IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC)
Announcement of new Study Group(s) for Standards on Competencies
The IEEE LTSC is initiating three new IEEE Study Groups to determine and define what new standards
may be needed in the general domain of “competencies” as related to learning and learning technology. It
is our feeling that this area is now in a state analogous to that of “content” several years ago which led to
the initial formation of the LTSC and the successful creation of IEEE standards such as Learning Object
Metadata (LOM). With lessons learned from this previous experience this additional focus on the human
performance aspects of learning could be the start of a significant new phase as detailed further below. If
this is an area that is important and relevant to you, you will want to be involved your participation is
welcomed and encouraged.
Background:
Human performance, abilities, competencies, knowledge, skills (all lumped under the term competencies)
are emerging as central issues in most regions of the world. They are also spanning many application
domains related to learning including workforce development, talent and performance management. We
are seeing presentations, special conferences, new groups, and new projects that reveal the growing and
pervasive importance of being able to more effectively understand, capture, quantify, describe and
manage competency data. For example, many initiatives in Europe are emerging which are particularly
focused on these issues, and the IEEE LTSC has been contributing with a separate Working Group for
Reusable Competency Definitions (RCD) taking place under the direction of Mr. Claude Ostyn.
The fact that most of these activities have come about independently and with limited awareness of each
other indicates the importance and potential need for collaboration and interoperability in these areas.
Hence the potential benefit to be gained by fostering more awareness of these activities and by addressing
any common needs and problems.
We also observe that there are some marked similarities to the conditions for what could broadly be
referred to as “content” in the mid 1990’s:
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There is a lack of generally available and effective tools and technology for the emerging new
models and applications.
There are no broadly accepted common reference models, conceptual models and overarching
architectures or frameworks;
There are problems with interoperability, sharing, reuse and repurposing of competency data;
There are few (if any) accredited standards that could be adopted globally and across diverse
applications domains
Purpose of this initiative:
In response to the above the IEEE LTSC is initiating a series of Study Groups to help bring together any
and all interested parties. These Study Groups will be independent though complimentary to the existing
IEEE LTSC Working Group for Reusable Competency Definitions (RCD) noted above. The purpose of
these Study Groups is to start a collective and comprehensive discussion and to determine what common
problems or barriers need to be resolved to dramatically improve learning and performance. Assuming
such challenges are identified and articulated the Study Groups will go on to assess what work on
standards is already being looked after by other groups and to determine what, if any, accredited IEEE
standards would contribute significantly to solving the identified problems at this time.
It is important to note that the Study Groups will NOT start the work on creating or developing standards
themselves. Rather, the Study Groups will carry out a comprehensive investigation of the situation and
determine whether such standards are needed at this time and whether there are enough individuals and
groups with the interest and commitment needed to complete the significant work involved in creating an
accredited standard.
What is an IEEE Study Group?
(For full explanation and details on the IEEE standards development processes please see
http://standards.ieee.org/resources/development/index.html )
An IEEE standardization project officially begins with the approval by the IEEE Standards
Association of a Project Authorization Request (PAR). A PAR is a small, structured document
that states why a project exists and what it intends to do. It defines the scope, purpose, and
contact points for a standards development project and is critical to the entire process. Officially,
a standards development project does not exist until a PAR is approved.
However, it is often necessary for the members of a potential working group to gather to craft a
PAR and to gain the support of their potential sponsor prior to the initiation of a standards
development project. This type of gathering is known as a study group. It has a limited life time,
usually six months, after which it is expected either to disband or to initiate a standards
development project by submitting a PAR for IEEE Standards Association approval.
Membership in IEEE or LTSC is NOT required for participation in Study Groups.
Three Initial Candidates for Standardization:
Based upon some limited initial investigation three specific areas have been identified as potential
candidates for IEEE accredited standards. To begin with, discussions and work on all three will proceed
as a single unified activity. The scope of this activity will include determining whether standards are
needed at all, determining whether the three initial candidates are viable and whether others are needed,
prioritizing standards activities, determining whether there is sufficient interest and commitment to
proceed with one or more standards development projects, and determining which other groups and
projects are doing complimentary work and which liaisons, coordination and collaborations should be
formed.
It is expected that the work will evolve into individual Study Groups, each focused on a particular
candidate standardization project. For example, if three candidates are accepted as vital and high priority,
three separate Study Groups will be formed to “divide and conquer” the required work.
