An authoring tool for structuring and annotating on-line educational courses : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science at Massey University

This thesis studies the design and prototype implementation of a new web-based course authoring system for the Technology Integrated Learning Environment (TILE) project. The TILE authoring system edits the course structure and allows the author to annotate the course structure with meta-data. It makes extensive use of XML technology to communicate structured data across the Internet, as well as for both local and web-side databases. The Authoring tool is designed to support development by multiple authors and has check-in and check - out, as well as version control facilities. It also provides an interface for adopting other multimedia tools such as AudioGraph. The tool has an easy-to-use graphical user interface. The technical problems that have been solved in this project include issues such as cross-platform support, drag and drop functionality using JDK l.l.8, etc. System environments, such as relational database set up, XML database set up, Java swing set up in Mac also have been discussed. The authoring system interface analysis, database analysis and function analysis have been completed for the complete the system as specified. An intermediate system, designed to a reduced specification, has been implemented as a prototype and details of this system, which can work independently of the TILE delivery system, are included. The Full TILE authoring system including InstantDB database access also has been partially implemented. The prototype application has also has been tested on the PC platform

An MPEG-7 scheme for semantic content modelling and filtering of digital video

Abstract Part 5 of the MPEG-7 standard specifies Multimedia Description Schemes (MDS); that is, the format multimedia content models should conform to in order to ensure interoperability across multiple platforms and applications. However, the standard does not specify how the content or the associated model may be filtered. This paper proposes an MPEG-7 scheme which can be deployed for digital video content modelling and filtering. The proposed scheme, COSMOS-7, produces rich and multi-faceted semantic content models and supports a content-based filtering approach that only analyses content relating directly to the preferred content requirements of the user. We present details of the scheme, front-end systems used for content modelling and filtering and experiences with a number of users

Co-authorship in the age of cyberculture: Open Educational Resources at the Open University of the United Kingdom

Locating Open Educational Resources (OER) as a phenomenon of cyberculture, this paper presents a reflection on the possibilities of co-authorship that are entailed in OER initiatives of different natures and settings within a large organisation. A selection of OER-related projects and activities carried out at the Open University of United Kingdom (UKOU) are examined from the perspective of a comparative framework proposed by Okada (2010). The framework identifies key features and differences between ‘Closed’ and ‘Open’ Education, that is, respectively, formal education, which takes place within the constraints of institutional Virtual Learning Environments, and informal education, which is gradually taking place more widely in cyberspace. The paper is introduced with a succinct discussion of the connection between cyberculture and the emergence of OER, followed by a presentation of the comparative framework adopted. The UKOU´s structure and methods are then presented, and various projects are discussed. The article concludes by proposing a brief commentary on the creative potential that is being unleashed at the very boundaries between formal and informal educational spaces that cyberculture is challenging

A story environment for learning object annotation and collection : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

With the increase in computer power, network bandwidth and availability, e-learning is used more and more widely. In practice e-learning can be applied in a variety of ways, such as providing electronic resources to support teaching and learning, developing computer based tutoring programs or building computer supported collaborative learning environments. Nowadays e-learning becomes significantly important because it can improve the quality of learning through using interactive computers, online communications and information systems in ways that other teaching methods cannot achieve. The important advantage of e-learning is that it offers learners a large amount of sharable and reusable learning resources. The current approaches such as Internet search and learning object repository does not effectively help users to search for appropriate learning objects. The original story concept introduces a new semantic layer between collections of learning objects and learning material. The basic idea of the story concept is to add an interpretative, semantically rich layer, informally called 'Story' between learning objects and learning material that links learning objects according to specific themes and subjects (Heinrich & Andres, 2003a). One motivation behind this approach is to put a more focused, semantic layer on top of untargeted metadata that are commonly used to describe a single learning object. Speaking from an e-learning context the stories build on learning objects and become information resources for learning material. The overall aim of this project was to design and build a story environment to realize the above story concept. The development of the story environment includes story metadata, story environment components, the story browsing and authoring processes, and tools involved in story browsing and authoring. The story concept suggests different types of metadata should be used in a story. This project developed those different metadata specifications to support story environment. Two prototypes of tools have been designed and implemented in this project to allow users to evaluate the story concept and story environment. The story browser helps story readers to read the story narrative and look at a story from different perspectives. The story authoring tool is used by the story authors to author a story. The future work of this project has been identified in the area of adding features of current tools, user testing and further implementation of the story environment

Multimedia and e-Learning integration for supporting training programs in agriculture by MOODLE

The NODES project aims at facilitating, for adult training / lifelong training, the use of multimedia knowledge to improve competitiveness employability and mobility of handicapped adults (physical and sensorial) and of adults victims of the digital divide or of some of its components such as distance, initial level of knowledge, language, use of complex technologies. The NODES project is focused, on the wide sense, on the production and diffusion of knowledge created within public and private organizations dedicated to adult training or by individuals, through Europe. Within the project the MOODLE e-Learning system was selected and more multimedia content will be integrated into the knowledge base. The EU-Index metadatabase collects content sources for the project partners. Another target is to integrate video files into the systems. This parts are integrated by the logical and physical architectures of the NODES