Full HTML for Basic Portals for Web Based Education and Training

Full HTML for

Basic foilset Portals for Web Based Education and Training

Given by Geoffrey C. Fox at Rice University Tango Tutorial on October 18 1999. Foils prepared October 19 1999
Outside Index Summary of Material

Architecture of Training Portal with interfaces, services and distributed educational objects

Standards and pragmatic use of XML for Educational Objects

Services and some solutions: Databases for administration and content; Authoring.

WebCT and Blackboard commercial solutions
WebWisdomDB System from NPAC

Relationship of Education and Enterprise Portals

Table of Contents for full HTML of Portals for Web Based Education and Training

Denote Foils where Image Critical

Denote Foils where Image has important information

Denote Foils where HTML is sufficient

1

Portals for Web Based Education and Training
2

Overview of Training Portals
3

Portals in Education and Training
4

3-Tier Architecture for Education Portal
5

Basic Multi Tier architecture
6

Collaborative Portals for Distributed and Distance Learning Standards and Pragmatic XML
7

Standards and XML I
8

Standards and XML II
9

XML and Other Object Models
10

A Custom Java Applet for Quizzes(6 problems)
11

Part of XML defining quiz
12

Fragment of NPAC Education XML DTD
13

Re-usable Education Object Strategy
14

Collaborative Portals for Distributed and Distance Learning Education Portals
15

Major Commercial Education Portal Technology I
16

Major Commercial Education Portal Technology II
17

Some General Objects of Importance to Education
18

(Education) Portal Building Model
19

Enterprise Portal Building Tools I
20

Enterprise Portal Building Tools II
21

General Object Descriptors of Interest to Education II
22

WebWisdomDB Curriculum System
23

Manager Function of WebWisdomDB
24

Access WebWisdomDB Curricula Database I
25

Access WebWisdomDB Curricula Database II
26

General Object Descriptors of Interest to Education III
27

Education Specific Objects
28

Some Important Education Services/Tools

Outside Index Summary of Material

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 1 Portals for Web Based Education and Training

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

Rice University Tango Tutorial

October 18 1999

Geoffrey Fox

NPAC Syracuse University

Syracuse NY 13244-4100

gcf@npac.syr.edu

3154432163

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 2 Overview of Training Portals

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

Architecture of Training Portal with interfaces, services and distributed educational objects

Standards and pragmatic use of XML for Educational Objects

Services and some solutions: Databases for administration and content; Authoring.

WebCT and Blackboard commercial solutions
WebWisdomDB System from NPAC

Relationship of Education and Enterprise Portals

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 3 Portals in Education and Training

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

We are discussing Web-based education or portals to a virtual university or virtual corporate training center and yesterday you heard about portals to computing

Merrill Lynch predicts that Enterprise Information portal market will be $15B by 2002

So assume that we are building education portals in terms of "Distributed Educational Objects" -- this is not really an assumption but a statement as to "language used"

Portals are built as a customizable set of XML components ( e.g. Display a thumbnail of the next web-page in lecture or run a Particular Program )

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 4 3-Tier Architecture for Education Portal

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

There are several important Object Models: COM, CORBA, Java, Web, Oracle Database ......

But it doesn't matter!!

XML File System (Web Site)

Middle Tier "Business Logic" dissociates User and Back End

Export/Import

Request

Information

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 5 Basic Multi Tier architecture

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

The two Sweet Spots for defining Universal Interfaces (IDL or Templates)

Educational Objects can be stored in Databases or Web Sites

Broker or Server

XML

Result

XML Query

Rendering Engine

Browser

Rendering Engine

HTML

Objects

XML Request for service

followed by return of XML result

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 6 Collaborative Portals for Distributed and Distance Learning Standards and Pragmatic XML

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 7 Standards and XML I

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

So we wish to move ahead and enter a world moving with Internet Speed ...

