhance the quality of courses Integrate and combine materials into your lectures Contribute to a community of scholars and interact with instructors, experts and peers Find international contacts who share your interests © OpenScout Consortium, August
What are the benefits of OpenScout? You want to share your materials New distribution channels for your materials Share your work and get feedback Improve your professional reputation and visibility in the business and management education community You want to re-use the OpenScout technology Integrate the extensions into your system Adapt portal technology to new domains © OpenScout Consortium, August
OpenScout Consortium © OpenScout Consortium, August content federation skill & competence services authoring, adaptation user community industrial learning technology, content connectors
How to join the OpenScout Initiative? Use the OpenScout Portal & Community learn.openscout.net Open-up your content for OpenScout Partnership Program - Guide for Repository Providers Become an OpenScout Regional Agency Local point of contact for institutions in your region learn.openscout.net/regional_agencies.html Join the OpenScout Special Interest Group “Open Content for Business and Management” Established in partnership with EATEL © OpenScout Consortium, August
OpenScout’s Impact Creation of largest federated, skill-tagged collection of management content ( hours) Reduce usage barriers for finding and using OER Single access point Tool library Integration into familiar systems Supporting different target users Focus on standards to guarantee interoperability Attract stakeholders to Open Content Community Accelerate use of open learning resources in business education Creation of OpenScout SIG to continue activities © OpenScout Consortium, August
OpenScout Special Interest Group Launched on 18 Sep 2012 within European Association of Technology Enhanced Learning (EATEL) Objectives Drive and promote open education for the business and management domain Offer an established infrastructure which can be adopted for different domains Create a strong community in the field engaging different stakeholder groups. Interest Group Open Content for Business & Management © OpenScout Consortium, August Special Interest Group Open Content for Business & Management
OpenScout SIG – Main Target Groups Researchers Open Content / Open Educational Resources User representatives SMEs / large organizations (e.g. educators, trainers, students) Content providers Business and management content Tool providers Adapting / modifying resources Developers Extending / adopting existing infrastructure © OpenScout Consortium, August
OpenScout SIG – Planned Activities OER in Business & Management (and beyond) Promotion of OER in business & management Discussion on key topics (e.g. competence based learning) Trainings and awareness building for OER Cooperation with other EATEL bodies to achieve synergies Sustainability of tools and services around OER: SIG can become model for similar projects OpenScout Services Host and maintain OpenScout infrastructure (portal, repository, tool library, community, extensions/plug-ins) Extend content base, services & technology © OpenScout Consortium, August
Joining the OpenScout SIG Why to join? Become part of a community of researchers, professionals and users who are shaping the evolution of management education How to join? Associated Membership is open to any organisation, company or individual for free Check details in the SIG’s “Modes of operation” document available at Request membership at © OpenScout Consortium, August
© OpenScout Consortium, August Thank you for your attention! learn.openscout.net
Contents OpenScout Project and Solutions Project overview »»»» Solutions in detail »»»» Technical architecture »»»» Skill and competence based search »»»» Tool Library in detail »»»» OpenScout for Content Providers »»»» Application Profile: Cultural Specification »»»» Background More about OER in general / for management »»»» © OpenScout Consortium, August
Co-funded by European Commission eContentplus OpenScout Solutions in Detail OpenScout Consortium August 2012 Partners
OpenScout – Overview of Solutions Portal Tool Library Competences Community Extensions © OpenScout Consortium, August
OpenScout Solutions: Portal © OpenScout Consortium, August
Portal: Main Search Interface © OpenScout Consortium, August
Search filters to refine results © OpenScout Consortium, August Content language Format / Type Managerial categories Competences Source repository Accessibility
Content Details © OpenScout Consortium, August Title & abstract Other available metadata (e.g. author, publisher, licence, educational context, etc.) Link to resource Social sharing Social metadata (rate, tag, comments)
Access to Content in Source Repository © OpenScout Consortium, August
Content Details – Competences & Tools © OpenScout Consortium, August Competences related to resource Competence enrichment Recommended tools to adapt resource
