E-Learning Interoperability & Web Services: December
6th, 2002
By
Paul Stacey
A
great deal of discussion around e-learning focuses on "What e-learning
platform do you use?" There are hundreds of options; WebCT,
Blackboard, Desire2Learn,
TrainingPartner2000,
Oracle iLearning, Enterprise
Knowledge Platform, and on and on. This list is long.
To
me e-learning is not a single application but a system made up of multiple
technologies. The e-learning technology you use for Student Information may be
different from the one you use for Learning Management which may be different
from the one you use for a Learning Portal.
The
key question from my point of view is, "How interoperable are your
e-learning technologies?"
Interoperability
is the ability of a software application to interface and work with other
software systems without extraordinary measures or a huge integration
programming effort.
In
the past integrating one software application to another (for exchange of data
lets say) was done using proprietary Application Programming Interfaces (API's).
Integration often required extensive programming and contracting of services
(usually from the software vendor for big dollars).
This
was a serious inhibitor of change. Selection of a particular software
application often meant you were locked in to that vendor for a long time.
Replacing or updating any one software application could mean that your system
no longer functioned properly without a major reworking of the API's at
considerable cost.
For
e-learning vendor lock-in is not desirable. Given the relative infancy of
e-learning technology it is hard to predict who will become the market leaders
for particular e-learning applications and who will have longevity in the
market.
In
the early days of e-learning this led many organizations to custom build their
own e-learning applications. While this build-your-own approach enabled
successful prototypes and pilots it tends not to generate highly reliable,
scaleable systems. Large e-learning initiatives must consider using commercial
applications.
Software
applications typically achieve interoperability by adhering to published
interface standards.
Last
months E-Learning column mentioned the MIT Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI). One
of the deliverables of the OKI initiative is a set of API's, written in Java,
that enable educational technologies to provide and access common education
services. OKI API's are being developed to support ongoing integration of
learning applications (authoring, quizzing, course management, learning
management) with central administration systems (student information, human
resources) and academic systems (library information systems, digital
repositories of research and educational materials). For more information see: http://web.mit.edu/oki/proj/edu2002
Another
major web trend and enabler of application integration is Web Services. Web
Services are computing back-end technologies that facilitate the assembly and
integration of applications. Web Services (a combination of data and
programming) are made available from a business web server for web users or
other web programs. Web services are about software calling other pieces of
software.
From
a technical point of view Web Services use XML (eXtensible Markup Language) to
tag data/applications and put it into a format transportable over the web. SOAP
(Simple Object Access Protocol) encodes the XML file into a kind of standard
envelope or shipping container for distribution. WSDL (Web Services Description
Language) describes the services being offered in the SOAP container and UDDI
(Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration) is used as a listing or
registry of the service so that other web users and applications know that it is
available (like the yellow pages). Its great to see that we've evolved from
three letter acronyms to four letter acronyms! (I think.)
Web
services are becoming widely used in the corporate sector, particularly in
e-business/supply chain. Their impact on e-learning is only just beginning. The
Higher Education Knowledge and Technology Exchange (http://www.hekate.org)
is one organization exploring the impact web services will have in education.
Although
web services in education are just starting to have an impact. I thought it
might be interesting to explore their potential.
Web
services can enable seamless integration of remote applications with desktop
applications. In the past applications have either resided on a central server
or on the desktop of users computers. Using web services to integrate desktop
applications with server applications is a new model. This may allow access to
high end applications on a transactional pay-as-you go basis rather than a
licensed install. It could be especially useful for those in e-learning looking
to access and use public learning repositories.
Web
services enable atomization of what were previously bundled suites. Most
e-learning applications today bundle together a variety of features and
functions (using programming subroutines). A typical application might provide
functions such as a calendar of offerings, a means of registering, curriculum
paths, skills assessment, discussion forums, announcement broadcasts, and
testing and evaluation.
Typically
these application bundles are not best-of-breed in each and every function
category. For example the way the application handles discussion forums may not
meet the needs of instructors or students. Historically there has been no easy
work around. Bundled applications make you take everything not just a piece. As
a result users often find themselves using less than 50% of an applications
functionality. Web services could enable integration of a different discussion
forum application that better suits the requirements of users.
Web
services can provide greater choice and customization options. For vendors this
may mean unbundling applications and the potential to get in to niches they
currently don't service. The challenge on the vendor side is defining a business
model and understanding the impact this may have on the way applications are
currently developed and deployed.
In
a David vs. Goliath sort of way web services could level the playing field.
Rather than vendors with large bundled applications dominating the market there
is opportunity for a lots of smaller developers to each provide a piece and
establish market foothold by specializing in a particular niche.
Ensuring
the products that make up your e-learning system are interoperable gives you the
flexibility to swap one technology for another without a lot of pain.
Interoperability allows you to easily replace a technology that no longer meets
your requirements or adopt a new best of breed technology.
Like
all things IT your e-learning environment is really an ecosystem that will
continually evolve. Interoperability makes your e-learning system adaptable over
time. Look for it, ask for it.
Paul
Stacey, is an e-learning specialist in corporate and higher education. Paul
works in Simon Fraser
University's eLearning Innovation Centre (eLINC). A frequent e-learning
speaker and workshop leader Paul collaborates with Jonathan Finkelstein in
providing and hosting a free online learning community for educators called LearningTimes.
Contact: Paul Stacey
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E-Learning: An
opinionated monthly column exploring the current use,
future potential, and commercial value of e-learning in
BC’s high tech sector.
E-Learning
Archive: An index and links to all the E-learning columns Paul has written
for T-Net going back to April 2000.
