Technical Report and Update Interoperation of COSE with e-Resources (ICE): Technical Report and Update Edward Clarke (SURF X4L) 04/10/04 12:28 AM26/07/2016 1 of 56 Technical Report and Update . Summary ICE describes both an on-going project within the University’s Department of Information Services and the study funded through JISC 05/03 funding for Metadata and Interoperability Projects. In respect of the latter, this was meant to be a short project of four months duration, but for various reasons, including the many issues it highlighted, production of the full report was considerably delayed. It can be downloaded from http://www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/cosenew/StaffordshireICEFull.pdf and is referenced as ‘05/03 ICE’ in what follows. The SURF (Staffordshire University Regional Federation) X4L project is engaged in related work in content exchange and re-use, funded under the JISC Exchange for Learning programme. The overlap between the ICE and SURF X4L is best encapsulated in the use made of UK LOM metadata and the integration within COSE of the RELOAD metadata editor. It made sense that SURF X4L would input to the ICE project, so that it could build on the outputs of the ICE study in at least three ways. Firstly in making COSE metadata system conformant, COSE content would be more widely searchable, and so re-usable. Secondly, metadata conformance would facilitate another SURF X4L objective in importing third party packages: these would be of more limited value were the host system not metadata conformant. Thirdly, leveraging our research and experience in working with e-publishers and eaggregators would enable access to other e-resources, particularly those accessible via the University’s On-line Library (Horizon), but also to a variety of other OPAC repositories. As the COSE system is free to download and will be made open source in due course, configurable software used therein would enable institutions using COSE to link to their own on-line e-resources (z39.50 targets), based on JAFER / ELF d+ outputs. This report serves to describe SURF X4L input to 05/03 ICE and to review and expand on previous observations. This is appropriate in describing in more detail some of the technical issues and in updating on the further progress made through SURF X4L, but particularly in considering how to continue technical development. Introduction The aim of the project was to integrate the facility to search for e-books and other eresources with existing search capacity in COSE. Particular e-resources or generic search results returned could be saved as reference objects within the VLE which would be labelled - tagged with meaningful metadata - to facilitate reuse within the system. These reference objects would be created as COSE objects drawing seamlessly on the referenced resources, and could be integrated, packaged and exported with other content. By using standard metadata these reference objects would be reusable in other standards conformant systems and tools. Extending the metadata labelling to other COSE objects was a SURF X4L objective that would enhance standards conformance of the VLE (metadata system conformance). 12:28 AM26/07/2016 2 of 56 Technical Report and Update About RROs The tagged reference objects are discussed in 05/03 ICE as RROs, reusable reference objects, on which some explanation would be helpful. Essentially, these are simply web references, and it is important bear this in mind, not to be confused by other associations relating to them. In the context of the 05/03 project, they might be links to particular research articles or other e-documents held in some collection; an RRO might be a web page returning a list of links to such, as search results, or a component of that page where the html has been parsed and individual links rendered to appear as separate objects. These links might require authenticated access, but in any case, an RRO describes a web link. The idea that they are tagged i.e. associated with metadata descriptors in some way, is meant to indicate they are reusable, assuming that the VLE, tool or application wherein they reside understands how the web reference is associated with its metadata and can search on the metadata to present the link to the user. The idea of being an object relates both the general sense of ‘a thing’, and to the object-orientated software by which the reference is presented: web references already exist as objects in COSE but require modifications to render them re-usable, and to upgrade them as generic COSE components. There is also a clear association with the concept of a learning object, even if there may be some disagreement about exactly what that is. The rationale for introducing RROs both in the context of extant ‘external resources’ (web references) in COSE and in respect of their educational value is discussed in 05/03 ICE. Also relevant here is the concept that all content created in COSE is structured in accord with COSE pedagogy and is generally capable of being disaggregated to components so that they can be re-used via COSE Search Tools and the Basket. While that discussion requires some familiarity with COSE, the important points are that extant COSE web references aren’t capable of being disaggregated in the same way as other COSE components and that, currently, COSE Search Tools use only basic search criteria which could be enhanced in using standard metadata, especially where this indicates educational relevance. The focus of 05/03 ICE was in seamless linking to the e-resources of aggregators and publishers, these links constituting a special case of RRO, which we called Strand B. We are not especially concerned here with that aspect of the project because that work was undertaken as ‘contributed effort’ from the COSE development team and is not directly relevant to SURF X4L. We would say though that the challenges and issues raised in working with partners ebrary and Emerald were considerable, the most significant relating to different communications technologies and working with proprietary formats in mapping metadata as search terms, formulating queries and interpreting the results returned. This was anticipated in the COSE team developing the hub and plug-in approach, which we will return to briefly in the context of eresource discovery via JAFER / d+. Strand B work was to build on core Strand A work in COSE dealing more generally with the introduction of RROs. Different challenges of 05/03 ICE In retrospect, it was too ambitious in the time available to expect to be able to address the multiple challenges which presented in 05/03 ICE. These can be summarised as follows, some of which are discussed in more detail later: 12:28 AM26/07/2016 3 of 56 Technical Report and Update (a) Background Research and Context The initial analysis phase of the project included looking into related background literature, associated projects and technologies. We had been introduced to the work of some related projects in attending a JISC cross-programme meeting at Warwick, July 2003 (OLIVE, X-grain, Balsa, JAFER) so were aware of brokered approaches to resource discovery, and of OpenURL, which we learned neither of our e-publisher partners supported. While we weren’t at the time able to explore these technologies more fully, this was a useful exercise and proved particularly so in respect of JAFER later. In respect of different approaches to the problem at hand we initially tried to conduct searches re-using the e-publishers’ search interface (for more on searching Emerald and Ebrary see Appendix 1) which would have saved a deal of time mapping search parameters. Using this ‘quick win’ approach we discovered would require saving returned results by means of an html editor kit, and so proved not so quick. Such a kit was used later in saving results returned from Emerald, but raised a number of issues, discussed in Appendix A of 05/03 ICE. (b) Extending COSE web references as RROs We mentioned previously that COSE web references ‘require modifications to render them re-usable, and to upgrade them as generic COSE components’. For them to be re-usable, metadata had to be associated with them ‘in some way’, and this is achieved through introducing a new file format for the system to access web references, denoted by the .ref extension. Metadata is associated with the reference by having the same unique name as the reference but with the .xml extension. The more difficult task was to upgrade these new references as full-blown COSE components. This was summarised in ‘COSE technical modifications’ (Appendix E of 05/03 ICE, also appended here), an outline identifying key sub-tasks, not an exhaustive list, and which itself needs updating. There was also the issue of backward compatibility to deal with i.e. how extant web references in a system be upgraded. A third matter, which also applies to c) and not considered in much detail previously lies the distinction to be made between published and unpublished components. While there is no difficulty in tagging either unpublished or published content, there are issues associated with publication and export which have yet to be fully explored. [05/03 ICE refers to published and unpublished components in the idea of educational object lifecycle, but without the particular comment they merit relating to their role in any development plan. The points made in respect of metadata are valid but there are other issues arising so that published and unpublished components would better be considered as such.] (c) Extending metadata to other COSE components 12:28 AM26/07/2016 4 of 56 Technical Report and Update As (b), metadata would be associated with COSE components by having the same unique name as the component but with the .xml extension. Also, as (b), there are issues associated with publication and export which have yet to be fully explored. (for (b) and (c) see ‘COSE technical modifications’, Appendix E of 05/03 ICE, also appended here) (d) Metadata implementation and issues Core to ICE was the adoption of standard metadata schema and integration of the RELOAD metadata editor. We developed and published an application profile for UK LOM Core (see Appendix D of 05/03 ICE, also appended here) and the COSE interface (Basket) was modified to allow launch of the metadata editor. A significant number of issues were raised in metadata implementation which are discussed below. (e) Implementing searching In order to be re-usable, the search facilities in COSE need to be upgraded to search on full metadata records (components’ .xml files) as well as extant (native) COSE metadata. Depending on the volume of content in the system there are clear implications on performance and system load which have yet to be fully explored. (f) Making packaging modifications Insufficient consideration was given to making packaging modifications a project priority in view of the other work that needed to be done. This would allow export of RROs to standards conformant systems, where the RRO would be viewed as any other package resource. Different