Learning Object Repositories in Canadian

Post-Secondary Education

Norm Friesennorm@netera.ca

National Library of CanadaNovember, 2002

Outline - What are:

• Learning Objects

• Learning Object Repositories

• LOR projects underway internationally

• LOR projects underway in Canada: the EduSource Project

What are Learning Objects?

• Any digital resource that can be reused for the purposes of teaching and learning.

• Why learning objects?"stand-alone applications are incompatible with typical production, distribution, and usage patterns for educational software."

J. Roschelle, et.al.

What are Learning Objects?

• Reusable

• Modular

• Free and at cost

• Flexible

• Portable

• Interoperable

• Annotation, adding value

What are Learning Object Repositories?

A collection of digital assets and/or meta-data accessible without prior knowledge of the repository’s structure through a interoperable functions via a network.

•Adapted from IMS Digital Repositories Interoperability Specification

– Assets and metadata can be separate– To prevent "silos" or "stovepipes"

What are Learning Object Repositories?

What are Learning Object Repositories?

• Separate resources and metadata allow for multiple and disparate resource collections to appear as one

• Metadata must be freely available• Combined in a single search set for single-

click access• Provides a personalized, “portal” solution

for the data access problems of the Internet

What are Learning Object Repositories?

World Wide Web

public repositorymetadata

commercial repositorymetadata

objects

object

object

object

Educational Portal:SHARED & AGGREGATED

METADATA

Educational Portal Search Results:

oMovieoAnimationoWebsite

Figure 2: Repository Types and their interrelation

What are Learning Object Repositories?

What are Digital Repositories

• Gather/Expose: OAI Metadata Harvesting

• Search/Expose: SOAP with XQuery, Z39.50 (SRW/SRU)

• Request/Deliver, Submit/Store: FTP, Content Packaging

LOR's underway Internationally

• COLIS project in Australia

• JISC Information Environment (UK)

• MERLOT

• Universal Brokerage Platform

LOR's Internationally: COLIS

LOM Metadata

LOM Metadata

OAI Server

SRW Server

OAI Server OAI

Harvest

OAI Harvest

Library Catalogues

InfoSeefer

Z39.50

Z39.50

SRU

Z39.50

Search Interm

ediaryLOM Metadata

CPXML

XMLE-ReserveDC+ext

Metadata

Web Content

JISC Info. Environment

Broker/Aggregator

Portal Portal

Content providers

End-user

Portal

Broker/Aggregator

Authentication

Authorisation

Collect’n Desc

Service Desc

Resolver

Inst’n Profile

Shared services

Provisionlayer

Fusionlayer

Presentationlayer

Universal Brokerage Platform

LOR's underway Internationally

LOR projects underway in Canada: POOL Project

• Portal for Online Objects in Learning

• P2P and RDF – cooperating with Edutella

• Based on the JXTA P2P protocol

• Splash, Pond, Pool repository “nodes”

• www.edusplash.net

POOL: Peer-to-Peer

Splash Interface

LOR projects underway in Canada: BELLE-CAREO

• Broadband-Enabled Lifelong Learning Environment• Campus Alberta Repository of Educational Objects• Repository with a client-server architecture• Metadata store; objects store is both central and

distributed• Using content packaging to provide a way of

exchanging and accessing parts of aggregate objects

• +2500 objects

LOR projects underway in Canada:CAREO/ALOHA

• CAREO: Web portal of repositories

• ALOHA: Java client for metadata creation and cross-repository searching

• 3000 learning objects

www.careo.org

aloha.netera.ca

Presented by: Norm FriesenPresented by: Norm Friesennorm@netera.canorm@netera.ca

National Library of CanadaNational Library of Canada

November 20, 2002November 20, 2002

What is eduSource? eduSource will:eduSource will:

Create a testbed of linked and Create a testbed of linked and interoperable learning object interoperable learning object repositories across Canada repositories across Canada

Provide a forum for the ongoing Provide a forum for the ongoing development of the associated tools, development of the associated tools, systems, protocols and practices that systems, protocols and practices that will support such an infrastructurewill support such an infrastructure

The Facts Start Date: July 1, 2002Start Date: July 1, 2002 Completion Date: March 31,2004Completion Date: March 31,2004 Total Budget: $9.4 millionTotal Budget: $9.4 million CANARIE Contribution: $4.25 millionCANARIE Contribution: $4.25 million

What will eduSource do?

