ISO/IEC 19788
ISO/IEC 19788 Information technology – Learning, education and training – Metadata for learning resources[1] is a multi-part standard prepared by subcommittee SC36 of the Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC1, Information Technology for Learning, Education and Training. This committee was created to deal with the consequences of substantial overlap in areas of standardization done at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission.
Purpose
The ISO 15836 Dublin Core (DC) and the IEEE 1484.12.1-2002 Learning Object Metadata (LOM) are widely used to describe learning resources. However, interoperability among DC data sets is challenging, as best practices are only recommended. Instead of using ISO 8601, a DC Date element can be written in plain language and not processed by queries. Ambiguous definitions pose another challenge as data elements and vocabulary values can be interpreted in a subjective way. For example, the DC Date can be linked to resource creation time, update or publication. In the LOM, the Cost element can only have a “yes” or “no” values. This is also true for LOM records as they are based on a wide variety of Application profiles. The ISO/IEC 19788 standard is intended to provide optimal compatibility with both DC and the LOM and supports multilingual and cultural adaptability requirements from a global perspective. The standard has two primary purposes:
- facilitate the identification and specification of the metadata elements required to describe a learning resource by providing metadata elements and their attributes
- support search, discovery, acquisition, evaluation, and use of learning resources by learners, instructors or automated software processes.
Data Element Specification (DES)
To avoid ambiguity and provide interoperability, metadata learning resources (MLR) data elements are documented using attributes.
| Attribute | Usage |
|---|---|
| Identifier | Sequential numbering of DES within a part. For example, ISO_IEC_19788-2:2011::DES0100 (Title) is the first data element defined in part 2. |
| Property name | data element name string |
| Definition | data element definition string |
| Linguistic indicator | indicates if multiple linguistic equivalents are possible or not |
| Domain | resource class of items that can be described by the data element, such as Audience or Learning activity |
| Codomain | can either be a literal (such as a book title) or a resource class (a set of accepted values, such as a list of terms identifiers from a controlled vocabulary list). |
| Content value rules | rule set attached to the DES, for example the mandatory use of Unicode (ISO/IEC 10646-1:2003) |
| Refines | indicates if a DES is a refinement of another one. For example, constraining the values to ISO 8601 for the Date Dublin Core data element in a new data element is considered as a refinement of the first one. |
| Example(s) | optional example(s) of value |
| Note(s) | optional additional information, such as best practice |
Resource Description Framework Approach
The Resource Description Framework is a method for conceptual description of metadata information. Assertions about a learning resource are made using triples (subject, predicate, object) where subject represents the learning resource, predicate is a property identifier and object is the property value.
| Subject | Predicate | Object |
|---|---|---|
| ISBN 0-262-18162-2 | ISO_IEC_19788-2:2011::DES0100 | Turtle, Termites, and Traffic Jams@en |
In a MLR triple, the subject is always the literal of an identifier of the learning resource, such as a URI or ISBN. The predicate is also a literal, the MLR data element specification (DES) identifier. For example, ISO_IEC_19788-2:2011::DES0100 tells us that this DES can be found in part 2 of the standard and DES0100 is the data element used to identify the title of the learning resource. Finally, the object can be a literal (in this example, the book title) or a resource class (a set of accepted values, such as a list of terms identifiers from a controlled vocabulary list).
Computers can easily connect and query linked data structured information. For example, a teacher wishing to annotate a learning resource may do it a single RDFa triple. A repository service could gather all the information about a given learning resource from a wide variety of external sources, providing much richer information than a single provider record.
Structure
The basic parts of the standard are already published, namely the framework that is freely available from ISO (part 1), the list of Dublin Core elements (part 2), an associated application profile (part 3), a set of technical elements (part 4) and a set of pedagogical elements (part 5). A working draft of Bindings draft of Bindings (part 7) can be found on the GTN-Quebec standard workgroup site. The GTN-Quebec also has a working draft in French of its Normetic application profile, previously based on Learning Objects Metadata standard, that can provide a glimpse of Parts 10 and 4.
Parts description
As of November 2014, parts 1 to 5 are released as international standards. The other parts are still under development.[1]
Part 1: Framework
Provides principles, rules and structures for the specification of the description of a learning resource
Part 2: Dublin Core elements
Provides a based level made of the 15 data element set for the description of learning resources, from the ISO 15836:2009 The Dublin Core metadata element set, using the framework provided in Part 1.
Part 3: Basic application profile
Specifies, through adding constraints to the use of some data elements, how the ISO/IEC 19788-2 element set can be used as a starting point for adopting the ISO/IEC 19788 standard.
Part 3 promotes interoperability among repositories. It is expected that users communities will enhance this application profile by adding data elements from other authorities such as IEEE-LOM and Dublin Core extension and by adding vocabulary constrains.
Future editions of this part will likely include additional data element from Parts 4 and beyond such as Technical or Educational data elements.
Part 4: Technical elements
Provides information in the form of metadata elements about conditions pertaining to the technical requirements, location, and size information
Part 5: Educational elements
Provides an extensive set of data elements describing the intended or actual use of learning resources across various jurisdictional, cultural and linguistic settings. The description of pedagogical use of a learning resource includes annotations, contributions, curriculum, educational outcome, audience and learning activity.
Part 7: Bindings
Part 7 provides RDF mappings of the different MLR entities introduced in the MLR framework: Data element specifications, resource classes, data elements, application profiles, MLR records and data element group specifications. It also provides an OWL 2 DL ontology for the resource classes and data element specifications.
Part 8: Data elements for MLR records
This Part enables the support storage of learning resource description in databases and the exchange of descriptions through harvesting mechanisms. It can be used to keep track of the record editing process including global metadata author identification, last record update and application profile used for the description of a learning resource.
Part 9: Data elements for Persons
Provides data elements for the description of persons (natural or legal) that are related to the description of a learning resource.
Part 11: Migration from LOM to MLR
Provides guidance in the form of rules and heuristics for the conversion of an IEEE 1484.12.1-2002 (LOM) record to a MLR data element set.
References
External links
Bourda, Yolaine; Gauthier, Gilles; Catteau, Olivier (2010), "Métadonnées pour ressources d'apprentissage (MLR) - Nouvelle norme ISO de description de ressources pédagogiques", Sticef (in French), 17, retrieved 14 September 2011
Currier, Sarah (April 2008), "Metadata for Learning Resources: An Update on Standards Activity for 2008", Ariadne, 55, retrieved 14 September 2011