E-LEARNING RESOURCES

"To be is to participate"

e-Learning Standards Explained

This section contains a number of interesting documents, considered a 'must' for those interested in setting up their own Computer Based Training units.

Free Tutorials

Free Web-based ADL SCORM course (version 1.2.3.). ADL's SCORM course by Dr. Ed Jones of JCA Solutions for managers, authors, instructional designers and developers of online courses who want to comply with the requirements of the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORMTM).

White Papers

SCORM Dynamic Appearance Model: This white paper is published under the authority of the Canadian Defence Department which has been doing quite a bit of work on SCORM (Shareable Content Object Reference Model). This approach named SCORM Dynamic Appearance Model introduces a new paradigm for e learning content development.

No one standard will suit all - on universal interoperability: According to the author, the overriding message from various speakers at the eLearning Results conference in Sestri Levante, Italy, on May.12th 2003 was simply "No one standard will suit all". This interesting article by Wilber Kraan suggests that "universal interoperability may be universally desired, but local needs for different vocabularies, and different requirements need to be met". Author: Wilbert Kraan, CETIS, May 13, 2003, staff member at The Centre for Educational Technology Interoperability Standards.

Great Idea, but how do I do it? A practical example of learning object creation using SGML/XML: Janet Bartz's paper provides excellent analogies to assist the reader in understanding learning objects. Though it is a technical paper, someone who is not technically oriented can grasp the concepts presented. Abstract: The educational community is interested in learning objects, what they are, how they are used, and the many benefits derived from their use. Most educators are familiar with the value of learning objects in theory, but on the practical side are wondering what is involved in creating them. This paper offers a "how-to" of learning object implementation, for text, based on four years experience working with Open Learning Agency’s structured content development model. Source: Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology (Volume 28(3)v.

Organizations & Committees

The Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative, sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), is a collaborative effort between government, industry and academia to establish a new distributed learning environment that permits the interoperability of learning tools and course content on a global scale. ADL's vision is to provide access to the highest quality education and training, tailored to individual needs, delivered cost-effectively anywhere and anytime.

IMS - The purpose of the Instructional Management Systems (IMS) project is basically to build a standard architecture for online learning. Having a common architecture as a framework is like having an effective city planning process. Individuals are not told what type of house to build or how to build it but, by operating within agreed standards, they are ensured common access to utilities, roads, and services. In the same way, the IMS specifications will create the foundation for interoperative, yet unique, online learning communities.

The Aviation Industry CBT Comittee (AICC) certifies CBT products that comply with AICC Guidelines and Recommendations (AGR's) via its independent test labs.

The mission of the Learning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC) (formally P1484) is to develop technical Standards, Guidelines, and Recommended Practices for the area of Computer-Based Online Learning, with the goal of enabling tools, courseware, information, and services to be developed, acquired, and utilized on a component basis.

XML: In a nutshell, XML is a file interchange format. To clarify: XML will be used as an *exchange* and storage format, not a runtime format. What runs in a browser will be DHTML. In fact, you will never need to look at the XML file, or even need to know that it exists. As for the runtime, when exporting for the web, it will be fully 32-bit, inasmuch as IE4 or Netscape 4 themselves are 32-bit...

NOTE: XML is not storage or execution-efficient, but it can be very good as an exchange format between different applications and environments. Note also that in spite of a lot of hype and wishful thinking XML is *not* an executable file format, at least  not in a generally supported way. It is an encoding syntax for data. Also, a DTD contains only syntax validation info for an XML stream, but does not carry any of the semantic information that is required to use the information encoded in XML. An analog would be BNF notation for a programming language; it may define a syntax, but it does not tell you what any of it actually *does*. Efforts to create XML extensions that include semantic information, such as RDF and XML-DATA, are under way but not universally accepted by the key vendors who would need to support them. One good starting points for XML information (and to find out about all the various draft specifications proposed to extend the functionality of XML) is the W3C consortium and XML.com. Another good source of XML info is this site: http://msdn.microsoft.com/xml

Do you know of a site that should be added to these resources? Please let us know!