Integrated... Interoperable... Institutional... Implementation...

Institutional VLE - Library Integration

at University of Ulster

Session Overview

● Introduction to institution (University of Ulster)● 4i Project background● Implementation of 3 main aspects of integration:

― Resource Management System (TalisList)― Library Service Point (LSP)― Athens Devolved Authentication (AthensDA)

● Benefits of integrated, interoperable, institutional implementation to main stakeholders

● Constraints and future developments

University of Ulster (UU) Overview

● 4 physical campuses● Virtual campus launched

October 2001

http://campusone.ulster.ac.uk

University of Ulster Profile

University of Ulster Profile

● 24,000 students

● 5500 active modules (in WebCT)

● >1000 online module resource lists (in TalisList)

● 17 online Masters programmes

● Global spread of outreach activities

http://www.ulster.ac.uk/profile.phtml

Why integrate the VLE & Library?

● All courses (traditional and virtual) require supporting resources

● Campus based students have ready access to the Library and all its services

● Remote users may not appreciate library services available

● Need to ease and integrate access to knowledge resources for all students (FT, PT & distance)

Integrating to Library Resourcesor the Library ‘Experience’

E-JOURNALS

LIBRARYCATALOG

LIBRARYWEBSITE

PAST EXAMPAPERS

VLECOURSE

AREA

LIBRARY RESOURCES

?LIBRARY

?

VLECOURSE

AREA

INTERNALRESOURCES

SUPPORT

SERVICESEXTERNAL

RESOURCES

CONTEXTUAL LINKS TO LIBRARY RESOURCES, SERVICES & SUPPORT

LIBRARY

Common approach to integration:

University of Ulster approach to integration:

Project Background

● 2000/01 institutional e-learning infrastructure

● 2001/02 Library introduced TalisList

● Summer 2002 UU was test site for

―WebCT-TalisList integration

―Athens Devolved Authentication

● 2002/3 JISC DiVLE funding for ‘4i Project’

4i Project Objectives

● To fully assess the impact of institution wide VLE-Library system integration on library business processes and the user experience

● To further develop technical integration methods to facilitate better interoperability between diverse systems and platforms, and across institutions

Challenges of Integration

● If students are enrolled for a module, we know quite a lot about who they are and what they are likely to be studying…

― Can we provide all users with a contextual view of library and other appropriate resources/services?

― Can we facilitate seamless authentication to protected resources for bona fide UU users?

● Aim: Identification of appropriate user profiling and authentication tools across the institution

Requirements for Integration

● Common data schema necessary● UU Student Records, VLE and Library systems all

use common categorisation schema (module code)● Population of various systems all generated from

common data source● A multidisciplinary, multi-departmental team promotes

a holistic solution

Realising VLE-Library Integration

● A common, granular view of the library necessary – TalisList

● A means of passing on ‘user’ and ‘module’ information between systems - LSP

● An integrated approach to authentication – AthensDA

click web links for further information

Integrated... Interoperable... Institutional... Implementation...

“TalisList is a web-based system designed to manage collections of

resources, such as reading lists associated with a particular

course/module/subject.”

Links to bookdetails in library catalogue

Link to full text journal article

Journal available in paper and electronic form

Link to the website of a professional body

Link to past exam papers online

Resource Management Challenges

● Acquire lists from academics● Add value through inclusion of electronic resources

without ‘spoon feeding’ learners● Identify sustainable resource list creation and

management processes.● Access impact on library business processes and embed

associated tasks within staff structure

Resource Management Opportunities

● Improved academic/library liaison● Increased awareness of electronic resources● Single interface for access to paper-based and

electronic resources● Informed resource management strategy● Modular view of Library, centrally maintained

Integrated... Interoperable... Institutional... Implementation...

“The Library Service Point (LSP) acts as middleware picking up requests from the

institutional VLE and routing them onward to the appropriate Library service or

resource.”

UU Library Requirements

● Engagement with Library staff identified three tiers of library links within WebCT course areas:― Institutional (library homepage)― Subject guides― Module Resources (Talislist)

● In addition:― Library Service Point – a gateway to further contextualised

library resource, service and support options.

Library Service Point (LSP)

● Person and Module data passed from WebCT is manipulated by the LSP to generate person-, module-, school- and faculty-specific links to various Library resource, service and support options.

