Interoperability and reusability in practice The Dutch Consortium Digital University 4th of March 2002, Manchester Frank Benneker, Pierre Gorissen Consortium Digital University the Netherlands

Dutch Digital University A major government funded HE initiative Cooperation of 10 institutions of HE Started April 2001 First drafts of work processes and tools 2nd quarter 2002 First content online September 2002

Aims Set up educational content repository (economy of scales) Joint innovation (cost sharing) Delivery to HE students through partner institutions

Challenge: reusability Create Learning Objects that will be stored in a repository reused across instructional scenarios reused across courses, curricula easily customised if needed easily retrievable, searchable

Challenge: interoperability Make sure that the Learning Object may be developed with a variety of authoring tools may be used across delivery platforms (runtime systems, players)

Schematic scenario Digital Repository Digital Repository Interface Authoring tools Run-time LOM Meta-data Run-time

Current solutions to reuse Build repositories of (un-)structured elements Add meta-data based on LOM Examples: Ariadne Merlot SeSDL Universal Knowledge Broker

Current solutions to reuse No problem if/when common file formats are used, because editors do exist already (e.g. MS Word) players (browsers) render formats natively or through plug ins

Problems DU partners have their own wishes regarding layout/design of content DU partners have their own educational systems/scenarios the learning objects often carry no educational significance (learning objectives or prerequisites) so how to use them? the instructional scenario is often implicit, hard to discover and hard to extract

DU solution to reuse Use XML and an Educational Modeling Language (EML), so: Separate layout from content Distinguish (reusable) learning objects from reusable information objects Let the learning objects carry instructional information (learning objectives, prerequisites, scenario)

New Challenges DU No EML authoring tools except generic (XML) editors Current runtime environments can’t interpret & handle EMLs SCORM & IMS not mature yet No DU-taxonomies for Meta data yet Setup Educational Service Provider (learning to work together)

Even more challenges Organise copy & use rights, through licences? Develop a business model Create incentives for authors, their departments, subject fields Workflow of content production Set up training / Help desk groups Quality assurance, review process

DU road ahead … Create DU educational content in: –Law –Business & Finance –Arts –Education E-Learning projects Bring experts from partners together Cooperate with others

More information Digital University (in Dutch): More on EML (Dutch and English): Other information: (Frank) (Pierre) Thank you for your attention...