Be based on national and international Be based on national and international standardsstandards

Be fully bilingualBe fully bilingual

Be accessible to all Canadian including Be accessible to all Canadian including those with disabilities through its work those with disabilities through its work with the TILE (The Inclusive Learning with the TILE (The Inclusive Learning Exchange) projectExchange) project

Share and disseminate its findings with Share and disseminate its findings with all of Canadaall of Canada

What won’t eduSource do?

NOT a 24/7 production-quality network - it’s NOT a 24/7 production-quality network - it’s a research project about designing, building a research project about designing, building and evaluating prototypesand evaluating prototypes

NOT about developing content - it’s about NOT about developing content - it’s about linking and repurposing existing contentlinking and repurposing existing content

NOT restricted to broadband networks - most NOT restricted to broadband networks - most of its content is accessible over all networksof its content is accessible over all networks

Primary Partners

NewMIC

Netera

AthabascaUniv.

Univ. ofWaterloo

TechnologiesCogigraph

TeleEducation

NB

Academic Partners

NewMIC

EcolePolytechnique

Netera

AthabascaUniv.

Univ. ofWaterloo

TechnologiesCogigraph

TENB

Univ. ofBritish

Columbia

BCIT

C2T2

SimonFraserUniv.

Univ. ofAlberta

NAIT

Univ. ofCalgary

Univ. ofLethbridge

SenecaCollege

SheridanCollege

BrockUniv.

Univ. deMontréal

Univ. deLaval Univ. de

Moncton

ETI APCCC

NBDEN

Industrial & Government Partners

NewMIC

Antarcti.ca

Netera

AthabascaUniv.

Univ. ofWaterloo TENB

TelesTraining

AlbertaLearning

RightsMarket

Callisto

TeleSat

Télé-université

NRC

BellTechnomedia e-com

CANARIE

Technologies

Cogigraph

eduSource Work Packages

Repository Content Development Repository Content Development FacilitationFacilitation

Digital Rights ManagementDigital Rights Management

Testing and EvaluationTesting and Evaluation

Metadata DevelopmentMetadata Development

Software DevelopmentSoftware Development

Hardware IntegrationHardware Integration

Business and Management ModelsBusiness and Management Models

Community BuildingCommunity Building

Project Management, Co-ordination and Project Management, Co-ordination and CommunicationsCommunications

Technical Group

Software Software DevelopmentDevelopment

(Learning (Learning Commons, Commons,

U of C; U of C; Athabasca)Athabasca)

HardwareHardwareIntegrationIntegration

MetadataMetadataDevelopmentDevelopment

Digital Digital Rights Rights

ManagementManagement

RepositoryRepositoryContentContent

DevelopmentDevelopmentFacilitationFacilitation

Communications Group

Project Project Management, Management, Coordination, Coordination, Communica-Communica-

tionstions

Business & Business & Management Management

ModelsModels

Community Community BuildingBuilding

Evaluation Evaluation and Testingand Testing(ATL, U of A)(ATL, U of A)

Overall Structure

VisionVisionGroupGroup

Management CommitteeManagement Committee

Software Software DevelopmentDevelopment

HardwareHardwareIntegrationIntegration

MetadataMetadataDevelop-Develop-

mentment

Digital Digital Rights Rights

ManagementManagement

RepositoryRepositoryContentContent

DevelopmentDevelopmentFacilitationFacilitation

Project Project Management, Management, Coordination, Coordination, Communica-Communica-

tionstions

Business & Business & Management Management

ModelsModels

Community Community BuildingBuilding

Evaluation Evaluation and Testingand Testing

Repository in a Box

National/International National/International Standards and PracticesStandards and Practices

Open Systems Open Systems SpecificationsSpecifications

SearchSearchEnginesEngines

TaggingTaggingToolsTools

RightsRightsMgmt.Mgmt.

UserUserInterfacesInterfaces

3rd Party3rd PartyAdd-onsAdd-ons

Modular SoftwareModular SoftwareComponentsComponents

The eduSource Team Close to 100 individuals including:Close to 100 individuals including:

1 software architect1 software architect

2 software analysts2 software analysts

4 information architects4 information architects

5 designers5 designers

17 researchers17 researchers

22 programmers 22 programmers

22 faculty development coordinators22 faculty development coordinators

eduSource Guiding Principles

Open systems Common standards Interoperability Stakeholder input and

community building are essential

Thank You

For further information please visit:

www.edusource. caOr contact: Douglas MacLeod,

Director of Projects

Netera Alliance

(403) 609-3642

dmacleod@netera.ca