But neither us nor the world we move in knows quite what we want to do

We need to set standards so that our infrastructure and content can be largely reused

If we start now with public domain or commercial systems like "mine", "yours", WebCT, Blackboard, CAPA then how can we do this so can evolve as technology changes

We could ask system provider to support "standards" but this is not very helpful if standards are insufficient

Educause IMS (www.imsproject.org) and IEEE P1484 are working on standards (which will be expressed in XML) but currently they seem far from being sufficient.

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 8 Standards and XML II

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

So we need to agree on an "architecture" (such as that shown earlier) and decide where the "sweet spots" are to define standards

i.e. you do not agree on standards but do try to agree (or guess) what entities will have standards defined for them in the future

Then standards define interfaces to distributed educational objects (methods and properties)

XML is useful as a flexible way of specifying object interfaces in a convenient user readable way supported by growing number of tools

Internet Explorer and Communicator 5 renders XML
Many Java libraries for processing XML

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 9 XML and Other Object Models

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

So XML Web pages are natural XML specified objects but you can use XML as export of an Oracle database

COM and CORBA define their interfaces in a specialized IDL (Interface Definition Language)

Java defines its object interfaces in terms of Java the language

But it does not matter if object is in text file, C (accessed via CORBA or COM), Oracle, Java or JavaScript; one can define interface in XML and map to particular realization

So XML is Universal Object Specification

it may or may not be preferred object implementation

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 10 A Custom Java Applet for Quizzes(6 problems)

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 11 Part of XML defining quiz

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

< npaceducationxml > <question questionID="0000005">

<timeInMinɬ</timeInMin>
<timeInSecᡖ</timeInSec>
<text>Which of the following are control structures?</text>
<multipleChoice>
- <option>while</option>
- <option>if-then-else</option>
- <option>class</option>
- <option>switch</option>
- <option>public</option>
- <correctAnswer>while</correctAnswer>
- <correctAnswer>if-then-else</correctAnswer>
- <correctAnswer>switch</correctAnswer>
</multipleChoice>

</question> </ npaceducationxml>

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 12 Fragment of NPAC Education XML DTD

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

<!ELEMENT npaceducationxml (quiz+, lecture+, author+, course+) >

<!ELEMENT quiz (question)+>

<!ATTLIST quiz quizID ID #REQUIRED

authorID IDREF #REQUIRED

courseID IDREF #REQUIRED

lectureID IDREF #REQUIRED>

<!ELEMENT author (name, email+, institution)>

<!ATTLIST author authorID ID #REQUIRED>

<!ELEMENT name (family, given)>

<!ELEMENT family (#PCDATA)>

<!ELEMENT given (#PCDATA)>

<!ELEMENT email (#PCDATA)>

<!ELEMENT institution (#PCDATA)>

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 13 Re-usable Education Object Strategy

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

Identify types of educational objects and divide them and their properties into

a) Education specific
b) World Wide or Business Enterprise specific (Yahoo Netscape IBM etc. will define e.g. portalML, X3D, VML )
c) Particular field specific (MathML, ChemistryML etc.)

Find where good standards exist and use them

Work with organizations to eventually agree on important missing standards (as with IMS and DoD ADL)

Define in XML, the missing interfaces as <yourinstitutiontrainingxml> and insist that vendors either adopt these interfaces or define their proprietary interfaces as <webctxml> <blackboardxml> <iplanetxml> <oraclexmlportlet> etc.

Convert these temporary standards (either permanently or dynamically) to eventual <wwweducationandtrainingxml>

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 14 Collaborative Portals for Distributed and Distance Learning Education Portals

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 15 Major Commercial Education Portal Technology I

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

Blackboard has popular products (CourseInfo, Campus) which have very good administrative support including linkage to University student databases.

