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The dutch framework of educational semantics. Serving Education Through Semantic Cooperation EdReNe Conference, The Hague, December 11 th , 2012. Introduction. Jacob Molenaar NL based independent consultant in educational technology and educational publishing
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The dutch framework of educational semantics Serving Education Through Semantic Cooperation EdReNe Conference, The Hague, December 11th, 2012
Introduction • Jacob Molenaar • NL based independent consultant in educational technology and educational publishing • Chair of the Working Committee of the Dutch Framework For Educational Semantics (OnderwijsBegrippenKader) But I’m not going to do this alone…
Tryptich Of Presentations • Jacob: The Strategic Background Of The Dutch Framework Of EducationalSemantics • Jos van der Arend: The Information Design Of The Dutch Framework Of EducationalSemantics • Jacob: An Experimental Application Of The Dutch Framework Of EducationalSemantics
Topics / Themes • A little bit about the nature of Educational Content for a start • A little bit more about the Semantic Web and Linked Open Data • Much about the Dutch Framework For Educational Semantics (OnderwijsBegrippenKader) • Much more about the Dutch Framework For Educational Semantics by Jos! • A demo and discussion of the Linked Data Trial Prototype
The Nature Of Educational Content metadata Educational Design Which learning goals, which subjects, what type of students, which learning activities, how much learning time, etc. Is mainly determined by 70% Educational Content Actual Content Textbook paragraphs, tables, YouTube clips, quizzes, exercises, etc. 30% Is normally associated with data
Educational Information All information that is generated in the process of designing, planning and delivering (formal) education to learners: • Formal curriculum (learning goals, teaching subjects) • Rationale of this curriculum • Additional achievement standards • Rationale of these standards • Exam Standards (in NL we have national exam standards) • Body of Knowledge (concepts, terms, theories, etc.) • Educational Designs: • Learning trajectories • Textbook structures • ‘Lore of teaching’ (didactics, pedagogy) • Learner Data (profiles, tracking & tracing)
Educational Information • Comes from many sources • Is expressed by a variety of experts using a variety of idioms • Is structured in many different ways • Is difficult to find and access; it lives in many different websites, databases and documents • Is ‘narrative’ (complex and often verbose) Connecting all these information sources is very hard for a teacher, a curriculum designer, a textbook writer, etc. What we therefore need is a shared framework of meaning, a common semantics.
Sharingsemantics We don’t want tocreate a top-down genericframework • Too much 18th/19th centurystyle (Diderot, Encyclopédistes) • Too muchSovietstyle • Too complex andcostlytodevelopandmaintain We need a looselycoupled but reliablenetwork of semanticconnectionsbetween different anddistributedconceptualframeworks. This is where the Semantic Web comesintoplay.
Semantic Web “A set of standardsand best practicesforsharing data and the semantics of that data over the web forusebyapplications.” Bob DuCharme, Learning SPARQL, 2011
Semantic Web In Education “A set of standardsand best practicesforsharingeducational data and the semantics of that data over the web forusebyeducationalapplications.” Jacob Molenaar, EdReNe Conference, The Hague, 2012 ☺
Dutch Framework For Educational Semantics • OnderwijsBegrippenKader (www.onderwijsbegrippenkader.nl) • Outcome of the Educatieve Contentketen Programme (www.educatievecontentketen.nl) • Service of EduStandaard (www.edustandaard.nl): Dutch Body For Standardization In Educational Technology • Started in Spring 2012 • “The aim of this service is to gather all distinct formal and informal conceptual frameworks or classifications used in Dutch education into one referatory, link all the information entities together and give it back to the educators as a comprehensive semantic landscape of linked open data.”
Dutch Framework For Educational Semantics • It housesall the formalandinformalconcepts of the Dutch educational system (learning goals, school type classifications, grades, levels, competencies, subjects, etc. etc.) • Andall of their relations • It publishes these information entities in RDF form • Using unique, persistent identifiers • It is accessiblethrough: • An online user interface (forhumans!) • Offline controlledvocabularies (using VDEX) • Online applicationprogramming interface (API): SPARQL Endpoint
Dutch Framework For Educational Semantics Initial contents (2012-2013): • National curriculum forsecundaryeducation(learning goals anddetaileddrilldown, subjects anddetaileddrilldown) Soonfollowedby (2013): • National curriculum forprimaryeducation • National curriculum forvocationaleducation • National Achievement Standards for Language and Math Skills • Common European Framework of Reference for Lanuages (EU) • Common Core State Standards (US)?
But why? Whyinvestall these efforts, allthis time and (public) money on ‘justanother database’? (cliffhanger)
But why? Whyinvestall these efforts, allthis time and (public) money on ‘justanother database’? Well… maybebecause the Dutch Framework For Educational Semantics supports… Cooperation!
SemanticInteroperability* Semantic Interoperability supports: • Retrieval (e.g. of learning objects) • Compliancy (e.g. of a textbook to a national curriculum) • Cooperation (e.g. a mashup of a publisher’s textbook and an examination body’s guidelines or examples of exam questions – or cooperation between a textbook publisher and a public institution for audiovisual heritage) * Thank you Stuart!
Linked Data Trial Project • An example of user centred cooperation enabledby the Dutch Framework For Educational Semantics: the Linked Data Trial Project • A prototype / proof of concept • Part of www.educatievecontentketen.nl • Developed in the spring andsummer of 2012
Information Domains The prototype combines and presents the expert knowledge of: • Textbooks (developedby experts of bothprofitand non-profit developers) • Formal Curriculum (NL governmentordered, developedby SLO curriculum experts) • National Achievement Standards for Language and Math Skills (NL government ordered, developed by experts of the NL expertise centers for language and math) • Edurep (Dutch national learning object metadata repository)
Linked Data Trial Project The prototype offers: • An automaticallygenerated‘curriculum compliancy statement’ for a) textbooksand b) teacher tailored sets of learning objects from the NL educational repository Edurep • Automatically generated metadata for additional online resources accompanying textbooks http://linked-data.kennisnet.nl
Semantic Network Formal Curriculum(IntermediateLearning goals) New Learning Object National Achievement Standards for Language and Math Skills Connectedby experts Connectedbyteachers Connectedbytextbookdevelopers Textbook (Sections) Connectedbylearning object developers Learning Objects in Edurep
The Linked Data Trial Prototype OutputCurriculum Compliancy Statement InputList of Learning Objects or a Textbook NL Repository forLearning Object Metadata Dutch Framework For Educational Semantics
The Linked Data Trial Prototype OutputNL-LOM Metadata Record InputNew Learning Object Textbook Metadata NL Repository forLearning Object Metadata Dutch Framework For Educational Semantics
Conclusions • Ifyou want tocollaborate in creating, distributingandusing online content youneed a shared semantics • First proofs of concept show thatit is perfectlypossibletouseSemantic Web technologiesforcreatingsuch a shared semanticframework • First proofs of concepts show that the end user can benefit fromthisframeworkthroughpractical applicationsthat offer himaddedvalue in everyday classroom work • However, it takes a determined effort fromallpartiesinvolvedtoestablishsuch a framework (anditsstandardsand best practices). The semanticnetworkwillnotgrow out of itself…
Questions? jacob@jacobmolenaar.nl