Briefing Paper

Cetis Briefing Papers are short four to six page briefings to introduce a new specification or topic.

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Distributed Learning Environments

By Wilbert Kraan and Sheila MacNeill.
Cetis Briefing Paper , serial number: 2010:B01.
Topic(s):

Link: Distributed Learning Environments (pdf).

Summary: After a period of relative stability and deeper embedding, the debate about the role and function of the VLE (virtual learning environment)
within the institution is gathering pace again. Many institutions in the UK
are in the process of reviewing their current VLE provision in the light of
changing pedagogical requirements, more administrative integration and the emergence of new classes of social media on the wider web.

In the past, the requirement for deeper integration with other (administrative) systems gave rise to the MLE (managed learning environment) concept. Later, the demand for greater personalisation and the availability of new web tools gave birth to the PLE (personal learning
environment) debate, in which people radically re- conceptualised the notion of a learning environment. During these phases, however, the VLE still remained a dominant force within institutions. This has resulted in a tension between the role of the VLE as a common tool for the institutional community, the desire to make it permeable to the institutional network and the wider web and to allow greater levels of personalization / customization for individuals and institutions.

A number of working solutions are now emerging to address these tensions. This briefing paper will explore five emerging models, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each and link to working examples and further sources of information.

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Assessing the business case for standards: Introduction for strategy planning and resourcing committees

By Adam Cooper and Wilbert Kraan.
Cetis Briefing Paper , serial number: 2009:B01.
Topic(s):

Link: Assessing the business case for standards: Introduction for strategy planning and resourcing committees.
Link: Assessing the business case for standards: Introduction for strategy planning and resourcing committees (pdf).

Making a business case for interoperability and standards is a challenging task for those involved in the strategic planning of IT systems in educational institutions. This briefing with its accompanying references is intended to provide advice and supporting materials to help people to incorporate standards in their ICT-related business cases. It assumes some familiarity with the way IT systems are presently deployed and maintained in educational institutions, and will be of interest to Information Services managers and senior managers for strategy planning and resourcing.
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What is assessment item banking?

By Phil Barker and Rowin Young.
Cetis Briefing Paper , serial number: 2007:B05.
Topic(s): ,

Link: What is assessment item banking? (html).
What is assessment item banking? (pdf).

A CETIS Briefing paper on item banks, collections of assessment items and associated software to enable the storing of content to support the assessment of student learning. An assessment item is a complex object, consisting of a question together with its associated data such as score, feedback and either any media files required or links to those files. Item banking software enables items to be deposited, discovered and retrieved. In order to support the discovery and delivery of items, each item needs to be described with metadata, and may also be related to usage data.
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IMS AccessForAll Metadata Specification

By Sharon Perry.
Cetis Briefing Paper , serial number: 2007:B03.
Topic(s):

Link: IMS AccessForAll Metadata Specification (html).

Link: IMS AccessForAll Metadata Specification (pdf).

CETIS briefing paper on the IMS AccessForAll Metadata Specification, which defines the meta-data that can be used to describe a learning resource’s accessibility and its ability to match a learner’s preferences. It works in conjunction with the IMS ACCLIP (Accessibility for Learner Information Package) Specification, and provides guidance on how to make the two specifications work together.

No longer current.

IMS Accessibility for Learner Information Package (ACCLIP) Specification

By Sharon Perry.
Cetis Briefing Paper , serial number: 2007:B02.
Topic(s):

Link: IMS Accessibility for Learner Information Package (ACCLIP) Specification (html).

Link: IMS Accessibility for Learner Information Package (ACCLIP) Specification

A CETIS Briefing on the IMS Accessibility for Learner Information Package
(ACCLIP) Specification, which provides a means of describing preferences so that learners can interact with an e-learning system regardless of disability, hardware or environment. These preferences are based on those parts of a computer system (hardware and software) that can be adjusted to improve accessibility, rather than on type of disability.

No longer current.

IMS Guidelines for Developing Accessible Learning Applications

By Sharon Perry.
Cetis Briefing Paper , serial number: 2007:B01.
Topic(s):

Link: IMS Guidelines for Developing Accessible Learning Applications (html).

Link: IMS Guidelines for Developing Accessible Learning Applications (doc).

A CETIS Briefing on the IMS Guidelines for Developing Accessible Learning Applications which provide a set of accessibility resources and recommendations for the e-learning community, so that online learning can be made accessible to everyone.

No longer current.

What is IMS Learning Design?

By Ann Jeffery and Sarah Currier.
Cetis Briefing Paper , serial number: 2005:B06.
Topic(s):

Link: What is IMS Learning Design? (pdf).

A CETIS briefing on IMS Learning Design, which is a specification used to describe learning scenarios. IMS Learning Design allows these scenarios to be presented to learners online, and enables them to be shared between systems. It can describe a wide variety of pedagogical models, or approaches to learning, including group work and collaborative learning. It does not define individual pedagogical models; instead it provides a high level language, or meta-model, that can describe many different models. The language describes how people perform activities using resources (including materials and services), and how these three things are coordinated into a learning flow.

No longer current