Slashdot Mirror

I work for the Government (and read Slashdot during work). We host everything that works at:
www.gifttutoring.org

Also, the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) has a HUGE OSS presence: http://www.adlnet.org/

Previous projects have contributed to randomization routine, open source oceanographic models, and robotic interactions (Player/Stage).

If only there were some sort of public sector approach to the same initiative. Wherever would you find it?

https://gifttutoring.org/ [gifttutoring.org]
http://www.adlnet.org/ [adlnet.org]
http://learningregistry.org/ [learningregistry.org]
http://www.darpa.mil/Our_Work/DSO/Programs/Education_Dominance.aspx [darpa.mil]
http://www.tutor.com/military/eligibility [tutor.com]
http://www.learnlab.org/ [learnlab.org]

And if only some research laboratories were working on the problem... Like Arizona State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia Teacher's College, the University of Memphis, the University of Central Florida, and others...

If only there were some sort of public sector approach to the same initiative. Wherever would you find it?

https://gifttutoring.org/
http://www.adlnet.org/
http://learningregistry.org/
http://www.darpa.mil/Our_Work/DSO/Programs/Education_Dominance.aspx
http://www.tutor.com/military/eligibility
http://www.learnlab.org/

And if only some research laboratories were working on the problem... Like Arizona State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia Teacher's College, the University of Memphis, the University of Central Florida, and others...

Do you seriously propose to use JSON for text markup

I propose to use JSON in all ajax-style applications instead of XML. It's superior in nearly every way. You'd be surprised how many ready-made parsers there are at json.org.

where, in XML, most of document is text, and tags are interspersed far between

That's not necessarily true... look at the content-to-metadata ratio here, for example:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<manifest identifier="manifest1" version="1.2"
    xmlns="http://www.imsproject.org/xsd/imscp_rootv1p1p2"
    xmlns:adlcp="http://www.adlnet.org/xsd/adlcp_rootv1p2"
    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.imsproject.org/xsd/imscp_rootv1p1p2 imscp_rootv1p1p2.xsd
    http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imsmd_rootv1p2p1 imsmd_rootv1p2p1.xsd
    http://www.adlnet.org/xsd/adlcp_rootv1p2 adlcp_rootv1p2.xsd">
    <organizations default="org1">
        <organization identifier="org1">
            <title>Course Title</title>
            <item identifier="item1" identifierref="resource1" isvisible="true">
                <title>Course Title</title>
            </item>
            <metadata>
                <schema>ADL SCORM</schema>
                <schemaversion>1.2</schemaversion>
            </metadata>
        </organization>
    </organizations>
    <resources>
        <resource identifier="resource1" type="webcontent" href="launch.html" adlcp:scormtype="sco">
            <file href="launch.html" />
        </resource>
    </resources>
</manifest> ... versus this:

{
    default_org:"org1",
    organizations: [
        {
            identifier:"org1",
            title:"Course Title",
            items: [
                identifier:"item1",
                identifierref:"resource1",
                isvisible:"true",
                title:"Course Title"
            ],
            metadata: {
                schema:"ADL SCORM",
                schemaversion:"1.2"
            }
        }
    ],
    resources: [
        {
            identifier:"resource1",
            type:"webcontent",
            href:"launch.html",
            adlcp_scormtype:"sco",
            files: [
                {
                    href:"launch.html"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Moodle and other open-source Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are your best bet. They are based on a set of open standards known as the Sharable Content Object Object Reference Model, or SCORM. SCORM is the product of years of research and development by the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. There are lots of resources available on the ADL site to help you get started and to test your content for conformance. The nice thing about going with SCORM as the basis for your work is that you can move up to a supported, enterprise-level LMS if you need it. A lot of schools already have a SCORM-conformant LMS (like BlackBoard) in place.

SCORM is composed of several component specifications like IMS Content Packaging and IMS Simple Sequencing. You can also include (optional) metadata about the parts of your course, known as Sharable Content Objects (SCOs) and assets. Other standards like the Question and Test Interoperability Specification (QTI) are not officially a part of SCORM but can be incorporated using a number of established techniques.

As far as tools go, there are open-source tools available that expose the SCORM specs in a form that is usable by computer-savvy users, like Reload. There are other tools available that are intended for use by users who are less technical, like InSite Studio by Mississippi State University. Other tools are also available from commercial vendors. Some LMSs even have web-based tools built-in, and are known as Learning Content Management Systems (LCMSs).

SCORM is a mature set of specs that are designed to meet the needs of organizations that are in your exact position, and are widely accepted -- some Asian countries have adopted it as a national standard. The SCORM community is growing quickly and new complimentary specs are being leveraged within SCORM-conformant courses all the time. Tool support should also expand quickly now that the SCORM 2004 spec has been in circulation for a while and vendors are getting thier products certified by the ADL.

Moodle and other open-source Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are your best bet. They are based on a set of open standards known as the Sharable Content Object Object Reference Model, or SCORM. SCORM is the product of years of research and development by the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. There are lots of resources available on the ADL site to help you get started and to test your content for conformance. The nice thing about going with SCORM as the basis for your work is that you can move up to a supported, enterprise-level LMS if you need it. A lot of schools already have a SCORM-conformant LMS (like BlackBoard) in place.

