Download Approaches To E-Learning: Key Standards And Technologies

Approaches To E-Learning:
Key Standards And Technologies
Brian Kelly
UKOLN
University of Bath
Bath, BA2 7AY
Email
[email protected]
URL
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/
UKOLN is supported by:
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Contents
Standards
• The Context
• The Need For Standards
• Key Web Standards
• E-Learning Standards
• Other Relevant Standards
Key Application Areas
• The Web
• Collaborative Systems
• Learning Systems
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The Context
Standards have a partial (but important role) in development work.
Standards: concerned with
protocols and file formats
Open standards vs. Proprietary
HTML / XML vs. PDF
CSS / XSL vs. HTML
GIF vs PNG
Applications: software
products used to implement
systems
Apache / IIS
FrontPage / Dreamweaver
Oracle / SQLServer
ColdFusion vs ASP
Architectures: models for
implementing systems
Which standards are applicable
NT / Unix
File system / database application
HTML tools / content management
Resources: financial and staff
costs needed to implement
systems
Development vs. Migration costs
Use of in-house expertise
In-house vs. out-sourced
Licensed vs. open source
Note the talks will illustrate applications, but we are
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application-neutral
Users
The Bigger Context
Standards
Architecture
Users
Resources
Applications
In learning / e-learning users cover bother learners and
teachers.
User issues are not just usability, functionality, etc. but
also
learning styles, student needs, pedagogy,
etc.
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Standards
Why Do We Need Standards?
Any suggestions on why we need standards?
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Standards
What Standards Provide
Standards are needed:
• To provide application-independence – remember
when documents were trapped into particular word
processing software
• To provide platform-independence – allowing us to
move between PCs’ Macs, Unix systems, etc.
• To provide long term access to data – avoiding the
digital dark ages.
• To provide a coherent architectural model – which
allows for evolution and integration.
• To provide an open marketplace – allowing users
to choice their preferred solution.
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Web Standards
Key Web Standards
HTML:
• Universal native language for the Web
• Should be used for the structure of Web
resources (and not their appearance)
• Simple to use (but not necessarily for everyone)
• You should create compliant HTML, and not just
HTML that seems to work
CSS:
• Used to define how HTML tags appear
• An elegant solution, allowing the appearance to
be managed and changed
• Greater use should be made of CSS
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Web Standards
HTML’s Limitations
Although HTML is deployed world-wide it has
its limitations:
• It cannot easily be extended (e.g. to add
scientific tags)
• If can only describe basic document
structures
• It was designed as an output format
• It cannot easily be reused for other
purposes
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Web Standards
XML To The Rescue
XML:
• Extensible Markup Language
• A meta-language, used for designing other
languages
• Designed to be extensible
• Used to create languages such as MathML, CML,
SMIL, SVG, etc.
• Has been a tremendous success in a short period
• Should form the basis for your networked
applications
“Flash? No thanks, I’ll stick with XML”
- or do you not trust my salesmanship?
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Web Standards
XHTML
XHTML:
• HTML expressed as an XML application
• XHTML are:
• In lowercase: <p> and not <P>
• Must be closed: most have <p>xxx</p>
• Empty elements thus: <hr /> and not <hr>
• Attributes quoted: <img src=“foo” .. />
• XHTML must be compliant
• Better suited for repurposing – but more
important to get it right
• Current applications should probably aim to
create XHTML
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Web Standards
Other Key Web Standards
SVG:
•
•
•
•
•
Scalable Vector Graphics
Vector graphics formats designed for Web
Can resize graphics without losing resolution
Particularly applicable in scientific applications
See <http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/>
SMIL:
• Synchronised Multimedia Integration Language
• Potential for use in many scientific applications
(simulations, etc.)
• See <http://www.w3.org/AudioVideo/>
SVG and SMIL are both XML applications
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Web Standards
Other Key Web Standards
MathML:
• Mathematical Markup Language
• Rendered natively in Mozilla browser
• See <http://www.w3.org/Math/>
CML:
• Chemical Markup Language
• Java and JavaScripted browser support available
• See <http://www.xml-cml.org/>
MathML and CML are both XML applications
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Web Standards
Pulling These Together
Because W3C standards are designed to be
interoperable you can:
• Integrate SVG, MathML, CML and XHTML
fragments into a single document
• Use SMIL to manipulate these fragments for use
in simulations, animated displays, etc.
