1. Charles E. Kahn, Jr., MD 1 Njogu Njuguna, MD 2 Adam E. Flanders, MD 2 Department of Radiology 1 Medical College of Wisconsin 2 Thomas Jefferson University Hospital RSNA 2008 The Shareable Content Object Reference Model: Re-configuring Radiology Education Resources for the 21st Century

2. Objectives To introduce the concept of learning management systems and the Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) in the context of modern pedagogy To explain the basics and purpose of SCORM To illustrate SCORM's role in the future of radiology education and demonstrate an application that utilizes the SCORM framework

3. Old school e-learning Traditional pedagogy: push instruction Content is context-specific and set in a rigid structure for delivery Content is not reusable for different lessons Re-create rather than re-purpose existing data if planning a different objective / target audience etc. Non-standardized content and delivery systems No interoperability between different systems, content providers or content types

4. Enter the SCORM The US Government’s Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative (ADL) was created –The ADL built a standard for shareable and reusable educational materials to be delivered on the web, called SCORM –All educational materials (and delivery systems) created for the Department of Defense by various vendors are now required to conform to this standard

5. Why SCORM? Standardized content can work with any compatible learning delivery system Content must be: –Durable: relevant for long enough to justify the cost of its creation –Portable: seamlessly work on different content delivery systems without modification –Re-purposable: Structured to enable the recombination of package contents easily for new content creation –Accessible: Easily sought and found within a content store

6. SCORM 1.0 - Original proof of concept (2000) Introduced the Application Programming Interface (API) and shareable content object (SCO). SCORM 1.0 - Original proof of concept (2000) Introduced the Application Programming Interface (API) and shareable content object (SCO). SCORM 1.1 - First production version (January 2001) ● Defined a specification for content packaging structure. ● Lacked content manifest or metadata support. SCORM 1.1 - First production version (January 2001) ● Defined a specification for content packaging structure. ● Lacked content manifest or metadata support. SCORM 1.2 - Updated production version (October 2001) ● Supported metadata, content packaging, detailed manifest information ● Introduced conformance testing to verify compliance with SCORM standards and specifications SCORM 1.2 - Updated production version (October 2001) ● Supported metadata, content packaging, detailed manifest information ● Introduced conformance testing to verify compliance with SCORM standards and specifications SCORM 2004 (1.3) (January 2004 – October 2006, 3 revisions) ● Specifies adaptive sequencing of activity. ● New API for RTE ↔ SCO communication ● Improved user progress tracking, including completion of learning objectives / competencies. SCORM 2004 (1.3) (January 2004 – October 2006, 3 revisions) ● Specifies adaptive sequencing of activity. ● New API for RTE ↔ SCO communication ● Improved user progress tracking, including completion of learning objectives / competencies. A brief history of SCORM Four iterations of the SCORM specification

7. SCORM 2004 From the Bottom Up SCORM is a template for the aggregation of educational content into a portable package, a ZIP file The ZIP file contains a manifest describing the data, and directions on how it interacts with the learning management system

8. SCORM Specifications 2004 Specification laid out in 5 books –Overview: Outlines the contents of the books –Content aggregation model: Describes how to put learning content together so that it can be shared and reused –Run time environment: Describes the launching of educational sessions and how a learner's progress is tracked and reported back to the learning system –Sequencing and navigation: Describes how the content author can direct the learning experience –Conformance requirements: Describes what is tested and how content is checked for conformity to SCORM standards

9. The Content Aggregation Model (CAM) The Content Aggregation Model (CAM) describes three different data constructs that go into an individual learning object –The content model Describes the components of a learning object –The learning object metadata Indexing information and descriptions of the data within the learning object –Content packaging The shareable content object (SCO) CAM dictates the organization of the various data elements that comprise a learning unit

10. CAM: Content Model Specification Specifies how data required for an objective or lesson are to be packaged –Modules, made up of assets such as presentations, documents, web pages, flash objects etc., are packaged into a Shareable Content Object (SCO) –Enables these data to be found and re-used with ease Dictates the indexing and description of the learning modules contained in the SCO as well as how the modules relate to each other –An SCO can be as small or as large as needed, single or multiple modules

11. SCORM Data Packages Content Resource Package Used to store content objects and to aid portability from one system to another Not intended for delivery to the learner in this form, therefore no activity sequencing information is included Content Aggregation Package Has a special manifest section that describes how the contents are organized for delivery The activity organization section describes the flow of the educational activity as an activity tree and directs the SCO ↔ API interaction

12. CAM : The Metadata The metadata specification directs the tagging/ description of learning object [SCO] contents using a pre- defined set of terms These labels allow for an SCO to be searched for in a content repository or on the Internet and shared/reused/reconfigured for a different activity 1.General 2.Lifecycle 3.Meta-metadata 4.Technical 5.Educational 6.Rights 7.Relation 8.Annotation 9.Classification

13. CAM: The Metadata The metadata describes the SCO contents using these categories of labels: General category: describes the resource or content aggregation Lifecycle category: describes the resource, its history and lists the developers who contributed to it creation Meta-Metadata category: provides information about the metadata Technical category: states the requirements and characteristics of the resource Educational category: lists the key educational characteristics of the resource Rights category: states the intellectual property rights and conditions for use of the object Relation category: describes the relationship between objects within the SCO Annotation category: comments made by parties other than the author(s) about the educational use of the resource Classification category: where the resource is placed in relation to a specific taxonomy or classification scheme

14. CAM : Content packaging The shareable content object (SCO) exists to facilitate the learning task Content packaging is standardized by SCORM No set definition of what type or quantity of assets can be packaged into an SCO to achieve a specific educational goal

15. The SCO-RTE Interaction The Run Time Environment (RTE) facilitates communication with the SCO Provides an Application Programming Interface (API) that is accessible via a standardized scripting language e.g. Javascript, and accessible in the document object model of the web page SCO communicates with the RTE Utilizes the API to exchange data with the RTE Data may be used to track user progress, progress in an educational activity, etc.

