standards and specifications and medical learning technologies in scotland rachel ellaway e-learning...

Standards and Specifications and Medical Learning Technologies in Scotland

Rachel EllawayE-Learning ManagerCollege of Medicine and Veterinary MedicineThe University of Edinburgh

Common and shared specifications and standards for e-learning:

• Metadata

• Repository operations

• Content packaging

• Content sequencing

• Content runtime behaviour

• Assessment

• Student and course data

• Learner information

What are e-learning specifications?

• Learner competencies

• Logistics

• Messaging/Web services

• Accessible content

• Accessibility preferences - learners

• Learning design

• Collaboration

• Learner support

Common and shared specifications and standards for e-learning:

• Transport: XML, SOAP

• Search/query: OpenURL, SQL

• Harvesting: OAI

• Vocabularies: VDEX, ZThes

• Authentication: X509, ATHENS, Shibboleth

… and related specifications?

• IMS Global

• ADL/SCORM

• CETIS

• RELOAD

• MedBiquitous

• IVIMEDS

• JISC IE

• SDMCG

… and some activities

Shared models for describing and exchanging information

Adoption and implementation of these models - integration and adaptation

Ability to input and output using agreed formats and protocols

Internal capacity for representing interop components - not necessarily the same as the shared formats

What does it take?

Like HTML, XML is a subset of SGML

Tagged markup in text files - w3.org/xml

But the tags are specified by the user:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><presentation> <slide> <slidenumber value="c"/> <slidetitle value="What is XML"/> <theme> <colour value="purple"/> </theme> <content><![CDATA[What is XML?]]></content> </slide></presentation>

XML: extensible markup language

XML should be created by machines for machines

Bindings, DTDs, schemas, application profiles

Encoding and strict formatting - XHTML

Static or dynamically generated

Stored as XML or disaggregated in databases

How do you use XML?

Exchange - packets

Exposing information - feeds

Assembling and packaging - IMSCP

Encoding and storing

Decoding and parsing

Stylesheets - XSLT

When do you use XML?

Set of data elements and relationships between them

Data types, cardinality, vocabularies

Bindings, best practice, use cases

Development cycles

Scope and versioning

Structure

Process starts with user needs and/or input from a research community active in a related area

specification work, defining how interoperability can be achieved in the field under consideration

specifications are tested for their validity by user organisations.

if a specification is deemed to be valid and widely accepted, it is submitted to a formal standards body

Standards and Specifications

The IMS Global Learning Consortium - “the most advanced group developing learning technology interoperability specifications”

Formed in 1997, membership includes almost all the leading technology system suppliers, publishers and user organisations

Active participation of user organisations is crucial: JISC is a member through CETIS making it possible for UK interests to be represented

IMS Global: www.imsglobal.org

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AccessibilityCompetency DefinitionsContent Packaging Digital Repositories EnterpriseEnterprise ServicesLearner InformationLearning DesignMeta-dataQuestion and Test InteroperabilityShareable State PersistenceSimple SequencingVocabulary Definition Exchange

IMS Specifications


Metadata: synchronised with the IEEE LOM

Content Packaging (IMSCP): transport format that retains content, metadata and organisation. Zip file containing XML manifest(s), objects and other metadata

Learner Information (IMSLIP): information about a learner (individual or group learners) or a producer of learning content (creators, providers or vendors)

Learning Design (IMSLD): pedagogical meta-model for describing and providing run-time controls and structures for learning processes

Question and Test Interoperability (IMSQTI): assessment meta-model

Vocabulary Definition Exchange (IMSVDEX): defines a grammar for the exchange of value lists of various classes: collections often denoted "vocabulary"

IMS Specifications


Many metadata specifications: e.g. Dublin Core. IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM) is an ISO standard - others now converging on the LOM

1. General: title, description, contributors, language …2. Lifecycle: version, status …3. Meta-metadata: who and when metadata created/edited …4. Technical: location, format, size, requirements …5. Educational: educational level, context of use …6. Rights: who owns it and who can do what with it …7. Relation: is it part of something, does it have parts …8. Annotation: notes from developers, users etc …9. Classification: source, taxonomy, purpose …

Example 1: IEEE LOM


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ObjectID = 08DAE810-126D-4B8F-BBC6-3F5FE7B1CF65Name: UracilDescription:Uracil diagramKeywords: uracil,pyrimidines,biochem,structure,pathway,pettigrewLocation: (WEB) http://www.eevec.vet.ed.ac.uk/resource/biostruc/uracil.swfSize (bytes): 1133MIME: SWFApplication type: diagramContext:non-specificFormat:SWFLanguage: EN-GBSource: UracilCode: n/aVersion: 1.0Catalogue: UOE_MVM_ResManagerRestrictions?: yRestrictions: University of Edinburgh

Metametadata, annotation & classification also supported

"Uracil"

IEEE LOM binding all elements are optional - an empty record is a valid LOM record!