1000 institutions (300,000 people) using this

Modest capability to author curricula but good tools such as discussion lists, homework, grading and simple quizzes

No Built-In Synchronous Delivery

http://www.blackboard.com

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 16 Major Commercial Education Portal Technology II

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

WebCT has 877 Institutions in 46 countries with stronger authoring capabilities but still rather basic HTML

Good services such as Glossary

http://www.webct.com

http://webct.ncsa.uiuc.edu:8900/

WebCT Course Page from NCSA

WebCT

Says .....

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 17 Some General Objects of Importance to Education

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

"(better)portalML" -- define the user's customized portal layout and what they can choose from

define available objects and layout (number of columns etc.)
placement of component objects on pages and specification of their parameters and location e.g. access weather object for suchandsuchcity with suchandsuch sensor overlay
choice of nifty JavaScript index
preferences for resolutions and "universal access"
borders, backgrounds etc.

Portal building tools will exist for developers (architect type of portal i.e. differentiate my.NPAC from my.Netscape) and users ( specialize particular portal architecture )

Such general tools will be competition for education specific systems like WebCT

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 18 (Education) Portal Building Model

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

Educational Components and Services are abstracted as a set of hierarchical Toolbars-- perhaps as in Word or similar commodity software

Toolbars (made of individual commands/object accesses) are defined in XML and rendered in HTML for user interface.

Toolbars can access a direct middle-tier service or a educational objects

Education Toolbars include user profile specification (layout, universal access), University Services (sports, tickets) , Choice of different curricula, Access to particular on-line resources (programming labs, chats, bulletin boards etc.), Homework submittal and administrative services, integration with "personal portal" to store notes

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 19 Enterprise Portal Building Tools I

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

iPlanet and Netscape Custom Netcenter. This supports fixed and personalized channels which can be repositioned. Can add Corporate banners etc. Feeds can be XML or HTML. See http://www.iplanet.com/products/portal_svcs/cnc_corp/index.html

Excite or Yahoo: http://www.yahoo.com is currently relatively primitive portal technology but no doubt this will be enhanced.

Desktop.com: http://www.Desktop.com currently has only a Beta version of the service, which isonly available for the PC.

You can design your own web-based Desktop and manage everything you are accustomed to using on the web.
The graphical interface of Desktop is very similar to the one used on PC. The Desktop has three components: pull-down menu bar, desktop area and utility bar.

http://www.dreamriver.com/ Unclear at present

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 20 Enterprise Portal Building Tools II

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

Oracle has proposed a Portal Framework built around "Portlets", which are a set of standard Java API's wrapping any existing information or application. The "Portlet" runs on the server (Oracle WebDB 3.0) and delivers a live area of HTML which can then be placed on the Portal site.

Oracle uses XML to extract information from legacy and ERP applications such as SAP, rendering the information through "Portlets".
See http://oracle.com/cgi-bin/press/printpr.cgi?file=199909220500.15273.html

http://www.portal.com: Infranet6.0, has been implemented by Global Center, the complex Web hosting division of Global Crossing Telecommunication

http://wwww.datachannel.com: proposes portalML for XML based Portal

http://www.sequoiasw.com: Interactive Portal Interchange2000 models all source data, including relational databases, as XML documents or objects. See http://www.sequoiasw.com/i2000_product_article.html

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 21 General Object Descriptors of Interest to Education II

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

VML is Vector Graphics Mark up Language

DrawML is designed to support simple technical drawings as sketched on whiteboards and used in (my) PowerPoint

VRML (3D scenes) re-implemented in XML as X3D

MathML Mathematical Expressions

What emerges to support export of Excel, Word for spreadsheets, text etc.

Database access languages as in ColdFusion

Resource Description Framework (RDF) standard for metadata exchange, enables better content searching on the Web

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 22 WebWisdomDB Curriculum System

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

Store PowerPoint on a foil by foil basis, HTML in Database

Store Images and Multimedia objects (to support education or family photos!)

