FREMA : e-Learning Framework Reference Model for Assessment FREMA Overview David Millard Learning Technologies University of Southampton, UK

Overview You’ve seen the system – now is our chance to tell you what we hope we have achieved and your chance to tell us if we have achieved it! Introduction to FREMA Anatomy of a Reference Model? Views on the Model Debrief and Feedback

Background What is FREMA? –JISC funded Project between Southampton, Strathclyde and Hull –Part of the e-Learning Framework (ELF) effort What is the ELF? –Service Oriented Architecture for e-learning systems –Layered Web Services (Domain services over Common Services) –Dynamic and evolving

Background FREMA will develop a Reference Model for the Assessment domain –Supporting design-time activities –Supporting run-time activities –Virtual organisations and lifelong learning What is a Reference Model? –A description of how services behave within a particular domain –A community resource

Assessment and ELF Not enough to describe and define these services Need a proper audit trail of decision making Start by defining the domain Work up through the services to a reference implementation This is an ELF Reference Model

Anatomy of a Reference Model Domain Definition –Overview of the domain, and how projects and standards fit within it Assessment Domain Definition Use Cases Service Profiles Gap Analysis Reference Impl’ Identifying Common Usage Patterns –Scoping the FREMA Project Gap Analysis –Mapping of Use Cases to the Services in ELF Service Profiles –Formal descriptions of those services Reference Implementation –Of key/core services –Examples –Validation –Resource Common Usage Patterns Developing Use Cases –Formal descriptions of usage patterns

What does it look like? An evolving, cross-referenced, searchable web site Indexed resources and narrative descriptions of the domain UML Use Cases and Scenario documents Service descriptions, narrative and WSDL Service implementations to download (Java/.NET) Different gateways into the model according to how you want to use it Assessment Domain Definition Use Cases Service Profiles Gap Analysis Reference Impl’ Common Usage Patterns

Views on the Model Use the Reference Implementation –Build on some or all of the developed services Use the Service Profiles –To develop your own services that will fit into the framework Use the Use Cases –To help understand usage patterns within the domain –Develop new Service Profiles and thus Services Use the Domain Definition –To develop a context for your own work –Understand how existing work fits together –Identify standards –Locate experts Assessment Domain Definition Use Cases Service Profiles Gap Analysis Reference Impl’ Common Usage Patterns

Views on the Model Use the Reference Implementation –Build on some or all of the developed services Use the Service Profiles –To develop your own services that will fit into the framework Use the Use Cases –To help understand usage patterns within the domain –Develop new Service Profiles and thus Services Use the Domain Definition –To develop a context for your own work –Understand how existing work fits together –Identify standards –Locate experts Assessment Domain Definition Use Cases Service Profiles Gap Analysis Reference Impl’ Common Usage Patterns

Interconnected Resources Schema of resources and relationships between them (ontology) Used to generate dynamic pages for each resource Can show secondary data (like how much info we have on a resource)

Concept modelling Schema level means you can find things if you know what to look for. Concept maps help users find new things. What mental models might these and other actors use to orient their searches? How do they visualise the assessment domain? Concepts of the domain reflect community practice and knowledge Can be dynamic and evolving

Debrief and Feedback Thanks for filling out our questionnaire –Some initial results… Now is your chance to give us some direct feedback –Did the reference model support you in your role? –How could it be improved? –What other tools/views might you need?