In October 1997, the Department of Defense, with support from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), will launch the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) initiative. The purpose of ADL is to ensure access to high quality education and training materials that are tailored to individual learner needs and available whenever and wherever they are required. The initiative is designed to accelerate large-scale development of dynamic and cost-effective learning software and to stimulate an efficient market for these products in order to meet the education and training needs of the military and the nation’s workforce of the 21^st century.

As a first step, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Department of Defense will host a Kick-off meeting on October 28, 1997. The Kick-off meeting will bring together representation from industry, academia, and other public sector organizations who are interested in participating in the ADL. It will provide a forum for articulating the needs of a national community of education and training consumers, developers, and suppliers. Most importantly, it will begin the process of developing a common set of guidelines for the tools and learning content needed to support Advanced Distributed Learning.

As DoD converts to a distributed learning environment in a cost-effective manner that is consistent across the military Services and all other DoD components, ADL will ensure that a common set of guidelines for this new object-oriented learning environment is developed through active collaboration with the private sector where many of the innovations in network technology and software design are taking place. ADL partnerships between the federal government, private sector technology suppliers and the broader education and training community will be the primary vehicle for formulating voluntary guidelines that will meet common needs. By making learning software accessible, interoperable, durable, and reusable ADL will ensure that academic, business, and government purchasers of learning software gain the best possible value from the materials they purchase.

• Achieve consensus on guidelines needed for large-scale development and implementation of efficient and effective distributed learning

• Identify and promote business models and economic incentives that serve the needs of both consumers and providers of distributed learning

• Establish a rapidly growing networked community of education and training consumers
  
• Stimulate large-scale collaborative developments by organizations that share common learning requirements

• Share lessons learned and accelerate the development of a robust and highly diverse object-oriented open environment for Advanced Distributed Learning

A review of software industry trends indicates that many companies now believe that an object-based approach will provide the basis for platform neutrality and software reusability needed for the large-scale development and dissemination of powerful and cost-effective learning content. Platform neutrality and software reusability are considered essential for the sustained investments necessary to create the kind of dynamic ADL environment that is needed to meet the education and training needs of a 21st century military and national workforce.

The Java Virtual Machine and Dynamic HTML are noteworthy examples of new techniques that promote platform neutrality. There is an emerging consensus that specifications for these new platform neutral techniques are sufficiently mature to justify investment in next generation applications. While it is understood that more innovation is needed in the education and training domain, it appears that the development of a robust object-based and platform neutral environment for distributed learning will become practical and feasible over the next 2-5 years.

ADL will provide a forum for exercising and assessing a variety of technical approaches for producing instructional objects that meet the needs of the ADL partners. Results will then form the basis for an initial set of ADL guidelines.

To facilitate communications among the participants in this initiative, the following definitions have been adopted.

Courseware - A software application comprised of instructional modules that deliver a collection of lessons on a specific topic.

Instructional Module - An interactive lesson or performance support tool. Instructional modules may be combined and re-used to create courseware for different topics.

Instructional Element - Small pieces of courseware that provide specific interactive functionality that can be used by many different instructional modules (e.g., a multiple choice question format, a simulation model).

Instructional Components - Reusable stand-alone objects that are assembled to create instructional elements and instructional modules and that can be re-used in other instructional modules (e.g., educational Java "beans", switches, dials, screen elements).

Instructional Object - An instructional module, instructional element, or an instructional component.

Internet Browser - A software capability for accessing and displaying multimedia data via the internet.

Platform - A suite of software running on a user (client) system designed to render interactive content. For the purposes of the ADL Initiative, Internet browsers are the target platforms.

The fundamental attributes of a robust and dynamic ADL environment are accessibility, interoperability, durability, and reusability. These terms are defined as follows:

Accessibility - The ability to access an instructional object found in one location and use it in many other locations, both local and geographically remote.

Interoperability - Level 1: The ability to select an instructional object developed in one location using one set of tools and use it in another location integrated with instructional objects developed using either the same or different tools; Level 2: The ability of instructional objects developed using different development tools to exchange information and data in useful ways (e.g., a simulation object exchanging data with a tutor object).

Durability - The ability of instructional objects to continue to operate successfully without recoding or redesign when base technology changes occur.

Reusability - Level 1: The ability to select instructional objects developed for one purpose and use them in a different course with a different purpose. Level 2: The ability to incorporate an instructional object in the context of many other applications.

A key component of the ADL Initiative is the "Plugfest" which is envisioned as a two year process of collaborative development, experimental testing and analyses. Three Plugfest phases are planned, each focused on evolving technical issues regarding instructional object design and construction, and the design of robust re-usable and interoperable instructional components.

The success of this endeavor depends upon active collaboration and vigorous information exchange of all participants. We are encouraging participation by those who are most likely to advance the goals of the ADL initiative. Those who wish to attend the kick-off meeting should submit a brief description of instructional objects they plan to develop during the Plugfest process. These submissions should be sent via email to mgorski@ida.org by October 10^th 1997.

