Vocabulary Framework
v3.0, 5 April 2012
Vocabulary Framework for Course Data
Programme
This version: http://www.xcri.co.uk/KbLibrary/CourseDataProgramme_Vocabulary_Framework3.0.docx
Previous versions:
http://www.xcri.co.uk/KbLibrary/CourseDataProgramme_Vocabulary_Framework2.2.docx
http://www.xcri.co.uk/KbLibrary/CourseDataProgramme_Vocabulary_Framework1.2.docx
Author: Alan Paull, APS Ltd, alan@alanpaull.co.uk
Editors:
Kirstie Coolin, CIePD, University of Nottingham, kirstie.coolin@nottingham.ac.uk
Sandra Winfield, CIePD, University of Nottingham, sandra.winfield@nottingham.ac.uk
Scott Wilson, JISC CETIS, scott.bradley.wilson@gmail.com
Thanks are also due to the members of the Data Definitions and Vocabularies Working Group.
Date: 5 April 2012
Abstract
1
This document provides guidance on the appropriate creation, publication and maintenance of
vocabularies for XCRI-CAP 1.2 instances produced via the JISC-funded Course Data Programme1. Its
purpose is to assist publishers of XCRI-CAP vocabularies to provide necessary information, maintenance,
format and quality for their users.
Status of this document
2
This document is version 3.0 (first formal release). Subsequent releases will be published under version
control. Potential changes will be publicised via the Course Data Programme’s JISCMAIL list,
coursedatastage1@jiscmail.co.uk and the XCRI Forum at http://www.xcri.org/forum.
3
It should be used alongside the following facilities:





Data Definitions for XCRI-CAP 1.2
XCRI-CAP 1.2 specification2, which defines the information model;
The Course Data Programme Data Definitions Document3, which defines the information content;
XCRI-CAP 1.2 XML validator4, which will report on validity of XCRI-CAP feeds;
XCRI-CAP 1.2 aggregator5, which will enable the collection of XCRI-CAP 1.2 feeds.
1
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/coursedata.aspx
http://www.xcri.org/wiki/index.php/XCRI_CAP_1.2
3
http://www.xcri.co.uk/KbLibrary/XCRI_CAP_Data_Definitions3.0.docx
4
http://validator.xcri.co.uk/
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Vocabulary Framework
v3.0, 5 April 2012
Table of Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Status of this document .................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Content of this document ................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Relationship to standards ............................................................................................................................................................ 3
Conventions and terminology ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
Vocabulary definition .............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Responsible Authority ............................................................................................................................................................. 4
Using vocabularies ............................................................................................................................................................................ 4
The Course Data Programme Vocabulary Framework Recommendations ....................................................................................... 5
Vocabulary formats...................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Standardised formats .............................................................................................................................................................. 5
Formats for new vocabularies: Use of VDEX ........................................................................................................................... 5
Tokenised term vocabularies .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Output format ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Vocabulary publishing and maintenance ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Appendix 1: Vocabularies ................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Recommended Course Data Programme Vocabularies ............................................................................................................... 7
Attendance Mode ................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Attendance Pattern ................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Description Type ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Course type: CPD..................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Languages ............................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Study Mode ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Subject: JACS ........................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Subject: LDCS .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Subject: SSAC ........................................................................................................................................................................ 10
5
Feed Manager: http://coursedata.k-int.com/FeedManager/, Discovery page: http://coursedata.kint.com/discover/
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Vocabulary Framework
Draft v2.2, 28 March 2012
Content of this document
"Vocabularies are invaluable for accurate and consistent searching,
querying and categorization. There is a tendency across all metadata
developments now to use vocabularies wherever possible rather than
relying on uncontrolled literal strings whose meanings are inconsistent
and normally require individual human interpretation."
Vocabulary Mapping Framework Project
4
This document provides information about the management of vocabularies used in XCRI-CAP feeds for
the Course Data Programme. The Framework consists of a set of recommendations on the preferred
formats for publishing vocabularies and on managing, exporting and maintaining them.
Relationship to standards
5
This framework and vocabularies associated with it are not normative parts of the XCRI-CAP standard.
Where vocabularies relevant to the framework already exist, these are referenced by this document.
6
This framework is a set of recommendations from the JISC Course Data Programme. It is not a formal
standard and does not set requirements on existing vocabularies. Where new vocabularies are produced
as part of the programme it is RECOMMENDED that this framework is used.