• Process them by other applications (algebraic
systems, molecular modelling applications, …)
• …
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Examples
A MathML Page
A CML Page
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E-Learning Standards
E-Learning Standards
Why do you think we need e-learning
standards?
What areas will be addressed by e-learning
standards?
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E-Learning Standards
E-Learning Standards
E-learning standards:
• The content of the learning is more important than
the technologies used to deliver the learning
• There is very rapid changes in technologies:
printed resources, open learning materials,
videos, CBL tools, BBC micros (in the UK),
Gopher, Web, VRML, VLEs, …
• We need to be able to easily move content to new
or different applications and delivery systems
• Teachers need to take 'chunks' or content and
integrate them into their own learning environment
• …
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E-Learning Standards
E-Learning Standards
Areas which e-learning standards may cover:
• Resource discovery – finding e-learning
resources
• Assessment – defining assessment in an open
way
• User profiles – describing user characteristics
• Management – management of e-learning
environments (VLEs, MLEs, …)
• …
See <http://www.cetis.ac.uk/>
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Other Standards
Other Relevant Standards
What other areas related to e-learning will
have standards which we will need to consider
when developing e-learning systems?
My Thoughts
•
•
•
•
Communications tools
Interactive systems
Publishing tools
…
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Other Standards
Communications Standards
Email:
• SMTP and POP /IMAP
• HTML support
• What will your VLE support?
IM:
• Currently driven by vendors (MSN, AOL
Messenger, Yahoo Messenger)
• Interoperability difficulties
• XMPP
• Jabber open source work
Video-conferencing:
• Studio based / Web cams
• Covered elsewhere?
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Key Application Areas
Key Application Areas
What are the key applications areas which you
may wish to use when developing an elearning environment?
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Key Application Areas
Communications
Email:
• Direct, lists, list archives
• Email output, alerts, …
Phone Technologies
• SMS alerts, 3G, …
IM Technologies
• MSN Chat, …
Shared Desktops
• Groupware tools
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Key Application Areas
Publishing
Web resources:
• Conventional Web pages and HTML tools
• Use of CMSs
Blogging technologies
• Structured resources
• Calendar metaphor
• Web-based authoring tool
Collaborative Publishing:
• Wikis
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Key Application Areas
Interaction
Various types of interaction:
• Quizzes
• Testing
• Simulation
• …
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Key Application Areas
Managing
Applications for managing e-learning
environments:
• Managing resources
• Managing students
• Managing assessment
• …
Rather than discuss these key application
areas you will have the opportunity to try out
various applications in the next session
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Selection Of Standards
It May Not Be Easy
However using standards is not always easy:
• Many proprietary solutions can be very
good
• Many users will have expertise in use of
proprietary solutions
• Moving to open solutions may be
expensive, especially in the short term.
• Some open solutions may be immature,
difficult to implement or fail to take off (OSI
X.400 email, anyone?)
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Selection Of STandards
A Matrix For Selection
In order to provide objective criteria for selection of
open solutions the following matrix is proposed:
• Maturity of standard: acceptance, stability,
availability of tools, etc.
• Appropriateness of standard: fitness for
purpose, timescales & budget, …
• Ease of deployment: costs, training, expertise, …
• Organisation culture: readiness to experiment,
views on standards, OSS, etc.
There will not be a single universal solution. The
solution you chose should be based on your needs &
circumstances. (Beware of salesmen of all types!)
See “Matrix For Selection Of Standards” at
<centre
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/documents/briefing/briefing-31/
>
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of expertise in digital information management
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Conclusions
To conclude:
• Use of open standards is important in
development of richly functional and interoperable
e-learning services
• Proprietary solutions ("let's buy everything from
Microsoft") can be tempting – but this can have
dangers!
• Use of open standards also has challenges:
•
•
•
•
Standards complex to understand
Standards wars
Standards may be immature
…
• It is for you and your organisation to resolve these
conflicts
(butinformation
workshop
lecturers are here
to help)
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management
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Questions
Questions
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