packaging options recently introduced in COSE 2.1 has made the problem more difficult in requiring modifications in scripts associated with both the packaging routines available. (g) Implementing Strand B As mentioned, implementing Strand B required negotiation of a plethora of issues with e-aggregator partners (see Appendices A – C of 05/03 ICE). * The challenges listed above (other than (a)) relate to associating some form of content with metadata to achieve some level of system metadata conformance. One of the most significant risks associated with the project and not highlighted as such in ICE 05/03 relates to the unproven benefits versus costs of doing this. It is one thing to try and be responsive to user feedback to implement desirable features, but may be another to have to make significant modifications to system architecture and runtime behaviour which might compromise performance and which is contingent on a level of user engagement which in this and other areas has proven difficult to attain. This also applies in other leading edge research in progressing e-learning standards development. Embedding e-learning to achieve cultural change is not easy. It’s clear that a certain level of expertise and a good deal of time is involved in generating content and using metadata to describe it, which we may not in most cases expect of 12:28 AM26/07/2016 5 of 56 Technical Report and Update academic users, but which falls rather more in the domain of learning technologists and learning support staff. Even here, it is easy to be confused by a variety of metadata schema and vocabularies. Simply, most people don’t understand metadata, else it may be too much trouble to label content accurately, particularly when considering individual content components. Another significant issue relates to rights and ownership of metadata especially where the metadata is sourced from different individuals. It may be for these reasons that a number of VLE vendors, while claiming conformance do not actually use system metadata for searching: instance conformance is ‘sold’ as system conformance. Faced with these issues, it makes sense to reduce the risks by taking a more focussed and incremental approach (see Priorities below) before attempting further extensions. We need to educate users in using metadata but also to learn from them, and try and make using metadata easy for them. Applying metadata to web references, the most widely used type of resource generally, looks like a good way forward. Plan and Progress The items listed in the section above reflect the general plan by which we approached ICE 05/03. After the initial background research (a), our focus was on the core Strand A work identified in (b), (d), (e) (b) Extending COSE web references as RROs involved firstly agreeing a new file format and system architecture changes for the system to access web references and their associated metadata across Strand A and Strand B, and secondly, making modifications to the java code. Upgrading the new references as full-blown COSE components was made easier in leveraging existing code, considering the objectoriented nature of the programming language, but the complexity of the task was seriously underestimated. The work remains on-going but at least we were able to demonstrate critical new features: that external reference objects could be returned as search results in Search Tools, and that these could be saved to the Basket where metadata descriptors are attached (see also ‘Listing, Browsing, Selecting and Saving returned RROs’ of 05/03 ICE). 12:28 AM26/07/2016 6 of 56 Technical Report and Update Showing the modified search interface and reference objects returned from a search Showing reference objects in the Basket modified for metadata editing 12:28 AM26/07/2016 7 of 56 Technical Report and Update (d) Metadata implementation and issues ‘Metadata implementation’ described in 05/03 ICE relates to integrating the RELOAD Metadata Editor (see ‘Metadata Editor Development’ of 05/03 ICE). Launched by clicking on the read / write icons on the Basket, a selected reference object is tagged by saving the metadata as xml associated with the reference. Figures illustrate form and tree views of the Editor, and particularly the facility to add Annotation metadata (with fields for person, date and description) thus rendering RROs educationally relevant. Since 05/03 ICE, integration of the RELOAD Metadata Editor has been refined such that only the internal frame of the parent application is launched, improving performance, reducing the applet footprint and making for a neater interface. While we are happy with this aspect of the work, RELOAD is quite a sophisticated tool with extensions being developed to accommodate other emerging specifications (including VDEX), so we have yet to explore all of its properties and how much of them we want to use. For example, where the editor makes it possible to ‘plug in’ schema alternative to UK LOM CORE, we have still to decide how to handle these options within COSE. Addition of ‘annotation’ metadata using the metadata editor: tree view 12:28 AM26/07/2016 8 of 56 Technical Report and Update Metadata Editor: form view Issues are considered under separate headings below. (e) Implementing searching, was given lower priority because this relied on implementing (b) and (d). Excluding Strand B issues, it was considered quite straight forward in principle to extend existing search scripts to enhanced metadata (but there was no focus at this stage in deciding whether this be applied to published or unpublished content, see below). As mentioned (f), Making packaging modifications was not considered a priority in view of the other work that needed to be done first, though ICE 05/03 does suggest how the work would be progressed (see ‘Modifications required in Packaging RROs’ under ‘Outstanding objectives’). Currently external references are held in index component and current content packaging makes external references opaque in sense that they are not exposed either as resource elements nor are they referenced in an organization element. This is not to say they aren’t ‘accessible’ of course, as they are rendered as external references in SCOs and in native COSE packages when their parent index component is interpreted by the host system. Further work since on our standalone content packages has involved incorporating a hierarchical organization element whereby reference objects of an index component are included explicitly as resources to which metadata can be attached These packaging modifications are key to enabling RROs to be disaggregated and reusable both within COSE and outside of COSE. The latter case can be easily demonstrated by manipulating packages containing RROs in RELOAD. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 9 of 56 Technical Report and Update It should be possible to modify native COSE packaging similarly, and we think there are ways to address the previously identified issues surrounding the mixed data types currently allowed in an index component, and granularity (see below) A substantial amount of development time in ICE 05/03 was devoted to (g) Implementing Strand B, as described in Stage 2: Design and Development and Appendices A – C of ICE 05/03. Without in any way meaning to understate these efforts, we wanted only to describe SURF X4L input to 05/03 ICE, so will not consider Strand B further here. We also wanted to show how ICE outputs have benefited SURF X4L and what follows shows how we have started on a parallel strand of development similar to Strand B but which bypasses a number of issues associated with e-aggregators and which could also dispense with such radical adaptation of the search tools interface. Having said that, this work may well be compatible with the hub and plug-in approach of Strand B (see Appendix C). Other strands of SURF X4L (e.g. ADL’s SCORM 1.2 runtime environment) and mainstream COSE development (authentication / single sign-on, (u)portal), other emerging web service projects) have encouraged us to explore revising COSE architecture using servlet technologies. The figures below show how we have used the discovery plus (d+) project toolkit developed under the ELF programme to fire z39.50 queries at our on-line library server (or other targets) to return references which could potentially be captured as RROs. Search of various repositories including Staffordshire University’s own on-line resources (Horizon) using d+ toolkit (based on JAFER) 12:28 AM26/07/2016 10 of 56 Technical Report and Update Results returned from simple search of Staffordshire University’s on-line resources (Horizon) Though we have to fully explore the potential or limitations of this technology, we find this to be an interesting development in a number of ways. Firstly, it was so easy to deploy and configure the toolkit, we feel it must be of benefit to a large constituency. The fact that the project is open source is interesting in terms of its further development and its longevity / sustainability. Finally it provides a route to learn new technologies associated with web services (SOAP) and metadata (zING) and so how exploit these further. The simple search illustrated allow a single search term without specifying whether this be a keyword, author’s name or other specific criterion. Clearly the query interface would be further developed to allow more complex (boolean) and specific searches. The results page is rendered using a stylesheet and this could be adapted to allow saving of search results or individual references. We are talking with library staff and suppliers of the library server to determine exactly what collections and other resources can be interrogated in this way and what further useful information might be returned, location of the resource being an obvious example. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 11 of 56 Technical Report and Update Priorities Before launching on a lengthy discussion of issues, there is one which we would raise in helping to determine the direction of further work. This relates to the important distinction to be made between published and unpublished content in COSE. We can then consider reference objects before other COSE components. ICE 05/03 referred to this distinction more implicitly than explicitly in discussing object lifecycles. Rather too much emphasis was given to the idea of lifecycles, perhaps, considering metadata input and rights. If we consider unpublished content, not only are the risks of implementing metadata system conformance greater (in terms of load, there will always be much more unpublished than published content in a given system) but substantial modifications would be required to the publication procedure to associate newly published components with their metadata files. Considering published content, with particular regard to reference objects and the use of annotations to render them educationally relevant, these annotations are more relevant after publication anyway, in so far as they are made by actual users of approved / quality assured content (cf. reviews). The content authors could easily be accommodated by being prompted to add metadata during the publication process, after publication or on export. In light of this review, our future plan would reflect the tasks listed in ‘COSE technical modifications’, Appendix E of 05/03 ICE, but we would apply the following priorities in achieving initial objectives. First, in view of risks associated with metadata system conformance (excessive system load and reduced performance, and that costs might outweigh benefits), we would trial a COSE release with tagging of published content only in the first instance. In respect of packaging, we would explore the value of packaging tagged reference objects before extending the incorporation of metadata to other packaged components. Breaking this down further 1. Prioritise tagging of published reference objects before 4. 