16. ● Learning management system ● Run time environment  API ↔ SCO interaction Simple pictorial representation of the learning session The Education Interaction

17. 1. The user launches the educational session in a browser by selecting a topic 2. The SCO associated with that topic interacts with the API to sequence the learning activity 3. The API reports the user progress and task completion status back to the RTE The Education Interaction

18. SCORM and Radiology Education ● SCORM 2004 is now the de-facto standard for e-learning content creation ● Moving to SCORM-compliant e-learning systems will require investment  Conversion of existing educational content, teaching files will be laborious, time and money intensive  Commercial software exists for easy creation of education content from existing objects  SCORM can help deliver truly dynamic content and e-learning resources

19. ● E-learning in radiology education:  Should identify goals of training and competency requirements  Enable automated content deployment, use and user progress tracking  Rely on a flexible strategy focused on: ● Reusable, re-purposable, and shareable content ● Content adaptability across tasks and educational objectives  Use standardized run-time environments and content packaging to achieve portability SCORM and Radiology Education

20. Radiology Education in the 21 st Century Content should be easy to: Deploy - Internet, institutional intranet, desktop solutions Deliver - Browser-based delivery to PDAs, phones, desktops etc. Access - Minimize or eliminate language and accessibility barriers (hearing- and sight-impaired) Advantage: Many hospitals already have SCORM- compliant LCM systems for routine staff accreditation courses such as JHACO and OSHA educational requirements for hospital personnel SCORM-compliant radiology courses, CME easier to deploy, no new hardware/software required

21. Radiology-Integrated Training Initiative (R-ITI) Initiated by the National Health Service to create standardized, easily deployable, distributable e-learning content to enhance the training of radiologists –Process initiated by selection of a Learning Content Management System (LCMS) vendor –The R-ITI LCMS delivers the content and tracks user participation, progress, credentialing and attainment of learning objectives Geared towards self-directed learning. –The R-ITI LCMS is SCORM compliant, facilitating content creation and delivery across disparate NHS networks for widespread utilization

22. SCORM In Action Screen Shots from R-ITI

23. SCORM In Action: R-ITI The welcome screen for the R-ITI e-learning application. The server side RTE provides the browser API which interacts with an SCO to deliver the educational content using the sequencing instructions provided in the SCO to direct the lesson

24. SCORM In Action: R-ITI Browser requirements for running R-ITI content, which relates to the type of data objects contained in the SCO.

25. SCORM In Action: R-ITI Personal listing of attempted, completed and available courses. Included are required courses, as well as self-directed learning where the user can select topics of interest and access them in any order. Reusable and sharable content can be utilized in multiple lessons

26. SCORM In Action: R-ITI The search function, for finding material by topic, keyword, etc., and spanning the entire site and its contents. Anything that is appropriately tagged / indexed can be found in a repository.

27. Scheduled lectures/online collaborations listing SCORM In Action: R-ITI

28. Introductory slides for a given lesson which include lesson objectives and the content authors Metadata can be used at any point in the lesson, or not at all

29. SCORM In Action: R-ITI Data objects can be shared and reused in related/linked topics, or completely disparate subjects, as long as they can be found in the content store.

30. SCORM In Action: R-ITI Interactive tools linking hypertext to specific images and findings. While direct links to other SCOs and their contents is not allowed, the data and text within SCOs can be found in a content repository / server using metadata tags and used to generate new content for different lessons.

31. SCORM In Action: R-ITI Test utilizing images, with instant feedback and review. SCO contents such as images and text can be utilized in myriad ways within a given lesson. They can also be abstracted from a repository by a package generator when dynamically creating SCOs for other objectives.

32. Lesson completion page, reiterating objectives SCORM In Action: R-ITI

33. The LMS tracks user progress through courses, as well as completion of educational objectives. The ability to sequence activities and track user progress is facilitated by SCORM, improving the versatility of this LMS function.

34. SCORM In Action: R-ITI The LMS tracks user progress through courses, as well as completion of educational objectives. The ability to sequence activities and track user progress is facilitated by SCORM, improving the versatility of this LMS function.

35. Conclusion SCORM 2004 is the new standard for e-learning content generation and delivery SCORM–compliant learning resources can be deployed broadly, changed easily, and re-used or re-tooled to suit different audiences Utilizing SCORM for existing and new radiology content can greatly enhance e-learning

36. References Ostyne, Claude. The eye of the SCORM. 0.9-8.8. March 2007. October 23 2007. http://www.ostyn.com/standards/docs/Eye_Of_The_SCORM_draft.pdf Advanced distributed learning - SCORM. 6/14/07. Advanced distributed learning. October 23 2007. http://www.adlnet.gov/scorm> Phillip Dodds: SCORM Primer. April 5 2007. October 23 2007. http://adlcommunity.net/mod/resource/view.php?id=458 The Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Lab. Judy Brown and Ellen Wagner. Introduction to Learning Objects and SCORM. October 23 2007. http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/presentations/NMC603.htm