From Dublin Core to Can Core Metadata What
From Dublin Core to Can. Core Metadata: What? Why? What standards should we use? Rory Mc. Greal Athabasca University Canadian Learning Object Repository Stakeholders Forum Toronto, March 24, 2003
How did standards develop? Tele. Campus
WHY METADATA? It’s needed for implementation of the semantic web Tele. Campus
What is the semantic web? • makes the web more understandable by computer programs • deals with hierarchical relationships between meanings, • reveals similarities/differences in meaning • provides logical rules for making inferences Tele. Campus
Why the semantic web? • The WWW is semantic for humans NOT for machines • We need machines to help us deal with the vast stores of information Tele. Campus
Learning Object: Example • Content • Pedagogical purpose; to augment learning about: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Paris 1839 Urban environments Architecture Daguerre From Norm Friesen Photography Daguerreotypes Granularity: an object can be a course, unit, lesson, image, Web page, exercise, multimedia clip, etc. but it must have a specified pedagogical purpose/context Tele. Campus
Learning objects Module Lesson Component Course Tele. Campus Programme
Why learning objects? From custom-made to Mass production to Mass-customization Tele. Campus
Why learning objects? FROM TO One size fits all Tailored Generic Focused Just-in-case Just-in-time Tele. Campus
Learning Objects - Reality Still new technology – largely untested Still poorly conceived No agreement in literature on definition No broader theoretical underpinnings Disjointed implementations Commercial development occurring in isolation No working interoperable repositories No broad acceptability Tele. Campus
Who inputs METADATA? Two Camps: • Internal referenced - Users input their own metadata • External referenced – Professionals input metadata • number of electronic objects is growing rapidly • metadata required is too much for third-party indexers Tele. Campus
METADATA characteristics 1. a data dictionary of commonly defined elements; 2. a method for manipulating and communicating elements electronically; 3. rules for identifying and extracting content; 4. an official standards body; 5. tools for creating, transmitting, and storing. Ahronheim (1998) Tele. Campus
METADATA conditions • xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Mandatory fields (small subset) • Optional fields • Extensible • International interoperability Adapted from Griffin and Wason (1997) Tele. Campus
METADATA challenges Too much concern with FIELDS NOT enough with TERMS • Fields need a common terminology • Described by a content expert BUT • TERMS must fit into a universe of knowledge AND • Not be only useful to content experts • Cross-searching requires compatible vocabularies Tele. Campus
METADATA challenges • Fields need a common terminology • Described by a content expert BUT • TERMS must fit into a universe of knowledge AND • Not be only useful to content experts • Cross-searching requires compatible vocabularies Tele. Campus
METADATA challenges • use as many descriptors as needed to enable identification • BUT • not too many descriptors making objects difficult to retrieve Tele. Campus
What is XML? (e. Xtensible Markup Language) HTML only displays data (font color, image size) Standard General Markup Language STYLE XML displays AND DESCRIBES data (itemprice, saleoffer) STYLE + CONTENT XHTML (HTML version 4. 0) XML implementation of HTML Tele. Campus
What is RDF? (Resource Description Framework) • Uses a refined XML vocabulary • Consists of nodes with attached pairs • Nesting is used RDF: Author: name: R. Mc. Greal email: rory@telecampus. edu phone: 506444 -4230 http: //www. w 3. org/TR/REC-rdf-syntax/ Tele. Campus
Metadata and XML = syntax Metadata = semantics Tele. Campus
Metadata and RDF/XML = syntax RDF = structure Metadata = semantics Tele. Campus
METADATA standards • Dublin Core • IEEE LTSC LOM IEEE LOM = IMS metadata Tele. Campus
METADATA Application profiles • ADL SCORM • ARIADNE • Sing. Core • UK Curriculum online • Australian Learning Federation • and others Can. Core Tele. Campus
Can. Core Canadian Core Fields and Vocabulary • More than an application profile • For “implementation” & record creation • an interpretation & simplification of ALL 76 elements of the IEEE LOM • FULL compatibility with IMS & LOM http: //www. cancore. ca Tele. Campus
Can. Core Complexity decreases IMS Metadata Information Model: appx. 80 elements, little interpretation Implementation Can. Core - CAREO Specificity and Interoperability increases Tele. Campus
Can. Core Standards CAN be implemented with different vocabularies BUT SHOULD they? http: //www. cancore. ca Tele. Campus