2. Implicit in 1., ensure that reference objects are constituted as full blown COSE components. 3. Search using free text search before attempting to searching on specific metadata elements / criteria. 4. Extend tagging to more, eventually all, published COSE components. with regard to packaging 5. Use the new organization element in standalone content to associate enhanced metadata with reference objects before 6. 6. Associate enhanced metadata with other resources in standalone content. 7. Extend enhanced metadata to native COSE packages. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 12 of 56 Technical Report and Update also 8. Apply tagging and searching to unpublished components. 9. Investigate associations with emerging specifications (RLI, extensions to RELOAD, including, for example, VDEX). 10. Address copyright and licensing issues, possibly introducing some licensing framework within COSE to address some of the issues (cf. use of model licences and how intralibrary deals with annotations to repository resources) 11. Further explore use of the discovery plus / JAFER toolkit. We can see that 1-3 and 5 are the core objectives according to ICE 03/05, but that much more work is implied, even than can be achieved under SURF X4L. Assuming successful integration of tagged reference objects within COSE, other work would progress under the wider remit of ICE and mainstream COSE development. More on Technical Issues This section expands on various issues raised in 05/03 ICE, some already discussed, and largely repeats those previously identified Granularity a. (may be relevant to d+ / JAFER strand) Results returned from a search of eresources might be (would likely be, before selection of any individual resource) in the form of a list. While that is not necessarily an issue, the attention is drawn to the fact because there is no facility at present to further disaggregate such an RRO. This is one aspect of the wider issue relating to selection and saving of RROs from returned results, resolved at least in part under Strand B. b. In respect of ‘convergence’, the relation between highly granular RROs and reading lists, a collection of RROs (which in the current version of COSE would be constituents of an index component) could be viewed as a reading list. From a technical viewpoint, the distinction between RROs and informational objects and their associated metadata may not be significant. If reading lists can be disaggregated, convergence will probably be resolved in RLI. This would likely require some transformation in file formats between COSE and whatever is recommended by RLI. c. ‘Modifications required in Packaging RROs’ describes how that metadata associated with RROs would be packaged, and similar considerations would apply in packaging metadata associated with any COSE component where enhanced metadata was implemented.. Adding resource level metadata would substantially increase the size of the package, and the questions of whether this were desirable, whether it could be included as an option, and on how COSE or other systems use this metadata remain open.issues at this time. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 13 of 56 Technical Report and Update d. Another aspect of granularity relates to system load. If RROs are to be searched for using enhanced metadata, this would substantially increase the load on the system and some means of optimizing this process would have to be implemented. The problem would be multiplied if all COSE components use enhanced metadata. In respect of searching enhanced metadata, the impact of using enhanced metadata needs to be properly assessed. One way of doing this would be to include an option on the search tools for searching on enhanced metadata. Metadata issues The most significant of these have already been mentioned, but we expand on various points here aiming to explain more of the detail and in some cases to propose solutions. Most were discussed in 05/03 ICE under ‘Metadata Development’ a. Reference objects are perceived as having an ‘extended’ lifecycle reflecting how metadata is input at various stages and an application profile was developed to record our particular implementation of the UK LOM CORE schema (See Appendix D). Such profiles should be published by implementers for transparency to allow proper assessment of the level of conformance. b. According to our interpretation of primary v secondary metadata, primary metadata returned with reference objects could be accommodated by the UK LOM CORE schema. One of the top level elements in the scheme <relation> allows for data describing the relation of one learning object to another. The sub-elements include <kind> and <description>. The <kind> element is the kind of relationship and it is clear that an RRO references some other resource, typically an external URL (maybe as a selected search result). References is one of the values of the vocabulary used in the schema, so that is the one used in our application profile. The <description> element has no structure but allows a free form text description of the nature of the relation. In our application profile we propose that the first string in this field is the reference that the RRO relates to followed by metadata relating to this reference from the e-aggregator. The metadata returned would be different from different e-aggregators, so a composite XML format would have to be determined. c. With regard to metadata from the system / COSE itself, In the same way that system metadata (including a user’s profile information, for example) is used in providing metadata in content packaging, it can be used in populating the metadata / xml file associated with an RRO when that is instantiated in COSE. In respect of an item selected following the return of search results, the RRO is instantiated when saved in the Basket. Otherwise reference objects are instantiated when saved in the COSE Component Editor. d. Important in respect of metadata ownership and rights, it is important to consider the different contributors. Pro tem, metadata can be added to unpublished RROs by a user (the author), or by users sharing that RRO with the author, and to published RROs by anybody accessing the system. This is the whole point of RROs, that metadata can be added to contextualize the RRO, but it may be that some refinement of such privileges be revised to discourage abuse or to protect ownership rights. Metadata can be added under the <annotation> element of the schema according to our application profile. Sub-elements under <annotation> allow input of 12:28 AM26/07/2016 14 of 56 Technical Report and Update <description> as free form text, <date> and personal profile details under <person>. A previous figure shows the input of this data in the RELOAD Editor. This annotation element would be a key target in enhanced search routines. e. We have considered publication as an important juncture in dividing technical tasks associated with future project development but it is firstly an important stage in the production of content, and it might be advisable to allow a final check on metadata prior to publication. Similar considerations apply on Export. Certain metadata input would be required but could be provided by default (e.g. date of publication, status under <lifecycle>). There are issues on how this would be managed however, as published content can have a multiplicity of components, and checking metadata for all of these would likely be too onerous for most users. f. Considering the COSE export routine, metadata is currently applied to the content as a whole. It would be possible to include RRO metadata (or that for other COSE components where enhanced metadata labelling extended to these) transparently, and this would likely be the best solution (regarding caveats). If included, such metadata would likely include annotations; if it were considered appropriate in protecting rights, it would be possible to have these stripped out on export, meaning they would only be available in the originating system, but that rather undermines the case for allowing them in the first place. The Import routine would require modification to associate the imported metadata with the related components g. ICE 05/03 discusses the difference between educational objects and informational objects (and ‘convergence’, under ‘RROs and Reading Lists’) but the matter at least partly reflects the debate around the meaning of learning objects – and that it may be a matter of opinion what that is. Notwithstanding how such an object be rendered or interpreted in a given environment, might not a metadata record referencing a particular web site and containing educationally relevant information be considered both (or all three) kinds of object? At least one interpretation should be supported on closer inspection of the RLI specification. Also, while the focus of ICE 05/03 is on annotation metadata, UK LOM CORE, which is itself subject to further revision, allows a set of elements under the top level <educational> tag, which have been criticised as having little value. h. An RRO or other metadata enhanced COSE component should be re-usable as other components. If already published and a user wanted to edit it, a new copy would have to be created. The difference is that an enhanced components exists in conjunction with its metadata, so a new metadata record would have to be created (i.e. an editable copy created with a different filename). This re-use of is an example of one of the issues we have yet to address under ‘Technical Modifications’ i. There are issues surrounding metadata maintenance and with regard to the Metadata Editor and UK LOM CORE. While it was noted that we wanted to make our implementation as flexibility as possible, and to balance this with ease of use, there would inevitably have to be some constraints. For example, rules enforcing element multiplicity would be required, as there seems no limit to the length of the metadata record in the specification. Mapping between different schema and versions, managing emerging specifications and extensions (RLI / VDEX) are clearly other 12:28 AM26/07/2016 15 of 56 Technical Report and Update