Title: Why service-orientation could make e-learning standards obsolete

Authors: Gottfried Vossen, Peter Westerkamp

Addresses: European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS), University of Muenster, Leonardo-Campus 3, 48149 Muenster, Germany. ' WGZ Bank AG, Westdeutsche Genossenschafts-Zentralbank, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 20, 40227 Dusseldorf, Germany

Abstract: Standardisation in e-learning is characterised by the development of numerous specifications. Main efforts address the annotation of metadata, content aggregation, educational modelling languages, or the definition of interfaces for platforms and runtime systems to execute learning objects. Each of these fields comprises several competing activities that are generally not compatible to each other. In this paper, we discuss typical problems of common e-learning standards and contrast this with a service-oriented approach to deliver major functionalities of e-learning platforms and content. The approach is based on web services, which can be plugged together to build platforms that solve many of the compatibility problems inherent in present-day standards. It turns out that the consistent implementation of e-learning functionalities based on web services can make several e-learning standards obsolete.

Keywords: e-learning standards; standardisation; LOM; SCORM; service orientation; online learning; web services.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTEL.2008.020232

International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 2008 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.85 - 97

Published online: 09 Sep 2008 *

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