7
This framework uses the following additional standard:

VDEX: IMS Vocabulary Definition Exchange6
Conventions and terminology
8
This section defines conventions and terms used in this document to present the technical material.
9
Where the Framework makes a recommendation, one of the key words RECOMMENDS,
RECOMMENDATION or SHOULD is used. No vocabularies are mandatory.
Vocabulary definition
10 In this Framework, ‘vocabulary’ means the lists, glossaries, taxonomies, encoding schemes,
classifications and thesauri used in information systems to help users search and analyse course
marketing information. It refers to lists of values, which may be simple lists of words or numbers, or lists
in which each value has an identifier and a definition that classifies something. Definitions may be
implied via simple labelling or described explicitly in text. The term 'code list' is used in Information
Standards Board (ISB)7 standards, 'vocabulary encoding scheme' is used in the Dublin Core Abstract
Mode (DCAM)8 and 'value list' is used in the IMS9.
11 An item in a vocabulary is called a 'term'. Most of the vocabularies to be used in the Course Data
Programme use 'key-value' pairs to indicate a term. In this context the 'key' is the machine-readable
identifier for the term, the 'value' is its human-readable name. In some instances a vocabulary term will
6
http://www.imsglobal.org/vdex/vdexv1p0/imsvdex_bestv1p0.html
http://dfe.gov.uk/escs-isb
8
http://dublincore.org/documents/abstract-model/
9
http://www.imsglobal.org/vdex/vdexv1p0/imsvdex_bestv1p0.html
7
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Draft v2.2, 28 March 2012
have additional properties, such as a formal definition, description or relationship with other terms. A
term may have a URI as an identifier.
Responsible Authority
12 A responsible authority is defined as the organisation that controls the vocabulary. It has the direct
responsibility for managing the process of changing the vocabulary and gives it its legitimacy. In many
instances the responsible authority will also manage the publication of the vocabulary, but this is not
necessarily the case.
Using vocabularies
13 Organisations that manage and develop courses information services for learners – universities,
colleges, agencies, schools, advisory services, aggregation websites and others – use and share
vocabularies in course marketing information on a day-to-day basis. These organisations need to know
the provenance, quality and relevance of the vocabularies they use, in order to have confidence that
their usage will not be compromised by withdrawal, by unilateral change or by using incorrect versions
of the same vocabulary. These factors are doubly important for interoperability between systems, as all
systems will depend on the continuity of common vocabularies for efficient data exchange.
14 Information systems can use vocabularies automatically by accessing standardised files or links on the
Internet. However, in many cases vocabularies used in course marketing information are not currently
published on the internet, or are made available only to closed groups. Some vocabularies are accessed
using copies of local files only. Each of these use cases represents current practice that is valid and has
to be supported by this Framework.
15 The primary context of this Framework is the automatic use of machine-readable vocabularies within
the domain of Higher Education course marketing information in the UK.
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The Course Data Programme Vocabulary Framework Recommendations
Vocabulary formats
Standardised formats
16 It is RECOMMENDED that responsible authorities use a standardised format for existing vocabularies
that are to be used in the Course Data Programme.
17 A standardised format SHOULD be published, maintained and quality controlled. It MAY be controlled by
a national or international standards body (for example BSI10, IMS11, ISO12) or other responsible
authority.
Rationale
18 The Framework does not prescribe vocabulary formats that must be used, neither does it prohibit the
use of formats not mentioned in this document. It is recognised that many vocabularies in non-standard
formats are already in use successfully, and that organisations will continue to use them. However, the
use of standardised formats for vocabularies makes interoperability, data exchange, mapping and re-use
of data easier, more coherent and more accurate.
Formats for new vocabularies: Use of VDEX
19 Where new vocabularies are created for the Course Data Programme, it is RECOMMENDED that the IMS
Vocabulary Definition Exchange (VDEX) standard13 be used.
Rationale
20 VDEX is a widely used and readily understood existing standard. It has four different XML bindings for
different vocabulary types. It uses the same technology as the principal XCRI-CAP 1.2 binding.
Tokenised term vocabularies
21 The Framework RECOMMENDS that where key-value list vocabularies are used, consumers treat them
as 'tokenised term' vocabularies14 (see below), and RECOMMENDS that producers supply values from a
preferred list of permitted terms. Appendix 1 in this Framework document gives some examples of
recommended Course Data Programme vocabularies.
