[12107] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
[FYI] Educom Issues Model for Labeling Educational Material on Web
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Terry Kuny)
Thu Mar 26 20:47:56 1998
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1998 18:10:11 -0600
From: Terry Kuny <Terry.Kuny@xist.com>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
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Other information about Educom's Instructional Management Systems=
=20
IMS Metadata project, including the specification refered to below,=
=20
can be found at:
URL: http://www.imsproject.org/metadata/index.html
To answer one of the inevitable questions: the IMS Metadata Dictionar=
y=20
incorporates the Dublin Core metadata fields and adds about 21 new
ones.
Regards,=20
-terry
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-
For Release Monday, March 23, 1998
INFORMATION CONTACT:
Denis Newman
Director of Market Development
IMS Project
(650) 852-9204
denis@cdl.edu
For contact information for the other organizations, see:
http://www.imsproject.org/press_contacts.html
Industry Consensus Reached on Labeling of Education Materials on the
Internet
Educom's IMS Project "Metadata" Specification to be Used in Software
Tools and Content
San Jose, CA. March 23, 1998. Educom released today the specificatio=
n for
the technology that software companies and publishers can use to =
label
educational resources on the Internet. The "metadata" technology mak=
es it
easier for people to find educational resources, to individu=
alize
learning experiences, and to manage the resources within an elect=
ronic
marketplace. Educom's Instructional Management Systems (IMS) projec=
t, an
industry, academic and government cooperative, has been working=
with
experts in software, publishing, digital libraries, teaching, trai=
ning,
and all phases of learning to refine the specification. The work o=
f the
IMS project is being presented today and tomorrow at the Sof=
tware
Publishers Association conference in San Jose.
The Educom announcement represents a significant consensus on a c=
ommon
set of metadata for educational materials. The IMS metadata specific=
ation
is endorsed by courseware authoring and management product vendors, =
Allen
Communication, Asymetrix Learning Systems, Inc., Macromedia, and Pat=
hlore
Software Corporation, who provided IMS technical staff with input t=
o the
final version released today. The authoring tool vendors are=
all
participants in the Aviation Industry CBT Committee (AICC) =
which
maintains an important computer-based training industry stan=
dard.
The IMS is coordinating its metadata work with the AICC. The two g=
roups
recently signed a memorandum of understanding to address eme=
rging
computer-managed instruction technologies. They are working togeth=
er to
identify convergence opportunities that ensure that existing AICC-=
based
content and IMS-based content can interoperate on the Internet. O=
racle
Corporation, which recently joined the IMS cooperative, is assisti=
ng in
this convergence. "Our customers want standards-based solutions=
that
ensure interoperability when selecting content," said Rob Abel, dir=
ector
of Oracle Learning Architecture (OLA) development. "Oracle will su=
pport
AICC course interchange formats and IMS metadata in an upcoming re=
lease
of the OLA and is working to assure convergence and compatibility=
with
the IMS standard."
"In the future, we will use online learning resources the way we=
now
use libraries and bookstores. The IMS specification for metadata i=
s an
important first step in providing customers the flexibility they =
need
to make this a reality." - John Kellum, Vice President of Prod=
ucts
Asymetrix
"Macromedia has been working with many of the early participant=
s to
ensure a common set of metadata. Metadata is a key enhancement to=
the
AICC standard by bringing a common set of descriptions that enable=
the
rapid location and reuse of content objects. We intend to support =
this
metadata in future versions of our products." - Jim White, VP=
and
General Manager of the Learning Division, Macromedia
"Allen Communication is very much in support of standards that =
will
help us, as an industry, to achieve interoperability and reus=
e of
training courses, components, and structures across tools and ac=
ross
companies. This IMS standard is a very important step in helpin=
g us
realize this tremendous goal. We will immediately support it across=
our
entire product line." - Steve Allen, CEO Allen Communica=
tion
"The IMS metadata standard has made a huge step forward tow=
ards
reality. The IMS community's requirements were matched with =
the
engineering =91know how=92 of the major tool vendors in the =
training
industry. The result is a standard that can and will be implemented=
. It
is a credit to the IMS that this practical approach was taken=
." -
Leonard A. Greenberg, Chief Technology Officer, Pathlore Soft=
ware
Metadata will be used by the next generation of search engines to=
make
searches for content, courses, assessment tools, educational simulat=
ions,
and other learning materials much more efficient. Metadata labels=
will
also facilitate management of educational materials by speci=
fying
information such as learning level and format. Since metadata will=
also
encode business information such as licensing requirements and p=
rice,
they will be the key to electronic commerce and an essential basi=
s for
the greatly expanded market for digital materials. Elizabeth W. =
King,
General Manager Education Customer Unit at Microsoft, said, "Th=
e IMS
metadata specs announced today are a critical element in an overall=
plan
for an industry standard for Internet-based education."
The specification includes a small set of required labels, lis=
ts of
optional labels, and a process for extending the lists of metadata =
based
on academic discipline and industry needs. Tom Wason, Directo=
r of
Research and Evaluation at the University of North Carolina's Inst=
itute
for Academic Technology, who leads the IMS metadata effort, expla=
ined,
"It is the intention of the IMS project to follow an evolutionary m=
odel.
We will start with a minimal set of fields and vocabulary and cre=
ate a
circumstance that allows managed evolution." The National Institut=
e for
Standards and Technology (NIST) is co-sponsoring with Educom a repos=
itory
from which the IMS metadata labels and extensions will be accessibl=
e via
the World Wide Web. The repository will support reuse of common met=
adata
labels by authors, educators, trainers and students around the w=
orld.
