1. Innovative Collaborative e-Learning using LAMS
James Dalziel
Director, LAMS Foundation
Professor of Learning Technology &
Director, Macquarie E-Learning Centre Of Excellence (MELCOE)
Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Presentation for National University of Singapore, July 2nd, 2007

2. Overview The missing concept of e-learning Learning Design LAMS
Bedside manner
PBL
LAMS – LMS integration
LAMS Community
Further information & Additional topics

3. The missing concept of e-learning
“Single-learner” content vs “multi-learner” content
LMSs have collaborative tools (forum, chat) and courseware has sequencing of content….
But why no sequencing of collaborative activities?
Face to face classes/workshops often use collaborative activities and content in a structured way
So why is this so rare in e-learning?

4. Learning Design
The pre-history of Learning Design exists in decades of work on systematic lesson planning, and more recently in the technical work of Educational Modelling Language (EML)
EML formed the basis for the IMS Learning Design specification
NB: When I say Learning Design, I mean the wider field, not just IMS LD
Definitions vary, but some typical examples include:
Koper (2001): “modelling units of study”
Sloep (2002): “people doing activities with resources/environments”
IMS Learning Design specification (2003): “a description of a method enabling learners to attain certain learning objectives by performing certain learning activities in a certain order in the context of a certain learning environment”

5. Re-usable sequences of collaborative learning activities
Learning Design
For me, the key to Learning Design is:
Re-usable sequences of collaborative learning activities
Re-usable: Can easily be captured, stored, shared and adapted
Sequences: Managed flow of tasks (not a list on a course page)
(But not necessarily a linear flow of individual tasks)
Collaborative learning activities: “Multi-learner” tasks
(….as well as “single-learner” tasks like content and quizzes)
Alternatively, a Learning Design is a “digital lesson plan”
But not simply a narrative description – rather, it can “do” something

6. Learning Design
Each activity in a Learning Design requires details about:
Who: People/roles
What: Content/Instructions (“Activities” in IMS LD)
How: Tool setup (“Environment/Services” in IMS LD)
Plus the overall Learning Design has:
When: A description of the flow of tasks/sequence structure (“method” in IMS LD)
Why: A set of educational objectives/competencies (optional)
The details of who, what and how for each task (and the sequence structure & objectives) are encoded in a machine-readable format
Eg, EML file, IMS LD XML file, LAMS XML file
So a Learning Design authoring environment creates a Learning Design file, which is then “played” by a run-time environment

7. LAMS World’s leading software for Learning Design
1000s of educators across 80+ countries
Translated into 25 languages
Visual “drag and drop” approach to designing activities
Educator designs activities, then “runs” them with students, and monitors student progress
**Lessons can be stored, re-used, adapted and shared
Freely available as open source software

8. LAMS sustainability
There is no licence cost for LAMS – it is freely available as open source software
LAMS is freely provided by the non-profit LAMS Foundation
Fee-based services and support for LAMS are provided by a commercial company – LAMS International
Both LAMS Foundation and LAMS International are supported by Macquarie University

9. LAMS Demonstration Simulation of a module on
on bedside manner (8 students)

10. LAMS Login

11. Home: Showing course (Healthcare Education) and sequence (Bedside Manner)

12. Learner View of Bedside Manner sequence – first activity (Noticeboard)

13. Learner – Q&A – individual answer

14. Learner – Q&A – Collated answers

15. Learner – Voting – individual answer

16. Learner – Voting – collated answers

17. Learner – Grouping

18. Learner – Chat

19. Learner – Access Resources

20. Learner – Forum discussion

21. Learner – Notebook reflection

22. Author – Bedside manner sequence

23. Author – Editing of individual Q&A

24. Monitor – Live view of sequence progress by learners

25. Monitor – Detailed view of monitoring of chat

26. Monitor – Live view of individual learner progress

27. Author – Alternative sequence structure - PBL

28. LAMS/LMS Integration page: http://lamsfoundation.org/integration

29. Sharing Lesson Plans: The LAMS Community
The “LAMS Community” is global website for communities of LAMS users.
Discuss the use of LAMS, new features, technical issues
**Share sequences, search for sequences, comment on and rate sequences, and get statistics on downloads
Find colleagues with similar interests, form sub-communities
We use Creative Commons “open content” licensing of LAMS sequences
Approximately 2300 members, 86 countries, 190 shared sequences, discussion postings

30. LAMS Community – View of various communities & forums

31. LAMS Community – Repository Summary

32. LAMS Community – Detailed view of individual sequence

33. Further Information - LAMS
General information:
Especially CD link for case studies, video, demos; downloads
Online community:
Forums, sequence repository, regular newsletter, resources
Demonstration – LAMS V2
demo.lamscommunity.org
Sakai – LAMS integration demo
Sakai.lamscommunity.org
Fee-based services and support

