1. Opening up MOOCs for
OER management on the
Web of linked data
Gilbert Paquette,
Director LICÉ Lab, Télé-université
www.licef.ca/gp
Open Education Global Conference 2015
Banff April 23 2015

2. Plan
Introduction
1. 2nd Generation OER repositories
2. Managing OERs on the Web of
linked data
3. Personnalizing MOOCs with OERs
Conclusion

3. A Decade of Evolution
 International Initiatives
 MIT, Open Courseware, MERLOT, EdNa, …
 GLOBE Consortium (Ariadne, MERLOT, LORNET, …. )
 UNTs - Universités numériques thématiques (France)
 ISO/CEI SC36 19788, Metadata for Learning Resources (MLR)
 IMS Global : IMS-LD, IMS-LODE (ILOX)
 IEEE-LTSC : competencies and portfolios
 Canadian Projects
 eduSource (2002-2004), CANCORE, PALOMA
 GTN-Québec, Normetic 1.2, Eurêka
 LORNET Research Networks (2004-2009)
 Q4R, BRER, REFRER

4. OER Slow adoption – Why ?
 Conservation attitude – Fear of critics.
 Sharing is not encouraged or organized.
 Closed, rigid institutional processes for OER.
 Multiplicity of IP owners.
 Multiplicity of norms and application profiles.
 Heavy indexing processes.
 Unfriendly tools and inadequate technology

5. Communication between norms,
standards and application profiles
.
.
.

6. The RDF Model as a basis for
OER
 URIs are unique identifiers for data (resources) and
vocabulary terms (concepts and properties) used at the
global scale of the Web to form relations (RDF triples).
 Each RDF triple in the can be a starting point for the
exploration of the global Web of linked data.
 The RDF model enables tracing links between data from
different sources. Information in these sources can be
combined by joining them in a single RDF graph.
 Adding to an RDF graph schema languages such as RDF-
S or OWL adds powerful inference capabilities.
 SPARQL end points can be processed by software agents

7. Towards a Social Semantic Web
Communication Axis
KnowledgeAxis
2.0
Social Webs
(Wikis, blogs, FB, TW…)
1.0
Documents’ Web
(URIs, HTML, HTTP)
4.0
Social Semantic Web
(Internet of Things)
3.0
Semantic Web
(RDF, RDFS, OWL, SPARQL)
C
S

8. ISO-MLR
 A multipart ISO standard: DC, Basic
profile, technical, education, PI,…
 Flexible evolution in time
 Respecting cultural an linguistic
diversity
 Supporting various granularity levels
(form small resources to courses)
 Reuse of other norms, standards and
specifications
 Facilitating various compatible user
extension (application profiles)

9. ISO-MLR and RDF
 Prevents non interoperability of application
profiles.
 Insure non-duplication and consistency of
concepts and properties (ontologies).
 Vocabulary extension preserve interoperability.
 Respect of linguistic and cultural diversity.
 Insure integrated harvesting of MLR, LOM, DC
repositories.
 Enables search on the Web of linked data.

10. ISO-MLR (section 5)

11. RDF Model of alearning scenario
(using our GMOT editor)

12. Plan
Introduction
1. 2nd Generation OER repositories
2. Managing OERs on the Web of
linked data
3. Personnalizing MOOCs with OERs
Conclusion

13. BRER Project – 2011-2014
1. Portal and references -
www.brer.licef.ca
2. Quality for reuse process (Q4R),
methodological guides to support
repository implementations.
3. COMÈTE – a mature 2nd generation
OER manager for the Web of data
and ISO-MLR.

14. CERES Repository (> 40 000 resources)
http://ceres.vteducation.org/?lang=en

15. From table to RDF graph

16. On the
Web of
data

17. ENDREA Portal

18. Vocabulary - Equivalence

19. REFRER Portal

20. COMÈTE Interoperability
 Multiple metadata support, including
 Dublin Core (DC)
 IEEE 1484.12.1–2002 Learning Object Metadata (LOM)
 ISO/IEC 19788 Metadata for learning resource (MLR)
 Identity management
 for person and organization
 automatic recognition and aggregation
 Vocabulary management
 SKOS, VDEX
 DEWEY equivalencies

21. COMÈTE architecture

22. Components and Data formats
 Project portal
 queries
 thematic navigation
 collections
 Content syndication
 RSS
 Atom
 SPARQL Endpoint
 RDF/XML
 Turtle
 JSON
 Linked Data
 HTML
 RDF/XML
 OAI-PMH exposition
 MLR
 LOM
 Dublin Core
 Metadata records
 on the fly

23. COMÈTE Main assets
 Semantic referencing on the Web of data
 Inter-formats, inter-vocabularies, inter-linguistic
queries
 Queries combining resource, actors,iorganizations
knowledge properties
 Adaptability to various metadata formats
 Use case #1 : finding OERs to build or adapt
MOOCs
 Use case #2 : Building MOOC repositories with
elaborated search capability.

24. Plan
Introduction
1. 2nd Generation OER repositories
2. Managing OERs on the Web of
linked data
3. Personnalizing MOOCs with OERs
Conclusion

25. From OERs to MOOCs

26.  MOOCs must be OERs aggregates …so that MOOCs
are really open.
 MOOCs are large OERs (modules) grouping all kinds of
resources: actors, documents, tools, activivities,
scenarios
 MOOCs require OER management by learners and
facilitators.
 MOOC platforms and portals should provide OER
management for referencing, search, adaptation,
recontextualisation, integration

27. Research challenge:
Massive vs Personalization
Sustain designers for the personalization of
MOOC scenarios
 Integrate various forms of LD adaptation
(ITS, Recommenders, …)
 Provide options and resource alternatives,
“liberty to learn” (C. Rogers)
 Support self-management of learning –>
resource management
Personalized learning puts in priority the needs, interests
and goals of learners, taking in account their learning
styles, competencies, culture, etc.
Quality <= Personalized <= Open

28. Adapt xMOOC scenarios
 Add a classifying module (competency self
assessment, peer assessment, automatic
question-answering)
 Provide options suited for a sub-group
 Integrate recommenders/advisors on critical
activities
 Define rules that consult the learner’s
competency profile (or e-portfolio)

29. Open participative environments
 Environments design that continue after the initial
delivery of a course.
 Environments that combine OERs specific to a
course with resources in a learner’s personal
environments.
 Resources created or modified by learners using
social web tools, promoting emergent learning.
 Sharing design partly between facilitators and
learners.

30. Designing a MOOC using the
COMETE OER Manager
Store
Search &
Integrate

31. Indexing courses in MOOC’s
portal

32. We have…
 Presented a solution to one of the main problems in
Open Educational Resources repositories: multiplicity of
norms, standards and application profiles
 Built COMETE a first Linked data OER repository
manager, largely complying to the new ISO-MLR
standard.
 Proposed Its use for referencing MOOC and MOOC
components using RDF triples would become an asset
as the number in massive online courses is growing
rapidly in most countries.
 ææ

33. Comments ?
Questions ?
Gilbert Paquette,
Director LICÉ Lab, Télé-université
www.licef.ca/gp
Open Education Global Conference 2015
Banff April 23 2015