Competence Based Search © OpenScout Consortium, August
Tool Library – Using and adapting OER Tool Library Offerings Tools around OER Adaptation Collaboration Communication Scenarios Sharing practices, stories around tools and OER OER best practice scenarios OER user guides © OpenScout Consortium, August
Tool Library: Scenarios & Tool Descriptions © OpenScout Consortium, August
Publish Resources © OpenScout Consortium, August Title Rights File upload or URL Classification Competence Category Optional metadata
Open Content Community On the portal Rate, comment, tag content Contribute to discussions Special interest groups Recommend content & tools And beyond Participate in events Get news Expand your network OpenScout SIG © OpenScout Consortium, August
Extensions & Plug-ins Integration of services to existing systems LMSs, CMSs, Social Networks, HTML pages © OpenScout Consortium, August Search Widget Moodle Blocks iOS App
Search Widget © OpenScout Consortium, August
Full Search Block Simple Block Plugins for LMS Moodle © OpenScout Consortium, August
iOS App (Developer Version) © OpenScout Consortium, August
© OpenScout Consortium, August Thank you for your attention! learn.openscout.net
Contents OpenScout Project and Solutions Project overview »»»» Solutions in detail »»»» Technical architecture »»»» Skill and competence based search »»»» Tool Library in detail »»»» OpenScout for Content Providers »»»» Application Profile: Cultural Specification »»»» Background More about OER in general / for management »»»» © OpenScout Consortium, August
Co-funded by European Commission eContentplus OpenScout Technical Architecture OpenScout Consortium August 2012 Partners
OpenScout Architecture © OpenScout Consortium, August Enter- prise Service Bus (ESB) Enter- prise Service Bus (ESB) Harvest (OAI-PMH) Harvest (OAI-PMH) Content Enrichment (OAI-PMH) Content Enrichment (OAI-PMH) Content DB Content Repositories SQI SPI SOAP Social Networks LCMS OpenScout Portal Harvested Metadata Enriched Metadata Uploaded Metadata / Content Aggregated Metadata OpenScout Repository Federation AggregateAggregate AggregateAggregate Usage Metadata User Profiles Tool Profiles Metadata about Users, Tools and Usage Social metadata Learning Objects Learning Objects
Technologies and Standards I LOM based Application Profiles Based on LOMv1.0 standard Extended to represent competences (EQF) and cultural classification Federation of repositories OAI-PMH and central Apache server Usage-metadata CAM (Contextualized Attention Metadata) © OpenScout Consortium, August
Technologies and Standards II Queries to central metadata store SQI (Simple Query Interface) Service Container for queries and answers Query languages: Lucene query language or ProLearn Query Language (PLQL, level 0 or 1) Publishing metadata to central metadata store SPI (Simple Publishing Interface) © OpenScout Consortium, August
Technologies and Standards III Service Mash-up SOAP, REST web services Enterprise service bus (ESB) architecture implemented with Apache ServiceMix Portal front end JavaScript (jQuery library), PHP Search Widget OpenSocial, RESTlet, Java, jQuery © OpenScout Consortium, August
OpenScout’s Advantages Reduce usage barriers Single access point to federated open management content Tool support for re-use, adaptation and re-publishing Open Content Community functions Integration into external systems Focus on standards to guarantee interoperability Portal technology applicable to other domains © OpenScout Consortium, August
© OpenScout Consortium, August Thank you for your attention! learn.openscout.net
Contents OpenScout Project and Solutions Project overview »»»» Solutions in detail »»»» Technical architecture »»»» Skill and competence based search »»»» Tool Library in detail »»»» OpenScout for Content Providers »»»» Application Profile: Cultural Specification »»»» Background More about OER in general / for management »»»» © OpenScout Consortium, August
Co-funded by European Commission eContentplus OpenScout Skill and competence based search in OpenScout OpenScout Consortium August 2012 Partners
Background: Skills and competences Skills In the context of EQF, skills are described as cognitive (involving the use of logical, intuitive and creative thinking) and practical (involving manual dexterity and the use of methods, materials, tools and instruments). Competences In the context of EQF, competence is described in terms of responsibility and autonomy. EQF = European Qualifications Framework © OpenScout Consortium, August
Competence Metadata Services in OpenScout for Enrichment Search Added value to harvested OER Competence Catalogue as Core of Services Competence classifications (competence categories) Related competences Competence related scales for resources, experts, evidences and proficiency Taxonomy mapping of existing competence related taxonomies in management education Skill and Competence Services © OpenScout Consortium, August
