Alan Paull, alan@alanpaull.co.ukInformation Management Consultant, APS Ltd

with thanks to Professor Mark Stubbs, Manchester Metropolitan University

Agenda: history, progress, implementation

27 March 2009, Leeds, UK

XCRi: eXchanging Course Related InformationCAP: Course Advertising ProfileXIM: XCRi Implementation Models

UK national agenda of ‘informed choice’ about learning opportunities but feeling that education lags behind other sectors in making its ‘products’

easy to discover and compare. Standards exist for exchanging information about people,

groups, membership and learning objects but no standard way to exchange information about courses.

Institutions developing ways to populate their prospectus from definitive data but resorting to primitive data entry to populate aggregator sites, regional

portals, area prospectuses… Now: genuine interest from the community in a standard for

exchanging course information that facilitates joined-up thinking.

LearningProvider

UCAS LifelongLearningNetwork

WebProspectus

ProviderRe-keys & Pushes for eachAggregator

NationalLearningDirectory

LearningProvider

UCAS LifelongLearningNetwork

WebProspectus

XML

AggregatorsPoll & Harvest fromProviders

ProviderpublishesXCRI prospectus

NationalLearningDirectory

2005 JISC fund XCRI “Reference Model” project.

2006 XCRI tools prototyped and trialled. ReST Xpath search. XCRI CAP 1.0 released. Demo aggregator, xcri.org website, and support team.

2007 XCRI support project briefs government. XCRI ‘preferred approach’ in Learning and Skills Council vision for course aggregation. CEN WS-LT (European Committee for Standardisation, Workshop on Learning Technologies) starts working on European harmonization.

2008 JISC funds CAP 1.1 trials. Start of regional 14-19 age range work. UK Information Standards Board special interest group created. CEN WS-LT Agreement on Metadata for Learning Opportunities - submitted for European Norm.

2009 UK government Information Standards Board for Education Skills & Children’s Services approves XCRI-CAP 1.1 as UK e-prospectus standard.

2010 MLO approved as European Norm?

XCRi-CAP rolled out across UK?

Reid Kerr C

Bolton Uni

UCAS, UCAS MediaOxford Uni

Hotcourses & National Learning Directory

WYLLN (Huddersfield Uni, Bradford Uni, ++)Manchester Metropolitan Uni

East Midlands LLN, H/FEIs & 14-19

CCLiP (3xLiverpool Unis+Big 8) MOVE LLN (Hertfordshire)

Adam Smith C

Open UniGtr Manchester (Idaho & Scool)

Hereford & Worcester LLN

Edge Hill Uni

West Cheshire C Staffordshire Uni

Kent Uni

Higher York LLN

Graduate Prospects

LLN = Lifelong Learning Network

Catalog @generated

Provideridentifier*, title*, subject*, description*, relation*, url, image, address

Courseidentifier*, title*, subject*, description*, relation*, url, image, qualification*, credit*

Presentationidentifier*, title*, subject*, description*, relation*, url, image, start, end, duration, studyMode, attendanceMode, attendancePattern, languageOfInstruction, languageOfAssessment, placesAvailable, cost, enquireTo, applyFrom, applyUntil, applyTo, entryProfile*, entryRequirements*, venue*

Plugindescriptionrefinementvocabulary

PluginstudyModerefinementvocabulary

Plugin…?

refinementvocabulary

Customization

Catalog @generated

Provideridentifier*, title*, subject*, description*, relation*, url, image, address

Courseidentifier*, title*, subject*, description*, relation*, url, image, qualification*, credit*

Presentationidentifier*, title*, subject*, description*, relation*, url, image, start, end, duration, studyMode, attendanceMode, attendancePattern, languageOfInstruction, languageOfAssessment, placesAvailable, cost, enquireTo, applyFrom, applyUntil, applyTo, entryProfile*, entryRequirements*, venue*

roomNumberbuildingName

PresenterDeliverereventType Conference Lecture Exhibition Social event ...eventAudience General public Students Staff ...

To help Higher Education Institutions and other organisations to implement XCRi-CAP driven services to encourage the exchange and re-use of course advertising information.

XIM: XCRi Implementation Models

Aim

XCRi

FunctionsLearner

Lifecycle

Enrolling

Applying

Studying

Course approval and modification

Course advertising

Admissions

Student tracking

Provides details for

Attracts applicants for

Converts applicants intoregistered students for

Providesdetails for

Providesdetails for

Initiated

Course lifecycle

Approved

Under development

Offered

Running

Modificationproposed

Modification approved

Aspiring

Course advertising function

Get the data

Create new information

Aggregate into catalogue(s)

Transform(s) for output

Edit existing information

HEI website(s)

Export to file(s)

Paper publications

API / web service(s)

Issues

CheckXCRI for

transformation and data exchange processes

Integration and

aggregation

Internal and external

supply and publishing

A characterisation of organisational use of course advertising information.