concerns, though the fact that the editor code is open sourced and has a community base in maintaining such offers encouragement that the problem can be contained. COSE issues Again, a number the COSE issues listed have already been mentioned, but others have not and it is useful to have a section to focus on these, and where further detail may be considered. a. There are issues surrounding appropriate metadata interfaces. While our work has taken us to proof of concept, it is likely other revisions would be made in interfaces to view and edit metadata (partly reflecting rights issues). It is anticipated that the capacity to search using enhanced metadata would be transparent to most users i.e. the default search would present an easy-to-use interface, not much more complicated than the current search tools are to use. The casual user might be satisfied to view the resource directly in the browser, but the associated metadata should be more readily viewable than having to save items in the user’s Basket. Metadata buttons might be required in e.g. the COSE Browser / Editor b. Users need explicit instructions on how to use the new metadata editor and other metadata features to be introduced, so new guide would have to be written. The COSE manual would need updating to describe RROs. c. Various aspects of importing and exporting have been raised with respect to metadata: size of packages, input and inspection of metadata, quality of metadata, cascading metadata between components, option dialogues to facilitate these processes. d. In a new round of development, our technical modifications plan would need revising, not least to include tasks not previously considered, through omission or otherwise e. In respect of integration of the Metadata Editor, this was originally developed through RELOAD as an application and depends on access to files on hard drive. In being repurposed, the signed COSE applet could access such files specified as preferences, but to integrate RELOAD functionality such as content packaging and repurposing is more complicated. Assuming IPR issues are addressed, it may be that packages are manipulated on the local drive and uploaded to the COSE server. f. More work is needed on exploring the JAFER / d+ development strand and this needs to be reconciled with the 05/03 ICE Strand B hub and plug-in approach, else a decision made that they should not be. g. With regard to f. and other COSE revisions to use web services and servlets, the servlet container (Tomcat) needs to be integrated with the web server (Apache) through connectors and there may be issues considering different web servers and servlet containers e. g. platforms for these. h. Even relatively modest modifications of COSE e.g. introducing SCO packaging option have proven quite burdensome in terms of testing and there is much more of 12:28 AM26/07/2016 16 of 56 Technical Report and Update this to do under ICE. Consider a brief list of the following to be tested: RROs as COSE object; search scripts under load; various issues associated with import, export and publication; revision of search interface; mixed data types currently allowed in an index component; Other issues We have mentioned several times the issues relating to IPR and metadata. While the problem was most obvious in using primary metadata of the e-publishers, it clearly applies more widely. As far as COSE is concerned, authors (along with supertutors and administrators) ultimately have control of what content is published or exported, but they need to be supported by some copyright framework in relation to metadata, if metadata is to be used effectively. We will continue to monitor best practice in this area, especially through the creative commons approach. As noted in ICE 05/03 ‘current approaches are led by past practice relating to non-digital information and .. are inadequate’; instead they ‘need to address the management of the capture, reading and editing of expressions of rights in a way that takes account of new possibilities for sharing resources, and that treats both digital content as dynamic and shared, and the rights themselves as dynamic and shared’, but we don’t expect a consensus on such frameworks or their practice to emerge in the near term. In respect of the e-publishers, ICE 05/03 identified risks posed by the technologies needed to communicate with e-aggregators, including our experience in maintenance issues relating to changes in proprietary formats. Wider adoption of standards based technologies (openURL, new generation z39.50) will help in this area, as demonstrated by JAFER/d+. Similarly, while access and authentication have no universal solution at present, we are encouraged by initiatives like OPAC. Lessons learned ICE 05/03 makes it clear that it was too ambitious to expect to be able to properly investigate background literature and associated technologies, assimilate external references as new COSE objects, address metadata issues, develop an application profile, integrate the RELOAD metadata editor, implement enhanced searching, make packaging modifications, negotiate a plethora of issues with e-aggregator partners and further extend metadata system conformance in the time available. Having said that it was always our plan to continue the work through SURF X4L and the wider (University) ICE project. The point has been made that projects of this nature are inevitably progressed iteratively. It seems not possible to anticipate the problems which present themselves until each layer of complexity is revealed in different cycles of development. Even in this review, issues are mainly highlighted as such rather than being addressed in detail. The work continues to progress and doubtless RROs and RELOAD will feature in a proximate COSE release. The point has been made in respect of the costs and benefits of metadata conformance. In retrospect, it would have been better to focus on a basic implementation and done more evaluation work than try to address packaging and export of RROs or other objectives. Besides the real enhancements achieved through the project, ICE 05/03 has proven valuable as a scoping exercise, and reviewing the project has enabled us to plan the development ahead 12:28 AM26/07/2016 17 of 56 Technical Report and Update Appendix 1 Project Partners Ebrary is funded by Random House Ventures LLC, Pearson plc and The McGrawHill Companies. It provides access to 15000+ e-books in PDF format from 175+ publishers. The subscription allows multi user simultaneous access via the web and allows print and copy and paste reproduction. Staffordshire University were the first UK subscribers to the product in 2002 and have subsequently been quoted as best practice providers of e-books in HE in a recent report to JISC. Ebrary is used widely for all courses and awards, both on and off campus. http://www.ebrary.com/company/ Emerald is the trading name of Emerald Group Publishing Limited and provides access to a wide range of journals and journal articles. The University has subscribed to this aggregated service for a number of years and the titles are well embedded in the course learning resource delivery of the institution. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/ Interfaces: Ebrary Ebrary advanced search 12:28 AM26/07/2016 18 of 56 Technical Report and Update Search results returned in Ebrary: such items as would be captured as RROs On selecting item, pdf document shows cover page and contents list 12:28 AM26/07/2016 19 of 56 Technical Report and Update Selecting the contents page Interfaces: Emerald Emerald advanced search 12:28 AM26/07/2016 20 of 56 Technical Report and Update Search results returned with minimal data Selecting item returns publisher data and options for viewing document 12:28 AM26/07/2016 21 of 56 Technical Report and Update Viewing the document : more primary metadata returned here 12:28 AM26/07/2016 22 of 56 Technical Report and Update 12:28 AM26/07/2016 23 of 56 Technical Report and Update Appendix D: ICE Application Profile COSE UK LOM CORE Application Profile Version 1.0 This document is intended to describe the application profile for Reusable Reference Objects in COSE, based on UK LOM CORE. The profile is meant to be as flexible as possible, so as few elements as possible (where their meaning is clear) are ‘not recommended’ for use. Those that are ‘recommended’ would be important target fields for searching (pro tem by modifications to existing script). Implementation notes apply as they relate to the profile known as UKCMF v. 1.0 in RELOAD. Of particular relevance are the relation and annotation elements. This is a draft profile subject to further revision, particularly in view of (VDEX and) the emerging RLI specification: profiles are produced partly to enable interoperability, and as it is beyond the remit of this project to test interoperability in respect of RROs (and resource lists). COSE Notes should be read in conjunction with Explanation / UK LOM Core Notes. Further notes will be added later to deal explicitly with multiplicity of elements. COSE ‘level’ key is meant to indicate at what point various metadata is input (see sections Educational Object Lifecycles and Metadata development.) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. incoming metadata COSE system added metadata user added metadata at publication / post publication at export Eleme Element nt Name Numb er General identifier 1.1.1 Catalog Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use This category groups M the general information that describes this learning object as a whole. A globally unique label Use a formal M that identifies this identification system learning object. where possible. E.g. DOI, ISBN. Refer to the IMS "Persistent, Location-Independent, Resource Identifier Implementation Handbook" http://www.imsglobal.or g/implementationhandbo ok/imsrid_handv1p0.htm l for further guidance. The name or If the originating M designator of the organisation has a identification or cataloguing system in cataloguing scheme fir place then it should be this entry. A used, otherwise use 12:28 AM26/07/2016 24 of 56 COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes 2 not intending to use, at least not until it is known to be required in export of RRO Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 1.1.2 1.2 1.3 1.4 Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines namespace scheme. the notation of the repository the learning object resides in. Publishers are advised to register with DOI. If the originating organisation has a unique identification system in place then it should be used, otherwise use a GUID following IMS guidelines. http://www.imsglobal.or g/implementationhandbo ok/imsrid_handv1p0.htm l Name given to this Transcribe the title title learning object preserving the original wording, order and spelling. Only capitalize proper nouns. Punctuation need not reflect the usage of the original. Subtitles should be separated from the title using a colon (':'). This element may not be repeated, so only one title may be encoded. The primary human This element is language language or languages mandatory as the UK used within this is multi-lingual (ethnic, learning object to Welsh, Gaelic, etc.) communicate to the and as we are part of intended user. European Union. The appropriate two character ISO 3639-1 country code should also be used. The default entry for this element is 'en-GB'. description A textual description of The description should the content of this be a concise, keywordlearning object. intensive description of the object. If the learning object has an abstract or table of contents, that information can be included here. The general description should not be entry The value of the identifier within the identification or cataloguing scheme that designates or identifies this learning object. A namespace specific string. