MERLOT and Epsilen Collaboration in Developing Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

1. MERLOT and Epsilen Collaboration in Developing Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment Ali Jafari, Ph.D. Professor / Director, IUPUI Sorel Reisman, Ph.D. Managing Director, MERLOT.ORG 2006 MERLOT International Conference (MIC06)Westin Ottawa and Ottawa Congress Centre8-11 August 2006 MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

2. Presentation Outline • MERLOT’s LMS Initiative • Epsilen Environment Project MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

3. MERLOT Learning Management System Initiative • Three targets: • Proprietary vendor systems • Open source, community-shared/developed systems • New: Innovative LMS opportunities MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

4. MERLOT Vendor Partners • Blackboard • WebCT • Desire2Learn • Angel Learning MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

5. Why Partner with MERLOT • Companies provide institutions content-free LMS infrastructure • Companies want outstanding reference examples of utility of their system over competition • Companies seek strategic alliances with content partners to demonstrate their product’s superiority • All MERLOT partners consider MERLOT a superior source of multi-disciplinary, high quality, academic content MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

6. Why MERLOT Partners • MERLOT collection and services exposed to hundreds of thousands of higher education instructors/student worldwide. • Increased partnership possibilities • Increased MERLOT membership • Potential for significant growth of collection • MERLOT is completely “agnostic” and above board MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

7. Partnership Goals • Partners • Search MERLOT – basic and/or advanced • Integrate search results into instructor-build courses • MERLOT • Directly “submit” materials into the collection • Other MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

8. Open Source Opportunities • MERLOT seeks partnerships with open source initiatives as their popularity grows • Moodle & Sakai – meetings at MIC 2006 MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

9. Innovative LMSOpportunities • MERLOT is frequently invited to consider innovative partnerships • MERLOT assesses potential to evolve significantly electronic learning for our community • MERLOT invites such invitations • We assess grant potential as a marker of likely success • Epsilen meets all our criteria MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

10. Ali’s Presentation Outline • About CyberLab and Epsilen • Next Generation of eLearning Model • Understanding Epsilen • Epsilen-MERLOT Demo • Smart Learning Object Search Engine MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

11. About CyberLab CyberLab is a research and development laboratory within the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI • Oncourse (1997-1999) • ANGEL (1999-2000) • Epsilen (2001-present) MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

12. Next Generation of eLearning Environment • New Conceptual Idea • New Technical Framework • New Business Plan See EDUCAUSE Review, July/Aug 2006 http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm06/erm0643.asp MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

13. Epsilen A “combo box” or “Swiss Army knife” of eLearning • Lifelong and Personal: • ePortfolio • CMS • Repository • Social Networking (academic and professional) • Group collaboration • Email, IM, SMS • MyPortal • Intelligent agent MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

14. Epsilen Easy to use Low Cost Smart Open Environment A “combo box” or “Swiss Army knife” of eLearning • Lifelong and Personal: • ePortfolio • CMS • Repository • Social Networking (academic and professional) • Group collaboration • Email, IM, SMS • MyPortal • Intelligent agent MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

15. Epsilen Framework MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

16. Epsilen – MERLOT Demo www.epsilen.com Free registration *.edu email is required to register * Out of USA institutions send request to jafari@iupui.edu MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment

17. Q & A To obtain a copy of this presentation visit: http://jafari.iupui.epsilen.com Ali Jafari, Jafari@iupui.edu Sorel Reisman, sreisman@calstate.edu MERLOT and Epsilen: Next Generation of Smart Repository Environment