Existing DCMI Education Properties

Document Metadata

Title: DC-Ed Application Profile Properties
Creator: DC-Education Application Profile Task Force (Hillmann/Currier)
Date Created: 2009-12-27
Date Revised: 2010-01-01
Document Status: Pre-discussion Draft
Description: This is a draft discussion document proposing a set of properties for the DC-Ed Application Profile and is not intended for use in metadata or to be cited as other than "pre-discussion draft".
Contact: Stuart Sutton, [MAILTO]mailto:sasutton@uw.edu; Diane Hillmann, [MAILTO]mailto:dih1@cornell.edu

Draft Discussion Document

The following discussion properties have been derived from the [WWW]Use Cases. NOTE: Since IEEE LOM elements are not acceptable in an Dublin Core application profile, they have been recast in the following table as LOM properties as preliminarily set out by the DCMI/IEEE LTSC Joint Taskforce.

DOMAIN REQUIREMENT EXISTING PROPERTIES DEFINITION PROPERTY RANGE (VES/SES) NOTES [WWW]Use Cases DISCUSSION SUMMARY
P1: Subject dcterms:subject The topic of the resource. -- Not educationally specific but will need to provide guidance on educational subject vocabularies. We have gathered a few examples and created some criteria by which to evaluate such vocabularies, but really there needs to be a registry with appropriate functionality for discovering vocabularies that allows them to be identified, mapped, crosswalked etc. 002; 011; 014; 015; 019; 020; 022; 026; 027; 029; 030; 034; 035; 038; 039; 040; 041 Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2dbvxmn
lom: keyword (1.5) A keyword or phrase describing the topic of this learning object. -- --
lom: classification: purpose (9.1) This category describes where this learning object falls within a particular classification system...The purpose of classifying this learning object. 'discipline' or 'idea' --
P2: Audience dcterms:audience A class of entity for whom the resource is intended or useful. -- This is a major area for the AP - there are a number of ways in which requirements may be said to break down attributes of "audience" for a resource. These are listed below. Only three use cases specified "audience" with no further qualification. Note: 'Audience' may be either the audience a resource was intended for, or it may record of audience the resource was used with. 014; 017; 046 --Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2e2h8gb; --Ronan O'Beirne (12 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2343mdn; --Diane Hillmann (12 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/24uyjc2; --Ronan O'Beirne (13 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/28verrp
lom:intended End User Role (5.5) Principal user(s) for which this learning object was designed, most dominant first. 'teacher', 'author', 'learner', 'manager' NOTE: DCMI/IEEE LOM LTSC Joint Taskforce uses dcterms:audience --Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2e2h8gb "Use dcterms:audience and declare current LOM vocabulary as RDF classes:'teacher', 'author', 'learner', 'manager'"
P3: Educational Context lom:context (5.6) The principal environment within which the learning and use of this learning object is intended to take place. 'school', 'higher education', 'training', 'other' The principal environment within which the learning and use of this learning object is intended to take place. Refers to context such as higher education, primary education, K12, community education, etc. Need to clarify difference between this and Education Level as DCMI has blurred this. 017; 029; 034; 046 --Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2eam8yd "Too much overlap with dcterms:educationLevel - drop."
P4: Educational Level dcterms: education Level A class of entity, defined in terms of progression through an educational or training context, for which the described resource is intended. -- Refers to specific level resource was created for or used in, e.g. "1st year" or using some local curricula level. NOTE: The previous version of the property definition included a [WWW]comment intended to clarify the property as applying to both what is defined above as context and more specific educational levels. 001; 014; 019; 020; 022; 027; 029; 031; 034; 036; 041; 046 --Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/267pp9s
lom: classification: purpose (9.1) This category describes where this learning object falls within a particular classification system...The purpose of classifying this learning object. 'education level' --
P5: Skill Level -- -- -- Refers to level of skill the learner needs to have to work with the resource. Could be the same as "Prerequisite". 005; 014; 037 --Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2cle9ko "Combine (referencing P5, P7, and P9)and declare using dcterms:audience. Define an appropriate set of RDF classes. (Actually... if you want my honest opinion, I would drop all three as being unworkable in the wild)."; --Mike Collett (15 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2ast4uv
P6 Age Range lom: typical Age Range Age of the typical intended user. -- Refers to the typical age range that a resource might be used with, or the actual age range it has been used with. There has been some discussion on whether to conflate this with Educational Level, but this is not practical in all cases, and in some cases some combination of the two might be beneficial (e.g. first-time readers who are adults). 011; 014; 038 --Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2fqsyn7
P7: Literacy Level -- -- -- Could be a subset of "Skill Level"? 005 --Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2cle9ko "Combine (referencing P5, P7, and P9)and declare using dcterms:audience. Define an appropriate set of RDF classes. (Actually... if you want my honest opinion, I would drop all three as being unworkable in the wild)."; --Mike Collett (15 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2ast4uv
