ASN Framework » Atomize » Describe » Relate » RDF Modeling of Learning Outcomes » Global Connecting of Learning Resources » Stuart A. Sutton JES & Co. / University of Washington » Diny Golder JES & Co.

What is the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) ASN is a lightweight, powerful model and set of practices for describing and relating learning outcomes (outcome-to-outcome, outcome-to-learning outcome document, and outcome-to-learning resources, etc.) ASN is a learning outcomes repository currently containing: → 992 published learning outcomes document representations → 360,000 entities (descriptions of learning outcomes documents and learning outcomes) → Approximately 3.5 million triples » Atomize » Describe » Relate

Central Role of Learning Outcomes We educate for a purpose—learning outcomes express that purpose in a form meaningful to humans Learning outcomes are inherent to the definition of a learning resource or activity Learning outcomes in machine-readable form provide a powerful means for: → learning resource discover → aligning what is taught with what is assessed → tracking what has been learned in a meaningful way → customizing learning to individual student needs » Atomize » Describe » Relate

Central Role of Learning Outcomes » Atomize » Describe » Relate Learning Outcomes Learning Assessments Learning Resources Tight Coupling

Global Linking » Atomize » Describe » Relate U.S. Learning Outcomes Learning Resources U.S. Assessment Resources U.S. Australian Learning Outcomes Learning Resources Australia Assessment Resources Australia Direct Map Implied Map Implied Map

Global Linking » Atomize » Describe » Relate Private & public sector cooperation to link learning resources through learning outcomes

Atomize / Describe / Relate A tomize D escribe R elate » Atomize » Describe » Relate Creation of an ASN RDF graph of a learning outcomes ‘document’ consists of three steps: (1) analysis and atomization of the text into meaningful semantic units, (2) creation of a metadata description for each atom and the document as a whole, and (3) relating the atoms (semantic units) in meaningful ways for both humans and machines

Atomize / Describe / Relate A tomize » Atomize » Describe » Relate Atomization :: Atomization involves analyzing the source learning outcomes ‘publication’ and extracting all learning outcome assertions as separate semantic units Loyalty to Text :: The purpose of analysis and atomization is to accurately represent the learning assertions in machine-readable form Loyalty to Granularity :: Atomization takes place at the level of the source ‘publication’—never more, never less Representation Not Reproduction :: The goal of atomization is to represent the source ‘publication’ as data, not to reproduce it as narrative

» Atomize » Describe » Relate Example: AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy » The Physical Setting » The Universe The patterns of stars in the sky stay the same, although they appear to move across the sky nightly, and different stars can be seen in different seasons. Planets change their positions against the background of stars. The earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and the moon orbits around the earth. By the end of the 5 th grade, students should know that

» Atomize » Describe » Relate Moving air and water can be used to run machines Some sources of energy cost less than others and some cause less pollution than others Some source of “energy” is needed for all organisms to stay alive and grow. Make and interpret scale drawings Find and describe locations on maps with rectangular and polar coordinates. Make sketches to aid in explaining procedures and ideas. Many materials can be recycled and used again, sometimes in different forms. Planets change their positions against the background of stars. Example: AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy

Atomize / Describe / Relate D escribe » Atomize » Describe » Relate Rich Description :: Learning outcomes assertions are richly described so they can be meaningfully referenced (i.e., linked to) Lightweight Model :: The ASN abstract model is simple and defines only two types of entities—«Documents» & «Statements» Extensible Model :: Extensions to meet community needs through subclass and subproperty declarations that conform to RDF and Linked Data principles are expected Application Profile :: Development of jurisdictional/organizational application profiles to meet community needs that are based on the ASN framework are expected

» Atomize » Describe » Relate ASN URI: Authority Status: Original Indexing Status:Yes Education Level:33, 4, 545 Subject:Science Statement Notation: 4A (3-5) #3 Description en-US: 4A (3-5) #3 Planets change their positions against the background of stars. Language:English Identifier: Is Part Of: Planets change their positions against the background of stars. Describing: AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy

» Atomize » Describe » Relate Description Author Comment Description Publisher Spatial (aspects) Statement Label Statement Notation Temporal (aspects) Concept Term (topicality)** Education Level** Jurisdiction** Skill Embodied** Subject (learning area subject)** Mapping Relationships Derived From Has Child (skos:broader) Is Child Of (skos:narrower) Source Logically Subsequent Logically Antecedent Logically Coincident Close Match Exact Match Broad Match Narrow Match hasPart isPartOf … + Additional mapping predicates… Administration Change Note Date Created Date Copyrighted Date Valid Editorial Note History Note License Publication Status Rights Rights Holder Authority Status** Indexing Status** ** Controlled Vocabularies (SKOS)

» Atomize » Describe » Relate Controlled Vocabularies ASN encourages the use of jurisdictionally specific controlled vocabularies with concepts identified using URI (e.g., expressed using SKOS) and available for linking in public namespaces A few specific vocabularies for ASN descriptions: → Education levels → Jurisdictions (political subdivisions & organizations); e.g., – – – –

» Atomize » Describe » Relate U.S. Controlled Vocabularies Learning Area Subject

» Atomize » Describe » Relate Australia Controlled Vocabulary Used with the asn:conceptTerm property

Atomize / Describe / Relate R elate » Atomize » Describe » Relate Learning planes are the class of maps / graphs that define relationships between existing ASN learning assertion «atoms» A set of ASN «atoms» may have 1-n learning planes created by 1-n organizations and individuals (teachers, students etc.) Learning planes are variously called things like ‘learning trajectories’ in the Netherlands and ‘strand maps’ in the U.S. (AAAS)… Learning planes may take the form of individual student learning maps and ePortfolios… Learning planes can be derived from contexts where they are otherwise latent—e.g., in a publisher’s textbook or a teacher’s syllabus

