Learning Objects in Context : An authoring tool utilizing IMS Learning Design

1. Learning Objects in Context: An authoring tool utilizing IMS Learning Design Pythagoras Karampiperis, Demetrios G. Sampson e-mail:{pythk,sampson}@iti.gr

2. Outline • Description • Problem Definition • Modeling Learning Activities • Our Proposal • Authoring architecture • Authoring Tool • Conclusions

3. Problem Definition • Typically, Web-based Educational Systems are based on hard-wired pedagogy • Interoperability frameworks are mainly focused to content interoperability (ie, SCORM) • Existing Authoring Tools are tailored to the capabilities of the specific systems in hand, with limited capability of reusing and repurposing learning activities This raises a number of open questions: • How a WBES can support multiple pedagogical approaches? • How different WBESs can inter-exchange learning activities? • How can we extend the current state of the art in authoring tools to support flexible pedagogical design?

4. Paper Contribution Thesis of this Paper: Separating the learning content from the learning scenario • enables a WBES to support multiple learning scenarios with the same content • provides flexibility in pedagogical design • Required extra Authoring components: • A new element in the design process of WBES: the Learning Design Component • A formal - commonly agreed - way of representing learning scenarios/activities • Thus, in this paper • We investigate how the Learning Design Framework can be incorporated in the abstract architecture of a SCORM compatible authoring system • Introduce a tool which supports the presented architectural approach

5. Modeling Learning Activities • requires that all components of a learning activity can be modeled in a commonly understandable form • requires that educational systems include components for supporting the authoring and handling of learning activities A first step is to agree on common ways for representing learning scenarios and describing the interactions between participating roles (learners, tutors, etc) and educational systems’ services

6. The Learning Design Framework • Offers a formal way of representing a learning scenario • It is Machine understandable • It is Interoperable across systems (IMS Learning Design Specification, 2003)

7. Extending SCORM ADL Sharable Content Object Reference Model • provides a reference interaction model between learners and learning content • describes within a common technical framework for computer and web-based learning the creation process of reusable learning content as "instructional objects”, called sharable content objects (SCOs) • SCORM Natural Extension • Definition of roles and interactions between them • Definition of role-based activities

8. The proposed Authoring System

9. The Proposed Authoring Tool • ASK-LDT is an authoring tool which: • Enables pedagogical designers to use their own design notation for the definition of learning activities • Supports pedagogical designers in the process of sequencing learning activities • Separate the structure of learning scenarios from the learning resources. • Use a standard notation language for the description of learning scenarios, so as to be able to inter-exchange learning activities between different systems. • The produced packages conform to the IMS Learning Design v1.0 Level B specification. • The supported metadata for learning resources conform to the IEEE Learning Object Metadata 1484.12.1-2002 standard. • The packaging system has the ability to package resources that conform to the IMS Content Packaging v1.1.3. specification.

10. Population with Define Pedagogy: Learning Content Activity Types and and Notation Schema Content Packaging Statistical Analysis Define the Learning of Environment: Learning Scenarios Roles and Services Design Learning Scenarios Proposed Authoring Process

11. Example Scenario: Collaborative creation of concept map

12. Example Scenario: Discussion • In the literature, a number of systems implementing this scenario exist (Kay, Miller, 2003), (Milrad, Spector, Davidsen, 2004). • They support only the specific learning scenario • Due to their close architecture they cannot be used externally from other platforms to support the learning process. By using the ASK-LDT, • learning scenario is not hard-wired in the specific learning platform, but acts as a script delivered by the learning platform learning platforms can support several pedagogical scenarios enabling at the same time reusability of learning activities across different platforms software components can be reused to support different learning activities

13. Example Scenario: ASK-LDT Authoring Process • Definition of Pedagogical Elements (Activity Types). • “brainstorming”, “annotation”, “discussion” and “knowledge expression”. • Definition of the Environment • “moderator” and “participant”. • “discussion forum”, “on-line chat”, annotation tool and concept representation tool. • Learning Scenario Design. • For each activity specified the designer defines the participating roles and the corresponding environments. • Content Packaging. • content components required to support the designed activities are specified

