Practical Interoperability and Sharing for OPDF Recipients Scott Leslie BCcampus January 12, 2009

Outline Why Interoperability What is SOL*R Getting an Account Licensing Your Resource Contributing Resources Formats/Practical Interoperability The Wiki

Why Interoperability

What is SOL*R

Getting an Account

Licensing Your Resource

Contributing Resources

Formats/Practical Interoperability

The Wiki

Why Interoperability The OPDF is a SHAREABLE CONTENT fund It funds content that SHOULD be EASILY REUSABLE by others For content to be REUSED it should be Previewable in SOL*R EASILY imported and used in MANY different environments, NOT just the one it was built in

The OPDF is a SHAREABLE CONTENT fund

It funds content that SHOULD be EASILY REUSABLE by others

For content to be REUSED it should be

Previewable in SOL*R

EASILY imported and used in MANY different environments, NOT just the one it was built in

What is SOL*R http://solr.bccampus.ca/ Mechanism to share OPDF-funded resources securely Contains a copy of your course content that others can link to or download for use in their own environments

http://solr.bccampus.ca/

Mechanism to share OPDF-funded resources securely

Contains a copy of your course content that others can link to or download for use in their own environments

Getting an account/Logging In Go to https://portal.bccampus.ca/ Follow the links to “ Access Shareable Object Learning Resources (SOL*R)” You will either be prompted to login if you already have an activated account, or to get one Activation can take up to 1 day, but usually just a few minutes

Go to https://portal.bccampus.ca/

Follow the links to “ Access Shareable Object Learning Resources (SOL*R)”

You will either be prompted to login if you already have an activated account, or to get one

Activation can take up to 1 day, but usually just a few minutes

License your content It is completely optional, but you may want to include a clear license IN the content itself (e.g. in a footer or front page) Go to http://solr.bccampus.ca/bcc/BCcommons/publish/publish.html follow the instructions Paste the resulting license text in your course template’s footer or front page

It is completely optional, but you may want to include a clear license IN the content itself (e.g. in a footer or front page)

Go to http://solr.bccampus.ca/bcc/BCcommons/publish/publish.html follow the instructions

Paste the resulting license text in your course template’s footer or front page

Contribute a Resource Log into SOL*R Click on ‘Contribute a Resource’ Is it a ‘Full Course’? A ‘Learning Object’? A Tool or Technology? Which license did you choose, BC Commons or Creative Commons The format you are submitting (more later) OPDF Tracking Number

Log into SOL*R

Click on ‘Contribute a Resource’

Is it a ‘Full Course’? A ‘Learning Object’? A Tool or Technology?

Which license did you choose, BC Commons or Creative Commons

The format you are submitting (more later)

OPDF Tracking Number

More on Formats SOL*R can accept pretty much anything, BUT… … it can only create PREVIEWS for IMS Content Packages HTML files and sites Word and other relatively common web formats (PPT, PDF, image formats, Flash) Previewing is important because It helps people to EASILY assess if the content is useful to them People can LINK to content they want to reuse instead of having to import it

SOL*R can accept pretty much anything, BUT…

… it can only create PREVIEWS for

IMS Content Packages

HTML files and sites

Word and other relatively common web formats (PPT, PDF, image formats, Flash)

Previewing is important because

It helps people to EASILY assess if the content is useful to them

People can LINK to content they want to reuse instead of having to import it

Examples IMS Content Package Zip of Web Content ( Example 2 ) Individual File Binary File WebCT Backup WebCT Module Export Moodle Export

IMS Content Package

Zip of Web Content ( Example 2 )

Individual File

Binary File

WebCT Backup

WebCT Module Export

Moodle Export

Current Issues (WebCT) WebCT BACKUPs are NOT an interoperable format They can not be previewed ONLY other WebCT users can restore them WebCT ‘Exports’ only work a Module at a time This can be problematic if you are contributing a Full Course worth of content

WebCT BACKUPs are NOT an interoperable format

They can not be previewed

ONLY other WebCT users can restore them

WebCT ‘Exports’ only work a Module at a time

This can be problematic if you are contributing a Full Course worth of content

Current Issues (Moodle) Moodle Course Backups are NOT an interoperable format They are not previewable They are only EASILY useable by other Moodle users

Moodle Course Backups are NOT an interoperable format

They are not previewable

They are only EASILY useable by other Moodle users

Best Practices Create IMS Content Packages OUTSIDE of LMS and then import these Challenge: IMS Content Package authoring can be difficult if you are not familiar with this Create HTML (and other) content OUTSIDE the LMS, add a single ‘Index’ file to organize it, zip and upload This will work in ALL environments

Create IMS Content Packages OUTSIDE of LMS and then import these

Challenge: IMS Content Package authoring can be difficult if you are not familiar with this

Create HTML (and other) content OUTSIDE the LMS, add a single ‘Index’ file to organize it, zip and upload

This will work in ALL environments

Best Practices (2) Create Web standards compliant content Use a good Web page editor Ideally, if the editor has such settings, set pages to be Strict XHtml 1.1 conformant Cf. http://validator.w3.org/ Create Accessible content Not just Web Content Accessibility Guidelines ( http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/ ) but USABLE content for people with disabilities

Create Web standards compliant content

Use a good Web page editor

Ideally, if the editor has such settings, set pages to be Strict XHtml 1.1 conformant

Cf. http://validator.w3.org/

Create Accessible content

Not just Web Content Accessibility Guidelines ( http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/ ) but

USABLE content for people with disabilities

Best Practice Wiki http://solr.bccampus.ca/wiki/ An attempt to create a space for community contributed suggestions on what works best PLEASE contribute; a solution that originates with practitioners is FAR more likely to work than one which is centrally imposed

http://solr.bccampus.ca/wiki/

An attempt to create a space for community contributed suggestions on what works best

PLEASE contribute; a solution that originates with practitioners is FAR more likely to work than one which is centrally imposed

Thanks PLEASE feel free to contact me at [email_address] Or 250-415-3490 If you have questions or want help planning out your strategy for getting your content reused widely

PLEASE feel free to contact me at

[email_address]

Or

250-415-3490

If you have questions or want help planning out your strategy for getting your content reused widely