Out of One, Many - Distributing Online Course Content Across Multiple Platforms (2005)

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Introduction to system we are experimenting to control versions and distribute content across platforms An experiment in philosophy as much as technology, you see course content delivery has always be of static copies of original, sometimes outdated content, not dynamic delivery of living versions

ask who's who ask who teaches mltpl separate sections who IDs multiple sections w/ multiple instructors versioning? who knows ocw (explain) who's involved duplication who's heard of educommons migration from version to version--painless? who's course content is available on handheld devices? who want's their content to be?

This is how one normally might attempt to solve these problems, with 3 or more copies of content on 3 or more systems.

This actually exacerbates the problem of version control, and version control is a big issue

Clip from City of Lost Children shows how multiple copies of an original can become confusing. 5 clone brothers and one “orginal”. Note at the end one clone says, I’m the original!

Mmm, leech

Shadow Files is like Web content leeching

This slide is kind of dumb.

Shadow solution 3 or more platforms get content from single host Basic web server Like a repository, but different—repos is for scos/los. Shadows can do scos but meant for photocopying Instead, host content is referred to by systems…

Highlight may be the handheld devices; this is something most LMSs still fall short of doing Survey in MCT class showed consensus on desire for mobile content, some wanted text on mobile phone or pda, some wanted audio for download

This is what some pages will look like on mobile browser if the mobile connection doesn’t work

, Web content living, breathing Could foster community; Multiple instructors in a dept working on a single source

Shadow Process. This is what you would do anyway in one sense or another Instead of ON lms we do this on the local computer—a critical step—even if shadows don’t work for you this should be part of every process: Offline development helps with backups, templates, not internet dependent, mass changes (search and replace) liberation from LMS, fosters organization of courses and content

These additional steps: 1. create an independent, web-based navigation of course content; 2. create simple and IMS-compliant shadow files packages; 3. allows simple referencing of shadow source from any number of diverse platforms. So the LMS platforms still exist, they just use shadow files rather than copies of source files. Easy to implement

Process Walkthrough Show digital files Upload to server Show mkshadow script View navigation Download IMS package Login to WebCT Vista Upload and Import package View files

Maybe I’ll talk about this and non-semantic file naming LMSs should alread do real file sharing, opencourseware support, version control, import/export, handheld

Moodle, eduCommons, Sakai, Desire2Learn, et c. of private content

of private content (semantic file naming) Searchable, open

Documentation and script files upon request

Favorites, Groups & Events

Out of One, Many - Distributing Online Course Content Across Multiple Platforms (2005) - Presentation Transcript

Out of One, Many Distributing Online Course Content Across Multiple Platforms
Outline
- UVSC Snapshot
- Problems
- Shadow Solution
- Shadow System/Process
- History
- Q&A
Utah Valley State College
- Orem, Utah
- 23,600 students
- 380 faculty (>60% adjunct)
Distance Education at UVSC
- 24,400 enrollments
- 485 courses
- 150 Faculty Members
- Enrollments and courses are per year
Modes of Delivery
Problems
- Many sections (version control)
- Multiple platforms (WebCT, opencourseware)
- LMS migration (WebCT CE 4  Vista, Moodle)
- Handheld devices (cell phones, PDAs)
x Copies on x Servers? Course Content copy 1 copy 2 copy 3?
Problems
- Many sections (version control)
- Multiple platforms (WebCT, opencourseware)
- LMS migration (WebCT CE 4  Vista, Moodle)
- Handheld devices (cell phones, PDAs)
“ The original is me! It’s me !” The City of Lost Children (Cité des enfants perdus ) , 1995
Online Leeches
- Bandwidth leech
- P2P leech
- Web content leech
The S-FILES
Course Content Web Server
Philosophy and Technology
- Sphere of control
- Web is dynamic
- Community of collaboration
Content Organized Open Private Content Uploaded Process Phase 1 Digital Content
Shadow Files Packaged Navigation Created Cast Shadows Script Import Shadows into LMS/CMS Process Phase 2
Drawbacks
- Open vs. private content
- Linear organization
- Shadow source server load
- Should be unnecessary!
History
- Fall 04 : WebCT Vista pilot
- Spring : 05 OCW
- Summer : 05 v 0.1 alpha
- Fall 05 : COSL
- Spring 06 : UEC Grant
- Summer 06 : v 0.2 alpha
- Winter 06: 0.3 beta
Future Functionalities
- IMS packages for more LMSs
- Handheld authentication
- Enhanced mobile navigation
- Selective display tagging
Future Functionalities
- Shadow Activities
- GUI sequencing and tagging
- Repository-like portal
Contact
- Jared Stein , [email_address]
- John Krutsch , [email_address]
- Utah Valley State College
- Distance Education