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Basic foilset Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools

Given by Geoffrey C. Fox at Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto on May 28-29 98. Foils prepared June 6 1998
Outside Index Summary of Material

This was one of several working groups at the workshop put on by CILT
This report contains the results of two sessions with some differences in participants
We give background and our proposal to develop a common framework for "Tools for the Virtual Classroom" which span Kindergarten-Lifelong Learning
Note that CILT Sponsored the
Tools for Learning Communities Workshop"

Table of Contents for full HTML of Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools

 Denote Foils where HTML is sufficient
1 Group 7: CILT Workshop Tools for the Virtual Classroom Distance Training and Education
2 Working Group Participants
3 Proposed Project: Develop a Common Framework for Learning Community Tools
4 Motivating and Explanatory Remarks I
5 Motivating and Explanatory Remarks II
6 Motivating and Explanatory Remarks III
7 Formal CILT Proposal
8 Vision
9 Educational Research Issues
10 Leverage / Constituencies
11 Proposed Activities - I
12 Proposed Activities - II
13 Nature of "Requirements Workshop"
14 Public Requirements Document
15 Possible Follow On Projects

Outside Index Summary of Material

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 1 Group 7: CILT Workshop Tools for the Virtual Classroom Distance Training and Education

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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Reported by: Geoffrey Fox
Syracuse University
NPAC
111 College Place Syracuse NY 13244 4100
3154432163
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 2 Working Group Participants

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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Donna Baranski-Walker SRI
Deborah Bond-Upson Knowledge Universe
Geoffrey Fox Syracuse University (NCSA Alliance)
Carolyn Gale Vanderbilt
Roscoe Giles Boston (NCSA Alliance)
Jacqueline Haynes Intelligent Automation Inc.
Charles Kerns Stanford Learning Lab
Sangeeta Mathur Purdue
Dennis Newman IMS
Rob Pannoni SERA Learning Technologies
Joel Plutchak Univ. Illinois Urbana
Denise Whitelock Open University UK
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 3 Proposed Project: Develop a Common Framework for Learning Community Tools

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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Develop requirements for tools and systems that support and enable the creation of communities and collaborative learning and that are pedagogically and community inclusive
These should span K-12 through corporate training
Use existing (partial) frameworks such as IMS requirements document and Educational Object Economy
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 4 Motivating and Explanatory Remarks I

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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Requirements can later lead to technical specifications and standards (as in IMS project), pilot projects and reference implementations
Framework will define requirements and not specifications
  • Compare with ADL which sets DoD training requirements and IMS sets consequent specifications
Requirements can include those for both interoperability and functionality
  • IMS focuses on interoperability
This project is not defining requirements for authoring (i.e. for content) but rather for the interfaces of content with educational tools
Rapid changes in technology suggest that content and tools be as modular as possible
  • This project will define modules and interfaces
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 5 Motivating and Explanatory Remarks II

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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It is likely that K-14 tools and systems will often share components with larger/better funded areas such as Enterprise Systems (cf. Lotus Notes), Corporate training and generic web capabilities
Interoperability, Reusability, promotion of best practices are natural themes
Need to be pedagogically neutral as many approaches are being and still need to be investigated
Tools should include those for teachers (e.g. aid decision making) as well as students
Include synchronous and asynchronous collaboration
Assessment requirements should include interactive feedback
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 6 Motivating and Explanatory Remarks III

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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Need to support both evolutionary and revolutionary approaches
If we were building a Java based system, these requirements would eventually lead to a "Java Framework for Collaborative Educational Tools" with defined interfaces
In CORBA one talks about the properties and methods of educational objects (cf. DoD Advanced Distributed Learning ADL) and a vertical "CORBA facility for Collaborative Educational Tools"
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 7 Formal CILT Proposal

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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From second breakout session
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 8 Vision

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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The quality in terms of functionality and universal accessibility of educational community tools will be enhanced if they are built in terms of a common framework
This will allow system builders to develop modular reusable interoperable components leading to richer systems which will naturally benefit users
Frameworks consist of requirements, specifications, standards and reference implementations. This project just focuses on requirements
Current frameworks such as IMS have been largely driven by higher education and there is particular value in identifying particular needs of K-14 community.
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 9 Educational Research Issues

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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The project is not directly research but it will be guided by education theory in terms of identifying and classifying requirements.
  • This guidance should be "theory and pedagogy neutral" so that it has the necessary universal acceptance
Conversely the project will help education research by allowing researchers to exploit a common system infrastructure into which new modules can be inserted and evaluated quickly.
  • Building such common system infrastructure is a natural follow on project
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 10 Leverage / Constituencies

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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The project is intrinsically multidisciplinary and we need a careful strategy to get broad but not overwhelming participation
We intend to reach out from the consortia -- CILT PACI IMS -- already involved. Possible relevant organizations to be contacted include:
  • Western Governor'sUniversity
  • Dept. of Education/Commerce Challenge grant holders
  • NSF Systemic Initiative grantees
  • IEEE P1484 Standard group
  • National Center for Education Statistics
  • ADL -- DoD Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative
  • DoD Schools and participants in DoD CAETI project
  • Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
  • Personal Contacts (Scholastic, Open University in UK contacts, Israel, Mexico, Asia(Peking Univ.)
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 11 Proposed Activities - I

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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This describes a 8-10 month program culminating in a draft document for public review:
  • document will detail requirements of tools used to build and sustain collaborative learning communities with special attention to particular needs of K-14
First 2 Months:
  • Set up mail list
    • Current participants and others from this workshop and elsewhere
  • Establish web site of relevant resources
    • Allow anybody to add links
  • Produce Executive Summary
  • Write NSF SGER Proposal (in coordination with IMS proposals in the same area)
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 12 Proposed Activities - II

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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Ongoing Activity -- plan requirements workshop
Next 2-4 Months: identify and invite those who should participate in requirements workshop.
  • Use a collection of consortia such as CILT, PACI, ADL to identify people.
  • Cover Industry, Government, Academia, Users, Developers, International ...
  • Executive Summary and web site used to explain project
  • Although workshop participants should come from all communities we need to assume a base knowledge base and so we expect participants to be experts -- although general users should have advocates at meeting
After 6-8 months (November 98 -- January 99), hold an invitational requirements workshop for some 60 participants
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 13 Nature of "Requirements Workshop"

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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60 participants
2 to 2.5 days
Initial day or so: invited talks from different points of view but on the common theme of requirements for tools and systems that support and enable the creation of communities and collaborative learning
Rest of meeting: multiple working groups (around 4-8 in number) meet in parallel to refine pedagogically and community neutral requirements in various areas
  • cf. Break up of ADL discussion November 97
Produce draft report
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 14 Public Requirements Document

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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Internal comments for 2-3 months after requirements workshop
Then hold a small meeting including discussion leaders from previous workshop. This meeting produces a document which is available for public comment
This document and previous summaries can be used to organize a variety of birds of a feather or equivalent sessions in a range of conferences covering different constituencies.
  • This helps process to be exposed to broad community
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared June 6 1998

Foil 15 Possible Follow On Projects

From Development of the Requirements for a Common Framework for Collaborative Learning Community Tools Working Group at CILT TLC Meeting SRI Palo Alto -- May 28-29 98. *
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We have defined a process which will investigate requirements for learning community tools and produce a draft reference document. This could be followed by:
1) Refine Requirements
2) Turn requirements into specifications, reference implementations (of common system infrastructure) and pilot projects
3) Turn requirements document and associated web site into an educational and evangelical resource which can be used by broad range of people interested in understanding capabilities of current or future tools
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