FREMA: e-Learning Framework Reference Model for Assessment FREMA Overview

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FREMA e-Learning Framework Reference Model for
AssessmentFREMA Overview

• David Millard
• Learning Technologies
• University of Southampton, UK

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Overview

• Youve seen the system now is our chance to
  tell you what we hope we have achieved and your
  chance to tell us if we have achieved it!
• Introduction to FREMA
• Anatomy of a Reference Model?
• Views on the Model
• Debrief and Feedback

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Background

• What is FREMA?
• JISC funded Project between Southampton,
  Strathclyde and Hull
• Part of the e-Learning Framework (ELF) effort
• What is the ELF?
• Service Oriented Architecture for e-learning
  systems
• Layered Web Services (Domain services over Common
  Services)
• Dynamic and evolving

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Background

• FREMA will develop a Reference Model for the
  Assessment domain
• Supporting design-time activities
• Supporting run-time activities
• Virtual organisations and lifelong learning
• What is a Reference Model?
• A description of how services behave within a
  particular domain
• A community resource

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Assessment and ELF

• Not enough to describe and define these services
• Need a proper audit trail of decision making
• Start by defining the domain
• Work up through the services to a reference
  implementation
• This is an ELF Reference Model

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Anatomy of a Reference Model

• Domain Definition
• Overview of the domain, and how projects and
  standards fit within it

• Identifying Common Usage Patterns
• Scoping the FREMA Project

• Developing Use Cases
• Formal descriptions of usage patterns

• Gap Analysis
• Mapping of Use Cases to the Services in ELF

Reference Impl

• Service Profiles
• Formal descriptions of those services

Service Profiles

• Reference Implementation
• Of key/core services
• Examples
• Validation
• Resource

Assessment Domain Definition
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What does it look like?

• An evolving, cross-referenced, searchable web
  site
• Indexed resources and narrative descriptions of
  the domain
• UML Use Cases and Scenario documents
• Service descriptions, narrative and WSDL
• Service implementations to download (Java/.NET)
• Different gateways into the model
• according to how you want to use it

Reference Impl
Service Profiles
Assessment Domain Definition
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Views on the Model

• Use the Reference Implementation
• Build on some or all of the developed services
• Use the Service Profiles
• To develop your own services that will fit into
  the framework
• Use the Use Cases
• To help understand usage patterns within the
  domain
• Develop new Service Profiles and thus Services
• Use the Domain Definition
• To develop a context for your own work
• Understand how existing work fits together
• Identify standards
• Locate experts

Reference Impl
Service Profiles
Assessment Domain Definition
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Views on the Model

• Use the Reference Implementation
• Build on some or all of the developed services
• Use the Service Profiles
• To develop your own services that will fit into
  the framework
• Use the Use Cases
• To help understand usage patterns within the
  domain
• Develop new Service Profiles and thus Services
• Use the Domain Definition
• To develop a context for your own work
• Understand how existing work fits together
• Identify standards
• Locate experts

Reference Impl
Service Profiles
Assessment Domain Definition
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Interconnected Resources

• Schema of resources and relationships between
  them (ontology)
• Used to generate dynamic pages for each resource
• Can show secondary data (like how much info we
  have on a resource)

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Concept modelling

• Schema level means you can find things if you
  know what to look for. Concept maps help users
  find new things.
• What mental models might these and other actors
  use to orient their searches?
• How do they visualise the assessment domain?
• Concepts of the domain reflect community practice
  and knowledge
• Can be dynamic and evolving

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Debrief and Feedback

• Thanks for filling out our questionnaire
• Some initial results
• Now is your chance to give us some direct
  feedback
• Did the reference model support you in your role?
• How could it be improved?
• What other tools/views might you need?