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Relevant specifications for X4L projects
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Relevant specifications for X4L projects
There are a number of specifications available from IMS and other organisations, but the set below are of primary importance for X4L Strand A projects.
NB: CETIS has Special Interest Groups for people working with these specifications, and more information is available through this website and at our workshops.
IMS Digital Repositories v1.0
This isn't so much a specification as a set of guidelines for defining the functional components of a digital repository and matching them to existing specifications.
As such, you may find the specification documents a very useful starting point when defining your repository architecture.
download the specification documents from IMS
IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM) v1.0
LOM is the metadata standard for learning objects, based upon the IMS Metadata Specification.
IMS Content Packaging v1.1.2
This is a specification for distributing digital assets and learning objects along with (optionally) their metadata. Content Packages contain a manifest that lists the items sent in the package, their metadata, and how they might be structured in a table of contents.
download the specification documents from IMS
SCORM
SCORM is not a specification, but instead an application profile produced for the US government and Department of Defence (DoD).
SCORM incorporates a number of IMS specifications, depending on the version you use:
- SCORM 1.1: IMS Metadata
- SCORM 1.2: IMS Metadata, IMS Content Packaging
- SCORM 1.3: IMS Metadata, IMS Content Packaging, IMS Simple Sequencing
Bear in mind that SCORM was not developed for the education sector, and the controlled vocabularies used in its version of IMS Metadata may not suit your needs.
download SCORM documents from ADLNet
IMS Learning Design
This is a new specification produced by IMS, based upon Educational Modelling Language.
Learning Design is a specification for designing learning activities, roles, and environments. It is quite a complex specification, and the RELOAD project in Strand B will probably be the first implementation of it.
The specification documents have not yet been made public, but when they have you will be able to download the specification documents from IMS
IMS Simple Sequencing
This specification extends the structuring information provided in content packages with a set of rules for how materials should be presented. For example, to provide user choices from a menu, allow forward and back movement between items, or to automatically go forward.
There are runtime engines for Simple Sequencing produced by IBM and Giunti.
download the specification documents from IMS
Educational Modelling Language
The basis of IMS Learning Design. There is a runtime engine produced by Perot Systems
Information on EML is available from the Open University of the Netherlands.