14. Definition of Activity Types Define Notation Schema Notation Schema Definition UI Definition of Activity Types Define Notation Schema Give the Type of the Activity Give the ID of the Activity Give the Name of the Activity Give the Description of the Activity Choose an Activity Define Notation Schema Define Color Selection

15. Example Scenario: ASK-LDT Authoring Process • Definition of Pedagogical Elements (Activity Types). • “brainstorming”, “annotation”, “discussion” and “knowledge expression”. • Definition of the Environment • “moderator” and “participant”. • “discussion forum”, “on-line chat”, annotation tool and concept representation tool. • Learning Scenario Design. • For each activity specified the designer defines the participating roles and the corresponding environments. • Content Packaging. • content components required to support the designed activities are specified

16. Define Environment Types Give the Description of the Environment Give a Corresponding service for the Environment Give the ID of the Environment Give the Name of the Environment Define Environment Types Define the Environment Characteristics

17. Defining Learner and Group Types Defining Participating Roles Defining Supportive Roles Defining Properties Defining Participating Roles Defining Supportive Roles Defining a User Model Give the Role Name of the Supportive Roles Give the Description of the Supportive Roles Give the Minimum and Maximum number of persons of the Supportive Role Give the Description of the User Model Give the Element Name of the User Model Give the Minimum and Maximum number of persons in the Groups Defining Learner and Group Types Give the Role Name of the Learners and the Groups Give the Description of the Learners and the Groups Defining Properties Specify a Role Specify a UM element Define the Condition Define the value

18. Example Scenario: ASK-LDT Authoring Process • Definition of Pedagogical Elements (Activity Types). • “brainstorming”, “annotation”, “discussion” and “knowledge expression”. • Definition of the Environment • “moderator” and “participant”. • “discussion forum”, “on-line chat”, annotation tool and concept representation tool. • Learning Scenario Design. • For each activity specified the designer defines the participating roles and the corresponding environments. • Content Packaging. • content components required to support the designed activities are specified

19. Designing Learning Activities Designing Activities Define the Activity Type Choose an Activity

20. Design the Activities sequence Define Rollup Links

21. Define a Title Choose an Activity

22. Define the Participating Roles

23. Define theEnvironments

24. Define when the Activity will be completed

25. Example Scenario: ASK-LDT Authoring Process • Definition of Pedagogical Elements (Activity Types). • “brainstorming”, “annotation”, “discussion” and “knowledge expression”. • Definition of the Environment • “moderator” and “participant”. • “discussion forum”, “on-line chat”, annotation tool and concept representation tool. • Learning Scenario Design. • For each activity specified the designer defines the participating roles and the corresponding environments. • Content Packaging. • content components required to support the designed activities are specified

26. Content Population and Packaging CP Preview

27. Content Population Select a resource file Load additional files Select a resource element

28. Metadata Characterization Load metadata record Select metadata element

29. Packaging Select a name for the package Save the package

30. CP Preview: XML level

31. Open Issues • A concrete method for translating pedagogical requirements to learning designs • A methodology for extracting patterns from specified learning designs, in order to enable reusability at the pedagogical level • The architecture of a runtime system for delivering the designed learning activities

32. Conclusion • Argued on the need for the Learning Design Component in the authoring process of WBES • Investigated how the Learning Design Framework can be incorporated in the architecture of a SCORM compatible authoring system • Introduced a tool which supports the presented architectural approach

33. Contact Details Demetrios Sampson sampson@iti.gr http://www.ask.iti.gr Informatics and Telematics Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, 42, Arkadias Street,Athens,GR-15234,Greece and Department of Technology Education and Digital Systems, University of Piraeus 150, Androutsou Street, Piraeus, GR-18534 Greece