JORUM: Increasing Access to Institutional e-Learning

Adrian Stevenson

Digital Resources for the Humanities ConferenceTuesday 7th September 2004

What does JORUM mean?

• JISC Online Repository for [Learning and Teaching] Materials– Noun: 1. A large drinking bowl. 2. The amount that such a

bowl contains

• Currently research project, started October 2002

• Paving the way for service to all F/HEIs from August 2005

• EU Procurement process for repository software now completed and contract awarded to Intrallect

JISC’s Exchange for Learning Programme

• X4L is exploring the re-use and re-purposing of existing content, not just from JISC, but also other sources such as NLN, and NGfL

• 22 L&T content-producing projects from FE and HE

• 3 infrastructure projects, JORUM, Reload and TOIA

• X4L at: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=programme_x4l

• JORUM at: http://www.jorum.ac.uk

More about JORUM

• Project partners are JISC, EDINA, MIMAS, CETIS, Xtensis e-Learning Ltd and Intrallect Ltd

• JORUM has two “Areas”:– Area A: Pave the way for the JISC’s long-term repository

service– Area B: Provide test-bed repository systems for content-

producing projects in X4L (intraLibrary and Xtensis)

• Will provide long-term retention for nationally funded project outputs

• Promotes the sharing, re-use and re-purposing of expensive content

What does a L&T repository do?

• Offers similar facilities to a library i.e. search, browse, locate, preview and borrow

• Offers additional facilities e.g. upload, and may allow the structuring of content into content packages

• Supports all file formats for L&T and delivers content packaged learning objects that can be played in a VLE, or used as resources by tutors

• Hosts any digital resource that can be used to support teaching and learning

• Provides “virtual objects” that reference materials (on and offline) held elsewhere

Potential sources of content

What materials will JORUM hold?

• Simple materials– Excel spreadsheet with data

for lab exercise– Word document with lesson

plan, or schedule of work– Images

• More complex materials– 2D & 3D animations

illustrating complex concepts e.g. chemical, geological etc

– Learning objects, containing a number of materials organised into overall learning objectives such as a modules or courses

• Virtual objects– Files that contain a

reference to materials not held in the repository

Facilitating Re-use - Interoperability

• Efficient re-use depends on the agreement to use common standards to achieve interoperability

• The JISC Information Environment requires the implementation of standards and specifications from the IMS Global Learning Consortium, IEEE and Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL)

• Most relevant to JORUM are:– IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM)– IMS Content Packaging– IMS Digital Repositories Interoperability

• Dewey and UK Educational Level schemes used to classify content for browsing

• Subject specific schemes also used such as MeSH for medical materials

IEEE Learning Object Metadata

• Based on Dublin Core – title, description, keywords etc.

• Contains learning specific elements:– Learning resource type e.g. exercise, questionnaire, self

assessment, graph, exam– Level of difficulty e.g. easy, difficult– Level of interactivity e.g. low, medium, high

• JORUM uses metadata subsets or ‘application profiles’ based on the IEEE LOM to meet community specific needs:– UK LOM Core– X4L profile– RDN/LTSN profile

IMS Content Packaging Specification

• IMS Content Packaging facilitates re-usability by specifying a standardised way to package learning content

• Consists of a zip file containing an XML ‘manifest’ file and the learning resource files or references to the resource files

• The manifest file contains:– the metadata– the structure or ‘organisation’ of the learning materials – the location of the materials, often within the zip file itself

• Packages can be imported and exported from the JORUM repository and used as required:– Materials can be imported into a VLE– The package can be disaggregated and the individual parts (e.g.

images) can be re-used as part of other learning objects– The free Reload tool can be used to create and package content

(www.reload.ac.uk)

Disseminating Content

• IMS Digital Repositories Specification provides recommendations for the interoperation of common repository functions– Searching is the main function via OAI and Z39.50 protocols– JORUM repository metadata ‘harvestable’ using Open Archives

Initiative protocol (OAI-PMH)– XQuery and SOAP – enables request and delivery of content

• IMS DRI facilitates dissemination – HE Academy L & T Portal may have a channel or ‘portlet’ for searching

JORUM– Any harvestable repository can disseminate it’s content through any

portal service that decides to harvest it’s metadata

• Rich Site Summary (RSS)– Content disseminated via RSS channels or news feeds– E.g. Top 10 downloaded objects, top 10 rated objects etc.

• Outreach Officers

Browsing JORUM for materials

Preview materials

Export materials

Add materials - intraLibrary

Add materials - Xtensis

Add Metadata

Issues: Metadata assignment

• Effective discovery, relevance and use of materials requires quality metadata

• Quality assurance mechanism needed

• Recent research indicates that tutors will not be able/willing to provide metadata in enough quantity and of a high enough quality

• The addition and quality assurance of metadata will be handled by the repository workflow mechanism– Cataloguers, information specialists and technical evaluators will

complete and quality assure the metadata

Issues: Licensing

• JORUM Project currently looking at a Creative Commons style licensing model

• Licence requires someone at institution to state that they have authority to agree to licence i.e. to sign on behalf of their institution– It is unlikely that a content author i.e. tutor would have this authority

• Licence asks for warranty that resources will not break any UK law or offend any third party rights holders

• Licence requires indemnification of host institution if third party rights holders object or law is broken– Only someone with authority to sign on behalf of their institution can

give these guarantees

• Many complex legal and technical problems have to be solved

Contacts

Project Manager - EDINAMoira.Massey@ed.ac.uk01744 623079

Project Leader - MIMASJ.Carter@man.ac.uk0161 275 6725

Software Development and Support - MIMASadrian.stevenson@man.ac.uk0161 275 7044