Title: Conformance Testing: the elixer within the chain for Learning Scenarios and Objects
1Conformance Testingthe elixer within the chain
for Learning Scenarios and Objects
Rob Nadolski, Owen Oneill, Wim van der Vegt Rob
Koper Educational Technology Expertise
Centre Open University of the Netherlands
ICALT, 2006
2Fostering/enabling (new) ways of learning
ICALT, 2006
3Fostering/enabling (new) ways of learning
ICALT, 2006
4Fostering/enabling (new) ways of learning
ICALT, 2006
5Fostering/enabling (new) ways of learning
Optimally exploit technologies for
cost-efficient, effective, and attractive
e-learning experiences
ICALT, 2006
6Effective attractive e-learning experiences
- New ways of learning
- Collaborative
- Competence-based
- Problem-based
- Multi-user Learning Scenarios (LS)
- Knowledge co-constructed by learners
ICALT, 2006
7Trends in cost-efficient e-learning experiences
- 1. Learning Technology specifications/standards
- IEEE LOM,
- IMS CP,
- IMS QTI,
- IMS LIP,
- IMS LD
- et cetera
ICALT, 2006
8Trends in cost-efficient e-learning experiences
- 2. Separate LS and LO (only supported by IMS LD)
- Learning Scenario (LS)
- Roles
- Learning activities
- Support activities
- Learning Environment - resources (eg learning
objects) - services - Learning Object (LO)
- Any digital, reproducible and addressable
resource
ICALT, 2006
9Trends in cost-efficient e-learning experiences
- 3. Components-based systems
- - Web services
- - Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)
- Support a flexible and sustained approach to
- e-learning systems development
- Flexibility is urged by learners, educators,
- and educational institutes to enable
- personalized new ways of learning
ICALT, 2006
10Trends in cost-efficient e-learning experiences
- 4. Chain for LOs and LSs (includes 5 links)
Superimposed on LT specifications/standards
AND Conformance Testing
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11Trends in cost-efficient e-learning experiences
- 4. Chain for LOs and LSs
- Development of LOs and LSs
- Set available LOs and LSs
- Make LOs and LSs searchable and reusable
- Arrange LOs and LSs into units of learning
- Use units of learning by learners and educators
- (superimposed on LT-specifications AND CT)
ICALT, 2006
12Chain for LOs and LSs
- State of the art for tools supporting Link 1
- Development of LOs and LSs
- Wide range for LOs well established specs
- (CP, MD)
- Lacking and partly insufficient for LSs
- more immature specs
ICALT, 2006
13Chain for LOs and LSs
- State of the art for tools supporting Link 2
- Set available LOs and LSs
- Publishing in repositories is widely available,
- although there might be a problem for real
- portability of LOs/LSs (MERLOT, several LMSs)
ICALT, 2006
14Chain for LOs and LSs
- State of the art for tools supporting Link 3
- Make LOs and LSs searchable and reusable
- Federated searches through metadata for LOs
- widely available, but inadequate/lacking for LSs
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15Chain for LOs and LSs
- State of the art for tools supporting Link 4
- Arrange LOs and LSs into units of learning
- Fair range of tools but limited to reusing LOs
- and quite complex to use
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16Chain for LOs and LSs
- State of the art for tools supporting Link 5
- Use units of learning by learners and educators
- Quite a range of players but the stage of true
- personalized learning environments and seamless
- integration of componentsbased e-learning systems
- has not been reached yet
ICALT, 2006
17Chain for LOs and LSs
- State of the art for tools Conclusion
- several links in the chain are beneath optimal
strength - Solution
- Better and more easy Conformance Testing to
- Simplify software development
- -gt Improve software development
- -gt Increase confidence in software products
ICALT, 2006
18ICALT, 2006
19Conformance Testing in chain for LOs and LSs
- Simplification
- of testing process
- of developing application domain
profiles(needed to address community-specific
needs) - Through
- - Telcert tools (EU 6th framework)
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20Conformance Testing in chain for LOs and LSs
- Telcert tools
- (specification? certification)
- Schemaprof
- Schema Transformation Tool
- Content Reengineering Tool
- Telcert Test System
ICALT, 2006
21Conformance Testing in chain for LOs and LSs
- Telcert tools
- 1. Schemaprof
- allows the creation of an Application Profile
based on an XML schema file - reduces the incidence of human-error
- modifications are written to an XML file
ICALT, 2006
22Conformance Testing in chain for LOs and LSs
- Telcert tools
- 2. Schema Transformation Tool
- works as a plug-in for Schemaprof
- combines base-specification schema with
modifications made in Schemaprof - generates an XML Schema representation of an
Application Profile -
ICALT, 2006
23Conformance Testing in chain for LOs and LSs
- Telcert tools
- 3. Content Reengineering Tool
- enables creation of content based on localised
XML schemas - is based on the Reload editor
- functionality has also been added to support
Application Profiles
ICALT, 2006
24Conformance Testing in chain for LOs and LSs
- Telcert tools
- 4. Telcert Test System
- tests against a particular e-learning
specification - can be tested against
- the base specification (represented by XSD file)
- an application profile (produced by Schemaprof)
- generic specification-specific tests (derived
from the specification documentation) - after running a test session, the system provides
detailed information on the results of each test
ICALT, 2006
25Summary
- Conformance Testing
- - is indispensable for creating a stronger more
enduring chain - - supports development and adoption of
SOA-compatible - software to facilitate new ways of learning
- - enables more portable LOs and LSs between
different systems
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26BUT
- Conformance Testing could be left unexploited
- - because there is no critical mass for using LT
specifications - within certain communities
- - development of effective, user-friendly
SOA-compatible - software components is not feasible
- - it will not be mature enough for comprehensive
use in the - e-learning industry (which tends to use/develop
new - specifications that need to be fully represented
in a machine - readable format (unambiguous documentation, eg.
UML 2.x))
ICALT, 2006
27Discussion Questions
- Further details
- - Telcert project website
- http//www.opengroup.org/telcert/
- E-mail rob.nadolski_at_ou.nl
ICALT, 2006
28Telcert project
- Enhanced Learning research and technology project
under the EU 6th framework - Aims to develop new testing technologies for
e-learning specifications - Telcert has produced a number of tools to enable
conformance testing for e-learning specifications
ICALT, 2006