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 25 of 56 UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes metadata: this could be revised under RLI spec. could be system generated M 2 not intending to use, at least not until it is known to be required in export of RRO metadata: this could be revised under RLI spec. could be system generated M 2 recommended. RELOAD allows multiple values: would not recommend such until this is known to be the strong preference of user community M 3+ recommended. could be system generated (as ‘en’ and see below**) M 3+ recommended. Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 1.5 keyword Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use confused with the educational description of the object. Keywords or phrases These keywords O describing this learning should ideally be object. created by the author This data element of the resource and should not be used for not through a characteristics that can classification process. be described by other In general, choose the data elements. most significant and unique words for keywords, avoiding those too general to describe a particular object. If the subject of the learning object is a person, enter their name using the 'familyname, forename' format. For example: COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes 3+ recommended. Shakespeare, William If the subject of the learning object is an organisation, enter its name. If the name is hierarchical, list the parts of the hierarchy from largest to smallest, separated by full stops. For example: Bank of England 1.6 coverage For multiple free-text keywords repeat the element for each term. Refer to Dublin Core The time, culture, O geography or region to Coverage element: which this learning Typically, Coverage object applies. will include spatial location (a place name or geographic coordinates), temporal period (a period label, date, or date range) or jurisdiction (such as a named administrative entity). Recommended best practice is to select a value from a controlled vocabulary 12:28 AM26/07/2016 26 of 56 optional Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 1.7 structure Explanation Underlying organizational structure of this learning object. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use (for example, the Thesaurus of Geographic Names [TGN]) and to use, where appropriate, named places or time periods in preference to numeric identifiers such as sets of coordinates or date ranges. http://www.dublincore.or g/documents/dces/ Refer to CanCore: O CanCore does not recommend the use of this element. Structure refers to the way in which individual objects are logically related to form aggregate or composite objects. (By contrast, 1.8:Aggregation Level refers to the number of times an object can be decomposed into still smaller component parts, independent of the kind of relationships between them.) Objects incorporating multiple levels of aggregation will likely include more than one kind of structure. The expressive power of this element is consequently limited in that it does not accommodate more than one value, and does not recommend a value that indicates that a multiplicity of structures are incorporated into a single aggregate object. It is also not clear how the underlying structure of a resource might relate to learning styles or user preferences. The 27 of 56 COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes optional from vocab list supplied, could take value ‘atomic’ seems little value in using this element Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 1.8 aggregatio The functional granularity of this n level learning object. lifecycle 2.1 2.2 Explanation version status This category describes the history and current state of this learning object and those who have affected this learning object during its evolution. The edition of this learning object. The completion status if condition of this learning object 12:28 AM26/07/2016 UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use fact that this element recommends the use of non-numeric vocabulary values also presents difficulties for implementation in multilingual contexts. http://www.cancore.ca/d ocuments.html Use as is, if at all, until O such time as there is generally agreed consensus as to how this element can be used appropriately. It is not recommended that that this element is used as part of the basic UK LOM Core element set. Other application profiles of the LOM may wish to make this element mandatory to support ongoing work (from UfI and others) on categorising levels of learning objects. M As many learning O object developers may not use formal version control methods, appropriate use of this element can not be gauranteed and consequently it is not mandatory. However developers of learning objects are strongly encouraged to systematically control versions of their resources. As many learning O object developers may not use formal version control methods, 28 of 56 COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes not recommended optional could be used in tracking updates to the metadata recommended source / value pair vocab. includes Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use COSE level* ‘draft’,‘final’ appropriate use of this element can not be guaranteed and consequently it is not mandatory. This element may prove useful for resources held in repositories that are not yet publicly available, or resoruces that have previously been available but have subsequently been withdrawn. 2.3 contribute 2.3.1 role 2.3.2 entity Those entities (i.e., M people, organizations) that have contributed to the state of this learning object during its life cycle (e.g., creation, edits, publication). Kind of contribution. For commercially M sourced learning objects or those created by institutions or projects the minimum mandatory requirement is 'publisher'. For objects created by teachers or lecturers 'author' sould be used to denote the person who created the object and/or 'publisher' for their institution/employer. Multiple authors may be recorded. The identification of The mandatory M and information about minimum set of vCard people or elements is "name" organizations and "organisation contributing to this name". Use this learning object, most element to provide relevant first. information about the author and/or publisher of the learning object by setting '2.3.1 role' to 'author' or 'publisher' as appropriate. Structure the value according to vCard. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 29 of 56 COSE Implementation Notes 2 Recommended source / value pair vocab. includes ‘author’ could be system generated 2 Recommended could be system generated using COSE profile metadata use vCard as described in COSE manual Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 2.3.3 date metametadata 3.1 identifier Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use Use the 'FN' and 'ORG' vCard elements for "name" and "organisation name", enclosed between 'BEGIN:VCARD' and 'END:VCARD'. Additional vCard elements may be used but it is recommended that the total number of elements used should be kept to a minimum for the sake of simplicity. Separate vCard components with '\n' and escape ';' and ',' using '\;' and '\,' where these characters appear in a component value. Multiple authors may be recorded. The date of the Typically this will be O contribution. the date of creation or publication for the learning object. The preferred method for recording a date is the YYYY-MM-DD format. In most instances it is sufficient to record year and month, in which case use the first day of the month. This element could be used to identify a specific version of a resource in the absence of a formal method of version control. A description of the date is also acceptable. This category The meta-metadata M describes this elements describe the metadata record itself creation of the metadata record, not (rather than the learning object that the creation of the this record describes). learning object itself. A globally unique label The metadata identifier M that identifies this is in the domain of the metadata record. system in which the 12:28 AM26/07/2016 30 of 56 COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes 2 Recommended could be system generated on instantiation or publication of RRO Our conception of RRO is that metadata record approximates to learning object. This element duplicates metadata elsewhere, except in respect of metadata scheme and language not intending to use, at least not until it is Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 3.1.1 3.1.2 catalog entry 3.2 contribute 3.2.1 role Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines This is not and shall not be used, as there is no specified method for the creation of a globally unique identifier. metadata record is created. For example a digital repository system would be responsible for populating the metametadata values. known to be required in export of RRO metadata: this could be revised under RLI spec. If the originating M organisation has a cataloguing system in place then it should be used, otherwise use the notation of the repository the metadata record resides in. Publishers are advised to register with DOI. not intending to use, at least not until it is known to be required in export of RRO metadata: this could be revised under RLI spec. If the originating M organisation has a unique identification system in place then it should be used, otherwise use a GUID following IMS guidelines. http://www.imsglobal.or g/implementationhandbo ok/imsrid_handv1p0.htm l M not intending to use, at least not until it is known to be required in export of RRO metadata: this could be revised under RLI spec. The name or designator of the identification or cataloging scheme for this entry. A namespace scheme. The value of the identifier within the identification or cataloging scheme that designates or identifies this metadata record. A namespace specific string. UK LOM Core Use Those entities (i.e., people or organizations) that have affected the state of this metadata instance during its life cycle (e.g., creation, validation). Kind of contribution. It is important to trust M Exactly one instance the validity of of creator should