Rationale
22 VDEX refers to two distinct categories of vocabulary:


Those where the key is some sort of token or code and where this code effectively dereferences a
human language descriptor, permitting the use of alternative human language descriptors for the
same vocabulary term (see example below).
Those where the key is a specific human language term.
10
http://www.bsigroup.co.uk/
http://www.imsglobal.org/
12
http://www.iso.org/iso/home.html
13
http://www.imsglobal.org/vdex/
14
Explained in more detail in http://www.imsglobal.org/vdex/vdexv1p0/imsvdex_bestv1p0.html
11
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23 This Framework is agnostic about the two types of vocabulary. Some vocabularies will consist of simple
lists of single keywords with no separate token; these vocabularies will generally be of the second type.
Other vocabularies will contain terms with key/value pairs, in which some information systems may use
different sets of values for the same term. For example one study mode implementation may use
"PT/Part time", whereas another may use "PT/part-time". For data exchange purposes, it is important in
this example that the code "PT" is used to generate the appropriate human-readable term or search
term for the system importing the data. However, it is recognised that some systems will not readily
transform data in this fashion and will use the human-readable term directly. For this reason XCRI-CAP
1.2 feeds should output the permitted terms in addition to the keys.
Output format
24 The Framework RECOMMENDS that XCRI-CAP feeds include machine-readable encoded keys in
attributes and human-readable values in elements.
Examples
<studyMode identifier='FL'>Flexible</studyMode>
<dc:subject xsi:type='http://www.hesa.ac.uk:JACS3.v1.2' identifier='V100'>History</dc:subject>
Vocabulary publishing and maintenance
25 Each vocabulary needs a responsible authority to manage, publish and maintain it. For statistical
vocabularies the authority is often a statutory agency, such as HESA15, or a government department.
Providers are required to use them to make regular statutory reports to government and others. For
UCAS16 applications data, vocabularies are either international standards with their own governance
arrangements or governed by UCAS. Many other vocabularies have more nebulous governance
arrangements or none.
26 For the purposes of the Course Data Programme it is very important that vocabularies to be used in
XCRI-CAP feeds have the following characteristics. They SHOULD BE:





Discoverable. It should be easy to find out where the vocabulary is published on the internet.
Unique. Persistent and unique identifiers should be used, so that the vocabulary can be reliably
referenced, or re-used, without having to search for it again. This characteristic applies to the
location of the vocabulary, its version, the machine-readable identifiers and the human-readable
identifiers.
Persistent. The vocabulary should be available on the internet for a duration of many years. For
example, IMS17 recommends that identifiers should be expected to work reliably for 10-15 years
after they have been assigned.
Authoritative. The vocabulary should be published and maintained by a responsible authority,
recognised as authoritative in its domain, for example HESA and UCAS in the HE domain.
Maintained. The vocabulary should be responsive to changes in its domain, so that it is kept up-todate. The responsible authority should have a policy and process in respect of change control,
maintenance and version control.
15
http://www.hesa.ac.uk/
http://www.ucas.com/
17
http://www.imsglobal.org/vdex/vdexv1p0/imsvdex_bestv1p0.html
16
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Appendix 1: Vocabularies
Recommended Course Data Programme Vocabularies
Attendance Mode
Vocabulary
Name: Attendance Mode
Identifier
http://xcri.org/profiles/catalog/1.2/attendanceMode
Description
Generic key/value pair vocabulary for attendance mode; the type of location at which
the student will undertake the learning opportunity, for example distance learning,
campus-based, work-based, or online.
Used in
presentation >> attendanceMode
URL or other
location
http://www.xcri.co.uk/vocabularies/attendanceMode2_1.xml (VDEX)
Responsible
authority
BSI (via BS 8581)
Examples
CM, Campus
Comments
Drawn from the XCRI-CAP 1.2 specification
Attendance Pattern
Vocabulary
Name: Attendance Pattern
Identifier
http://xcri.org/profiles/catalog/1.2/attendancePattern
Description
Generic key/value pair vocabulary for attendance pattern; the period in the day and/or
frequency during which attendance at a venue is required (if any), for example
evenings, daytime, weekends.