Competence Taxonomy © OpenScout Consortium, August
Competence Taxonomy © OpenScout Consortium, August
Enriching Resources with Competences Expert tagging tool for sub-domains, competences, and proficiency levels © OpenScout Consortium, August
Competence Scenarios Search for learning resources based on competences and difficulty (= EQF level) Browse resources based on information of competence taxonomy Independent learning based on competence profiles and competence levels (organisation of learning resources and personal competences) Increased usability through simplification of 8 level EQF to familiar 3 levels (basic, intermediate, advanced) © OpenScout Consortium, August
Competence Search © OpenScout Consortium, August
Additional Tools – Planner Tool Personal Development Planner (PDP) Need – OpenScout services to integrate aspects of informal learning support or workplace oriented competence development Goal – to have a learning tool, which allows independent and informal learners to organise OER content for their own purposes Solution – redesign and re-implement the existing tool “Personal Development Planner” (PDP), available from the TENCompetence FP6 IP project © OpenScout Consortium, August
Planner Tool – Main functions Self-assessment of competences Definition of competence development objectives Selection of informal curricular profiles as learning goals Gap analysis of competences and skills Recommendation service of OERs Self-organisation of learning content © OpenScout Consortium, August
Planner Tool © OpenScout Consortium, August
© OpenScout Consortium, August Thank you for your attention! learn.openscout.net
Contents OpenScout Project and Solutions Project overview »»»» Solutions in detail »»»» Technical architecture »»»» Skill and competence based search »»»» Tool Library in detail »»»» OpenScout for Content Providers »»»» Application Profile: Cultural Specification »»»» Background More about OER in general / for management »»»» © OpenScout Consortium, August
Co-funded by European Commission eContentplus OpenScout Tool Library OpenScout Consortium August 2012 Partners
OER adaptation Educational institutions, private organisations, as well as individual learners and educators have embraced the OER initiative. Bringing these stakeholders together and allowing them to share their adaptation tools and best practices is critical for the success of the OER initiative. 68
The OpenScout tool library © OpenScout Consortium, August
The OpenScout tool library: Tools © OpenScout Consortium, August
The OpenScout tool library: Scenarios © OpenScout Consortium, August
The OpenScout tool library: Groups © OpenScout Consortium, August
Adding a tool © OpenScout Consortium, August
Adding a scenario © OpenScout Consortium, August
Tools in the portal © OpenScout Consortium, August
Groups in the portal © OpenScout Consortium, August
Conclusion The tool library aims at: Supporting the collaborative adaptation of learning resources Fostering the creation and sustainability of multicultural communities of users that have common interests in the adaptation of learning resources The tool library allows you to: Find and share tools and adaptation scenarios Connect with other professionals, educators, students and researchers in management education and training Participate in group discussions about OER adaptation 77© OpenScout Consortium, August
© OpenScout Consortium, August Thank you for your attention! learn.openscout.net
Contents OpenScout Project and Solutions Project overview »»»» Solutions in detail »»»» Technical architecture »»»» Skill and competence based search »»»» Tool Library in detail »»»» OpenScout for Content Providers »»»» Application Profile: Cultural Specification »»»» Background More about OER in general / for management »»»» © OpenScout Consortium, August
Co-funded by European Commission eContentplus OpenScout A Content Provider’s View OpenScout Consortium August 2012 Partners
Main objectives of OpenScout project Single access point for business & management open content Finding & distributing learning materials Simple tools to use and adapt these materials Social environment where communities can collaborate Integrating the services and tools to existing solutions of organizations (LMSs, CMSs, Social networks etc.) Our users Higher education & Business Schools SMEs & large organizations worldwide (vocational training) Librarians & documentation experts Content Providers © OpenScout Consortium, August Portal at learn.openscout.net
Why providing content? Mutual promotion of Open Education Increase awareness Promote your resources Increase your visibility OpenScout harvesting Directing users to your repository / content Hosting resources / Repository Service OpenScout repository for content providers without repository Simple Publishing Publishing interface for everyone Add competences to your resource Share your resources with the community Add-on services Open tools and services Search widgets / services for LMS and social networks © OpenScout Consortium, August