exist. information contained in a metadata record therefore the creator of the record is mandatory. COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes could be system generated could be system generated could be system generated recommended source / value pair vocab. includes ‘creator’ could be system generated 3.2.2 entity The identification of and information about the people or organizations 12:28 AM26/07/2016 The mandatory M minimum set of vCard elements is "name" and "organisation 31 of 56 recommended could be system generated using COSE Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 3.2.3 3.3 date metadata scheme Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines contributing to this metadata instance, most relevant first. name". It would be preferable for this information to be generated automatically by the system from its record of registered users. Structure the value according to vCard. Use the 'FN' and 'ORG' vCard elements for "name" and "organisation name", enclosed between 'BEGIN:VCARD' and 'END:VCARD'. Additional vCard elements may be used but it is recommended that the total number of elements used should be kept to a minimum for the sake of simplicity. Separate vCard components with '\n' and escape ';' and ',' using '\;' and '\,' where these characters appear in a component value. The date should be M generated automatically by the repository system and recorded in the YYYYMM-DD format. The date of the contribution. The name and version of the authoritative specification used to create this metadata instance. UK LOM Core Use This element can refer M either to a formal standard metadata scheme e.g.LOMv1.0, or an application profile of a scheme e.g. UK LOM Core. COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes profile metadata use vCard as described in COSE manual recommended could be system generated on instantiation or publication of RRO 2 recommended could be system generated on instantiation or publication of RRO value would be ‘LOMv1.0’ consistent with source given in source/value pairs in RELOAD 3.4 language Language of this metadata instance. This is the default language for all LangString values in 12:28 AM26/07/2016 The default value for M this element is "en". This value should be generated automatically by the 32 of 56 2 recommended. could be system generated Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er technical 4.1 4.2 4.3 format size location Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines this metadata instance. If a value for this data element is not present in a metadata instance, then there is no default language for LangString values. This category describes the technical requirements and characteristics of this learning object. Technical data type(s) of (all the components of) this learning object. system. If the language requires an additional country identifier ISO 31661:1997 should be used. The size of the digital learning object in bytes (octets). The size is represented as a decimal value (radix 10). Consequently, only the digits "0" through "9" should be used. The unit is bytes, not Mbytes, GB, etc. This data element shall refer to the actual size of this learning object. If the learning object is compressed, then this data element shall refer to the uncompressed size. A string that is used to access this learning object. It may be a location (e.g., Universal Resource Locator), or a method that resolves to a location (e.g., Universal Resource Identifier). The first element of this list 12:28 AM26/07/2016 UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes (as ‘en’) M Use MIME types only. M LOM stipulates that the technical data types of all compenents are recorded. For example for a Flash animation in an HTML Web page, repeat this element to encode both 'text/html' and 'application/xshockwave-flash'. Ideally the size of the O learning object should be generated automatically by the packing tool or repository system. Although LOM stipulates that the number is stored in bytes it should be displayed to the user in the most appropriate format eg Kb, Mb etc. The size must refer to the uncompressed size of the resource. 3+ This refers to the M location of the object rather than the location of the metadata record. The value must resolve to a location where the learning object can be found e.g. a URL. If the resource is held in a repository system this 3+ 33 of 56 optional could be system generated as ‘xml’ seems little value in using this element 3+ optional could be system generated seems little value in using this element Optional location could be given but would require authenticated access to the particular COSE installation (location of the referenced object is Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use shall be the preferable element would refer to location. the location of the object in the repository and should be generated automatically. For bibliographic physical objects (books and journals), encode an OpenURL as follows: COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes given under relation) openurl:?genre=article &atitle=Information%2 0gateways:%20collabo ration%20on%20conte nt&title=Online%20Info rmation%20Review&is sn=1468527&volume=24&spag e=40&epage=45&artn um=1&aulast=Heery& aufirst=Rachel 4.4 requireme The technical capabilities necessary nt for using this learning object. If there are multiple requirements, then all are required, i.e., the logical connector is AND. Note that this has been wrapped for readability. For nonbibliographic physical resources (e.g. VHS videos), provide the URL of a Web page or service that describes how to obtain the resource. Refer to CanCore: O For the reasons given below, CanCore does not recommend the use of this aggregate element. CanCore recommends that any technical requirements be expressed in human readable form in 4.6:Other Platform Requirements. This aggregate element and its recommended vocabularies can enable precise, formalized statements to describe software 12:28 AM26/07/2016 34 of 56 not recommended Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines needed for a learning object. These statements can specify the type, name, and permissible version numbers or number ranges for the required technology. This aggregate element also allows record creators to indicate whether all such requirements need to be satisfied (using the Boolean connector "And", and repeating element 4.4:Requirement), or whether only one of a group of requirements needs to be met (using the Boolean connector "Or", and repeating element 4.4.1 OrComposite). The implementation of this aggregate element may present challenges, and can be avoided by exploiting other LOM elements: It may be difficulty to establish and maintain vocabulary values for 4.4.1.2:Name. Browsers and operating systems are developing rapidly and proliferating as they move into mobile devices and information appliances. The suggested value “netscape communicator”, for example, is already superannuated. Maintaining a list of such software is difficult (and testing requirements against such a list, likely prohibitive). 12:28 AM26/07/2016 35 of 56 UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines Requirement statements will describe conditions that cannot be accommodated in the formalized elements and permissible values. For example, this aggregate element lacks a qualifier to indicate that certain software is optimal or preferred. The recommended vocabulary for 4.4.1.1:Type ("operating system", "browser") may be insufficient for expressing some technical requirements (e.g. those related to computer hardware, network capabilities, etc.) General software requirements information is already implied in the MIME type values supplied in 4.1:Format. As the LOM notes for element 4.6:Other Platform Requirements, "This element is intended for descriptions of requirements that cannot be expressed by data element 4.4:Technical.Require ment." Given the expressive limitations that apply to element 4.4, CanCore recommends the use of 4.6: Other Platform Requirements for the description of all technical requirements not already indicated by 4.1:Format. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 36 of 56 UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use Grouping of multiple or composite requirements. The composite requirement is satisfied when one of the component requirements is satisfied, i.e., the logical connector is OR. The technology 4.4.1.1 type required to use this learning object. E.g. hardware, software, network, etc Name of the required 4.4.1.2 name technology to use this learning object. O Lowest possible version of the required technology to use this learning object. 4.4.1.4 maximum Highest version of the technology known to version support the use of this learning object. 4.5 installation Description of how to Refer to CanCore: install this learning remarks object. It is useful only in exceptional cases, where an educational object is stand-alone software requiring special installation procedures. O 4.4.1 COSE Implementation Notes 5 not recommended O O 4.4.1.3 minimum version It is of limited use for resource discovery and selection (installation instructions are not likely to form a primary criterion for the selection of resources by students or educators). For those objects requiring it, installation information is likely to be provided with the object itself (e.g. in a "readme" file), and would preferably be presented via a set-up 12:28 AM26/07/2016 COSE level* 37 of 56 O O Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes "wizard" or other mechanism developed for increased usability. When an educational object is a stand-alone software item requiring special installation procedures, instructions for installation can be included using this element. 4.6 other platform requireme nts Information about other software and hardware requirements. 