Learning Planes: Atoms to Molecules » Atomize » Describe » Relate Context Mappings

Learning Outcomes i.e., «atoms» Learning Planes { Selection, Sequence, Content } i.e., «molecules» Learning Planes » Atomize » Describe » Relate

AAAS Strand Maps Learning planes (molecules) made up of signposts (atoms) in a learning progression Strand Dimension Grade Dimension

Learning Planes » Atomize » Describe » Relate Plane B Plane A

Learning Planes: Mapping Across Multiple Sets » Atomize » Describe » Relate

Publisher (3 rd Party) Refinements: Derived Learning Outcomes » Atomize » Describe » Relate Derived Original Publisher A Closed System Publisher B Open System

Pearson Derived Statements » Atomize » Describe » RelateOriginalDerived 1. Name the courts and judicial officials established to operate within the local, state, and federal governments Name courts/judicial officials that operate within local governments Name courts/judicial officials that operate within state governments Name courts/judicial officials that operate within federal governments. 2. Use prefixes, suffixes, and root words to understand word meanings Use prefixes to understand word meanings Use suffixes to understand word meanings 2.3. Use root words to understand word meanings. 3. Describe the establishment by Constantine of the new capital in Constantinople and the development of the Byzantine Empire, with an emphasis on the consequences of the development of two distinct European civilizations, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic, and their two distinct views on church-state relations Describe the establishment by Constantine of the new capital in Constantinople 3.2. Describe the development of the Byzantine Empire 3.3. Describe the consequences of the development of two distinct European civilizations, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic, and their two distinct views on church- state relations.

«atoms» & «molecules» First Class Citizens of the Web » Atomize » Describe » Relate Individual learning outcomes exist as first class citizens anywhere on the Web! Individual learning planes exist as first class citizens anywhere on the Web! Learning outcomes and their related learning planes each have provenance & authority! → But…not always a shared provenance & authority

Atomize / Describe / Relate P lane R elationships » Atomize » Describe » Relate Learning planes use a minimum of four classes of relationship: → Requisite :: Class of relationships that define the dependencies of two «atoms» (e.g., one «atom» is a pre-requisite to another…a co-requisite to another) in 1-n learning outcome graphs → Identity :: Class of relationships defining the degree of similarity between two «atoms» in 1-n learning outcome graphs → Structural:: Class of relationships that identify a hierarchical structure between two «atoms» → Associative:: Class of relationships that identifies developmental and other associative paths between «atoms»

Plane Relationships: Top-Level ‘’Requisite’ » Atomize » Describe » Relate asn:logicalCoincident asn:logicalSubsequent sn:logicalAnecedent » Subsequent » Logically Subsequent » Antecedent » Logically Antecedent » Coincident » Logically Coincident

Plane Relationships: Top-Level ‘’Identity’ » Atomize » Describe » Relate skos:closeMatch skos:exactMatch skos:broadMatch skos:narrowMatch » Close Match » Exact Match » Broad Match » Narrow Match

Plane Relationships: Top-Level ‘Structural’ » Atomize » Describe » Relate skos:broaderskos:narrower dct:isPartOf dct:hasPart Partitive Hierarchies (Part-Whole)Generic-Specific Hierarchies

» Atomize » Describe » Relate ASN Structural Properties: source Arbitrary levels of granularity « Documents » « Statements » Representing the AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy

» Atomize » Describe » Relate Strand Dimension Grade Dimension ”[AAAS Strand Map] arrows can imply a development of sophistication within one scientific idea, a relationship across topics or disciplines, a joining of multiple learning goals into some more complex understanding, or a single learning goal contributing to multiple subsequent learning goals. ” —Andrew Ahlgren and Soren Wheeler (2002). “Mapping the Steps toward Basic Understanding of Scientific Inquiry” Science & Education, Volume 11, Number 3 / May 2002 Plane Relationships: Top-Level ‘Associative’ » furtherDevelopment » crossSubjectRelation » conceptMerger » contributesToUnderstanding

» Atomize » Describe » Relate Entity Mapping Predicates alignTo alignFrom hasPart (hasChild) isPartOf logicalAntecedent logicalSubsequent logicalCoincident closeMatch exactMatch «etc…» isChildOf (broader) hasChild (narrower) « Documents » « Statements » Broad Linking Properties (formally declared subproperty extensions expected) More about mapping predicates later…

Atomize / Describe / Relate R elate » Atomize » Describe » Relate Supporting resource :: Relationship that identifies a resource (i.e., some real or conceptual thing in the world) that supports or addresses the learning outcome embodied in an «atom»

» Atomize » Describe » Relate

Desire2Learn Competencies and ePortfolio Activity Example (Rubric) ePortfolio Artifact

Important Conclusions All learning outcomes documents are built from atomic learning outcomes assertions and all curricula are learning plane expressions built on top of those atomic assertions Learning outcomes ‘documents’ must be atomized at the level defined by their source Regardless of how learning outcomes data is stored locally, expose that data to the open web as RDF Diligently use Linked Data principles: → Use URIs as identifiers for resources—learning outcomes and learning outcomes documents → Use HTTP URIs so that people and machines can look up those resources on the web (and link to them) → When humans or machines look up a URI, provide useful information (e.g., a description of the learning outcome or learning outcome document, using standards (e.g. RDF, SPARQL) → Include in the resources links to other URIs so that they can discover more things—other learning outcomes and concepts » Atomize » Describe » Relate

Questions? » Atomize » Describe » Relate » Stuart A. Sutton JES & Co. / University of Washington » Diny Golder JES & Co.