A National Network of Interoperable Repositories Mike Mattson The University of Calgary A National Network of Interoperable Repositories Mike Mattson The University of Calgary eduSourceCanada

Pan-Canadian research project Create a testbed of linked and interoperable learning object repositories across Canada Provide a forum for the ongoing development of the associated tools, systems, protocols and practices that will support such an infrastructure What is eduSource?

Start Date: July 1, 2002 Completion Date: March 31,2004 Total Budget: $8.5 million CANARIE Contribution: $4.25 million Project

Partners NewMIC Netera Calgary Athabasca Univ. Univ. of Waterloo Technologies Cogigraph Tele Education NB

Academic Partners Ecole Polytechnique Netera Athabasca Univ. Univ. of Waterloo Technologies Cogigraph TENB Univ. of British Columbia BCIT C2T2 Simon Fraser Univ. Univ. of Alberta NAIT Univ. of Calgary Univ. of Lethbridge Seneca College Sheridan College Brock Univ. Univ. de Montréal Univ. de Laval Univ. de Moncton ETI APCCC NBDEN NewMIC

Industry Partners Antarcti.ca Netera Athabasca Univ. Univ. of Waterloo TENB Teles Training Alberta Learning Rights Market Callisto TeleSat Télé- université NRC Bell Technomedia e-com CANARIE Technologies Cogigraph NewMIC

Case for Colaboration  Confirm Canada as an international leader in online learning  Create a critical mass of national expertise  Shared research avoids redundancy and the repetition of expensive mistakes  Leverage existing and planned investments

Enable Don’t Require Implement International Standards and Specifications Integrate Vision, Technology, Solutions and Sustainability Provide Open Source Tools to the Community Vision

Evolving Specifications Open Source Issues Many Right Points of View 50% Funding Model Vision to Reality

 Repository Content Development Facilitation  Digital Rights Management  Testing and Evaluation  Metadata Development  Software Development  Hardware Integration  Business and Management Models  Community Building  Project Management, Co-ordination & Communications Work Packages

Professional Indexers Controlled Vocabularies Learning Outcomes Educators Simple Needs CanCore Application Profile Megadata

LIES DAMN LIES SPECIFICATIONS Standards

Software Development

eduSource Communication Language (ECL) Connector based on IMS DRI Specification SOAP messaging OAI Z39.50

eduSource Communication Language (ECL) Gateway for Translations Design and Build Once Each Repository only has to create a single plug-in for ECL, not one for every protocol Open Source

Search?

Why Not Use a Search Engine?

More authoritative metadata to provide richer indexing of content Add option of hosting content as well as metadata (ensure availability) Ability to add value to the resources (not just a search engine) Why Use A Repository?

ECL diagram

xQuery OAI Peer-2-Peer RSS eduSearch

xQuery few implementations in Open Source databases relational database support Native XML VS. Relational Database Conundrum

xQuery Develop xQuery templates of supported searches eduSource Repositories will publish supported searches to the registry Creation of search channels by interest group Database Solutions

Available services will be published for users to access Huge administrative issues to be addressed Finite group of repositories will be tested in this project Victims of success EduSource Registry

Repository-in-a-box National/International Standards and Practices Search Engines Learning Design Best Practices Web Services Open Systems Specifications Media Database Indexing Tools Metadata Services User Interfaces 3rd Party Add-ons Rights Mgmt.

eduSource Challenges Scope Distance Conflict Resolution Funding Model Managing Expectations

Campus Alberta Repository of Educational Objects Learning Object Repository Place to find resources Means to share resources Tool for Communities of Learners What is CAREO?

“Main Menu” - after login

Search Results

Advanced Search

Browse Objects

Subscribed Objects - bookmarks on server

View Object

View Object Metadata Summary

View Object History

View Metadata Source XML

My Account

Add Object - Metadata Entry

My Objects: Objects I’ve Added

Discuss/Review Objects

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Repository

Metadata standards used to share information about resources Can integrate this information in a growing number of applications “Subscribe” to lists of Learning Objects from websites or online courses Learning Object Syndication

In Blackboard

In a website

On the desktop

In a Portal

Institutional or Departmental “themes” Reusing the Repository

“Alexandria” Theme

“CAREO” Theme

“SciQ” Theme

More portable - installable at other institutions Aggregation of objects - chapters/books... Integration with LMS (Blackboard plugin...) International network - EduSource Plans for CAREO

Addresses CAREO Development Weblog man SciQ: Science Revealed (K-12 Repository) EduSource

Mike Mattson: Michael Magee D’Arcy Norman: Contact Information