How to provide content? Simple collaboration Contact us For repositories: Provide OAI-PMH target and logo We will integrate your contents For contents: We provide repository service Advanced: Harmonize metadata including competences (mainly mapping categories and competences) Partnership options Metadata harvesting Mutual harvesting Further collaboration: Tools and (Open) Services Utilize our services Social metadata Rankings Tools © OpenScout Consortium, August
Technologies and Standards LOM based Application Profiles Based on LOMv1.0 standard Extended to represent competences: European Qualification Framework, EQF Competence Taxonomy Federation of repositories OAI-PMH and central server SQI / SPI for queries and publishing Usage-metadata CAM (Contextualized Attention Metadata) 84© OpenScout Consortium, August 2012
Who is already a partner? © OpenScout Consortium, August
© OpenScout Consortium, August Publishing Content 86
Publishing Interface © OpenScout Consortium, August learn.openscout.net
Metadata (optional) © OpenScout Consortium, August
What users get to see © OpenScout Consortium, August
Summary Many collaboration opportunities Metadata sharing Mutual harvesting Harmonization Service provision Search Social metadata Integration Visibility and outreach Additional access point Logos / CI incorporated Re-direction Further collaboration opportunities Research and development Mutual service arrangements OpenScout Special Interest Group within EATEL © OpenScout Consortium, August Partnership Program Guide at
© OpenScout Consortium, August Thank you for your attention! learn.openscout.net
Contents OpenScout Project and Solutions Project overview »»»» Solutions in detail »»»» Technical architecture »»»» Skill and competence based search »»»» Tool Library in detail »»»» OpenScout for Content Providers »»»» Application Profile: Cultural Specification »»»» Background More about OER in general / for management »»»» © OpenScout Consortium, August
Co-funded by European Commission eContentplus OpenScout Cultural Specification in Application Profile OpenScout Consortium August 2012 Partners
© OpenScout Consortium, August 2012 OpenScout Application Profile Learning Object Metadata (LOM) Competence Taxonomy Cultural and Context Classification 94
Cultural Classification in the OpenScout AP CategoryAP Integration LanguageLOM 1.3 Learning Resource TypeExtension of the value space of LOM 5.2 ContextExtension of the value space of LOM 5.6 Industry SectorExtension of the value space of LOM 9.1 and definition of a new classification that to be used for LOM 9.2 RegionNew field LOM 5.12 Adaptation needsExtension of the definition of LOM 8 Learning theoryNew field LOM 5.13 FocusNew field LOM 5.14 Teacher / Learner RoleNew field LOM 5.15 Learning StrategyNew field LOM 5.16 ReligionExtension of the definition of LOM 1.6 HistoryLOM 1.6 PoliticsExtension of the definition of LOM 1.6 © OpenScout Consortium, August
OpenScout Application Profile 96 © OpenScout Consortium, August 2012
Contents OpenScout Project and Solutions Project overview »»»» Solutions in detail »»»» Technical architecture »»»» Skill and competence based search »»»» Tool Library in detail »»»» OpenScout for Content Providers »»»» Application Profile: Cultural Specification »»»» Background More about OER in general / for management »»»» © OpenScout Consortium, August
Co-funded by European Commission eContentplus OpenScout Background Open Educational Resources (OER) OpenScout Consortium August 2012 Partners
OER and Open Content: Definitions Open Educational Resources (OER) “The open provision of educational resources, enabled by information and communication technologies, for consultation, use and adaptation by a community of users for non-commercial purposes” - UNESCO (2002) Open Content (more general notion) Online accessible digital assets (texts, images, graphics or multimedia) that are published under a license that explicitly allows an end-user to access, copy, modify or redistribute the content with no or minimum costs © OpenScout Consortium, August
And … in practice © OpenScout Consortium, August
And … in practice © OpenScout Consortium, August
Examples for OER Digital objects for learning purposes Full courses, course materials, modules, articles, electronic textbooks, tests, images, videos, software tools, simulations or animations, … Open educational practices Instructional designs Didactical plannings (lesson plans, case studies, curricula) Sharing experiences about materials and lessons between colleagues © OpenScout Consortium, August
Licensing: Creative Commons © OpenScout Consortium, August You are free: to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work to Remix — to adapt the work Under the following conditions: Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes. Share Alike. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.