Create scripts (play lists) that create new presentations by mixing old ones

Complete XML Syntax to access database contents from browser and can add your own tags interpreted by Java Servlet

Java Administrative manager supporting hierarchical (directory style) "courses"

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 23 Manager Function of WebWisdomDB

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

Edit Categories

Edit Foils

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 24 Access WebWisdomDB Curricula Database I

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

<?WWTEMPLATE>

<?XML VERSION="1.0" CACHE="NO"?>

<WW_DOCUMENT>

<WW_CONNECT CONNECTION=""/>

<html> <head>

<title> Foilnumber <WW_FOILNUMBER PARENTID="${PID}" FOILID="${FID}"/> :<WW_TITLE FOILID="${FID}" /> </title></head>

<WW_BODYIMAGE/>

<tt><a href="#image">Image</a><a href="#buttons"> Buttons</a> </tt><b> <WW_LINK FILENAME="temphelp.tdl" ATTR="">HELP!</WW_LINK>

</b> version of Foils prepared <WW_MODIFICATIONDATE FOILID ="${FID}" /> </tt>

Connect to Database

Insert Foil#

Insert Date

Insert Title

Insert Link with file coming from database

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 25 Access WebWisdomDB Curricula Database II

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

<h2> Foil <WW_FOILNUMBER PARENTID="${PID}" FOILID="${FID}" /> <WW_TITLE FOILID="${FID}" /> </h2>

<WW_LINK FILENAME="tempfoilsephtml.tdl" > HTML Version</WW_LINK>

<hr> <a name="buttons">

<WW_NEXT FOILID ="${FID}" PARENTID="${PID}" FILENAME="tempfoilsepimage.tdl" IMAGENAME="ww_next"/>

<WW_PREV FOILID="${FID}" PARENTID="${PID}" FILENAME="tempfoilsepimage.tdl" IMAGENAME="ww_prev"/>

<WW_LINK FILENAME="tempfullindex.tdl" ATTR="PID=${PID}">

<WW_IMAGE IMAGENAME="ww_up" FOILID="${FID}" PARENTID="${PID}" /> </WW_LINK>

<WW_SELECTSOUND FOILID="${FID}" NAME="ISSOUND"><INSERT NAME="${ISSOUND}"/>

</WW_SELECTSOUND>

........

</WW_DOCUMENT>

Conditional Test on associated audio clip

being available

Next and Previous Buttons

Insert Image from Database

Title again

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 26 General Object Descriptors of Interest to Education III

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) enables simple authoring of TV-like multimedia presentations such as training courses on the Web

Image and other specialized media descriptors

enable storing of multiple resolutions (image) or multiple video codecs and optimized access
Kodak will popularize for family memorabilia portal

More generally perhaps universalaccessML will allow one to support different renderings of an object needed for different users and clients

palmtops versus PC's
audio versus image for visually impaired users

"People" including students, teachers, administrators

"Bibliographic" descriptors as in Dublin Core

CollaborationML as in NPAC's SPW (Shared Portal on the Web)

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 27 Education Specific Objects

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

Administrative Structure

degrees, departments, lecturers, Deans ...

Performance (grading) information

Assessment data such as surveys, access logs

Glossaries (there would be a middle tier glossary service to automatically link glossary entries to document fragments

Quizzes

Hierarchical Curriculum structure from document fragment to page to lecture to course with provision for linked material for further study

"next" "previous" "more detail" "linked video" buttons

Index/Abstract of high level knowledge

Homework

Student Annotations

HTML version of Basic Foils prepared October 19 1999

Foil 28 Some Important Education Services/Tools

From Portals for Web Based Education and Training Rice University Tango Tutorial -- October 18 1999. *

Full HTML Index

Glossary service stores current glossary (defined in XML) and integrates with selected document fragments

Select optimal version (audio, image, high resolution etc.) of an object (Universal Access Service)

XML Glossary

Java

Servlet

Add Glossary

Basic Web Server

If you have any comments about this server, send e-mail to webmaster@npac.syr.edu.

Page produced by wwwfoil on Tue Oct 19 1999