SCORM Course Meta-data 3 major components: Content Aggregation Meta-data –context specific data describing the packaged course SCO Meta-data –context independent information describing individual SCO’s Asset Meta-data –context independent information describing individual course assets

Overview Learning objects require: –ease of access –safe storage Descriptions of learning objects: Meta-data Meta-data: data about data –example: Library Card / Food Label Repositories facilitate 2 important benefits of Meta-data tags: –Reusing learning objects –Personalizing learning tracks

Specifications SCORM: ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning) –a standard means of constructing/packaging distributed learning courses ADL published 3 specifications which together make up SCORM 1.2 (1.2.1): –SCORM overview –SCORM Run-Time Environment –Content Aggregation Model

Content Aggregation Model Specifies how individual learning content is described Specifies how a sharable and interoperable course is composed from the content Meta-data: 1 of 3 elements in Content Aggregation Model: –Content Model Nomenclature –Content Packaging –Course Meta-data

Course Meta-data Based on IMS Learning Resource Meta-data Information Model ver –derived from the IEEE LTSC Learning Object Meta-data (LOM) draft standard ver 6.1 – IEEE standard: 64 Meta-data elements –SCORM/ IMS Meta-data elements are a subset of these elements

Course Meta-data Describes course content and asset Meta-data: –more efficient finding / using a resource –provides structure of defined elements that describe/catalog a learning resource –provides requirements about how the elements are to be used and represented Course Meta-data provides a means of giving course descriptive data within the course manifest file –key for archiving in repositories: for searching/extracting shareable content objects

Course Meta-data A means for searching / extracting sharable content objects from repositories Course descriptive data contained in imsmanifest.xml (at top level directory of every SCORM-compliant course) IMS Learning Resource XML Binding Specification, Version 1.2: sample XML representation and XML control files (DTD, XSD) Course resource files and the manifest file compressed into a zip file constitute a packaged course

Course Meta-data: 3 categories Content Aggregation Meta-data – context specific data describing the packaged course Sharable Content Object (SCO) Meta-data – context independent information describing individual SCO’s Asset (Sharable Resource) Meta-data – context independent information describing individual course assets These can be further classified by: –their positions within the course IMS manifest xml file –whether they provide context specific or context independent descriptions

SCORM Structure See accompanying diagram on handout (SCORM Meta-data)

Course Meta-data: IMS Manifest xml file The xml file has 4 sections: –Pre-amble – Course Meta-data: optional within SCORM, but required if the course is to be available for searching and extracting from a SCORM repository It can be placed in any of the last 3 sections of the above list

IMS Manifest File Each of the 3 Meta-data components is inserted into the course manifest file using the xml schema for IMS Learning Resource Meta-data Model, version 1.2 (and 1.2.1): –..

Context Specific Meta-data Specific to a course packaged by manifest file: –course title –description of packaged course –author of packaged course (might be different from author of individual SCO’s) –keywords to help in locating course (within a SCORM repository) –copyright of packaged course –intended audience for course –catalogue information –required or expected prerequisites for course –etc.

Context Independent Meta-data Meta-data for SCO’s and Assets Needed if they are to be available for extraction from a SCORM repository –SCO or Asset title –general description of SCO or Asset –original author of SCO or Asset –keywords associated with SCO or Asset –copyright of SCO or Asset –etc.

SCORM Content Aggregation Meta-data Context specific data describing the packaged course Data designed for ease of access / re-use of Sharable Content Objects (SCO) aggregated into SCORM-compliant courses (and archived within SCORM repositories) – a structure (like a table of contents) to organise the sequence and navigation of content in a course May be used in both and sections of manifest file

 Content Aggregation Meta-data Specifications regarding: –learning object Meta-data –the XML "binding" for the Meta-data tags (defines how to code tags in XML so they are machine / human readable) –IMS content packaging specification (defines how to package a collection of learning objects, their Meta-data and information about how the content is to be delivered to the user)

Content Aggregation Meta-data Data about the overall content aggregation –describing the course purpose, intended audience, author, copyright, etc. Data that can be searched externally –course title, description, date created and version Context specific data

SCORM SCO Meta-Data Context independent data describing individual Sharable Content Objects (SCO’s) A collection of assets where one of the assets implements the prescribed methods to interface with LMS Placed in the subsections of the section of the course manifest file

SCO Meta-data The minimum of methods that must be implemented by an asset in a SCO includes the need to locate the LMS's API adaptor LMSInitialize("") and LMSFinish("") Like Aggregation Meta-data, the purpose of SCO meta-data is to make it easy to find and reuse SCOs archived in SCORM repositories –However, whereas Aggregation Meta-data are used to locate and reuse entire courses, SCO Meta-data are used to find and reuse the building blocks of courses

SCO Meta-data Data describing a Sharable Content Object (SCO) Data that can be searched externally –SCO title, description, date of creation and version Context independent data

SCORM Asset Meta-Data Context independent data describing course and SCO assets –graphics files, individual web pages, media streams, xml and javascript files Placed in the subsection of a subsection in the manifest file

Asset Meta-data Meta-data should be independent of any references to the main course and of any Sharable Content Object (SCO) Can be packaged without being part of any particular Sharable Content Object (SCO) As assets may be packaged in a single manifest file (independent of any particular learning object or sharable content object), SCORM repositories may consist of both learning objects and assets

Asset Meta-data Data that can be used to create repositories of sharable Assets Data that can be searched externally – asset title, description, date of creation and version Context independent data

The IMS Learning Resource Meta-Data Model All Meta-data must conform to: –SCORM/IMS Learning Resource Meta-Data Model, ver 1.2 (1.2.1) 9 general categories of Meta-data Each of these categories can be used to describe content aggregation, SCO or Asset data. –3 are optional for all categories :,, –The others are mandatory items, with two exceptions: Two categories are mandatory for content aggregation information and SCOs, but optional for Assets: and

LOM Categories Table A total of 61 Course Meta-data elements –defined by the SCORM/IMS Learning Resource Meta-data Model Some optional / some required IMS model classifies each of its 61 elements into one of 9 categories –3 elements are reserved (ie: not used) –So, in SCORM 1.2 (1.2.1), there are 58 elements grouped into 9 LOM categories

SCORM Asset see accompanying sheet

Taxonomy and Vocabulary Structured collections of terms Serve as values for Meta-data elements Part of IEEE/IMS set of Meta-data They have produced a tabular map of the various taxonomies (there is no 1 set grouping)

Labeling Meta-data  Use the IMS guidelines as a checklist  Using taxonomies (from the IMS common practice table) will help to reduce duplicative Meta-data elements  Keep end users in mind  Beware of “Meta-data creep”: putting too many elements in just for the sake of it  Beware of extension naming: it may cancel out other elements

SCORM Course Meta-data 3 major components: Content Aggregation Meta-data –context specific data describing the packaged course SCO Meta-data –context independent information describing individual SCO’s Asset Meta-data –context independent information describing individual course assets

Click to go to next presentation