Used in
presentation >> attendancePattern
URL or other
location
http://www.xcri.co.uk/vocabularies/attendancePattern2_1.xml (VDEX)
Responsible
authority
BSI (via BS 8581)
Examples
DT, Daytime
Comments
Drawn from the XCRI-CAP 1.2 specification
Description Type
Vocabulary
Name: Description Type
Identifier
http://xcri.org/profiles/catalog/1.2/descriptionType
Description
Enumeration values for xsi:type for description element
Used in
course >> description; presentation >> description
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URL or other
location
http://www.xcri.co.uk/vocabularies/descriptionType1_0.xml (VDEX)
http://www.xcri.co.uk/bindings/xcri_cap_terms_1_2.xsd (W3C schema)
Responsible
authority
For publishing: APS Ltd
Examples
careerOutcome; events
Comments
Introduced alongside the formal XCRI-CAP 1.2 specification as a recommendation.
Course type: CPD
Vocabulary
Name: Course Type: CPD
Identifier
http://xcri.org/profiles/catalog/1.2/courseTypeCPD
Description
Generic key/value pair vocabulary for course type in the Continuing Professional
Development and short courses domain
Used in
course >> type
URL or other
location
http://www.xcri.co.uk/vocabularies/courseTypeCPD1_0.xml (VDEX)
Responsible
authority
For publishing: APS Ltd
Examples
1, Class/Group based; 15, Work based
Comments
This vocabulary originally used for a service for Higher York Lifelong Learning Network.
Languages
Vocabulary
Name: Languages
Identifier
http://www.infoterm.info/standardization/iso_639_1_2002.php
Description
Enumeration values for languages
Used in
xml:lang attributes; languageOfAssessment; languageOfInstruction
URL or other
location
http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/English_list.php
Responsible
authority
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
Examples
en; fr
Comments
There is a range of ISO standards for languages; this is the simplest version, known as
ISO-639-2
Study Mode
Vocabulary
Name: Study Mode
Identifier
http://xcri.org/profiles/catalog/1.2/studyMode
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Description
Generic key/value pair vocabulary for study mode, a general expression of the overall
amount of the student's time that is devoted to the learning opportunity, as defined by
the provider.
Used in
presentation >> studyMode
URL or other
location
http://www.xcri.co.uk/vocabularies/studyMode2_1.xml (VDEX)
Responsible
authority
BSI (via BS 8581)
Examples
FT, Full time
Comments
Drawn from the XCRI-CAP 1.2 specification
Subject: JACS
Vocabulary
Name: Joint Academic Coding System (JACS)
Identifier
JACS3, version 1.2
Description
Generic key/value pair vocabulary for subjects; primarily used for HE statistics
Used in
course >> subject; presentation >> subject; qualification >> subject
URL or other
location
http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/view/1805/296/
SKOS version: http://jacs.dataincubator.org/.html
VDEX version: http://www.xcri.co.uk/vocabularies/JACS3-v1_0.xml
Responsible
authority
HESA, http://www.hesa.ac.uk and UCAS, http://www.ucas.com
For publishing VDEX version: APS Ltd
Examples
A100, Pre-clinical medicine; V100, History by period
Subject: LDCS
Vocabulary
Name: Learning Directory Classification System (LDCS)
Identifier
LDCS, v3
Description
Thesaurus of subjects of learning; "The nationally approved subject classification
system for Learning Information Databases"
Used in
course >> subject; presentation >> subject; qualification >> subject
URL or other
location
Available in two volumes:
http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/caslearningproviders_standards_LDCS_v3_Vol1.pdf
http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/caslearningproviders_standards_LDCS_v3_vol2.pdf
http://www.xcri.co.uk/vocabularies/LDCS_v3.0.xml (VDEX)
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Responsible
authority
Draft v2.2, 28 March 2012
Skills Funding Agency
For publishing VDEX version: APS Ltd
Subject: SSAC
Vocabulary
Name: Sector Subject Area Classification System (SSAC)
Identifier
SSAC, 2001
Description
Subject classification system for regulated qualifications
Used in
course >> subject; presentation >> subject; qualification >> subject
URL or other
location
http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/standards/142-statistics-articles/429-sector-subject-areaclassification-system-ssac
Responsible
authority
Ofqual
Comments
There is a more recent version, but its status is unclear.
10