The event was organised by the partnership of a group of EU-project, namely LIFE (Learning Interoperability Framework for Europe), the team of TELCERT and the network of excellence PROLEARN (metadata group), as well as a group of interested actors such as Ariadne, the EifEL institute and the ADL Co-laboratory.

Additionally, an active implication of a working group gathering 50 French-speaking LMS developers and 30 French-speaking instructional designers took place prior to the event. This working group has met monthly for the last six months at Preau (Chamber of Commerce of Paris) to study SCORM 2004 and LOM FR (the French application profile of IEEE LOM) in order to build appropriate demonstrations of interoperability.



Participants of the LIFE Fest event in Paris.


Thanks to the process of collaborative exchanges, LMS developers and instructional designers have developed an efficient methodology towards a collective appropriation of these standards, and used TELCERT certification tools.


Short summary: Three essential challenges for e-learning

1. Exploration and demonstration of interoperability of e-learning solutions (LMS, authoring tools, etc.) conforming to SCORM 2004 and its implementation of IMS Simple Sequencing.

2. Interoperability of learning resources repositories while using LOM in order to search and record them.

3. Conformance tests and setting up a certification process in Europe for e-learning tools and contents: TELCERT, ADL

To this end, numerous demonstrations of content package exchanges between LMSs took place among various participants. The goal was to check import procedures to see if sequencing rules are correctly executed. These demonstrated capacities of European teams to master the standards in question. Consequently, these communities of practices would like to seek the recognition of their expertise through a certification process at the European level. It was proposed by the participating groups that a technical committee could be set up within the CEN (European committee for standardisation) to capitalise on this expertise, whereas the certification processes itself could be delegated to private operators such as TELCERT.


Detailed descriptions of presentations and demonstrations:


1. Demonstration of content and tool interoperability

Presentation of SCORM 2004 3rd edition: add-ons, changes, with adoption and implementation issues and interoperability of SCORM 2004 content packaging using IMS Simple Sequencing

Each demonstrator presented exports of pedagogical content packages, prepared with authoring tools to conform to SCORM 2004, then imported on LMS which handled them with various degrees of success. The future goal is to continue the exchange and collaboration process in order to eliminate bugs and improve the production chain and dissemination of e-learning contents. Demonstrations of content packages interoperability on three LMSs. The excellence of the three interoperability demos with SCORM 2004 can be underlined.


2. Setting up SCORM 2004 specifications with IMS Simple Sequencing

Each participant in this part of the programme was able to choose his/her own strategy in order to use SCORM Simple Sequencing for: Controlled tracking; LMS option presentations; Objectives to be defined for pre-tests; Advanced management for objectives and remediation possibilities.

Participants:
France : Ganesha (Anema), Scenari Sup (UTC), Gef Expert (Dafco Lille), Le Préau (CCIP)
UK : Icodeon, Cetis, TELCERT (CRT Reload SORM 2004)
Italy : learn eXact (Giunti Labs)
USA : ADL,,Insite studio,



Michel Arnaud, a LIFE-project partner from Paris X, announces the next speaker.


3. Interoperability of learning resource repositories using LOM

Demonstrations:

SQI (Simple Query Interface): Prolearn (Ariadne) and EUN (FIRE).

Interoperability of learning resource repositories using OAI-PMH with LOM API

OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative's Protocol for Metadata Harvesting): Pentila.

Presentations of SQI and OAI-PMH have raised questions on the difference stressed between the harvesting phase (OAI-PMH) which is relatively simple while using LOM as well as other metadata formats, and the query search (SQI) done on various repositories with the compatibility problem of metadata left aside. A conciliatory process should be initiated between the two approaches so that efficiency can be enhanced in the query process thanks to harvesting being done before the query.


4. Interoperability of learning resource repositories using ADL-CORDRA

CORDRA (Content Object Repository Discovery and Registration Architecture) is still a prototype but is already very useful to identify distributed learning resources thanks to a central registry.


5. Extension of SCORM 2004 - Integration with IMS LD - Why and how?

Demonstration of SCORM content packages was imported into IMS Learning Design (via the LMS .LRN of the University Carlos III of Madrid and with the participation of 'UTC).

The joint use of SCORM and IMS LD shows the absence of any reason for not using together the two standards: SCORM content can be used in a collaborative setting through IMS LD.


6. Demonstration of AICC PENS

Demonstration of content dynamic editing with AICC PENS on Anema – Ganesha LMS shows the interest of automated administration of incoming resources in a learning resource repository.


7. Presentation of a use case of LOM FR for SCORM content packages (Dafco Aix-Marseille - e-Greta LMS)

This presentation showed the importance of granularity levels for content packages while using LOM, as well as the need of a common vocabulary.

The real problems in the medium term could be the following: On the one hand, hundreds of LOM application profiles can be developed, each linked to a specific pedagogical practice. On the other hand, too much of a restricted vocabulary can result in an impoverishment of semantic interoperability as well as could infringe on sequencing rules.

Three solutions were presented:
1. Setting up a taxonomy for teachers(folksonomy) built from their own practice and made consistent in an abstract stage needed for terms organisation,

2. Reduction to a minimum common core of taxonomy made of same descriptors that are found in various application profiles before trying to enlarge it later on.

3. Using a federated search which consists in extracting a minimum common core from metadata available in learning resource repositories.


8. Content and tool certification processes

The question here is to present conformance tests for application profiles and thoughts about certification processes.
SCORM 2004 conformance and certification tests.

Demonstration of conformance tests for SCORM 2004 and presentation of certification process for SCORM by ADL.


9. Building application profiles for SCORM and LOM

TELCERT (TELCERT (EIfEL/ The Open Group) : interesting and performative TELCERT tools.

Demonstration of methodology used to create XML schema application profiles following CEN ISSS LT and IMS Global recommendations and using TELCERT project tools (Schemaprof, STT, CRT).


10. Demonstration of conformance tests for application profiles

Presentation of TELCERT system test and of the setting up of the certification process by the OpenGroup.

The main message from ADL is that the SCORM certification process can be delocalised in Europe, as it is the case in South Korea and in Latin America.


End note

The most innovative aspect of this LIFE Fest is how the working group in charge of its preparation has reached its self-defined objectives; disseminating active knowledge of SCORM 2004 Simple Sequencing and of the French application profile of IEEE LOM, as well as preparing demonstrations of interoperability while using TELCERT certification tools. It is worth nothing that members of the working group (LMS developers as well as instructional designers) are involved on a voluntary basis. The group has develop a shared knowledge in a community of practices, and would like their newly acquired expertise to be recognised by a certification process.