Should a proposed standardization project emerge from this process and a PAR be approved by the IEEE
Standards Association, corresponding IEEE LTSC Working Groups will be formed, volunteer members
assembled and work begun on developing the standard.
The following three candidates appear to be worthy of consideration for the creation of an IEEE LTSC
standard based on the following criteria:
 All are relevant to competencies as applied to learning and learning technology.
 Each has a significant amount of prior work and practice.
 Each is accompanied by existing documentation that can be used as contributions or perhaps
serve as base documents for a standard.
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Each has existing groups or projects that have indicated their willingness to adopt and implement
the corresponding standard if and when they are developed and available.
Although related, each potential standard stands alone and is independent of the others.
The candidates listed below have been chosen to provide a sense of the significant diversity in scope and
application that exists. This list is therefore meant to provide a point of departure for the discussions.
Other candidates are expected as an outcome of the discussions and considerations of the Study Groups.
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Candidate A: Competency Framework
A standard for a structured Competency framework or architecture would be used to identify and
classify the data, metadata, data models, data mappings, applications, and services that are needed to
manage and apply competencies in learning and learning technology.
Candidate B: Objective Statements
A standard for objective statements would provide a common data model to capture, store, maintain,
share, and reuse objectives. Objective statements enable objectives to be stored in repositories and
can be used to determine how content assets are assembled to form learning objects. They can also be
used as part of the process of initiating learning to meet a particular objective.
Candidate C: Standardized Competency Definitions
A competency definition is a description of a competency and an indication of how it can be
measured. Such definitions can potentially be represented using the IEEE 1484.20.1 RCD structure.
The candidate standard would standardize a specific set of such definitions, i.e. standardize some
basic taxonomies (e.g. for leadership skills) that would promote interoperability across application
domains.
How to Participate:
There are several ways to participate in the lead-up to the formulation of the IEEE LTSC Study Groups:
1. Engage in discussion and raise awareness among colleagues and interested parties. Presentations
and discussions are planned for the following events:
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EC TEL 2006 (Technology Enabled Learning)
http://www.ec-tel06.org/
Crete, Greece
ePortfolio 2006, Ontology Outreach Meeting
http://www.eife-l.org/news/ep2006
Oxford, England
Learning 2006
http://www.learning2006.com/
Orlando, Florida, USA
I2LOR 2006
http://www.lornet.org/
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
OnLine Educa Berlin
http://www.online-educa.com/
Berlin, DE
Others to be added as the discussions proceed.
Oct.1-4, 2006
Oct. 11, 2006
Nov.5-8, 2006
Nov.9-10 10, 2006
Nov. 29-Dec.1, 2006
2. Join the online discussion site
At http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudyGroup-Competencies which provides a mechanism for group
discussion, comments, storing and accessing documents, notifications, etc. Please sign up as soon as
possible to be sure to receive all future announcements, updates and access to all documents.
3. Contribute supporting documents
Submit these to the same online site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudyGroup-Competencies
4. Post your questions and comments to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudyGroup-Competencies
5. Watch for upcoming announcements
Announcements will be distributed through the site listed above as well as through mailing lists on
other related groups who become involved.
Study Group Activity:
Study Group activity will start with discussions at the events listed above with a life span of
approximately six months (early 2007) that will include the initial investigation, formation of separate
Study Groups and drafting any PARs. Any resulting standardization project would begin in 2007.
It is anticipated that Study Groups will have an initial online group meeting in early December for all
those interested in being involved and will continue to meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis using virtual
meeting technology.
CONTACTS:
All questions or comments can be posted to the group site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudyGroupCompetencies or sent directly via Email to StudyGroup-Competencies-owner@yahoogroups.com
ABOUT THE IEEE LTSC:
The IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC) is chartered by the IEEE Computer
Society Standards Activity Board to develop accredited technical standards, recommended practices, and
guides for learning technology.
The LTSC coordinates formally and informally with other organizations that produce specifications and
standards for similar purposes. Standards development is done in working groups via a combination of
face-to-face meetings, teleconferences, and exchanges on discussion groups. The LTSC is governed by a
Sponsor Executive Committee (SEC) consisting of working group chairs and elected officers.
For more information, access to all working groups and participation please visit http://ltscieee.org