1. AltiLab 2004 Infrastructure Session Gilbert Paquette, CIRTA, TELUQ
San Francisco, July
eduSource
and LORNET
Gilbert Paquette, CIRTA, TELUQ
and
Griff Richards, SFU

2. What is EduSource?
A test bed for a network of Learning Objects Repositories
Suite of Tools, Community of Practice, CANCORE profile
Founded on international standards (W3C and IMS) and an open source approach
An 18 months, CANARIE founded project (4,25 M$)
Terminated since March 2004; a community of developpers/users to be maintained through LORNET and other initiatives

3. eduSource Main Partners
Athabasca
Univ.
CAREO
SAVOIRNET
EXPLORA-II
Netera
(L.Commons)
SFU
Télé-
Université
(Cogigraph)
BELLE
Univ. of
Waterloo
POOL
TEL-EDU-NB
CLOE
POOL

4. Specs/Standards/Profiles
Metadata Formats
IEEE LOM
Dublin Core (DC)
CANCORE
Communication Protocols
OAI, Z39.50
Web Services
SOAP, WSDL, UDDI
Implementation Specifications
IMS DRI (Interoperability)
IMS CP (Content Packaging)
IMS LD (Learning Design)
ODRL (Digital Rights)

5. eduSource Results Cancore 2.0 DRM Model LOR Communities of Practices
eduSource suite of tools
Architecture Documents
Three Ways to Access Resources: Network search, eRIB, Repository and Platform connection
ECL connector and gateway, Common Search Component, eduSource Registry Services, eRIB tools
Software Specifications for Learning Design, LD content packaging and DRM
To be developed in LORNET

6. Conceptual framework eduSource Services Metadata Repository Legacy
eLearning
Middleware
Resource
Manage.
Communication
Kernel
DRM
services
eduSource Services
Legacy
Tools
Agents
Comp..
OTHER
LCMS
/Agents
Portals
Metadata
Repository
Digitized
Resource
Repository

7. Three ways to use eduSource
1 - Infoseeking through Federated Search and Harvesting
2 - Repository-in-the-box (eRIB)
3 - Registering a repository in eduSource (ECL)

8. 1 – Search in the network through the eduSource Portal
General public access to the eduSource network of repositories
Limited to infoseeking without data storage
Federated Search
Harvesting possible
edusource.licef.teluq.uquebec.ca/ese/en/index.jsp

9. 2- Install and use an edusource eRIB
Create a new eduSource Node
Install an XML DB and a Web interface
Use Edusource Tools: Metatagger, Common Search Package
Turnkey, Free, Adaptable
Open source
Complete Access to the Edusource Network Community of Practice or Create your own

10. 3 – Connect an existing repository
Translate communication protocols
Translate Metadata FORMATS
Half a day to develop a connector
Gateways for other repositories

11. The ECL Gateway
Enables eduSource to connect to other protocols and international projects
A special eduSource MDR with an ECL connector to pass requests from ECL clients to non eduSource repositories (Smete, EdNa)
Provides 2-way translation between IEEE-LOM and DC for OAI MDRs (eventually for Z39.50)
Enables OAI servers to search the eduSource Newwork for LOMs
The Gateway can be easily updated to other external MDRs and standards
External communication for eduSource can be handled by more than one Gateway

12. eduSource Gateways and Clients

13. The ECL Connector 1) SOAP-ECL request from ECL client extracted
2) Connector creates a Java request
3) Sends requests to Repositories
4) Java search object created and launched within metadata repositories
5) For eduSource repositories: 6 OAI-Gather methods
6) Results (LOM records) serialized back in a SOAP message
7) SOAP engine sends the list of LOMs to the ECL client

14. The Common Search Component (CSC)
Result
Display
Federator
Client
CSC
PtoP
Client
Harvestor
Client

15. The eduSource Registry of Services (ERS)
A UDDI registry grouping information provided by each metadata repository (MDR) managers when they first register to eduSource or when they update or add services
Makes each MDR known to the eduSource network
Enables ECL clients to find end points and create their own community of repositories
Enables publication of new Web services provided by different stakeholders

16. Connection of a platform to eduSource (The EXPLOR@-II case)
- II, a eLearning system that:
Aggregates resources, activities and actors for learning or knowledge working
Builds and manages research repositories (SavoirNet)
Offers open integration of resources found using a search engine
Manages all kinds of ressources, including its own tools for search, access protection and aggregation
eduSource adds search in multiple repositories (adding an ECL connector)

17. eduSource Search within Explor@

18. Explor@-II Extended Search

19. Integration and Delivery

20. LORNET: A major Canadian Initiative in Learning and Semantic Web technologies
Over 8 M $ in 5 years on learning and knowledge-based technologies
Joint research with 27 industrial partners and organizations
A team of 129 researchers, students and professionals.
Consolidation of 7 research labs and centers and 4 Research Chairs
Convergence of complementary research areas
Interaction with leading international projects: OKI, IMS, CETIS, COLIS, Kaleidoscope

21. LORNET Industrial Partners
Bell Canada
BCcampus
BMO, Institute for learning
CAE
Credo Interactive Inc.
CRIM
ETraffic Solutions
FDO-Axion
Hydro-Québec
Immersion Canada
Infotel Group
Knexa
Mentor-AGTI
Neptec
PDS
Recombo
SGI Canada
Technologies Cogigraph Inc.
TR Labs-Saskatchewan
Vestec