4.7 duration Time a continuous learning object takes when played at intended speed. This category describes the key educational or pedagogic characteristics of this learning object. This is the pedagogical information essential to those involved in achieving a quality learning experience. The audience for this metadata includes teachers, managers, authors and learners. interactivit Predominant mode of Until the vocabulary for O learning supported by this element is used y type this learning object more widely by educators it will remain relatively obscure and therefore can not be mandatory. Further work is required to develop an understanding of this education al 5.1 http://www.cancore.ca/d ocuments.html Use as a general O comment element to describe any technical information the user may require in order to use the object that has not already been described in 4.1 technical format. Should only be used to O describe time based media files, e.g. sound, video or animation. O 12:28 AM26/07/2016 38 of 56 not recommended not recommended 3+ not recommended Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 5.2 5.3 5.4 Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use element and its common usage. Specific kind of Work is required to O learning learning object. The develop an more resource most dominant kind meaningful type shall be first. vocabulary. In the meantime use the LOM vocabulary if it is appropriate. Until the vocabulary for O interactivit The degree of interactivity this element is used y level characterising this more widely by learning object. educators it will remain Interactivity in this relatively obscure and context refers to the therefore can not be degree to which the mandatory. Further learner can influence work is required to the aspect or develop an behaviour of the understanding of this learning object. element and its common usage. It is recognised that O semantic The degree of conciseness of a educators routinely density learning object. The make judgements on semantic density of a the appropriateness of learning object may be learning resources estimated in terms of based on a subjective its size, span or – in notion of 'semantic the case of self-timed density', even though resources such as the may not use this audio or video – term. For example a duration. children's book may be at an appropriate reading level but contains too much detail on a subject area to be of use for a particular pupil, it is too semantically dense. At the moment it is difficult to see how this element could be used in the context of learning objects without more objective methods of determining the value. Until the vocabulary in this element is used more widely by educators it will remain relatively obscure and therefore can not be mandatory. Work is required to develop an 12:28 AM26/07/2016 39 of 56 COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes 3+ not recommended not recommended not recommended Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines understanding of this element and its common usage. Principal user(s) for Until the vocabulary for intended which this learning this element is used end user object was designed, more widely by role most dominant first. educators it will remain relatively obscure and therefore can not be mandatory. Further work is required to develop an understanding of this element and its common usage. The principal The reccomended context environment within vocabulary for this which the learning and element is now UK use of this learning LOM Core v0p1s. This object is intended to contains terms take place. relevant to the UK educational context. This element should typical age Age of the typical intended user. only refer to the range chronological age of a user and not their developmental age. Therefore the element is used to indicate the appropriateness of the object for a particular age group. Developmental 'age' or level should be described uding 9.1 Purpose 'Educational Level'. This data element It is recognised that difficulty defines how hard it is educators routinely to work through this make judgements on learning object for the the appropriateness of typical target learning resources audience. based on a subjective notion of 'difficulty', even though the may not use this term. At the moment it is difficult to see how this element could be used in the context of learning objects without more objective methods of determining the value. Until the vocabulary in 12:28 AM26/07/2016 40 of 56 UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes O 3+ not recommended O 3+ recommended vocab values include ‘Higher Education’ O O 3+ Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 5.9 5.10 Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use this element is used more widely by educators it will remain relatively obscure and therefore can not be mandatory. Work is required to develop an understanding of this element and its common usage. Approximate or typical As there is no O typical time it takes to work commonly accepted learning with or through this method of determining time learning object for the how long a learner typical intended target should work with any audience. given object, this element should be used with caution. description Comments on how this This element O learning object is to be describes possible used. educational uses for an object. For example "use as an introduction to the topic". This element should not be confused with 1.4 general.description. 5.11 language The human language used by the typical intended user of this learning object. 6 rights 6.1 cost This category describes the intellectual property rights and conditions of use for this learning object. Whether use of this If "yes", details of the learning object actual cost sould be requires payment. included in 6.3 description. 6.2 If "yes", details of the copyright Whether copyright or other restrictions apply restrictions sould be and other to the use of this included in 6.3 restrictions 12:28 AM26/07/2016 This is distinct from 1.3 O language. For example, an object design to support the teaching of French for English speakers could have 1.3 = 'fr' and 5.11 = 'en', that is, it is a resource in French designed to be used by a student who's first language is English. M 41 of 56 COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes 3+ not recommended 3+ 3+ O 6 recommended M 6 recommended Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines learning object. description. 6.3 description Comments on the conditions of use of this learning object. 7 relation This category defines the relationship between this learning object and other learning objects, if any. A description of costs, copyright restrictions, conditions of use or where to find further information regarding usage rights. M Appropriate use of O these elements can be labour intensive. Refer to CanCore for further guideance: When creating guidelines for the use of the Relation element group, keep in mind the functionality of the metadata in both a local and interoperable environment. In a local environment it may be desirable and possible to exert a tight control over the relationships among learning resources. In an interoperable environment, there may not be the same controls in place for associating one learning object with another. Relational associations will likely not be implemented comprehensively or may be implemented with 12:28 AM26/07/2016 UK LOM Core Use 42 of 56 COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes recommended COSE uses this field to associate the metadata with the referenced object, typically a URL. pro tem, we do not use the resource element to identify the referenced resource. see description element. Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes 3+ recommended a degree of redundancy in a distributed environment. Furthermore, remote resources that an indexer may wish to point at may not be maintained thus necessitating ongoing maintenance of a metadata record. http://www.cancor e.ca/documents.ht ml 7.1 kind Nature of the relationship between this learning object and the target learning object, identified by 7.2:Relation.Resource. Refer to CanCore: O The vocabulary values for this element correspond with the qualifiers for DC.Relation. This element provides the context for the relationship between the learning resource described by the metadata record and another learning resource. CanCore recommends the use of the DC.Relation Qualifier vocabulary. Refer to this vocabulary and not that of LOM 1.0 in the vocabulary data structure of this 12:28 AM26/07/2016 43 of 56 could be system generated. typically would have value ‘references’ Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes element. The LOM vocabulary and the Dublin Core vocabulary on which it is based differ in two respects. The LOM vocabulary omits DC's "Replaces" and "isreplacedby" vocabulary pairing and substitutes it with an "isbasedon" and "isbasisfor" pairing. LOM does not provide any rationale for this change nor does it define its vocabulary terms. To maximize interoperability with Dublin Core, CanCore recommends using the DC Relation qualifier vocabulary (http://www.dublin core.org/documen ts/dcmesqualifiers/#relation ). http://www.cancor e.ca/guideliens.ht ml 7.2 resource The target learning object that this relationship references. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 Refer to CanCore: O This element group contains a 44 of 56 recommended use of description sub-element Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes range of subelements sufficient for describing the related resource: "identifier" "description" and "catalogentry" with its children "catalog" and "entry". This element group should be used to refer to the related resource itself and not to any accompanying metadata record. If the related resource exists only as a metadata record, then refer to it in that context. http://www.cancor e.ca/guideliens.ht ml 7.2.1 identifier 7.2.1.1 catalog A globally unique label that identifies the target learning object. Use a formal O identification system where possible. E.g. DOI, ISBN. Refer to the IMS "Persistent, LocationIndependent, Resource Identifier Implementation Handbook" http://www.imsglo bal.org/implement ationhandbook/im srid_handv1p0.ht ml for further guidance. not recommended The name or designator of the identification or If the originating O organisation has a cataloguing not recommended 12:28 AM26/07/2016 45 of 56 Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 7.2.1.2 entry 7.2.2 Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes cataloguing scheme fot his entry. A namespace scheme system in place then it should be used, otherwise use the notation of the repository the learning object resides in. Publishers are advised to register with DOI. The value of the identification or cataloguing scheme that designates or identifies the target learning object. A namespace specific string. If the originating O organisation has a unique identification system in place then it should be used, otherwise use a GUID following IMS guidelines. http://www.imsglo bal.org/implement ationhandbook/im srid_handv1p0.ht ml not recommended Refer to CanCore: O The URL is given as the first string in the free form description element followed by an empty line, followed by metadata returned by e- aggregator description Description of the target learning object. This element should contain just enough information to provide the enduser with a context for what the related resource is. A short title or simple phrase description is all that is necessary. The character maximum for this element is 1000. CanCore recommends that descriptions fall well within this 12:28 AM26/07/2016 46 of 56 Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes prescribed maximum. Keep in mind that this element is intended only to identify what the related resource is to the enduser. It is not meant to act as a surrogate metadata record for that resource. In a multi-lingual environment, use a single description element with multiple langstring sub-elements. http://www.cancor e.ca/guideliens.ht ml 8 annotation This category provides comments on the educational use of this learning object, and information on when and by whom the comments were created. This category enables educators to share their assessments of learning objects, suggestions for use, etc. 8.1 person Entity (i.e. people, organisation) that created this annotation. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 Implementors and O educators should aspire to using the annotation category elements as they have the potential to significantly enhance the richness of the metadata record by recording additional qualitative information about the obejct and its usage. The O recommended minimum set of vCard elements is "name" and "organisation name". It would 47 of 56 The key element recommended in associating contextual information with a reference 3+ recommended. could be system generated for author Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use COSE level* O 3+ This element can O be used to enable educators to describe the 3+ COSE Implementation Notes be preferable for this information to be generated automatically by the system from its record of registered users. Structure the value according to vCard. Use the 'FN' and 'ORG' vCard elements for "name" and "organisation name", enclosed between 'BEGIN:VCARD' and 'END:VCARD'. Additional vCard elements may be used but it is recommended that the total number of elements used should be kept to a minimum for the sake of simplicity. Separate vCard components with '\n' and escape ';' and ',' using '\;' and '\,' where these characters appear in a component value. Date that this annotation was created. 8.2 date 8.3 description The content of this annotation. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 The date should be generated automatically by the repository system and recorded in the YYYY-MM-DD format. 48 of 56 recommended. Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes experience of using the object in a teaching and learning situation. 9 9.1 classificati This category describes where this on learning object falls within a particular classification system. The purpose of purpose classifying this learning object. O Classification may O be used for multiple puposes. The UK LOM Core recommends the following usage at present. discipline - formal subject classification or idenification in use by the institution or sector. E.g. National Curriculum 5-14 http://www.nc.uk.n et/home.html, learndirect Subject Classification (Levels 1-2) http://www.learndir ectadvice.co.uk/provi der/standardsandc lassifications/class page/, Joint Academic Coding System http://www.hesa.a c.uk/jacs/complete classification.htm, Dewey Decimal Classification (Summary Levels 1-2) http://www.oclc.or g/dewey/about/dd c_21_summaries. htm. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 49 of 56 For purpose, value of ‘discipline’, see Appendix F of COSE manual 3+ recommended. typically this would have value of ‘discipline’ but nodes for other purposes could be added in addition could be system generated (for ‘discipline’) Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines idea - relates to the concept contained in the resource. It is possible to use vocabularies already used for Discipline but to a deeper level e.g. LDSC, DDC. Other excamples include subject specific vocabularies e.g. MESH http://www.nlm.nih .gov/mesh/meshh ome.html accessibility restrictions - no suitable vocabulary exists at present. educational level the cognitive/grade level for which the resource is intended. It is recommended that the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework http://www.ngflsco tland.gov.uk/nq/cq framework.asp should be used as a common spine. See Appendix 2 for a draft mapping between the SCQF and other UK qualification 12:28 AM26/07/2016 50 of 56 UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes 3+ recommended. frameworks. 9.2 9.2.1 9.2.2 taxon path A taxonomic path in a specific classification system. Each succeeding level is a refinement in the definition of the preceding level. There may be different paths, in the same or different classifications, which describe the same characteristic. The name of the source classification system. This data element may use any recognized "official" taxonomy or any user-defined taxonomy. A particular term within taxon a taxonomy. A taxon is a node that has a defined label or term. A taxon may also have an alphanumeric designation or identifier for standardized reference. Either or both the label and the entry may be used to designate a particular taxon. 9.2.2.1 id 9.2.2.2 entry 9.3 O Where possible use a vocabulary that is already in common usage e.g. DDC, LDSC, MESH. O could be system generated (for ‘discipline’) as ‘DDC’ O 3+ The identifier of the taxon, such as a number or letter combination provided by the source of the taxonomy. Use a notation or O classmark from the chosen classification scheme described by 9.2.1 source. 3+ The textual label of the taxon. Use a term from O the chosen classification scheme described by 9.2.1 source. 3+ For ‘discipline’ and ‘DDC’ and ‘579’, value could be ‘Microorganisms, fungi, algae’ O 3+ recommended description This is the description of the learning object relative to the stated 9.1:Classification. Purpose of this 12:28 AM26/07/2016 recommended for ‘discipline’ and ‘DDC’, value could be e.g. ‘579’ free form textual description 51 of 56 Technical Report and Update Eleme Element nt Name Numb er 9.4 keyword Explanation UK LOM Core Implementation Guidelines specific classification, such as discipline, idea, skill level, educational objective, etc. These are the keywords and phrases descriptive of the learning object relative to the stated 9.1:Classification.Purp ose of this specific classification, such as accessibility, security level, etc., most relevant first. 12:28 AM26/07/2016 52 of 56 UK LOM Core Use COSE level* COSE Implementation Notes O 3+ multiple keywords allowed. add as new nodes in RELOAD rather than as semi-colon separated list Technical Report and Update Appendix E: ICE COSE Technical Modifications Plan Technical Task 1.1 Notes Submit search and parse o results For ebrary and Emerald: o Search field mapping o Search query construction and submission o Results parsing to create RRO o Add RRO to list in search tools o o o Status Require search tools o field mapping - to fit search methodology of o each aggregator Ebrary – commn’s only through authorised servers => servlet o handler/container => investigate/implement ‘Tomcat’ (Sun o recommended) Emerald – doesn’t o return XML. Must parse HTML for results facility to select RRO and browse via browser window dependent on ‘Browse RRO’ task below Tomcat installed Search field mappings done for both ebrary and Emerald Search queries constructed and submitted Ebrary results can be parsed RROs searched and returned in search list Milestone 1 – can search agg/pubs and parse results (know data returned) 2.1 2.2 Save RROs in basket o select RRO(s) from results list o copy o paste into basket o saving basket saves (creates) the RROs Save RROs component in select RRO(s) from results list o copy o paste into index comp o saving index comp saves the RRO refs in Allow user added/edit metadata at this stage? o RRO will be saved as pasted into basket. Confirmed. o ability to save depends on having relevant file structures and format in place- see XML database below index o o 12:28 AM26/07/2016 o need to allow user to enter own url and save this. 53 of 56 o RROs copied and pasted to basket (already saved); metadata editable;/ viewable o RROs created / saved in component editor Target Date Technical Report and Update the index component and creates the RRO 2.3 XML ‘database’ to store metadata o RRO metadata saved as xml o can edit RRO metadata; stage 1 and 2 input not yet implemented o In generating RRO these are normal functions of the component editor – check is case (title, keywords) o Bigger job is modifying COSE Editor + changes to format of idx files etc Milestone 2 – can save the RROs as independent COSE objects 3.1 3.1 Edit RRO metadata – new o interface phase 1 o integration of reload o ‘advanced’ (edit all) + o + stage 1-3 view/edit investigate integration of reload. metadata frame only if possible <= simple interface Edit RRO o change title o change launched in own window or not o edit metadata Milestone 3 – metadata edit/add/view interface prototype developed 4.1 Edit index component o 4.2 o looks OK o looks OK Add/remove/change order of RROs and other objects Browse index component o select index comp in browse tree or alone o browse o browser reads index comp, old and new format entries o RROs and other index comp entries shown in tree on left o selected RRO/other 12:28 AM26/07/2016 o This task needs to address old and new index component formats? 54 of 56 Technical Report and Update item launched in RHS pane 4.3 4.4 o Browse RRO o select RRO in index comp or via search o browse o RRO icon and title in left pane o RRO launched via appropriate mechanism in RHS pane Included explicitly o because of need to ‘fire’ for e.g. edf servlet (ebrary) to launch doc viewer Copy RRO from index comp / basket to basket / index comp o select RRO from index comp o copy o paste in basket o RRO not created afresh, only ref saved RRO ref can be viewed on its own and as ref in index component o looks OK o not done Milestone 4 - can manipulate RROs as other COSE objects 5.1 Review new interface’ ‘metadata o decision on use throughout stages 1-5 o address integration of new metadata implementation and vestiges of existing export facility Milestone 5 – a consistent approach to view/add/edit metadata agreed 6.1 Edit RRO metadata – new o interface phase 2 o stage 4 view/edit o stage 5 view/edit consistency re other COSE components? o RELOAD integrated only for unpublished RROs as yet. Need to decide on issues re input at stages 4 and 5 Milestone 6 – COSE-wide consistent approach to view/add/edit metadata implemented/able 7.1 o Publish index component 12:28 AM26/07/2016 55 of 56 There may be Technical Report and Update 7.2 o read RROs and other items o publish RROs in same manner as other COSE comps o do something with the metadata Export index component o o tutor - submit to supertutor for export and enter appropriate metadata no time to incorporate this. Enable re-useability in the meantime through sharing? o Will this metadata get cascaded to all components? o Beyond scope of this project (now)? o supertutor – export requests – submit to admin – add metadata as appropriate Index components with RROs - not done. decision required where authentication issues arise ? impact of RLI Milestone 7 – can publish and export RROs with metadata 8.1 Search within COSE for o RROs pro tem, upgrade o existing script / COSE search facility – to use enhanced metadata o enter search criteria o search within COSE o Lucene?? o add results to results list o resulting RROs have already been created and so don't need saving again o toggle button for searching on enhanced metadata not done Milestone 8 – can search in COSE for RROs 9.1 User tuning/polishing interface o new RRO icon – if time o End project 12:28 AM26/07/2016 56 of 56 not done