The Simple Publishing Interface (SPI)

Ternier, S., Massart, D., Totschnig, M., Klerkx, J., & Duval, E. (2010). The Simple Publishing Interface (SPI). D-Lib Magazine, September/October 2010, Volume 16 Number 9/10, doi:10.1045/september2010-ternierThe Simple Publishing Interface (SPI) is a new publishing protocol, developed under the auspices of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) workshop on learning technologies. This protocol aims to facilitate the communication between content producing tools and repositories that persistently manage learning resources and metadata. The SPI work focuses on two problems: (1) facilitating the metadata and resource publication process (publication in this context refers to the ability to ingest metadata and resources); and (2) enabling interoperability between various components in a federation of repositories. This article discusses the different contexts where a protocol for publishing resources is relevant. SPI contains an abstract domain model and presents several methods that a repository can support. An Atom Publishing Protocol binding is proposed that allows for implementing SPI with a concrete technology and enables interoperability between applications.European Committee for Standardization (CEN), CEN/Expert/2009/3

Proceedings of the 3rd Workshop on Social Information Retrieval for Technology-Enhanced Learning

Learning and teaching resource are available on the Web - both in terms of digital learning content and people resources (e.g. other learners, experts, tutors). They can be used to facilitate teaching and learning tasks. The remaining challenge is to develop, deploy and evaluate Social information retrieval (SIR) methods, techniques and systems that provide learners and teachers with guidance in potentially overwhelming variety of choices. The aim of the SIRTEL’09 workshop is to look onward beyond recent achievements to discuss specific topics, emerging research issues, new trends and endeavors in SIR for TEL. The workshop will bring together researchers and practitioners to present, and more importantly, to discuss the current status of research in SIR and TEL and its implications for science and teaching

Tags and self-organisation: a metadata ecology for learning resources in a multilingual context

Vuorikari, R. (2009). Tags and self-organisation: a metadata ecology for learning resources in a multilingual context. Doctoral thesis. November, 13, 2009, Heerlen, The Netherlands: Open University of the Netherlands, CELSTEC.This thesis studies social tagging of learning resources in a multilingual context. Social tagging and its end products, tags, are regarded as part of the learning resources metadata ecology. The term “metadata ecology” is used to mean the interrelation of conventional metadata and social tags, and their interaction with the environment, which can be understood as the repository in the large sense (resources, metadata, interfaces and underlying technology) and its community of users. The main hypothesis is that the self-organisation aspect of a social tagging system on a learning resource portal helps users discover learning resources more efficiently. Moreover, user-generated tags make the system, which operates in a multilingual context, more robust and flexible. Social tags offer an interesting aspect to study learning resources, its metadata and how users interact with them in a multilingual context. Tags, as opposed to conventional metadata description such as Learning Object Metadata (LOM), are free, non-hierarchical keywords that end-users associate with a digital artefact, e.g. a learning resource. Tags are formed by a triple of (user,item,tag). Tags and the resulting networks, folksonomies, are commonly modelled as tri- partite hypergraphs. This ternary relational structure gives rise to a number of novel relations to better understand, capture and model contextual information. This thesis first provides two exploratory studies to better understand how users tag learning resources in a multilingual context and to find evidence on the “cross-boundary use” of learning resources. The term cross-boundary use means that the user and the resource come from different countries and that the language of the resource is different from that of the user’s mother tongue. The second part introduces a trilogy of studies focusing on self-organisation, flexibility and robustness of a social tagging system using empirical, behavioural data captured from log-files and user’s attention metadata trails on a number of learning resource portals and platforms in a multilingual context

Desenvolvimento e implementação de um modelo de Blended-Learning com objectos de aprendizagem no ensino superior