SCORM is composed of several component specifications like IMS Content Packaging and IMS Simple Sequencing. You can also include (optional) metadata about the parts of your course, known as Sharable Content Objects (SCOs) and assets. Other standards like the Question and Test Interoperability Specification (QTI) are not officially a part of SCORM but can be incorporated using a number of established techniques.

As far as tools go, there are open-source tools available that expose the SCORM specs in a form that is usable by computer-savvy users, like Reload. There are other tools available that are intended for use by users who are less technical, like InSite Studio by Mississippi State University. Other tools are also available from commercial vendors. Some LMSs even have web-based tools built-in, and are known as Learning Content Management Systems (LCMSs).

SCORM is a mature set of specs that are designed to meet the needs of organizations that are in your exact position, and are widely accepted -- some Asian countries have adopted it as a national standard. The SCORM community is growing quickly and new complimentary specs are being leveraged within SCORM-conformant courses all the time. Tool support should also expand quickly now that the SCORM 2004 spec has been in circulation for a while and vendors are getting thier products certified by the ADL.

Moodle and other open-source Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are your best bet. They are based on a set of open standards known as the Sharable Content Object Object Reference Model, or SCORM. SCORM is the product of years of research and development by the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. There are lots of resources available on the ADL site to help you get started and to test your content for conformance. The nice thing about going with SCORM as the basis for your work is that you can move up to a supported, enterprise-level LMS if you need it. A lot of schools already have a SCORM-conformant LMS (like BlackBoard) in place.

SCORM is composed of several component specifications like IMS Content Packaging and IMS Simple Sequencing. You can also include (optional) metadata about the parts of your course, known as Sharable Content Objects (SCOs) and assets. Other standards like the Question and Test Interoperability Specification (QTI) are not officially a part of SCORM but can be incorporated using a number of established techniques.

As far as tools go, there are open-source tools available that expose the SCORM specs in a form that is usable by computer-savvy users, like Reload. There are other tools available that are intended for use by users who are less technical, like InSite Studio by Mississippi State University. Other tools are also available from commercial vendors. Some LMSs even have web-based tools built-in, and are known as Learning Content Management Systems (LCMSs).

SCORM is a mature set of specs that are designed to meet the needs of organizations that are in your exact position, and are widely accepted -- some Asian countries have adopted it as a national standard. The SCORM community is growing quickly and new complimentary specs are being leveraged within SCORM-conformant courses all the time. Tool support should also expand quickly now that the SCORM 2004 spec has been in circulation for a while and vendors are getting thier products certified by the ADL.

"Apps should be made via server side processes eliminating the end user's browser to be compatible."

I used to think so too when I developed server side apps. However, with the job I have now - server side processing is not an option.

For one thing our customers demand that the apps we build work both online and offline - the apps are used by people that have no technical skills whatsoever, so it is essential that they work without the need to set up webservers, databases etc.

Another thing is that we need to be SCORM compliant (SCORM is a means to provide standardised content packages for Learning Management Systems). This means that serverside processing is not even an option - all SCORM API calls are done through Javascript.

Had you asked me a couple of years back I'd probably have said the same thing as you. Today I have to admit that there are scenarios in which client-side scripting is the only way to go. However - I still agree with you completely: However much it simply isn't possible: Apps *should* be made via server side processes eliminating the end user's browser to be compatible ;-)

I think if Google and Yahoo! log SCORM and semantic web information, searches will be a lot a lot more relevant, especially image, video and audio searches.

I work for a company that makes e-learning software. Our customers' biggest headache is popup blockers, because the specifications for standardized e-learning (such as SCORM) require that learning content pop up in a new window, separate from the student's list of e-courses.

There are, at last count, 103 different software programs, browsers, toolbars, and security applications that block popups. Many users don't even realize that they've got them turned on--McAfee or the Google toolbar just "did it for them." So we get calls when users can't run the certification courses they've paid hundreds of dollars for. And the cost of supporting 103 different popup block strategies is horrendous.

Popup windows had a legitimate use, that's why they were invented. Popup spammers and scammers destroyed that usefulness, and the popup blockers are causing some serious "collateral damage."

This stinks. I don't know the solution.

I'm slightly confused by your question. Are you talking about an open-source e-learning solution with the source-code readily available for anyone to tinker with. Or are you talking about a resuable learning object that could be used with any LMS (Learning Management System) like SCORM (Shareable Content Object Reference Model) which is rapidly becoming a standard for e-learning on the scale of the w3c specifications for HTML. (Though these specs can't be ignored so easily as pages written for it won't work in compliant LMS's).</rambing half-cut crap>

i looked at SCORM. in my opinion its a bloated mess that stands little chance of being adopted on a broad scale. typical three-letter agency standard :)

-gregor

...be sure to check out
Advanced Distributed Learning, the organization that promotes the SCORM standard for online content. SCORM stands for Shareable Content Object Reference Model, and is widely gaining acceptance in government and commercial settings as a standard for e-Learning courses. Tools which are SCORM-compliant have a better chance of becoming widely adopted, IMHO.

Does anybody know what metadata specifications the OAI uses or can use?

It would be neat if it used PRISM or SCORM. (Or both!)