OER: Areas of Activities Tools: Software and development tools To produce, adapt, store, share, search, access content. Spaces for communities of learning and practice. Content: Creation and provision of open content Open courseware, open content projects, free courses, Learning Object Repositories. Standards: Open Standards and licensing tools © OpenScout Consortium, August Source: Holotescu, C. (2007) Open Educational Resources and FLOSS
OER Initiatives © OpenScout Consortium, August More at:
So, what can you find? Everything! An estimated 350 millions licensed objects Aeronautics to Women studies … Lectures, case studies, simulations, videos, articles, interviews Course outlines and full courses with exams … and answers 1/2 page articles and conferences proceedings And for Management From the best known author/institutions to the most obscure … All management fields Academic research and applied materials © OpenScout Consortium, August
To whom are OER targeted? © OpenScout Consortium, August Entrepreneurs, freelancers, SMEs Librarians & documentation experts Instructors, professors, trainers Content providers Higher educational institutions Learners & students
OER vs. “traditional” education No instructors, no credits, no charge! OCW is not an MIT education. OCW does not grant degrees or certificates. OCW does not provide access to MIT faculty. Materials may not reflect entire content of the course. © OpenScout Consortium, August
OER vs. “traditional” education No pedagogical engineering: No integration of course into a programme but a collection of individual materials Little / no assistance in the search for relevant material, in particular the level of material (basic, intermediate, advance) Little / no assistance in learning / self study material No validation: No exams nor evaluation No certificate / diplomas / degrees No exhaustivity of the materials OER does not claim to replace online or distance education! © OpenScout Consortium, August
What are the advantages of OER? Freedom of access Pedagogical innovation Lower costs for students and organizations Potential publicity for the institutions Contribution to the global education community New method of collaborating with students and colleagues Helpful to future educators Beneficial to underserved individuals in the developed and developing world © OpenScout Consortium, August
Models for Sustainable OER Sustainability “... has long term viability for all concerned” Models Funding – How we pay for OER? Endowment / governmental, membership, donation, conversion, sponsorship, institutional, exchange, … Technical – How we distribute OER? Hardware, software, services, tools, standards Content – How we work with OER? Modification, adaptation, re-use processes Collaborative development of OER © OpenScout Consortium, August Downes (2007)
© OpenScout Consortium, August 2012 OER for Business and Management Education 112
OER and Management Lots of scattered initiatives Very different scope OER in Management seems to be less advanced than in other domains (Science & Technology) MIT More than 2000 courses online, virtually all MIT courses will be online … but for Sloan School of Management: 50 undergraduate courses 200 post graduate OpenCourseWare Consortium 6,384 courses from 64 sources and 12 languages © OpenScout Consortium, August
OER Challenges – For Educators How do you know which information you can re- use ? How can you be sure that your rights are asserted? Increase awareness and knowledge about © OpenScout Consortium, August
OER Challenges – For Institutions Strong competition among the Business Schools Not really consistent with the traditional “commercial” model of the Business Schools Fears of cannibalizing their executive education activities Resource allocation issues Overall scepticism or lack of awareness … © OpenScout Consortium, August
OER Challenges – For Users Many repositories with OER for management Isolated solutions Not widely known No single access point No exchange and interconnection So, the users go through Google And get learning material that are unfiltered and often inappropriate Quality and trust issues © OpenScout Consortium, August
OpenScout’s Advantages Single access point to distributed open management content Tool support for re-use, adaptation and re- publishing Open Content Community functions Supporting the sustainable use of OER in Management © OpenScout Consortium, August
What should I remember about OER? Open Resources are an ideal complement to traditional management education But are not intended as a substitute to traditional education OER are not only using materials But also contributing to the pool of knowledge OER respect IPR But it is our responsibility to follow the rules © OpenScout Consortium, August
Why are OER good for our students? Provide a flexible, comprehensive pool of knowledge May be the entry point to a vibrant community Are adapted with the new ways of searching for information on the web © OpenScout Consortium, August
Why are OER good for our institutions? Allow an altruistic exchange and dissemination of knowledge with a wider audience Improve the visibility and image of the institution Allow the participation and cooperation in international networks © OpenScout Consortium, August
Thank you for your attention! learn.openscout.net