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CopperCore, an Open Source IMS Learning Design Engine. Hubert Vogten Open University of the Netherlands OTEC. What is Open Source?. Open Source is about: the right to make copies of the software and distribute these copies the right to access the source code of the software
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CopperCore, an Open Source IMS Learning Design Engine Hubert Vogten Open University of the Netherlands OTEC
What is Open Source? • Open Source is about: • the right to make copies of the software and distribute these copies • the right to access the source code of the software • the right to make improvements to the software • these rights are guaranteed through a license • For an exact definition and the approved licenses have a look at http://opensource.org
Open University of the Netherlands (OTEC) • has been involved in the development of an learning design specification for many years which finally resulted in IMS Learning Design • is committed to providing services/dissemination but, has limited resources • the LD community is looking at us with regards to first implementations of the specifications of this complex specification • we decided to develop CopperCore, an IMS Learning Design Engine and make it available as Open Source
CopperCore Development Strategy (1/2) • Why Open Source development? • out of principle, publicly funded, public access • enhance quality, code is peer reviewed by community • enhance resources by contributions of others • enables the use of other Open Source components • (governments are enforcing it by law, however not yet in the Netherlands) • Advantage for users of CopperCore • use of the code is free (access, copying, modifying) • no restrictions in usage of the code except for the GPL in case of the CopperCore • No issues about IPR when collaborating with others
CopperCore Development Strategy (2/2) • CopperCore Objectives: • to provide an open source software component that can process the IMS Learning Design specification encapsulating it’s complexity for developers wanting to integrate LD in their environment • NOT to provide yet another VLE • allows integration in different environments • not indented to be used stand alone, but rather in a service or component based architecture
CopperCore API’s • Provides 3 Application Programming Interfaces • dealing with administrative tasks • dealing with run-time delivery of the IMS LD specification • dealing with time dependent events • Two levels of APIs are supported • native Java, based on the J2EE framework • web services through SOAP
The CopperCore add-ons • Clicc • very basic command line access to the administrative API • Publisher • a basic web interface allowing the validation and publication of IMS LD manifests • WebPlayer • very simple LD player demonstrating the use of the run-time delivery API
presentation layer components CopperCore and other components authentication QTI component authorization CopperCore searching conferencing policy management LIP component user management
CopperCore CopperCore integration: Alfanet
Service Based Learning Design CopperCore integration: JISC ELF Framework
How did Open Source strategy help us ? • by giving IMS LD community easy access to CopperCore, stimulating use of LD • similar we can and did use developments of others. Community building around (educational) components • we have got feedback and code proposals from others which enhanced and improved our developments • has led to cooperation with others like Alfanet, the Service Based Learning Design in JISC ELF and with Reload in Unfold
Additional information • CopperCorehttp://copercore.org • Unfoldhttp://www.unfold-project.net • Reloadhttp://reload.ac.uk • The SLeD player http://ldplayer.sourceforge.net • JISC E-Learning Frameworkhttp://www.jisc.ac.uk/ • Alfanethttp://alfanet.ia.uned.es • And the stand of the Open University
Why choose for Open Source Development? • Principle reasons • publicly funded projects should be publicly accessible • Practical reasons • more and more governments enforcing it by law • means of bundling and extending resources • more people working on the code • re-use of components that are available • means of improving quality by having peers reviewing the code