The Reload Learning Design Tools opening up the Learning Design specification

1. funded by The Reload Learning Design Toolsopening up the Learning Design specification Colin Milligan RELOAD

2. Summary • Background, • Reload tools, • Other LD tools, • Where now? © RELOAD 2005, funded by

3. Background to Reload • Funded by JISC for three years (funding ended in July 2005), • Aim: to create tools that allow the eLearning community to engage with and utilise emerging IMS specifications: • Year 1,2: IMS Content Packaging and Metadata, • Year 3: IMS Learning Design. JISC: UK body which funds work of this type to support use of technology in enhancing teaching, learning and research in post-16 education in the UK. © RELOAD 2005, funded by

4. Before Learning Design • Already produced ‘Content Package and Metadata Editor’ … • … an XML Editor with a user interface for working with IMS specs, • Schema driven: schema provides the rules to tell the engine what can be added and when. • New spec: new UI, same engine: efficient development. © RELOAD 2005, funded by

5. In Practice • IMS LD proved too complex for existing architecture, • Created Level A tool (Dec 2004), • Used new (related) architecture to create Eclipse based tools for the whole IMS LD specification (Levels A, B and C). • - and separated out/enhanced resource handling. © RELOAD 2005, funded by

6. What Were Our Aims? • The (reference) implementation of an editor, • Adheres rigidly to the LD specification, • Implements the whole LD spec, fully featured. • Allow us (the community) to ask questions of the LD spec. © RELOAD 2005, funded by

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8. FORM-BASED EDITOR ORGANISER TABS PREVIEWER © RELOAD 2005, funded by

9. Tabbed Interface • Overview • Roles • Properties • Activities • Environments • Method (inc. Properties, Conditions, Notifications) • Files, Export (resource dependency). • Work through tabs, filling in • (cf Rob Koper’s LD workflow, Unfold Feb, 2005) © RELOAD 2005, funded by

10. So: • Achieved our aim (a full implementation using a familiar UI metaphor) But: • Complex, specialised, proof of concept, • Allows us to engage with spec, but too complex for mainstream users. © RELOAD 2005, funded by

11. Who might use LD tools? • Griffiths et al(in Koper and Tattersall, 2005) • UoL Consumers • UoL Administrators • Adaptors and Assemblers • UoL Designers • Tool Developers • Few will need to create full UoLs © RELOAD 2005, funded by

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13. Specific Purpose Tools  Assemblers   Adaptors Close to spec Distant from spec Ask LDT, LAMS Alfanet, EduCreator RELOAD Mot Plus Designers CopperAuthor Developers General Purpose Tools © RELOAD 2005, funded by

14. Where we are? • The delivery systems are immature, many editors, but only one (?) player in dev. • First generation editors are not tools for teachers, but these will follow, • We can now ask questions of the Learning Design specification and improve it or extend it. • … and debate what end user tools should look like. © RELOAD 2005, funded by

15. Where next? • Funding ended, • All still working together, not on Reload, or LD, • Now working on PLE – not coding, • Reload Foundation (mainly CP) • Open Sourceliberal license, Mature, clean code (Java and Eclipse), • Build on it, • Extend it (esp. graphical editors w/ Eclipse). © RELOAD 2005, funded by

16. Contact Colin Milligan colin.milligan@strath.ac.uk http://www.reload.ac.uk/pres/valkenburg220905.ppt (updated in a few days time) Milligan, Beauvoir and Sharples, The Reload Learning Design Tools, JIME (2005) © RELOAD 2005, funded by

17. The Player • Developed alongside the LD Editor • Simplified UI for CopperCore runtime: • Single shot • Dummy users • Eclipse based GUI • No command line instantiation • No multi-user capability © RELOAD 2005, funded by

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19. Activities and environments ACTIVITY STRUCTURE ACTIVITY Env 1 Env 2 Env n etc © RELOAD 2005, funded by