Jon Mason IEEE, LTSC Seattle, June 2002

Digital Rights Management & the Australian Education Sector

Context

Requirements- higher education- K-12

Issues

• Largely publicly funded

• History in distance education; early adoption of technology

• National, collaborative framework (K-12, VET, HE)

EdNA …1996 -> (maximizing the benefits of Internet)

AICTEC … 2001->

- Decentralized approach (political interoperability)

- Principle of aggregating value

- Australian content - developing & managing learning objects

- Providing integrated online services

Context – Australian Education

• Schools Online Curriculum Content Initiative (SOCCI) http://socci.edna.edu.au/

• Initial discussion papers & planning in early 2000

• Phase 1 build underway – LO Exchange, DRM integral

• Collaboration of all schooling systems with CommonwealthGovernment

• AUD$68 million

Context – SOCCI

• Develop pool of nationally-funded curriculum content

• Develop this content within a framework that supports distributed access

• Systems (state jurisdictions) exchanging learning objects

• Re-usable, customisable learning content

• In longer term, use the framework & content to stimulate further contributions to the pool of material, meeting agreed standards

SOCCI - Aims

• Initially branding LO’s with one rights statement

- objects free to schools - maybe more than one standard referenced - plug-in to LMS to view SOCCI-endorsed objects

• Enforcement

• Trading

SOCCI – Workplan

• Collaboration of five Australian universities – Macquarie, Newcastle, New England, Southern Queensland, and Tasmania.

• Establish a test-bed for the development of collaborative online learning and information services

• Develop scalable standards-based model for institutional interoperability enabling seamless sharing of online learning and scholarly information

• Contribute more fully to the work of the IMS

• Strengthen links with industry

Context – COLIS

• Education community needs (& wants) to articulate its own needs- doesn’t want just a legal or technical solution

• ‘Open’ environment- e-content not just about passive consumption - learning object re-purposing- multiple levels of exchange

• Educational institutions as ‘trusted’ environments• Open scholarship/research movement• DRM vs ‘Fair Use’• IP is more about recognition, not protection• DRM implementations need to be ‘easy’ to be viable• Australian universities supportive of open & free standards

Issues – Cultural

Technical:• DRM an end-to-end solution• Most of DRM takes place at usage• Integration with other systems: LCMS, LMS, library systems,…• Multiple jurisdictions

Strategic:• Alignment with international standards & related initiatives• Alignment with ‘open’ systems• Closer alignment of education, industry & research

Issues – Technical & Strategic

Education Network Australia (EdNA)http://www.edna.edu.au/

Le@rning Federation (SOCCI)http://www.thelearningfederation.edu.au/

Collaborative Online Learning & Information Services (COLIS)http://www.colis.mq.edu.au/

Australian ICT in Education Committee (AICTEC)http://www.aictec.edu.au/

Further Information