22. LORNET Theme Structure2.
Aggregation and
Multi- actor
Designs
Gilbert Paquette
TELUQ 1.
Interoperability
and Metadata
Tom Calvert
Simon Fraser, U. 6.
Telelearning
Operations
System
(TELOS
S. Pierre/G.Paquette
POLY/TELUQ 5.
Advanced
Multimedia
Objects
Nicolas D. Georganas
U. Ottawa 3.
Active and
Adaptive
Learning Objects
G.McCalla/J.Greer
U.Sask. 4.
Object Mining
and Knowledge
Extraction
Mohammed Kamel
U.Waterloo

23. Theme 1 - Interoperability of Learning Objects Repositories2 5 3 4 6
The key to interoperability is linking and communicating in a meaningful way.
Learning Objects Repositories provide a practical research arena for the semantic Web.
Vision
Research Areas
Lightweight ontology mapping
Semantic cobblestones
Ontological educational markup languages
Ontology-based communication tools
Sustainable learning objects ecosystems
Mobile learning environments
Team
Semantic Tech Lab, Simon Fraser University
Thomas Calvert, Marek Hatala, Vive Kumar, Rob Woodbury, Griff Richards, Samuel Pierre

24. Theme 2 - Learning Object Design and Aggregation1 5 3 4 6
Learning objects become significant through the activities they support.
Dynamic aggregation models provide multi-actor adaptive interfaces and assistance.
Vision
LICEF-CIRTA Research Center and CRC, TELUQ
Gilbert Paquette
Jacqueline Bourdeau, Aude Dufresne, Olga Marino, Hamadou Saliah, Ioan Rosca
Team
Research Areas
Educational modeling languages
Multi-actor workflow models
Knowledge representation of actors, activities and resources
Adaptive assistance to actors

25. Theme 3 - Active and Adaptive Learning Objects2 1 5 4 6
Learning objects must be active.
Learning objects must adapt to learners and other learning objects.
Vision
ARIES Lab. U. of Saskatchewan
Gordon McCalla, Jim Greer, John Cooke, Julita Vassileva, Ralph Deters
Team
Research Areas
Agent-based learning objects
Active learner modeling
Context integration in learner modeling
Learning object re-purposing
Instructional planning with learning objects
Negotiated coalition formation

26. Theme 4 - Object Mining and Knowledge Extraction2 1 5 3 6
Data mining and knowledge extraction techniques can provide context and facilitate interactions, efficient organization, efficient delivery, navigation and retrieval of LOs
Vision
Knowledge from text: classification, clustering, discovering topics, learning association
Knowledge from images
Knowledge from interactions
Building knowledge structures
Knowledge sharing ontologies and mechanisms
Research Areas
Team
PAMI Lab and CRC,
U. Waterloo
Mohamed Kamel
Otman Basir, Fakhri Karray, Hamid Tizhoosh, Andrew Wong, Yang Wang

27. Theme 5 - Advanced Multimedia Objects2 1 3 4 6
Advanced multimedia “objects” can create a very rich learning environment.
The objects must adapt to user preferences, contexts and network QoS conditions.
Use the new capacities of broadband networks.
Vision
MCR Lab and CRC,
U. of Ottawa
Nicolas D. Georganas
Éric Dubois, Abed El Saddik, Sherwin Shirmohammadi Jiying Zhao
Team
Research Areas
Virtual reality user interface for LOR navigation
Objects and GUI for augmented and virtual reality
Multilayer digital watermarking for multimedia learning object protection
Dynamic adaptation of advanced multimedia learning objects

28. Theme 6 - TeleLearning Operating system (TELOS)2 1 5 3 4 6
A multi-actor environment
Interoperable with other tools or platforms
Based on a model of the actors, activities and resources
Integrating tools and methods developed by themes 1 to 5
Promoting a diversity of pedagogical and delivery models.
Vision 6
Research Areas
TELOS System Architecture and technological infrastructure
Software engineering and system development applied methods
TELOS application designs
Test and validation methods of the TELOS system and applications
Team
Gilbert Paquette, Samuel Pierre, Jacqueline Bourdeau, Marc Couture, Marek Hatala, France Henri, Ioan Rosca, Chris Brooks, Otman Basir

29. TELOS Vision and System’s Levels
LKMS 1
LKMS 2
LKMS 3
Environment
Builders
TELOS
LKMA 2.1
LKMA 2.2
LKMA 2.3
Designers
Environment
2.2 A
2.2 B
2.2 C
2.2 D
Learners &
Facilitators
TELOS
SYSTEM
System
Engineers

30. Expected Results New knowledge Tools and methods Systems
On Semantic Web techniques and applications
On ICT support to Knowledge Management and training
On learning objects creation, processing and use
Tools and methods
For ontologies creation and use
For design, static and dynamic aggregation of LOs
For content repurposing and adaptive assistance
For knowledge extraction to model learning objects
For advanced multimedia creation, search, delivery
Systems
TELOS infrastructure, kernel, API
5 evolutionary prototype applications

31. Interoperability Results -from eduSource and LORNET
AltiLab 2004 Demo SessionIMS
San Francisco, July
Interoperability Results -from eduSource
and LORNET
Gilbert Paquette, TELUQ
and
Griff Richards, SFU