In some previous works we suggested a mechanism that offers the opportunity to import, within courseware deployed within Learning Management System, some learning object stored into heterogeneous repositories. Works presented here allow teachers and curriculum managers to be aware of all divergences between the imported learning objects and their evolutions, releases and dependencies. It avoids collaboration between production stakeholders and teachers to spiral out of control by providing teachers with visualization techniques such as State Treemap and 3D relationships representation together with notification systems. The framework has been implemented in an open and LOM-based architecture that includes Moodle and the Ariadne Knowledge Pool System, thus validating our approach. Olivier Catteau, Philippe Vidal, Julien Broisin. A Service Providing Awareness of Learning Object Evolutions in a Distributed Environment. Dans : European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL 2008), Maastricht School of Management, Maastricht, The Netherlands, 16/09/2008-19/09/2008, P. Dillenbourg, M. Specht (Eds.), Springer-Verlag, Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) 5192, p. 74-85, septembre 2008.

1. A Service Providing Awareness of
Learning Object Evolutions in a
Distributed Environment
Olivier Catteau, Philippe Vidal, Julien Broisin
Institut de Recherche en Informatique de
Toulouse
{catteau, vidal, broisin}@irit.fr

2. Context
Author
 Various systems
(LOR and LMS)
Learning
Object
 Learning Objects
Repository indexed into LOR
 Learning Objects
used by teachers
Learning and learners within
Management
System
LMS
2

3. Context
Author
 Various systems
(LOR and LMS)
LO Learning
Object
 Learning Objects
Repository indexed into LOR
 Learning Objects
used by teachers
Learning and learners within
Management
System
LMS
2

4. Context
Author
 Various systems
(LOR and LMS)
LO Learning
Object
 Learning Objects
Repository indexed into LOR
 Learning Objects
used by teachers
LO Learning and learners within
Management
System
LMS
2

5. Context
Author
 Various systems
(LOR and LMS)
LO Learning
Object
 Learning Objects
Teacher
Repository indexed into LOR
 Learning Objects
used by teachers
Learner LO Learning and learners within
Management
System
LMS
2

6. Context
Author
 Various systems
(LOR and LMS)
LO LO release Learning
Object
 Learning Objects
Teacher
Repository indexed into LOR
 Learning Objects
used by teachers
Learner LO Learning and learners within
Management
System
LMS
2

7. Context
Author
Various systems

How be teachers awareandLO
(LOR of LMS)
LO evolutions?!?
Learning
LO release
 Learning Objects
Object
Teacher
Repository indexed into LOR
How to know what changes have been
 Learning Objects
made?!? used by teachers
Learner Learning and learners within
How to (decide to) converge?!?
LO
Management
System
LMS
2

8. Outline
 Identifying Learning Object
Evolutions
 Storing Learning Object Evolutions
 Managing divergences
 Implementation
 Conclusion and perspectives
3

9. Simple LO release
 Succession of learning object evolutions
 New release implies conflicts
divergence
A1 Ai Ak
LO A evolutions foo foo
within the LOR import
converge
A1 foo A1 foo Ak
LO A integrations
within the LMS
(a) first integration (b) re-authoring (c) release (d) convergence time
4

10. Competitive LO release /
Format Change
 Competitive evolutions of the same
learning object
 Various approaches to reach the same
pedagogical objectives
 Format changes
divergence
A1 Ai Ak
LO A evolutions foo
foo
within the LOR Ar As
competitive
foo
branch foo
import
converge
foo foo
A1 A1 As
LO A integrations
within the LMS
(a) first integration (b) re-authoring (c) release (d) convergence time 5

11. LO dependencies
 Relationships between learning objects
 B requires A to be understood
 New releases: Bk and Ak
 Deploying Bk implies a pedagogical conflict
A1 divergence
Ak
LO A evolutions foo
within the LOR import A1
A1 foo A1
LO A integrations Ak
within the LMS is
requires required
B1
B1 by Bk is
LO B evolutions bar requires
bar required
within the LOR import converge Bk by
B1 bar Bk foo
LO B integrations
within the LMS
(a) first integration (b) release (c) convergence time 6