Standards & specifications • Standard (IEEE/ISO) • Application Profile (Sing. Core, SCORM) • More than an application profile (Can. Core) Tele. Campus
International Metadata Standard for Learning Objects IEEE LOM P 1484. 12/IMS ARIADNE/SCORM Dublin Core Can. Core Expressed through > XML/SGML Tele. Campus
Metadata implementation IEEE LOM Can. Core Application Profile/Implementation Interoperable records Tele. Campus
METADATA standards agreement December 6, 2000 "Ready access to comprehensive repositories of metadata is the critical factor at the inflection point of the next generation of learning and knowledge creation. However, this will require that metadata be highly interoperable and reusable worldwide. This agreement marks a major step toward realizing this vision. " -- Wayne Hodgins, Chair of the IEEE LTSC LOM Working Group Tele. Campus
METADATA Initiatives • AICC • ALIC (Japan) • CEN • Cisco RLO • MARC 21 (MARBI & OAI) • Msoft LRN • Z 39. 5 • EML Tele. Campus
OAI & OKI Open Archives Initiative & Open Knowledge Initiative • develops and promotes interoperability standards that aim to facilitate the efficient dissemination of content as a means of increasing the availability of scholarly communication • Digital Library Federation and the Coalition for Networked Information http: //www. openarchives. org/ http: //www. oki. com/ Tele. Campus
SIF Schools Interoperability Framework • an industry-supported technical blueprint for K-12 software • enables diverse applications to interact and share data seamlessly develops & promotes interoperability standards • facilitates the efficient dissemination of content • increases availability of scholarly communication • http: //www. sifinfo. org/ Tele. Campus
US Alliance OKI, IMS, ADL and SIF Tele. Campus
Learning Object Repositories • CAREO • GEM • JA-SIG • MERLOT Tele. Campus
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GEM Gateway to Educational Materials • The Gateway, a an example repository or catalog • set of metadata standards and technical mechanisms • "one-stop, any-stop" access to uncatalogued educational materials • consortium of 200 + orgs. & individuals • a project of the U. S. Dept. of Education, ERIC http: //www. geminfo. org/ http: //www. thegateway. org/ Tele. Campus
JA-SIG Java in Administration Special Interest Group • like Merlot: a collection interactive online learning materials • an example of a learning object repository • does not adhere to universal metadata standards http: //www. mis 2. udel. edu/ja-sig/ Tele. Campus
Merlot Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching California State University system’s Distributed Learning and Teaching Initiative & Multimedia Repository Initiative • a collection of high quality interactive online learning materials & people • an example of a learning object repository • does not adhere to universal metadata standards http: //www. merlot. org Tele. Campus
Tele. Campus Online Course Directory • A metadata repository • Conforms to international metadata standards. • Houses only the metadata • Does NOT house actual lessons, modules, or courses • Links to the institutions that own the courses • +65 000 online courses • + 36 countries, +12 languages • +4 500 free courses http: //telecampus. edu Tele. Campus
Edutella Wallenberg Global Learning Network Cf. GNUtella • Uppsala, Sweden & Lower Saxony, Germany • a peer-to-peer exchange network for metadata • RDF combined in an open source, peer-to-peer metadata architecture http: //edutella. jxta. org/servlets/Project. Home Tele. Campus
EML (Cf. XML) Open University of Netherlands Educational Modeling Language • codifies units of study (e. g. courses, lessons programmes) cf. learning objects • Describes roles, relations, interactions & activities • XML extension for education implementations • Supports IMS, SCORM, – more comprehensive http: //eml. ou. nl/introduction/index. htm CISCO Partnership Tele. Campus
PALO Spanish EML 5 levels of formalized description of learning activity Content level – text, simulation etc. Activity and cooperation level – activities, resources etc. Structure – prereqs, delivery format Sequencing and sequencing – deadlines, timing etc. Management – repositories, metadata etc. Defined by DTD and expressed in XML See http: //sensei. lsi. uned. es/palo/ Terry Anderson Tele. Campus
POOL & SPLASH Portal for Objects Oriented to Learning • A customizable, intelligent, learning content management system • A learning object repository Tele. Campus
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19 700 Elvis sites Tele. Campus
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