Design and Implementation of WBT System Components and Test Tools for WBT content standard K. Nakabayashi, Y. Kubota(NTT-X,Inc./ Advanced Learning Infrastructure Consortium) H. Yoshida(Hitachi Electronics Services Co.,Ltd.) T.Shinohara(Transmedia K.K.)

Agenda Introduction WBT courseware standards WBT library module components Test tool Interoperability Experiment Conclusion

Introduction Interoperability of Learning Content and learner information will promote: To exchange contents on Learning Systems To reduce contents price and improve contents quality To enable reuse of learning contents To provide mechanism for searching and exchange contents

Introduction Learning content standards are being developed: AICC CMI(Computer Managed Instruction) ADL SCORM(Sharable Content Object Reference Model) Not easy to understand and implement Difficulty to avoid ambiguities and implementation dependent terms

Introduction Our approach – To design and implement software to support development of WBT system/contents compliant to standards WBT library module component Test tools

WBT courseware standard AICC CMI Specification Course Structure Format(CSF) Tree-structured course including block and Assignable Unit(AU), prerequisites/completion requirement, defined as CSV file format CMI/CBT communication protocol HTTP-based AICC CMI Protocol(HACP) CMI/CBT communication data model Data model for learner information Provided File Format/Javascript API

WBT courseware standard ADL SCORM Specification Course structure format XML binding for AICC CMI CSF Sharable Content Object(SCO) API and data model Javascript API for CMI/CBT communication, not including binding to HACP Learning object metadata(LOM) To index and describe content element

WBT library components HACP CSF Import/Export Module Vendors CSF Authoring tool SCORM CSF (XML Format) AICC CMI CSF (CSV Format) Vendor s WBT Server CMI/CBT Communication Module CSF AuthorWBT Server (WWW Server side) CBT(SCO) CBT Interface Module CBT-API Module CBT(SCO) Content WBT Client (WWW Client side)

WBT library components CSF import/export module To handle data model defined in both AICC CSV CSF and SCORM XML CSF including LOM DOM-like API to manipulate CSF elements such as blocks, AU, objectives To read/write AICC CMI CSF file and ADL SCORM CSF file

WBT library components CMI/CBT communication module API for CMI/CBT communication protocol and data model: Objects corresponding to each AUs Launch and communication by the instance method

WBT library components CBT-API module Implement Javascript SCORM API Specification CBT Interface module Application-oriented API for typical CBT contents such as true/false or multiple choice exercise

Test tool Test tool supports test functions to check the conformity of WBT content: Test functions for CSF file CSF Syntax check CSF semantics check Test functions for CBT contents To check Content launch and communication sequence To check on syntax and semantics of communication data

Interoperability Experiment Experiment with WBT Systems and contents implemented with WBT library components In some case, no adjustment required In some case, troubles due to bug or misinterpretation of the specification

Conclusion Library module components conforming to standard and test tool to check WBT content s conformity were developed Interoperability Experiment was conducted The result proves they are effective to achieve the interoperability