P8: Language of Intended User lom: educational Language (5.11) The human language used by the typical intended user of this learning object. -- -- 021; 034 --
P9: Prerequisites -- -- -- This is "Audience" in the sense that it describes previous learning achievements the learner must have in order to use the resource. Could be the same as "Skill Level" or "Literacy Level"? Aren't they nothing more than the learning outcomes of previous learning experiences--outcomes of one experience are prerequisite to the next? 020 --Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2cle9ko "Combine (referencing P5, P7, and P9)and declare using dcterms:audience. Define an appropriate set of RDF classes. (Actually... if you want my honest opinion, I would drop all three as being unworkable in the wild)."; --Mike Collett (15 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2ast4uv
P10: Learning Preference -- -- -- This is the "Audience" slant on Instructional Method (Pedagogical Approach), where the learning style or preference of the intended or actual audience is recorded, as opposed to Instructional Method embedded in resource, or within which resource was used. ?? --
P11: Learning Goals lom: classification: purpose (9.1) -- 'educational objective', 'competency' Note This is a major area for the AP - there are two main approaches- "learning goals" which may be more-or-less vague, subjective or localised; and "achievement standards" which are more codified sets of learning outcomes, such as national curricula, competencies for a particular professional achievement, etc. The line between the two is somewhat blurry. The use cases listed here variously called this property "competencies"; "learning goals"; "learning outcomes"; "learning objectives"; "learning areas";"learning use"; and "teaching point". In some cases, the use case actually distinguishes between two or more of these terms as separate properties; this will be difficult to untangle as the way these things are defined varies geographically and across sectors; and this is only use cases that have been submitted in English. Note: These may refer either the goal a resource was intended to meet, or it may record a goal the resource was used to meet. Learning goals: 001 Learning objectives/outcomes: 001; 020; 027; 031; 032; 035; 042; 045; 046; 047; 049 Competencies: 001; 022; 026; 027; 032; 035 Learning areas: 011 Learning use: 030 Teaching point: 034 --
P12: Achievement Standards dcterms:conformsTo An established standard to which the described resource conforms. -- See above. Again, these are referred to in a number of different ways across the use cases National achievement standards: 001; 036 Local achievement standards: 001; 032; 047 Curricula: 001; 022; 029; 032; 036; 045; 046; 047 --
lom:classification:purpose (9.1) -- 'educational objective', 'competency' --
P13: Course See XCRI metadata -- -- The specific course a resource was created for or has been used in. 003; 019; 021; 041 --
P14: Instructional Method dcterms: instructional Method A process, used to engender knowledge, attitudes and skills, that the described resource is designed to support. -- AKA Pedagogical Approach. This may be something embedded in the resource (e.g. a video of a lecture is using the didactic approach) or it may describe the mayor ways in which a resource is intended to be used, or has been used (e.g. as support material for group exercise). 001; 014; 026; 034; 046; 048 --
P15: Level of Difficulty lom: difficulty How hard it is to work with or through this learning object for the typical intended target audience. 'very easy', 'easy', 'medium', 'difficult', 'very difficult' Note:This is particularly problematic divorced from the skill level or educational level of the user. 034; 037 --
P16: Skills being practiced -- -- -- Refers to specific skills being taught by a resource, e.g. a resource showing use of a medical device, to be viewed on a hand-held device by a medical student on placement. NOTE: How is this different from Learning Goals as outcomes? 034; 035 --
P17: Typical Learning Time lom: typical Learning Time Approximate or typical time it takes to work with or through this learning object for the typical intended target audience. -- -- 020; 043 --
P18: Type dcterms:type The nature or genre of the resource. -- -- 003; 004; 006; 030; 034; 037; 038 --Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/26jxdty; --Mike Collett (13 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2cyj4wx; Andy Powell (13 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/23s9ome; --Mike Collett (14 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2c32crc; --Stuart Sutton (14 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2c9vhyu; --Mike Collett (15 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/27j9byl
lom:learning Resource Type Specific kind of learning object. The most dominant kind shall be first. 'exercise', 'simulation', 'questionnaire', 'diagram', 'figure', 'graph', 'index', 'slide', 'table', 'narrative text', 'exam', 'experiment', 'problem statement', 'self assessment', 'lecture' -- --
P19: Origin -- -- -- Refers to the locality or culture from which the resource originated, which may have bearing on its suitability for the educational context or learners for which it will be used. 014; 017; 025 --Any Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/23qhupv; --Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2an3lvc "Again... I would drop this as not being workable in the wild."; --Mike Collett (15 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2cs27yz
P20: Designed for reuse -- -- -- Is this a "type"? Teacher needs to ascertain quickly whether a resource was designed with reuse or re-purposing in mind. NOTE: Use case deals with licensing. 017 --Andy Powell (8 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/22qvtmm This feels like a rather odd 'yes'/'no' property to me which in general I think should be avoided."; --Mike Collett (14 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/25u2w9m; --Stuart Sutton (14 April) [WWW]http://tinyurl.com/2awqnho