Application profiles: specifications for how a specification is used:

• Cardinality

• Vocabulary

• Data type

• Binding

UK LOM Core

Example 1: IEEE LOM


Transport mechanism for object(s) and metadata:

Zip file with XML IMS manifest and objects

May also have sub objects and sub-manifests

May also have organisation or even multiple organisations

Either use/build IMSCP tools, use RELOAD or process manually

Success of any of these depends on complexity of the CP and the specificity of the source and target contexts

Example 2: IMS Content Package


Meta language for any pedagogical activity

Developed from EML from the OUNL

UK and Dutch orientation - CETIS

No IMSLD tools extant yet but much activity

LAMS close but RELOAD developing tool

ACETS SSLD …

Example 3: Learning Design


In order to attain the following learning objective(s): (includes minimal and optimum success scenarios)

With prerequisite(s): (prior knowledge, skills, educational level etc)

Trigger(s): start and end

The following persons/roles:(student and staff roles)

ACETS SSLD: context

ACETS SSLD: activities

Perform: Which roles? Do what? How?

Learning activity(s): (including implicit forms such as reflection and consolidation)

Support activity(s):

Using environment(s) or scenario(s):

ACETS SSLD: objects & services

Using: Which roles? Do what? How?

Tool object(s): (able to act on other objects)

Knowledge object(s):(content/information etc)

Test object(s): (various forms of evaluation and assessment)

Search service(s):

Communicate service(s):

Announce service(s):

ADLNet (Advanced Distributed Learning Network)

Sponsored by the US federal government to "accelerate large-scale development of dynamic and cost-effective learning software and to stimulate an efficient market for these products in order to meet the education and training needs of the military and the nation's workforce of the future”

ADL produce SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model), a specification for reusable learning content

Good runtime rules but single learners - instructional heuristic

Strong North American buy-in

ADL/SCORM: www.adlnet.org



Centre for Educational Technology Interoperability Standards

Funded as a JISC service

Participates in IMS and other S&S bodies on behalf of UK tertiary education

Runs SIGS - regular meetings, all welcome

Creates and sustains user-adopter communities

Participates in key projects and programmes - X4L, UK Metadata Core, Pedagogies and e-Learning etc

CETIS - www.cetis.ac.uk





Dynamically Enhancing VLEs with information from the library (UoE and OU)

Middleware XML agent processing outgoing search and incoming returns into specification-compliant XML

Local systems parse into specific uses

Metadata alchemy - MARC-LOM, community of practice issues

2nd funding round …

DEVIL Project



EROS (Edinburgh Reusable Object Sequencer)

Online CAL authoring, delivery and analysis suite - implementing IMSQTI and IMSSS compliance - ? IMSLD

ResManager: Metadata manager and brokerage for all core MVM e-learning platforms. Uses LOM profile for metadata, developing OAI harvesting compatibility and IMS Repositories compliance

EROS & ResManager





Collaboration between all 5 Scottish medical schools

Common and agreed med-ed outcomes

GMC ‘Tomorrow’s Doctors’

Large outcome-interoperability project

IMSRDCEO and IMSVDEX

Fuzzy and probabilistic interoperability

Tolerance, partiality, locality - ?interop

The Scottish Doctor



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JISC funded project (X4L strand B) developing tools to facilitate the use of emerging Learning Technology Interoperability specifications such as those produced by ADL and IMS

Free and open-source tools (SourceForge):

• Metadata and Content Packaging Editor

• SCORM Player

• Learning Design Editor (soon)

RELOAD: www.reload.ac.uk



Different and competing standards

Different application profiles

Fuzzy interoperability

Vendor lock-in

S&S development and change

S&S don’t address all users’ needs

Adoption and change management

Issues

Strategy and policy - knowledge management, collaboration, reuse etc

Federated vs centralised systems architectures

Integration within institution - ‘golden copies’ and data protection issues

Politics, control, change management - the University is always somewhere else

Integration with external developments:SDMCG, JISC IE, IVIMEDS etc

Developments

Systems can talk to each other already

But technical interop ≠ semantic interop

Standards and specifications are emerging

Opportunities for connections, reuse, data protection, quality assurance

It’s not hard but it requires a change from closed and centralised architectures to open and federated ones

Issues of stability, risk and semantic integrity

Now is the time!

Interoperability is the new Internet!

Roadmap

We need SDMCG-wide involvement in S&S

All current infrastructure and future developments need to be evaluated in terms of S&S

Use funding opportunities to drive development

Engage with MLE and other S&S activity and advice - JISC/CETIS etc

Move away from 1-1 non-compliant joins to a common S&S structure for a common Scottish MedEd information environment

Metadata: IEEE LOM - with agreed binding: UK LOM Core, IVIMEDS

Content transport: IMSCP

Assessment: QTI

Learners: IMSLIP (e.g. portfolios and transcripts)

Plus new developments: CaseML, RDCEO etc

SDMCG not passive but active participants in S&S and interop in med-ed

Roadmap

S&S provides a scalable and longitudinally robust way of working in the emerging LO economies

It just takes commitment and mutual support

Our schools want it

It’s not as hard as it looks

Core of the SHEFC bid

… so how about it?

… and then

Standards and Specifications and Medical Learning Technologies in Scotland

Rachel EllawayE-Learning ManagerCollege of Medicine and Veterinary MedicineThe University of Edinburgh

standards and specifications and medical learning technologies in scotland rachel ellaway e-learning...

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