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The RAMP Project: Authorisation and Activityflow for eResearchJames DalzielProfessor of Learning Technology, and Director, Macquarie E-Learning Centre Of Excellence (MELCOE)Macquarie Universityjames@melcoe.mq.edu.auwww.melcoe.mq.edu.auPresentation for EDUCAUSE Workflow CAMP, Burlington, Vermont, 29th June, 2006
Overview • Background: MAMS and LAMS • RAMP Project • More on LAMS • Introducing RAMS • Sample eResearch Activityflow Use Cases • Early demonstrations • Why? • Future plans - activityflow
Background • MELCOE – Research centre for next generation IT infrastructure for eLearning and eResearch • Major projects: • MAMS: Identity and access management • Special focus on repositories • Leading Australian Shibboleth rollout – 500,000+ identities • Developing Sharpe and Autograph • LAMS: eLearning workflow system • Re-usable sequences of collaborative learning activities • V2 beta release next week – separate core and tools • ASK-OSS: National advisory service on OSS for HE
RAMP project • RAMP (Research Activityflow and Middleware Priorities) is a new Aust Gov funded eResearch project ($2.9M) • Part 1: Authorisation • Development of a generalised authorisation library using XACML, focus on implementation for repositories (esp Fedora) • Builds on MAMS work: SAML + XACML = Alternative to DRM • Part 2: Activityflow • “People-based workflow” for eResearch • Especially concurrent multi-actor multi-step workflows • Demonstrator of re-usable activityflows (builds on LAMS 2 core) • Theoretical review of workflow standards and concepts • Part 3: Authorisation/Activityflow “fusion” exploration
More on LAMS • LAMS project over 4 years old, widespread adoption for next generation e-learning • Fundamental driver: Any teacher could create and run • Web application, J2EE + Flash, open source (GPL) • Based on new field of “Learning Design” • IMS Learning Design specification as a starting point • Core concepts of LAMS are not e-learning specific • Concurrent multi-actor, multi-step workflow system • BPEL expert: “Who are you guys?” • LAMS Community for faculty sharing LAMS sequences and discussing their use (1300 members) • 100 end-user created, shared and adapted eLearning workflows
More on LAMS: Example • Online learning for trainee teacher students • Step 1: Each student answers “What are the qualities of an effective teacher?”, then considers collated responses • Step 2: Each student votes on the top 2 qualities from a list, then reflects on collated votes • Step 3: Group debate about the most important qualities of an effective teacher, based on outcomes of (1) and (2) • Step 4: Review of literature on effective teachers • Step 5: Group discussion of how the debate in (3) relates to literature in (4) • Step 6: Reflective report on the original question, based on own ideas and those of the group, including any changes in own views
LAMS Authoring example – What are the qualities of an effective teacher?
LAMS Learner example – What are the qualities of an effective teacher?
LAMS Monitor summary – What are the qualities of an effective teacher?
LAMS Monitor detailed – What are the qualities of an effective teacher?
LAMS Monitor detailed – What are the qualities of an effective teacher?
More on LAMS: V2 • LAMS V2 provides a modular architecture for building different kinds of people-based workflow systems • Separation of workflow core engine from “activity tools” • Agreement between core and tools via “Tools Contract” • Core requirements • Admin • Author • Monitor • “Learner” / Participant
Introducing RAMS • The “Research Activity Management System” (RAMS) builds on the LAMS V2 workflow core (+ new eResearch features) • A new suite of activity tools appropriate for people-based eResearch activityflows • Plus multi-purpose tools that apply across eLearning and eResearch • The result is two different domain-specific applications (LAMS for eLearning; RAMS for eResearch) that draw on a common workflow core • Everything is open source
Introducing RAMS Teachers Researchers LAMS Application RAMS Application eLearning specific tools Multi-purpose tools eResearch specific tools “Education Workflow Engine” (LAMS core + new RAMS development) Admin Author Monitor Author
Sample eResearch Activityflow Use Cases High level use cases from RAMP proposal: • Managing the research enterprise lifecycle (from grant planning to grant submission, to project initiation, to project lifecycle management, to research outcome dissemination), • Implementing auditable evaluation processes for assessing research quality (RQF assessor workflows, journal/conference peer review management, etc), • Designing and tracking article submission processes for Institutional Repositories, • Flexibly configuring and running online research collaboration processes (such as staged collaborative analysis and discussion for PhD/Postdocs around raw data, leading to interpretation, visualisation, and ultimately publications), and • Process-oriented research data collection from human subjects (such as in the humanities, and social and cognitive sciences).
Use case 4a: Alternative example of weekly research group meeting
Why? • Greater standardisation of common or repeatable research processes, leading to higher quality outcomes and improved efficiency; • The ability to share descriptions of common research processes both within institutions, and between institutions – including the ability to adapt and localise shared research processes; • Greatly improved accountability and audit for processes involving multiple actors across multiple steps – such as for research assessment (eg, RQF assessor workflows), as well as for research itself (eg, as a deterrent to academic fraud); and • Providing a process-oriented checklist to ensure the ordered completion of relevant research tasks.
Future plans - activityflow • Development of RAMS: activity tools + core additions • Eg, branching, conditionality, grouping, tool data in/out, “edit on the fly” • Demonstrators for iterative requirements gathering • Sharing of “good practice” activityflows for review, re-use, adaptation • Community website for discussion + sharing activityflows (based on experiences from the LAMS Community) • Workflow theory review (Dr Yoichi Takayama) • Initial exploration of activityflow/authorisation fusion