34. Additional Topics Pedagogic Planners LMS Integration
Single Sign On
Deeper integration (eg, tools)
Upcoming new features
“Live Edit” (released)
Branching, conditionality, data in/out
RAMS – collaborative activity workflow for eResearch / eScience

35. Pedagogic Planner
New area – uses activity templates + advice for easy adoption of Learning Designs
Online demonstration (NB: not yet implemented)
User view (Teacher)
Creator view (Instructional Designer)

36. Further Technical Details: VLE integration - eg Sakai
Existing integration (Single-Sign-On)
Demo site at
Extending the current integration
Gradebook
Tools integration
Use LAMS Tools Contract to allow Sakai tools to be sequenced by LAMS workflow engine
Expose LAMS tools to be used in Sakai courses

37. Sakai 2.3/4 & LAMS V2 Integration: Manager view of user sequences

38. Sakai & LAMS V2: Sakai-based selection of authored sequences

39. Sakai and LAMS V2: Opening Authoring direct from Sakai

40. Upcoming for LAMS V2.1
The LAMS V2 architecture provides the foundations for many new features which are not yet visible, eg:
Branching
Conditionality
Advanced grouping
“Data in/data out”
Combinations of the above
Also planned for the future are:
“Edit on the fly” (released in LAMS V2.0.3)
Instant messaging
Pedagogic planner creator/editor

41. Introducing RAMS
The “Research Activity Management System” (RAMS) builds on the LAMS V2 workflow core (+ new eResearch features)
A new suite of activity tools appropriate for people-based eResearch activityflows
Plus multi-purpose tools that apply across eLearning and eResearch
The result is two different domain-specific applications (LAMS for eLearning; RAMS for eResearch) that draw on a common workflow core
Everything is open source

42. Introducing RAMS LAMS Application RAMS Application
Teachers
Researchers
LAMS Application
RAMS Application
eLearning specific tools
Multi-purpose tools
eResearch specific tools
“Education Workflow Engine”
(LAMS core + new RAMS development)
Admin
Author
Monitor
Participant

43. Sample eResearch Activityflow Use Cases
High level use cases from RAMP proposal:
Managing the research enterprise lifecycle (from grant planning to grant submission, to project initiation, to project lifecycle management, to research outcome dissemination),
Implementing auditable evaluation processes for assessing research quality (RQF assessor workflows, journal/conference peer review management, etc),
Designing and tracking article submission processes for Institutional Repositories,
Flexibly configuring and running online research collaboration processes (such as staged collaborative analysis and discussion for PhD/Postdocs around raw data, leading to interpretation, visualisation, and ultimately publications), and
Process-oriented research data collection from human subjects (such as in the humanities, and social and cognitive sciences).

44. New RAMS Features: Live Edit (starting with running sequence in Monitor)

45. New RAMS Features: Open live sequence in special author mode (some locked)

46. New RAMS Features: Can change sequence structure/tools for those not locked

47. New RAMS Features: Live sequence is immediately updated for current users

48. The future of educational tools?
Stand alone
Sequenced
Offline
Online
Teacher led
Student led

49. LAMS 2.0 Features: Simple and Complex Branching

50. Dissecting Dolly
LAMS 2.0 is not longer just an application, but instead a framework for sequencing activities
Your all one-stop-dev-shop for LAMS 2.0:
Architecture Comparison
Tools Contract
LAMS Tools
Built-in content repository and note services
Developing a LAMS Tool
Sequence External Tools within LAMS

51. LAMS 1.0.x vs LAMS 2.0 Architecture Comparison

52. Tools & Tools Contract Manage its own content My LAMS Tool Author
Tool as “almost” independent web applications.
Set of expected behaviours, registered URLs and API calls that a LAMS Tool has to implement to "talk" to LAMS Core.
Clear separation between Design and Tool Content.
Stores and manages Designs
My LAMS Tool
Manage its own content
Author
LAMS Core
Admin
Tool Contract
Learner
Monitor
Services

53. My LAMS Tool Author Admin Learner Monitor Services Author Contract/API
Admin Contract/API
Learner Contract/API
Monitor Contract/API
Services API
Author
Admin
Learner
Monitor
Services

54. External Tool Wrapper External Tool External Tool Wrapper Author Admin
External tool can be used as normal LAMS Tools using the tool wrapper. Effectively, Moodle, .LRN or Sakai tools can be used as native LAMS tools (including advanced features as groupings, branching, define in monitor, etc)
External Tool Wrapper
Author
External
Tool
Admin
Learner
Tool Contract
Tool Contract
Monitor
Services

55. External Tool Wrapper (Moodle Example)
The LAMS/Moodle wrapper provides another level of abstraction to bundle Moodle activities as LAMS native tools that you can drag and drop create learning sequences just like any other tool
Author
Moodle
External Tool Wrapper
(provided by LAMS)
Forum
Admin
WS/Moodle API
Learner
Tool Contract
Monitor
Services

56. Where/How do I start developing a LAMS Tool?
The LAMS Wiki
The LAMS Tech Community