Paul Lefrere, co-director of the UK's new IMS Center, welcomes th=
e IMS
metadata specification as "a major contribution to international exc=
hange
of materials and the move to a more knowledge-based society". Th=
e IMS
Center is funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee, a recen=
t IMS
investment member, which represents all higher education institutio=
ns in
the UK.
The IMS specifications build on current industry standards and su=
pport
multiple platforms. The labels include those proposed as the Dublin=
Core
by a working group of the Online Computer Library Center, Inc., lo=
cated
in Dublin, OH. The IMS metadata specification identifies two mea=
ns of
exchanging metadata among computers on the Internet. The first=
uses
XML/RDF which are the emerging standards developed by the World Wid=
e Web
Consortium (W3C). The second uses IMS metadata objects that can be e=
asily
exchanged with Java-based and Microsoft ActiveX-based programs via=
RMI,
Corba, or DCOM. Educom has submitted the metadata specifications t=
o the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to begi=
n the
process of establishing a formal international standard. The IMS pr=
oject
has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Eur=
opean
Union-sponsored ARIADNE project to further internationalization i=
n the
context of IEEE. ARIADNE Director, Eddy Forte, said: "With IM=
S and
ARIADNE joining forces, educational communities in Europe as well a=
s the
US will benefit from common metadata specifications."
The IMS project will release specifications in four other areas ove=
r the
next two months. These include a specification for how to c=
reate
interoperable content which is described by metadata, the specific=
ation
of the student profile information, how to create management systems=
that
can use interoperable content, and external interfaces to services=
such
as student record systems and electronic commerce. IMS is also pla=
nning
to release next month the first version of its prototype instruct=
ional
management system which is an implementation of the IMS specifica=
tions
and is currently in early adopter use within IMS-supported internat=
ional
testbed sites. The prototype is being developed under contrac=
t by
Blackboard Inc. in collaboration with other project members. Al=
l IMS
specifications and prototype components will be made freely avai=
lable
once they are released.
The IMS project is part of Educom's National Learning Infrastru=
cture
Initiative. Its goal is the widespread adoption of a set of =
open
standards for Internet-based education. The project is funded th=
rough
investments and in-kind contributions by the following members: =
Apple
Computer, Buena Vista University, California State University, COLL=
EGIS,
COLLEGIS Research Institute, Committee on Institutional Cooper=
ation
(CIC), Educational Testing Service, Empower Corporation, Farance =
Inc.,
George Mason University, IBM Education, International Thomson Publis=
hing,
KPMG Peat Marwick, @Learning, Miami-Dade Community College, Micro=
soft,
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Oracle,=
Sun
Microsystems, Unisys, University of California, University of Mich=
igan,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UK Joint Information Sy=
stems
Committee, and the U.S. Department of Defense. IMS works with the De=
fense
Department's Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) initiative prov=
iding
technical specifications to support their guidelines for distri=
buted
training systems. Project staff are drawn from California =
State
University's Center for Distributed Learning, from the COLLEGIS Res=
earch
Institute, and from other member organizations. Additional informati=
on on
the IMS project can be found at http://www.imsproject.=
org .
Educom http://www.educom.edu , based in Washington, DC, is a non-p=
rofit
consortium of 600 colleges and universities and 100 Corporate Assoc=
iates
that facilitates the introduction, use and access to, and manageme=
nt of
information resources in teaching, learning, scholarship, and rese=
arch.
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=46rom the Chronicle of Higher Education:=20
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Wednesday, March 25, 1998
Academic-Technology Group Issues Model
for Labeling Educational Material on Web
By LISA GUERNSEY
EDUCOM announced Monday that it had finalized a set of digital labe=
ls
-- known as metatags -- that will make finding educational material=
s on
the World-Wide Web easier.=20
Officials at EDUCOM, a nationwide consortium of university and
corporate technology users, have posted specifications for the meta=
tags
on a Web site. The specifications outline what information should b=
e
embedded in the computer code behind educational Web pages and
Web-based computer programs.=20
A Web page that complies with the specifications will have metatags
that provide information about the page's contents, who published i=
t,
what it is titled, and when it became available on line, among othe=
r
details. The metatags could also include additional information, su=
ch as
descriptions of how interactive a Web site is, or whether a license=
is
required to use a particular computer program.=20
The tags will be invisible to Web users. But they are designed to b=
e read
by advanced search engines so that when people look for educational
materials on line, the search engines will assemble lists of resour=
ces that
better match the users' needs. The tags will also enable computer
companies to build software for courses around a common labeling
standard, EDUCOM officials said.=20
The effort to create the metatags, called the Instructional Managem=
ent
Systems project, drew on the expertise of representatives from
universities, libraries, computer software and hardware companies,
associations devoted to creating standards, and the U.S. Department=
of
Defense. A draft set of metatags was released for review last fall.=
Several
software companies endorsed the final draft before it was announced
this week, at a Software Publishers Association symposium.=20
Background story from The Chronicle:=20
"Consortium Unveils System to Ease Finding
Educational Material on the Web," 9/19/97=20
---------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Terry Kuny Home Office: 819-776-6602 =20
XIST Inc./ Email: terry.kuny@xist.com
Global Village Research URL: http://xist.com/kuny/
Snail: Box 1141, St. B, Hull, Quebec, Canada, J8X 3Y1
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