● Contextual links between the institutional VLE & Library are automatically embedded into WebCT navigation

● The point of integration (LSP) lies outside the actual systems concerned promoting system independence

UU Library Integration Schematic

UU myWebCTHome Area

UU Module Menu A

UU Module Menu B

UU Module Menu C

Library Homepage(Institutional)

TalisList(module / course)

Subject Guide(Faculty / School)

Library Service Point (module & person UID)

Library Homepage

TalisList(module)

Subject Guide (faculty)

Available ElectronicInformation Services

New Resources(school)

Past Exam Papers(module)

My Library Account(personalised)

UU Library Integration Demo

● The following series of slides illustrate functionality of the LSP-facilitated links from UU’s institutional VLE (WebCT) to the UU Library ‘experience’.

1. Library2. Library Services3. Module Resources4. Subject guides

4 standard Library links within VLE

navigation options

1. Generic link to the main Library website via LSP

University of Ulster Library homepage

Library Services Link● ‘Library Services’ offers dynamic contextualised links with

seamless VLE-Library authentication to a range of internal and external Library systems and services via the LSP: ― Main Library Website and Catalogue (generic)― My Module Resource List (module-specific)― Library Information & Services for My Faculty (faculty-specific)― My Electronic Information Services (Athens) (person-specific)― New additions to the Library in My Subject (school-specific)― Past exam papers for this module (module-specific)― My Library Account (person-specific)

2. Clicking here passes user and module ID to LSP that generates a contextualised menu of Library resource,

service and support options.

The user could, for example, click here to gain seamless pre-authenticated access to their account in the Library

system that offers a range of self-service options.

SS: Library Borrower Services

User can view account details and avail of self-service

options in Library catalogue (Talis) without having to enter

additional credentials

Module Resources Link

Module resource lists are managed using the Talislist system● A standalone web-based resource list management system

that integrates with Library Management System.● Resource lists are structured and annotated as required● A CONTEXTUAL gateway through which internal and

external learning resources can be delivered.● Centrally managed by Library, with option to grant

academics editing rights.

3. Clicking here passes user and module ID to LSP; link to

appropriate Module Resource List (in TalisList) is automatically

generated.

TalisList: Users explore the contents of their module resource

list by clicking to expand the various subsections

Subject Guide Link

● Organised on Faculty / School basis● Managed by Subject Librarians● Broader perspective than module resource lists - useful

for student research purposes● Provide some contextual support for students when a

module resource list is not yet available in Talislist

4. Clicking here passes user and module ID to LSP. The relevant

Faculty and School is determinedby the LSP and a link to appropriate Subject Guide (in Library website)

is automatically generated.

Relevant Library news items along with a range of links to subject-

specific resources is presented to the user via drop-down menus

LSP Benefits● Learner

― Seamless access to customised services and resources.● VLE

― Reduced maintenance as LSP and TalisList URLs are maintained by the Library

● Library― LSP authorises ‘trusted’ access to other internal library services

after local authentication in VLE.― Promotes student utilisation of resources and services― Reduces helpdesk queries

Challenge: Seamless access to externally hosted resources

Integrated... Interoperable... Institutional... Implementation...

“Athens is a secure Single Sign On service with over 200 participants from leaders in online scholarly publishing”

Athens Single Sign On Service

● Athens Personal Accounts― Extensive account management facilities with individual

usernames and passwords, administered by Library― Database of user credentials hosted externally by Athens

● Devolved Authentication― Capability to integrate with an institutional system e.g. LDAP― This option allows users to enter a single local username and

password (e.g. VLE login) and avoid having to enter additional Athens credentials when accessing external library resources.

Point of Authentication?

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

InstitutionalDirectoryService(LDAP)

Library Management System (LMS)

Data ServiceProvider (DSP)

LAA Mode HDD Mode

AthensDA: Modes of Operation● Local Authentication Assertion (LAA)

― Used to establish an Athens session preemptively by a ‘hidden’ referral to the Athens Authentication Point (AAP) upon authentication to a local system

― E.g., University of Ulster uses this when a user logs into the institutional VLE (WebCT)

― When the user tries to access an external Athens-protected resource, they are seamlessly logged in because their Athens session has already been established via LAA

● Home Domain Discovery (HDD)― provides the user with a route back to the institutional login option if

they go directly to a service

AthensDA: Virtual Accounts

● Alternative to Athens Personal Accounts that are checked against the central Athens database, hosted external to an institution.