12. Information to store
 Qualified relationships
 isBasedOn/isBasisFor
 hasVersion/isVersionOf
 Publication date
 Most recent release
 Status of the evolution
 State of the release
 Changes that have been made
7

13. Outline
 Identifying Learning Object Evolutions
 Storing Learning Object Evolutions
 Managing divergences
 Implementation
 Conclusion and perspectives
8

14. Storage of Divergences
Information
2.1 Version
Existing LOM standard
2.3.1 Role
2.2 Status
2.3.2 Entity
2. Life Cycle 2.3 Contribute
2.3.3 Date
2.4 Expiry Date
2.3.4 Changes
Status of the new
2.5 Modifications
Severity 
3.2.1 Role
release
3.2.2 Entity
 Relation(s) with
3.2 Contribute
3.2.3 Date
3. Meta-metadata
other(s) learning
3.2.4 Changes
…
7.1 Kind 7.2.1.1 Catalog
object(s)
7. Relation
7.2.1 Identifier
7.2 Resource
7.2.1.2 Entry
…
9

15. Storage of Divergences
Information
2.1 Version
Existing LOM standard
2.3.1 Role
2.2 Status
2.3.2 Entity
2. Life Cycle 2.3 Contribute
2.3.3 Date
2.4 Expiry Date
2.3.4 Changes
Who has made
2.5 Modifications
Severity 
3.2.1 Role
changes on LO
3.2.2 Entity
3.2 Contribute
3. Meta-metadata
3.2.3 Date  When changes have
been made
3.2.4 Changes
…
7.1 Kind 7.2.1.1 Catalog
7. Relation
7.2.1 Identifier
7.2 Resource
7.2.1.2 Entry
…
10

16. Storage of Divergences
Information
2.1 Version
Existing LOM standard
2.3.1 Role
2.2 Status
2.3.2 Entity
2. Life Cycle 2.3 Contribute
2.3.3 Date
2.4 Expiry Date
2.3.4 Changes
2.5 Modifications
Severity
 Who has made
3.2.1 Role changes on LO
description
3.2.2 Entity
3.2 Contribute
3.2.3 Date
3. Meta-metadata
 When changes have
3.2.4 Changes
…
7.1 Kind 7.2.1.1 Catalog
been made
7. Relation
7.2.1 Identifier
7.2 Resource
7.2.1.2 Entry
…
11

17. Storage of Divergences
Information
2.1 Version
Extended LOM standard
2.3.1 Role
2.2 Status
2.3.2 Entity
2. Life Cycle 2.3 Contribute
2.3.3 Date
2.4 Expiry Date
2.3.4 Changes
What changes were
2.5 Modifications
Severity 
3.2.1 Role
made and why they
3.2.2 Entity
3. Meta-metadata
3.2 Contribute
3.2.3 Date were made
New descriptor
3.2.4 Changes
… 
7.1 Kind 7.2.1.1 Catalog
7. Relation
7.2.1 Identifier
7.2 Resource
7.2.1.2 Entry
…
12

18. Storage of Divergences
Information
2.1 Version
Extended LOM standard
2.3.1 Role
2.2 Status
2.3.2 Entity
2. Life Cycle 2.3 Contribute
2.3.3 Date
2.4 Expiry Date
Rate about
2.3.4 Changes
2.5 Modifications
Severity

3.2.1 Role modifications severity
New descriptor
3.2.2 Entity
3.2 Contribute 
3.2.3 Date
3. Meta-metadata
…
3.2.4 Changes  Value space
 Low
7.1 Kind 7.2.1.1 Catalog
7. Relation  Medium
7.2.1 Identifier
7.2 Resource
7.2.1.2 Entry  High
…
13