Following the kick-off meeting in the fall of 1997, (tentative date is 28 Oct) participants will coordinate their activities through an ADL testbed facility. This facility will be made available to partners for multi-platform testing as each project evolves. Plugfest events are scheduled near the end of each phase to present and demonstrate the results and document lessons learned. Each Plugfest event is designed to provide a forum for participants to exchange information and data as part of an ongoing learning process. The Plugfest events are also used to form a consensus on guidelines for future instructional object development. Plugfest phases are as follows:

Phase I - Develop a Consensus on the ADL Guidelines: This phase begins with the release of the first set of guidance for participating in the ADL Plugfest. Participants will produce instructional objects that have been designed to meet some portion or all of the ADL functional requirements. Submissions will be reviewed by all of the participants to share lessons learned and promote a better understanding of innovations needed for the new ADL environment. Following Phase I, Version 1.0 of the ADL guidelines will be released.

Phase II - Develop Instructional Objects using Version 1.0 of the ADL Guidelines: Participants will collaborate on the creation of instructional objects that utilize the full scope of the 1.0 guidelines and strive to meet Phase II objectives at the second Plugfest. Following Phase II, Version 2.0 of the ADL guidelines will be released.

Phase III - Scale-up Collaborative Development of Instructional Objects: Participants will expand the collaborative development of instruction objects to include more robust learning content and capabilities such as intelligent tutoring, instructional management, virtual reality environments, or networked simulations. Participants will also demonstrate the interoperability and reuse of these instructional objects. Following Phase III, Version 3.0 of the ADL guidelines will be released.

ADL "Kick Off" Meeting: [28 October 1997 tentative date] Guidelines for participation in the first Plugfest will be presented to participants for review and comment. Key developments that show early promise of contributing to ADL goals will be described and presented. Participants should bring a short description of the instructional module(s) they plan to demonstrate at the first Plugfest, and be prepared to discuss it with other participants.

Plugfest 1: [February 1998] ADL Plugfest participants will be prepared to demonstrate their instructional object applications. Applications will be demonstrated on multiple platforms with an informal review by all participants. Participants will be asked to provide documentation that summarizes the technical approaches used and lessons learned. Participants will be encouraged to provide comments and suggestions for improving a draft set of ADL guidelines. Following this Plugfest, a compilation of lessons learned as well as the "1.0" version of the ADL guidelines will be published.

Plugfest 2 March through September 1998: This Plugfest will build upon the technical foundation established in the first Plugfest and will focus on collaborative development of instructional modules that conform to the 1.0 guidelines. Participants are encouraged to demonstrate their instructional modules on multiple platforms, and to demonstrate the reusability of instructional objects in other modules created by others. The results of this event will be compiled and distributed to the ADL participants and will form the basis of the next revision of the ADL guidelines.

In order to optimize the benefit of this event, the following guidance is proposed as a foundation for participating in the Plugfest. The intent is to provide a common basis for developing instructional objects that meet requirements for accessibility, interoperability, durability, and reusability.

1. Compatibility: Submissions should be compatible with major browsers (e.g., Internet Explorer 3+, Netscape Navigator 3+).

2. Interoperability: Submissions should be designed to execute on multiple computer systems including but not limited to Windows 3.X, Windows 95, Windows NT, Mac OS 7+, and Solaris.

3. Object Technology: Submissions should include re-usable, stand-alone instructional elements and components that are assembled to create instructional modules. As defined above, instructional elements should provide specific interactive functionality (e.g., a multiple-choice question format, job aid format, a mathematical model). Any database program may be used to store and retrieve the objects as long as it is available as a commercial, off-the-shelf product.

4. Documentation: Participants will document key elements of their submission:

• Description of the functionality included in the product.
• Technical description of the programming solutions used to achieve the functionality.
• Lessons learned including:
• Problems encountered and solutions found.
• Unsolved problems and blind alleys.
• Alternative approaches/strategies that might be used in the future.
• Areas requiring additional research and development

5. Metadata: Participants are encouraged to use the IMS metadata specifications to identify and locate instructional objects (see http://www.imsproject.com/metadata/).

Plugfest participants will demonstrate both the functionality of the instructional module and the degree of accessibility, interoperability, durability, and reusability achieved by their instructional objects. In order to achieve the objectives of this collaborative effort, prospective participants agree to the following general procedures:

1. Test Project: Participants will provide instructional object(s) that meet the ADL Functional Requirements either by conversion or through new development.

2. Contribution to Library: At the conclusion of each phase of the Plugfest, participants will contribute their instructional objects for testing and re-use by other ADL participants over the duration of the Plugfest process.