● Virtual accounts are a unique representation of a user, and contain a combination of a unique institutional identifier, and permission set. e.g. uls.acb02f02340z343y

● These credentials are acquired from the AAP after successful local authentication against local directory service (e.g. UU LDAP)

● The DSP does not receive the institutional login details, but instead receives a virtual account, and a transfer token.

Advantages of Virtual Accounts● DSPs (e.g. ScienceDirect) check for an Athens virtual account

stored in the browser session rather than prompting for an Athens username and password; seamless access granted!

● ‘Course and Resource SSO’ - enables synchronised authentication to VLE and Athens-protected library resources

● Maintains ability to produce fine-grained statistics, user profiling, and provides an auditing mechanism for logins.

● Improves accuracy of user credentials and reduces administrative workload

● Eases integration of local and external services

UU AthensDA Implementation

● Current model― WebCT: Authentication role― LDAP: Authorisation role― AthensDA: LAA Mode― Live Semester 2 2002/3

● 2003-04― LDAP for authentication &

authorisation― AthensDA HDD Mode

UU WebCT login

LDAP

WebCT Auth.

Athens LAA

Valid UU user?

No:No action

Yes:Athens credentials provided

Authentication and Authorisation● Authentication

― The act of verifying that an electronic identity is being employed by the person to whom it was issued.

― e.g. UU WebCT login process● Authorisation

― The process of determining, e.g. by verifying what attributes or roles are associated with that identity, whether the identity should be permitted access to a given resource

― e.g. UU LDAP checks if this WebCT user is entitled to use the Library’s electronic resources and if so which subset of these resources should the user be granted access to via AthensDA?

Benefits of Integrated Authentication

● Reduce number of access credentials required

● Effectively pre-authenticates WebCT users to Library

systems and resources; users are ‘ready to go’― Reduces user education― Simplifies existing helpdesk issue (queries from distance

learners about Athens credentials)― Promotes user awareness of available services― Increases usage of electronic resources

Student logs into Campus One, UU’s institutional VLE using local credentials.

Background Processes:• WebCT performs authentication role• LDAP performs authorisation role• AthensDA used establish active Athens session for valid users.

A popup window appears briefly to confirm/deny the establishment of an Athens session.

Background Process:• Valid user is assigned an Athens virtual account for the duration of the browser session

From the MyWebCT area listing various modules of study, the student selects one to enter

Background Process:• 1st session cookie containing ‘Student ID’ is set upon entry to the MyWebCT area

User may select any of the 4 LSP-facilitated Library links from the standard navigation bar,

e.g. ‘Module resources’Background Process:• 2nd session cookie containing ‘Module ID’ is set upon entry to the Module area

Users clicks to expand section within the relevant module resource list

Background Process:The LSP picks up the Module ID (bms813c2x) from cookie and uses this to generate a contextualised link to the Library’s TalisList system

Users clicks on link to electronic journal article from the list of module resources.Background Process:This generates a link directly to the article in ScienceDirect using the Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

e.g. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0006-8993(00)02382-9

User clicks here to open PDF containing full text

Background Process (AthensDA):

DSP (ScienceDirect) checks for existence of Athens virtual account and if present, does not challenge user for Athens username and password.

The user is granted seamless, pre-authenticated, access when navigating

from their course (in WebCT) to the relevant module resource list (in TalisList) and onward to Athens-

protected electroninc library resources (in ScienceDirect).

Overall Benefits

● Opportunities arising from an integrated, interoperable, institutional approach to VLE-Library system implementation include

― Streamlining of library business processes― Simplified user education― Reduction in helpdesk queries― Increased usage of electronic resources

● These benefits are explored in more detail in section 4 of the paper ‘Integrating VLEs & Libraries: opportunities and challenges’ to be published in the ‘Informatica’ journal

click web link to view full paper

Interoperability Constraintsof Current Approach

● Library integration is achieved at course level

● Implications of this include― Managed at the designer level in VLE

― Changes must be done at the course level (1000’s of courses…)

● Working towards a metadata facilitated VLE-Library integration

Interoperability Liaison

UU is actively liaising with● Vendors, in particular WebCT, Talis and Athens● Interoperability standards development groups

― IMS Global Learning Consortium Inc― Centre for Educational Technology Interoperability Standards (CETIS)

● Academic partners― e.g. UK Healthcare Education Partnership (UKHEP)

● UU provide large scale experience in the important, emerging area of VLE - Library integration

click web links for further information