Seamless production of interoperable e-Learning units: stakes and pitfalls Nadia Spang Bovey Nicolas Dunand

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Seamless production of interoperable e-Learning
units stakes and pitfalls Nadia Spang
BoveyNicolas Dunand

• TenCompetence Workshop, Sofia

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Institutional context

• An on-campus University
• A Centre providing pedagogical support to
  teachers
• Main aim designing learning activities and
  scenarios

Learning scenarios convey teachers personal
views and know-how
BUT
Learning scenarios are stuck in the Learning
Management Systems
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Background of the experiment

• A need to establish a design and production
  process that
• integrates reusability and interoperability
  issues
• is based on generic computer skills

Experiment the potential and shortcomings of the
IMS Learning Design methodology
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Approach

• A three-step process

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Topics

• Course description and pedagogical modelling
• Design and conception of the learning unit
• Running the learning unit
• Remaining issues

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Course description

• A two-semester online course in Information
  Theory at Bachelor level.
• Several learning paths and types of exams
• Various study helps, such as control questions,
  exercises, videos and online demonstrations
• Online tutor, who answers questions and monitors
  the learning journal
• Propositions of exam projects and validation by
  professor through forum

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Pedagogical modelling

• Textual and visual representation of
• roles
• activities
• decision points
• timeline
• No editor can directly generate IMS-LD XML file
  from UML diagram

MOTplus, though not UML, can generate level A
files
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Design of the learning unit - 1

• translating the pedagogical scenario (human
  semantics) into IMS-LD concepts roles,
  activities, role-parts, method,
• building logical entities of learning resources
  IMS-LD environments
• concept map
• printable text
• browsable text
• recorded conference
• questions (no QTI implemented yet)

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Design of the learning unit - 2

• translating pedagogical scenario (human
  semantics) into IMS-LD concepts roles,
  activities, role-parts, method,
• building IMS-LD activities, i.e.
• choose learning path
• select exam type
• write learning journal
• assess learners progress

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Design of the learning unit - 3

• translating pedagogical scenario (human
  semantics) into IMS-LD concepts roles,
  activities, role-parts, method,
• scenario construction through association of
  roles with activities build IMS-LD role-parts
• introduction
• course discovery
• tutors support activities
• teachers support activities

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Design of the learning unit - 4

• translating pedagogical scenario (human
  semantics) into IMS-LD concepts roles,
  activities, role-parts, method,
• IMS-LD properties and conditions (level B)
  are used to
• track learners progress
• store and monitor learners profile and choices
  (language, learning path, exam type, )
• make new activities available

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Running the learning unit

• The CopperCore runtime environment was used for
  testing purposes
• allows rendering of the IMS-LD levels A, B, C
• provides some services such as e-mail,
  monitoring, but not fora, QTI (questions
  tests), etc.
• allows multi-user administration
• interprets XHTML files using the IMS-LD
  global-elements model (to store and view
  properties)

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CopperCore tutors view
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CopperCore learners view
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Remaining issues

• Three-step production process is too complex
• Course design and production by the professors or
  their teaching assistants
• The generation of IMS-LD files should be embedded
  into simple design tools (LAMS inspired, e.g.)
• Those should be integrated into LMS used at
  university
• No compliant Learning Management System
• CopperCore is good for testing the specification
  but does not match the requirements

The relevant product would be an IMS-LD compliant
VLE with learning activities design
functionalities and automatic generation of
IMS-LD XML files
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Conclusion - 1

• The modeling of the Online Course in Information
  Theory served two major objectives
• test the adequacy of the IMS-LD specification to
  describe real-life courses that were not designed
  on purpose
• identify the conditions needed for its adoption
  to ensure the portability of the online courses
  on a large scale.

• Promising results
• IMS-LD proved being adequate to successfully
  model the 28 weeks of learning activities and all
  the related tools and interactions
• The learning unit can be run successfully using a
  rendering engine such as CopperCore

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Conclusion - 2

• Pitfalls
• The UML modelling and the translation of the
  activity diagram into IMS-LD concepts of
  activities, activity-structures and proprieties
  are out of reach of the typical staff in an
  educational context
• The large-scale use of the specification will
  remain an unviable option in an institution with
  no dedicated course production unit

• Thank you for your attention!
• Nadia.SpangBovey_at_unil.ch
• Nicolas.Dunand_at_unil.ch