Setting the Course for Distributed Learning Frank Tansey Director, IMS Developers Network

Ocean Liners a cautionary tale Once upon a time, there were… –Ocean liners: got you there fast and in style, at a price - they were only way to go Then along came... –Planes: get you there cheaper and faster - but forget about comfort –Cruise ships: the shipboard experience is the whole point of the exercise - not speed or indeed getting anywhere at all

What happened? Owners did not recognize they had two different and separable missions –Getting there fast –Providing a high quality shipboard experience Speed won - ocean liners lost out to airplanes No ocean liner company became an airline UK lost pre-eminence in ship-building Travel became affordable for many more people We now fly on package tours to take a cruise

What can we learn from this story? Universities and colleges are still trying to be “ocean liners” combining quality of life, learning, and research with (relatively) rapid progress towards traditional degrees A variety of competitive “airline” learning organizations are springing up to cater to new student demands Technology and economics are the main driving factors Market for learning is growing and changing Continuing leadership for cannot be taken for granted Institutional status quo is being challenged – we need to decide what we want to be in the future

Deciding what we want to be the obvious choices An airline: fast, flexible, customer-oriented virtual university, focus on web-based learning, competencies (e.g. WGU), professional credentials (e.g. University of Phoenix) etc. A cruise operator: the traditional liberal arts college, small, personalized, focus on learning, quality, community, intellectual stimulation The Titanic: watch out for icebergs!

Deciding what we want to be a more radical idea A distributed learning organization (e.g. the OU) –A hybrid “travel service” that provides inclusive “package tours” for learners - not just technology based –Less time in class but more quality contact between faculty and students –Separate content creation and learning services –Provides socialization skills for 18 year olds... –…but also efficient certification of competencies for mature students

What is distributed learning? Learning resources: all forms of content Learning activities: both synchronous and asynchronous, supported by course delivery and communication tools Enterprise systems: the provider’s infrastructure: where learning happens “Any time/any place” is classroom and/or technology based Distance Learning is a subset of Distributed Learning

What is IMS and how does it relate to all this? An infrastructure for distributed learning (analogous to airports, ATC, reservations systems, travel agents etc.) An initiative of EDUCAUSE that is driving innovation in the distributed learning marketplace Soon to be an independent not for profit A coalition of 36 investors and 200+ affiliated developers A global collection of technology standards for education and training

Why do we need IMS? the institutional view Enable independence of content and learning servers Grow the market for distributed learning resources and services “Future-proof” critical decisions about the technical infrastructure for learning Promote the development of integrated enterprise-grade systems for distributed learning

Adapt my current work Make the “admistrivia” go away Make sure it’s easy Why can’t you... ? …and by the way all this won’t make me lose my job will it? Why do we need IMS? the faculty view

Too many separate systems Each school and college unique Even the best products can’t meet our needs Demands are increasing exponentially Why do we need IMS? the technologist’s view

I need to get the materials now It’s got to be more than text I need to communicate I want to get a competitive edge I grew up with Nintendo — lectures are sooooo boring! Why do we need IMS? the student’s view

What does the IMS organization do? Collects requirements from all sectors Develops specifications for interoperability of systems and content Facilitates development of prototypes Actively promotes adoption of the specification Provides developer support

IMS investors University/research: BVU, CIC (“Big Ten”), CSU, CRI, GEM, GMU, Miami Dade, Michigan, UC, VA Tech US Government: DoD, DoL, NIST International: DETYA Australia, JISC UK, NCB Singapore CUTI Catalunya Technology vendors: Apple, Asymetrix, AT&T, Blackboard, Empower, IBM, Macromedia, Microsoft, Oracle, PeopleSoft, SCT, Sun, Unisys Publishers: ITP, Pearson Service providers: Eduprise.com, KPMG Profiles/assessment: ETS, Farance Inc.

What products will be IMS-enabled? Learning Servers Digital Library Software Authoring Tools Student Information Systems Financial Systems Courses applets, simulations, pages, modules, assessments, etc. Resources

What is the initial scope of IMS? Author Level Objectives etc. Content (meta-data) Run Mary’s Browser Track Lesson School’s Learning Server(s) Get Teacher’s Authoring Tool Find Campus Data Systems Internet

What other IMS work is in progress? Assessment (question) interoperability Inter-campus security E-commerce Repository services Collaboration Groups Conformance tests

How will IMS meta-data help me? How can you expect me to use on-line material if I can’t find it easily on the Web? IMS meta-data will let you search by learning objective, subject, level, prerequisites, use time etc. AVIATION Extensions Airframe type: …. BIOLOGY Extensions Phylum: …. IMS/ARIADNE Meta-data for Learning Learning level Attribution Discipline and more…. Dublin Core Meta-data Author, title, etc.

How will IMS help me share courses and resources? My university uses three different course management systems. Why can’t I use the same course materials as my colleagues in other departments? IMS enabled course management and authoring tools will make it possible to run courses on any IMS enabled system.

How will IMS let me handle ‘administrivia’ better? I’m really tired of having to maintain the rosters for my on-line courses by hand. Why can’t this information be shared with our student records system in real time? Standard student profiles can be used to exchange information between IMS enabled course management systems and back- office systems IMS Profile Personal info Performance data Portfolio Preferences

Enterprise Scope The ability for organizations to easily link their software to any number of learning system solutions (low cost of ownership) Lightweight implementable version 1 Reduction of administrivia Building block for version 2 International perspective

Enterprise Framework ContentBack Office Portfolio Learning Server Granular Data Taxonomy

CNI Networked information Organizational transformation How does IMS relate to other major initiatives? IMS Content/mgt. APIs Collaboration Back-office Repositories Meta-data Internet2 gigaPoPs QoS Abilene Security Authentication Access control Profiles Applications Middleware

What else is required to realize the Distributed Learning vision? Strong faculty leadership Political/executive support Training/faculty development More/better content Universal access to technology Infrastructure

How can I get involved in IMS? Ask vendors for IMS enabled products Join the IMS Developers’ Network or encourage your vendors to do so –Participate in IMS work teams –Test new IMS-based products and demonstrations Visit our web site for current information or to sign up for the Developers Network

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