Norm Friesen
September 22, 2004

The Sub Committee of the ISO/IEC responsible for "Information Technology for Learning Education and Training" (SC36) just completed its 10th bi-annual working group and plenary meetings in Dublin, Ireland. Considerable gains were made in a number of projects, including:

1. Work on "Metadata for Learning Resources," which seems likely to bring a multilingual, "Dublin Core"-oriented approach to the systematic description of learning resources
2. An emerging model for the interchange of textual collaborative communication contents
3. Standardizing the IMS "Learner Information Package," as well as the accessibility extensions for this specification. Each of these developments is considered in a separate section, below.

1. Metadata for Learning Resources

Metadata for Learning Resources (MLR for short) represents an attempt on the part of SC36 to "adopt, correct, amend, and/or improve upon the technical work in a related IEEE standard called 'Learning Object Metadata'" (see: Kraan, 2003). While development of the "Metadata for Learning Resources" (MLR) has as one of its central premises compatibility the IEEE LTSC "Learning Object Metadata" standard, this is by no means the only standard or point of reference that is important to this development. Canada was able to introduce and pass resolutions ensuring that issues of "Multilingual and multicultural capabilities and equivalency," mandatory and optional element types, and the importance of the ISO 15836 Dublin Core itself as a reference would be given serious regard in the development of the MLR standard. The Dublin Core was mentioned by a variety of national representatives and experts as an important reference point. It also emerged in one of the most important conclusions of a survey of the international implementation of the current Learning Object Standard (Friesen, 2004) --namely, that of the 76 data elements in this standard, by far the most frequently used are among the 16 already identified in the ISO Dublin Core standard (ISO 15836). Canada's and CanCore's representative on SC36, Norm Friesen (yours truly) was also appointed as project editor for the "data elements" component of this developing standard. This means that he will be responsible for combining and editing contributions made by nations participating in this SC36, with the possibility of contributing to the document's overall shape and emphasis.

2. Collaborative Learning Data-Model

Among e-learning standardization organization internationally, SC36 is the only body to the knowledge of this author that undertakes standardization focusing specifically on collaborative learning. A number of significant contributions were made in this area, including a US document suggesting a conceptual, services-based component architecture for collaborative learning systems (WG2N0077.pdf). A second important area of work is represented by the contributions of an international study group focusing on the development of a datamodel for the exchange of collaborative learning communication (WG2N0076.pdf). This study group has identified data elements which could be used to mark-up, access and interchange data generated in synchronous and asynchronous chat and discussion tools. Such a model would be useful not only for rendering this content more easily accessible to users who are differently abled, but could also be used to store and analyze collaborative activities for a variety of pedagogical and administrative purposes.

3. Learner Information Package

Recently, the IMS Learner Information Package (LIP for short) has been the subject of considerable attention and implementation effort in the UK, Canada, and elsewhere --not the least because it represents an important means of supporting e-portfolio technologies and policies. To clear the way for SC36 to begin standardization work on this important specification, a competing solution for exchanging learner information, popularly known as "PAPI Learner," has been set back in the ISO standardization process. This specification, which is much more complex than the LIP, is said to have been implemented only in classified military contexts. On a more positive note, SC36 has is beginning negotiations with the IMS in order to transfer the specification to ISO for further standardization. An important Canadian contribution in this connection takes the form of recommendations for adapting the LIP specifically for purposes of accessibility (in the form of a new version of the entire specification known as "ACCLIP"). This work has been led, in part, by Jutta Treviranus (University of Toronto). Jutta also succeeded in introducing new work into SC36 (36N0809.pdf) which will bring a common portable preference language based on ACCLIP into this standardization body.