Scenarios and process models for use of XCRI-CAP within common points in the characterisation.

Descriptions of common problems and solutions, dependent on organisational characteristics. ICT Political Process

Pre-requisites for successful implementation

ID Attribute Start 0 1 2 3 4 End1 Number of courses 1 Very large Y Very small

2 Complexity of provision 3 Highly varied Y Simple

3 Number of sources 3 Multiple Y Single

4 Quality of authoring 3 Poor Y Excellent

5 Data structures 2 Poorly defined Y Well defined

6 Update frequency 1 Less than once/year Y Continuous

7 Audit trail 0 None Y Detailed

9a Centralisation (UG) 3 Mostly decentralised Y Complete

9b Centralisation (PG) 2 Mostly decentralised Y Complete

10 Process capability 2 Ad hoc Y Well defined

11 Technical capability 0 Low Y High

12 Organisational context 3 Hostile Y Benign

13 Resources 2 Minimal Y Plenty

Key to scale: 0 = Least favourable circumstance4 = Perfect!

Minimum characteristics for XCRI readiness

0

1

2

3

4Number of courses

Complexity of provision

Number of sources

Quality of authoring

Data structures

Update frequency

Audit trailCentralisation (UG)

Centralisation (PG)

Process capability

Technical capability

Organisational context

Resources

Problem SolutionsWe don’t know how many courses we offer; our courses data sets are extremely variable.

Review and model processes you use; you may find the XIM template useful.Consider creating a single catalogue that will aggregate all your courses data.

We have many de-centralised sources with no links.

Do preliminary work in each one, so that you can aggregate them; introduce common course identifiers; consider changing to compatible data structures.

Our quality of authoring is poor.

XCRI implementation may provide opportunity to change how your authors work. Consider providing a new data entry system that will feed your XCRI outputs. Improvements in data quality can be presented as a ‘quick win’ for an XCRI implementation.

Our data analysis is poor, so it is very difficult for us to map to XCRI successfully.

For initial XCRI implementation, create new data store with data structures that reflect the XCRI model and import data into the new store. Reduces dependencies between XCRI and other components of the system. Then a full integration of the new system with the old one, or an entire replacement system, can be planned.

The institution is re-organising the department, its courses, everything!

Use small scale projects for incremental gains. Or put off XCRI implementation till re-organisation complete.Plan for delays.Consider using XCRI as a common means of exporting courses data for import into a new merged system.Refer to the XCRI mini project reports.

JISC Conference – 2008-04-15

Alan Paull, alan@alanpaull.co.ukInformation Management Consultant, APS Ltd

http://www.xcri.org/http://www.xcri.org/forum/

http://www.xcri.org/wiki/index.php/XCRI_Wiki/

27 March 2009, Leeds, UK

XCRi: eXchanging Course Related InformationCAP: Course Advertising ProfileXIM: XCRi Implementation Models

Simple Single Stream Model

Multiple Source Aggregation Model

Integrated Content Management Model

Outsourcing Model

Feedback Model

Data source Transform to XCRI XCRI source

Paper publications

Export to file

[correct]

Could be database or any other electronic source

HEI website(s)

API / web service

Could be database or flat file in XCRI format

Amend [incorrect]

Checking

XCRi | Simple Single Stream Model

XCRi | Multiple Source Aggregation Model

Multiple Source Aggregation

Data source A

Transformto XCRI

Paper publications

Export to file

HEI website(s)

API / web service

Data source C

Data source B

Data source D

Aggregation

Verification

Master database Master databaseValidation Classification

Sources may be different formats, but have common IDs and compatible structures.

XCRi | Integrated Content Management Model

Content management system

Transformto XCRI

Paper publications

Export to file

HEI website(s)

API / web service

Updates fromauthors

Edit

Createnew course records

Validate

Classify

Data source

Transformation

Content managementdata store

Content managementdata storeDirect to CMS

Via intermediatedata source

MIS

Admissions

24/11/2008 | XCRI Briefing | Slide 21

XCRi | Outsourcing Model

Transformto XCRI

API / web service

Verification, transformations and mappings

Updated data setfrom HEI

Various services dependent on agreements between the HEI and agency.

Export to format ATransform

Export to format BTransform

Export to format CTransform

24/11/2008 | XCRI Briefing | Slide 22

XCRi | Feedback Model

3rd party data collection system

Input the data3rd party

Data store

Transform into XCRI

XCRI output

Validation Classification3rd party

Data store

Collect XCRI dataNew data store at HEI 3rd party data collector acts as an agency for the HEI, providing its own data back in the standard XCRI format.