3. Lessons Learned: Participants will document their technical approach and its contribution to achieving ADL objectives for compilation and redistribution to other participants.

Participants may submit instructional objects that are interactive lessons or performance support tools. Within each interactive module, there should be discrete instructional elements that may be re-used in other instructional modules. The sharing of instructional objects will allow all participants to determine the degree of interoperability with elements submitted from other participants. Teaming of participants through the development phase is encouraged. Instructional objects developed by Plugfest participants may include features such as:

• Textual presentation of content
• Branching options
• Multimedia such as graphics, animation, and audio
• Exercises or entry of data with judging of responses (e.g., multiple-choice items, drag-and-drop items, matching items, or fill-in-the-blank items)
• Random generation of test items and random placement of distracters within items.
• Links to other internet resources
• Collaboration among students (asynchronous and synchronous communications)
• Generation of automatic e-mail messages to students based on completion of an instructional module
• Links to underlying knowledge structures such as student models, content models, or expert instructor modules
• Advanced capabilities such as speech recognition or eye movement control
• Student performance data including exercise/input responses.
• Student tracking data that indicate status in the instructional module (date begun, date completed, total time in lesson, etc.)
• Bookmarking data to allow the student to continue in the instructional module based on his/her previous locations.

Wherever possible, Plugfest, participants will be asked to demonstrate the features of their instructional objects in an integrated lesson module. Participants will be given the opportunity to demonstrate the ability to collect student performance data and write the data to individual student records that contain student profile data.

http://java.sun.com

http://www.imsproject.com

http://www.javasoft.com/docs/books/vmspec/html/VMSpecTOC.doc.html http://www.imsproject.org/metadata/

The current spec of the IMS metacontent format is at:

http://mcf.research.apple.com/hs/mcf.html

Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative

What is the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) initiative? Sponsored by the DoD and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the ADL initiative is designed to be a catalyst for joint public and private sector projects that advance the application of technology in education and training through the development of an ADL common object framework.

Why are OSTP and the DoD pursuing the ADL initiative? The purpose of the initiative is to accelerate the development of dynamic and cost-effective distributed object-based technologies in DoD and elsewhere so as to ensure access to the highest quality education and training tailored to individual learner needs, whenever and wherever required.

Why do Plugfests? To create a collaborative forum with the public and private sectors to to test the elements of a common object-based architecture for instructional software and to develop guidelines for cost-effective development of ADL materials.

Why should I participate in the Plugfest? Organizations who are present at the creation of the ADL guidelines will have a strong voice in their technical content and direction. They will share the intellectual capital of the those who are on leading edge of the ADL initiative. The large-scale collaboration of users and producers will lead to increased efficiencies and productivity.

What happens at a Plugfest? Developers and researchers come together to see if they can make their independently developed components work with those developed elsewhere. Technical approaches that work are quickly identified and documented, and solutions to problems, many of which are unforeseen, are discussed and often quickly resolved. A Plugfest is among the fastest ways to test what works, what doesn’t, and why.

What happens after the Plugfest? The results of each Plugfest will be collected and disseminated to participants and the training and education community.

Will the DoD set standards? No. Instead the DoD, in coordination with OSTP and other Federal agencies, will create instructional object designs based on existing industry practices and standards that promote reusability, durability, accessibility and interoperability. The scope and detail of the guidelines will not be static; they will evolve and grow over time.

Why use object technology? The software industry as a whole is moving toward object-based technology in order to benefit from the same qualities DoD is seeking for instructional objects, namely: reusability, durability, accessibility and interoperability.

Isn’t object technology too young to work with yet? While certain popular languages, class libraries and tools are still very young, object technology itself is a well understood software approach. More importantly, the bulk of the software industry has coalesced around key object related approaches thus assuring their rapid development. In 1997, both Netscape and Microsoft are incorporating distributed object support into their Web browsers and migrating their software to an object-based structure.

What about bandwidth limitations for complex applications? Bandwidth availability varies widely and it is recognized that some instructional objects may require high bandwidth to function acceptably. It is therefore expected that some applications will be developed to execute on a local stand-alone system, some will be a local-network hybrid, some will be local area network limited, and others will be completely Internet/intranet based. It is expected that adherence to the guidelines will permit the graceful transition of local applications to network-based applications as bandwidth availability permits.

What about all of the existing courseware? Existing courseware is expected to continue to be used throughout its expected life cycle. If major revisions and updates to existing courseware are undertaken, it is recommended that such changes comply with the courseware development guidelines where feasible.

What about courseware I’m going to create this year and next? The need to deploy courseware over the next 18 months may preclude some applications from being fully compliant with the ADL guidelines. However, developers should become familiar with the guidelines and will be given incentives to provide migrations paths from existing approaches to object-based processes. In particular, courses should be designed in discrete elements or components that can be reused. These elements and components should be as object-like in design as possible to facilitate conversion in the future.