Tese de doutoramento em Ciências da Educação (ramo conhecimento em Tecnologia Educativa)O ensino superior é actualmente confrontado com profundas mudanças decorrentes da aplicação do Processo de Bolonha com vista à criação de um Espaço Europeu de Ensino Superior e à passagem para um modelo de aprendizagem centrado no aluno e assente no desenvolvimento de competências. Neste enquadramento, as tecnologias de informação e comunicação assumem um papel preponderante no desenvolvimento de novos modelos de organização do ensino e aprendizagem. A necessidade de encontrar um método de ensino que não passe exclusivamente por sessões de natureza colectiva e que atribua aos alunos um papel mais activo na aprendizagem levou ao desenvolvimento e implementação de um modelo de blendedlearning com base no Modelo Múltiplas Perspectivas, um modelo para ensino a distância que visa a aquisição de conhecimentos de nível avançado em domínios complexos através da aprendizagem independente e dos recursos de comunicação existentes nos sistemas de gestão de aprendizagem (LMS). O Modelo Múltiplas Perspectivas resultou de vários contributos: da Teoria da Flexibilidade Cognitiva (TFC) manteve o processo de desconstrução; dos resultados dos estudos realizados com hiperdocumentos TFC substituiu as travessias temáticas por questões no fórum e dos objectos de aprendizagem centrou o estudo no caso como entidade auto-suficiente, que é combinado com outros casos num módulo de uma unidade curricular ou de um curso. Começou-se por definir os limites, a estrutura e as características dos objectos de aprendizagem baseado neste modelo, assim como, as especificações necessárias para facilitar a sua reutilização. Na sua criação utilizou-se as ferramentas eXeLearning+ e Reload e recorreu-se às normas SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model), LOM (Learning Object Metadata) e às licenças Creative Commons. Os conteúdos, a usabilidade e o potencial dos objectos de aprendizagem foram avaliados por peritos, e a sua qualidade gráfica e compreensão foram avaliadas por alunos. Com o objectivo de se aplicar e avaliar o modelo de blended-learning proposto recorreu-se à metodologia de investigação-acção. Esta metodologia envolveu três ciclos de estudos ao longo dos quais o modelo foi aplicado, avaliado e reformulado até satisfazer os objectivos de ensino e aprendizagem a que se propôs. No estudo participaram 40 alunos do 1.º ano do ensino superior tendo sido estudadas as temáticas de arquitectura de computadores, redes de computadores e segurança e privacidade. A aprendizagem presencial foi importante para os aprendentes se familiarizarem com o LMS e iniciarem a exploração da temática. Os aprendentes consideraram que os casos disponibilizados, sob a forma de objectos de aprendizagem, os ajudaram a compreender mais facilmente a matéria e os prepararam para resolver situações problemáticas. O chat mostrou ser uma boa ferramenta para esclarecer dúvidas e socializar, promovendo uma maior aproximação entre os aprendentes e entre estes e o professor. Os aprendentes referiram que as sessões de chat os ajudaram a perceber que não dominavam determinados assuntos do módulo e facilitaram a comunicação entre estes e o professor. Estes também indicaram que a criação das respostas às questões disponibilizadas no fórum os obrigou a um maior envolvimento com as matérias dos módulos, permitindo-lhes perceber que não dominavam determinados assuntos dos módulos, e que os comentários do professor às respostas contribuíram para a sua aprendizagem. A análise dos resultados permite concluir que a maioria dos aprendentes gostou muito ou bastante de ter aprendido estas temáticas online, estando receptivos a fazer mais módulos online e preferindo esta metodologia relativamente à aprendizagem presencial e à aprendizagem totalmente online. Por seu lado, os resultados dos testes de conhecimentos revelam a existência de diferenças estatisticamente significativas nos três módulos. Este modelo de blended-learning constitui assim uma opção válida para todos os professores que procuram métodos de ensino mistos baseados em objectos de aprendizagem.Higher education is now facing major changes resulting from the Bologna Process. This process aims to create a European Higher Education and it promotes a learning model centred on students and on the development of skills. In this context, information and communication technologies play a significant role in the development of new organisational models for teaching and learning. The need to find a teaching method which not only includes collective sessions but also gives individual students a more active role in learning has led us to develop and implement a blended-learning Multiple Perspectives Model. A distance-learning model that aims at acquiring advanced knowledge in complex areas through the independent learning and communication resources provided by learning management systems (LMS). The Multiple Perspectives Model is based on several contributions: from the Cognitive Flexibility Theory (CFT) it has retained the deconstruction process; based on the results of studies performed with CFT hyperdocuments, thematic criss-crossing have been replaced by forum questions; and as far as learning objects are concerned the study has been focused on the case as a self-sufficient entity combined with other cases in a course module or unit. Based on this model we started by defining the limits, the structure and characteristics of learning objects as well as the necessary specifications to facilitate its reuse. To create them we used eXeLearning+ and Reload as well as SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) and LOM (Learning Object Metadata) standards and Creative Commons licenses. The contents, usability and potential of learning objects have been evaluated by experts and its graphic quality and understandability have been evaluated by students. An action-research approach was used in the study of the blended-learning model. This research involved three study cycles where the model has been applied, evaluated and reformulated until the aims of the blended-learning model were achieved. The modules focused on Computer Architecture, Computer Networks, and Safety and Privacy. The study involved the participation of 40 first-year students. Face-to-face learning helped learners to familiarise themselves with the LMS and start thematic exploration. Learners found that the cases provided as learning objects have made it much easier for them to understand the subject matter and prepared them to solve new situations. The chat turned out to be a good tool to answer questions and socialise, promoting closer interactions between learners and instructors and among learners themselves. The learners referred that chat sessions helped them to recognise gaps in some topic matters and facilitated communication with the instructor. They also referred that drawing up the answers to the questions provided in the forum led to their greater involvement in module contents and helped them realise that there were gaps in their understanding of subject matters and also that the instructor’s feedback greatly contributed to their learning. The results showed that most learners enjoyed this learning experience and were open to take more online modules, preferring blended-learning to face-to-face or to distance-learning. The results from the tests, in turn, reveal that learning occurs in the three modules, and statistical differences were achieved from pre-test to post-test. This blended-learning model is a valid option for all instructors seeking an approach based on learning objects