This section contains the questions most frequently asked at training sessions and meetings. Others were asked in email or in the discussion forum of the Working Group on Standardization (GTN). These questions reflect the main concerns of the people who will be implementing and using the Normetic application profile.

What is the difference between Normetic and IEEE 1484.12.1-2002 ?

IEEE 1484.12.1-2002 (Learning Object Metadata) is a standard recognized by IEEE consisting of 80 optional metadata elements, whereas Normetic is an application profile for this same standard consisting of 20 mandatory metadata elements.

Why not Cancore ?

Although Cancore’s latest work confirms its intention to base itself on IEEE 1484.12.1-2002, this subset and its 62 metadata elements may prove difficult to implement due to its optional status. Normetic proposes the mandatory use of only 20 metadata elements, thereby making it less complex to implement, while still allowing adequate documentation of resources.

Why develop standardization assistance tools ?

It is not necessarily about developing new tools but rather using and customizing existing ones. A preferred method is to find Open Source tools that could be sharable throughout the education network.

What is eduSource ?

The EduSource project will create a linked network of learning object repositories across Canada. The project will also be an inventory of ongoing development of the tools, protocols and practices that will define the components of an interoperable framework and the Web services that will tie the repositories together and the protocols necessary to allow other institutions to enter into that framework. Open Source tools should be available in 2004.

What is a metadata element ?

Metadata elements are data about other data. In this context, they are used to describe the contents of teaching and learning resources (learning objects) in a structured and precise manner. The data may relate to the title, author, creation date and type of resource (book, journal), location of the resource on the library’s shelves (location), user rights and administrative references.

Do you have a copy of the Normetic DTD ?

No DTD (Document Type Definition) has been created yet. Vocabularies for describing certain Normetic elements will have to be defined first. Next, an agreement will have to be reached on pedagogical resource classification models. Once the vocabularies and classification models have been defined, a DTD could then be created.

Beyond the application profile, where are the answers to other standardization-related questions (API, quality, evaluation) ?

Normetic does not currently provide answers to all questions related to specifications and other aspects of standardization. The priority has been placed on the creation of pedagogical assets to build an education heritage.

What are the proper mechanisms for disseminating content ?

Several types of architecture exist for exchanging learning objects from data repositories such as MERLOT, POOL, SPLASH and CAREO. Very few standards exist however. Here are a few examples of possible mechanisms :

The Open Archives Initiative (OAI) is a protocol for facilitating access to digital documents. It deals with the collection and presentation of metadata. An organization that wishes to exchange data using this protocol must first create OAI-compliant learning repositories.

Peer-to-peer exchanges where each computer stores resources and makes them available to other computers. This architecture is often used on the Web. Napster and Kazaa, used for downloading music, are examples of such an architecture. A learning object can be downloaded locally and then shared between users.

Distributed resource warehouses are made up of a server containing metadata and teaching and learning resources. Each server is searched sequentially until the information is found or all of the servers have been searched.

Finally, federated resource warehouses operate out of a central warehouse containing the metadata (metadata server) but the learning and teaching resources reside in other resource warehouses.

What are the best warehouses for finding quality learning objects ?

At the moment, research is in progress on a good number of warehouses (CAREO, CLEO, eduSource), but some initiatives are valuable due to the volume of resources they make available.

In Québec, Télé-Québec offers a resource warehouse for the elementary and secondary levels. The warehouse has videos with teaching guides, sites referenced and reviewed by teachers in the field, teaching tools and tutorials.

Outside of Québec, there is MERLOT for post-secondary resources. Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) is a U.S. initiative of California State University. This is a free and open site offering a selection of online learning resources designed for faculty and students of higher education. With its growing collection of online educational content, content peer reviews and assignments, MERLOT offers value-added services for teaching.

Should we develop tools for managing learning resources that are separate from academic management systems ?

Yes. Learning management and academic management systems are generally proprietary, meaning that they are created for the specific needs of each establishment. New tools thus need to be developed for managing and disseminating content that will become sustainable, interoperable and course-independent pedagogical assets and that will be more easily shared between the production teams.

Are the teaching and learning resources described with the Normetic application profile SCORM-compatible ?

The 11 mandatory SCORM metadata elements are included in the 20 Normetic metadata elements.

SCORM addresses certain specifications that are not defined under the Normetic application profile, such as IMS Content Packaging and the SCORM Run-Time Environment.

Can evaluations be standardized with Normetic ?

The Normetic application profile allows you to standardize your description of an evaluation resource by using metadata element 5.2 Educational Resource Type but does not address interoperability. On the other hand, in the case of an evaluation, the specification SCORM Run-Time Environment would allow you to manage the communications (results) between a teaching and learning resource and a learning management system.

How can we make sure that a teaching and learning resource is unique ?

Even though metadata element (1.1 Identifier) is not among the 20 elements required to describe a resource under Normetic, the system must produce a unique identification number to make the resource available to the entire community. This identifier could take the form of a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), a URN (Uniform Resource Name) or ISBN (International Standard Book Number).

How did you choose the 20 metadata elements ?

The 20 metadata elements were selected after multiple consultations of education experts and standardization organizations and validated by the Working Group on Standardization (GTN) of the Information and Communications Technology Sub-Committee (SCITC) of the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Québec Universities (CREPUQ).

Is Normetic open-ended ?

In addition to being compatible with the principal application profiles such as Dublin Core, CanCore, SCORM and UK LOM with respect to the description of metadata elements, Normetic supports the other standards in the field, such as DRM (Digital Rights Management) for managing copyrights, WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative) and Section 508 of the ADA for accessibility of resources for persons with a disability or diminished capacity and OAI (Open Archives Initiatives) for the dissemination of teaching and learning resources.

Can a resource be documented in two languages ?

Metadata elements let you document a resource in several languages. The writing convention is to indicate the language to be used at the beginning of each metadata element, by referring to ISO 639 1:2002. The metadata element description chart provides all the writing conventions and formats needed to document a resource. For example, metadata element 1.4 description can be expressed in XML as follows :

What standard is used for dates ?

The IEEE 1484.12.1-2002 and Normetic conventions follow standard ISO 8601:2000 for dates. The standard is unique and follows the format "YYYY MM DD". The year (4 characters) is entered first, followed by the month (2 characters) and the date (2 characters). Each information element is separated by a hyphen. For example, the following dates are valid : "2001 07 05", 2001 07", "2001".

Can other elements be added to the Normetic application profile ?

Additional metadata elements from the 80 IEEE 1484.12.1-2002 elements can be added, as long as the 20 mandatory elements of the Normetic application profile have already been filled in.

It is also possible to add metadata elements that are specific to the management of an organization’s resources but that cannot be used outside of it.

At what point should we explore the issue of intellectual property ?

It is important to agree on the terms of use and management of intellectual property rights before you even begin a project.