19. Outline
 Identifying Learning Object Evolutions
 Storing Learning Object Evolutions
 Managing divergences
 Implementation
 Conclusion and perspectives
14

20. Processing: the LOV Design
Pedagogical Interfaces LMS 1 LMS 2
Editing Teacher
Subject Matter
Expert
LOR WEB SERVICES
Storage of Learning Objects Author
& Metadata
LOR 1 LOR 2
15

21. Processing: the LOV Design
Pedagogical Interfaces LMS 1 LMS 2
Editing Teacher
Subject Matter
Expert
Specific API 1 Specific API 2
Virtualization Layer Search Indexation
Importation Generation
LOR WEB SERVICES
Storage of Learning Objects Author
& Metadata
LOR 1 LOR 2
15

22. Processing: the LOV Design
Pedagogical Interfaces LMS 1 LMS 2
Editing Teacher
Subject Matter
Expert
Specific API 1 Specific API 2
Virtualization Layer Search Indexation Evolutions
Importation Generation Convergence
LOR WEB SERVICES
Storage of Learning Objects Author
& Metadata
LOR 1 LOR 2
15

23. Processing: the LOV Design
Pedagogical Interfaces LMS 1 LMS 2
Editing Teacher
Subject Matter
Expert
Specific API 1 Visualization of divergences
•Specific API 2
Virtualization Layer Search Indexation • Notifications of divergences
Evolutions
Importation Convergence
Generation • Convergence
LOR WEB SERVICES
Storage of Learning Objects Author
& Metadata
LOR 1 LOR 2
15

24. Visualizing: the 3D
relationships representation
16

25. Treemap construction
17

26. Visualizing: State Treemap
Category Ca1
Treemap
Course C1 Course C2
I
Folder F1 Folder F2 LO I LO J LO K A B
J
LO A LO B LO D Folder F3 Folder F4 E
D H
K
G
LO E LO G LO H
(a) (b)
Up to date Re-authoring in progress
Dependency divergence Need update
No longer valid
18

27. Notifying: asynchronous tools
 Email alerts
 Teachers
 Teachers and pedagogical managers
 ...
 RSS feeds
 LO included in a specific learning design
 LO deployed by a specific teacher
 All LO deployed on the LMS
 ...
19

28. Converging
 Manual convergence
 LO release selection on 3D representation
 Automatic / scheduled convergence
 When modifications severity is low
 No competitive re-authoring
 No format modification
20

29. Benefits
 Teachers keep awareness without
continuously monitoring LOR content
 Convergence processes are facilitated,
even automated
 Pedagogical conflicts avoided
 Up-to-date content
21

30. Outline
 Identifying Learning Object Evolutions
 Storing Learning Object Evolutions
 Managing divergences
 Implementation
 Conclusion and perspectives
22

31. Implementation
PHP
 International EMIAGE
Specific API  Initiated by a French
Evolutions
numeric campus
Search Indexation
Importation Generation Convergence
SOAP/HTTP SOAP/HTTP
 Delivers Master of
ARIADNE WEB SERVICES
Computer Science to
LOM++
foreign students
KPS
23

32. Divergence example
24

33. Outline
 Identifying Learning Object Evolutions
 Storing Learning Object Evolutions
 Managing divergences
 Implementation
 Conclusion and perspectives
25

34. Conclusion
 Awareness about LO divergences in the context
of LO integration process
 Visualization techniques  general picture of the
situation
 Notifications systems  teacher’s reactivity
 Up-to-date course content
 Modifications applied to LOM schema should be
adopted by consensus
26

35. Perspectives
 How the divergence has evolved?
 Playback & undo functionalities
 Awareness mechanisms for steering
committee members
 All LMS of a digital campus
 Awareness techniques applied during
production process
27

36. Thanks for your attention!!
http://www.irit.fr/SIERA
http://www.ariadne-eu.org
28