The IMS Project Technology for supporting learning Oleg
- Slides: 17
The IMS Project Technology for supporting learning Oleg Liber, UK IMS Centre
Introduction n Drivers for online learning Comparison with business Why standards are important
Education and Business n Education u How to address people’s learning needs u More students u Less resource n Industrial Problem u How to provide increased consumer demand at lower cost
Traditional Business Model n n n Fordism - any colour as long as it’s black Hierarchical production departments Assembly lines Benefit: High volumes Costs: Low creativity No-learning organisation
Traditional Education n n Keep it simple - ignore complexity Hierarchical structure u National HE system into Universities u Universities into Departments u Departments into lecturers u Knowledge into Subjects n Costs u Interdisciplinarity u Collaborative learning
New Industrial Models n Mass customisation u Put customer at the centre u Autonomous but cohesive departments u Flexible team working u Exploit employee creativity n Information Systems u Groupware & intranets u Workflow systems
New Educational Models? n Customised courses u Driven by learner needs u Autonomous but cohesive course structure u Flexible, active & collaborative learning n Information Systems u Groupware and online learning u Learning management systems
What won’t work n n Centralisation Protectionism National Curriculum Approach Business as usual
Strategies for success n What might work: break down barriers u. . . between institutions • share courses u. . . between subjects • encourage interdisciplinarity u. . . between lecturers • Share resources and manage learning u. . . between students • Students are workers AND customers • Learning happens through conversations
Technology’s role n Wide access to online and interactive materials u Metadata n Better student information u Profile, n n and content interoperability performance and portfolios Learning management and groupware Administrative systems Ecommerce? …but these require standards.
The IMS Project n n Created to address challenges in on-line learning Partnership of universities and companies (e. g. California State University, UNC, U. Michigan, Miami-Dade, Microsoft, Sun, IBM, Apple, KPMG, International Thomson Publishing, NIST, DOD)
IMS Standards Object LM Server ata Metad Permissions Profile Data Exchange Commerce Metada ta Object LM Server Back-end Systems
Project Outputs n Specifications for: u Metadata: U. North Carolina u Content interoperability: IBM u Profiles: Farance Inc. u Learning Management: Blackboard Inc. u Back Office: People. Soft Inc. u Ecommerce: George Mason U. n Examples & prototypes
Timings n n Release 1. 0 at Easter Main aspects of u Metadata u Content u Profiles u Back n Office Subsequent 6 monthly releases
UK IMS Centre n n n Bangor and OU Funded by JTAP 2 year project Represent UK View Disseminate results
Current Actions n University User Groups u Face n n to face and online discussions Identify UK requirements Advisory board meetings Technical board meetings Maintain information flow u Website, events
Contact information n n www. imsproject. org. uk Paul Lefrere (OU) Oleg Liber (Bangor) Bill Olivier (Bangor) Lisa Rowlands (Bangor
