The document summarizes e-learning initiatives at the University of Macerata. It discusses the university's learning management system (OLAT), which supports 17 degree programs across 5 faculties and over 3,400 students and faculty. It describes services provided through the e-learning center like online and blended learning resources. It also outlines the university's steps to implement a managed learning environment with centralized user management, videoconferencing, and analytics services.

2. e-Learning at the University of Macerata
5 Faculties
17 Degree Programmes
497 tutors and professors
2753 students
7 Postgraduate Programmes
190 tutors and professors
629 students
Faculty of Law
Humanities and Philosophy
Education
Political Science
Cultural Heritage
The e-Learning centre provides
resources and technology for
personalised, online and blended
learning activities
The department of Educational
Science is in charge for research and
development of pedagogical models
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3. CELFI >> CSIA focus areas
Since 2005 we provide
• Strategic and organisational modelling of athenaeum-wide
online learning
• Teachers and e-Tutors training
• Faculty LMS development and administration
• Research about pedagogical tools and VLE
• Coordination and partner in several EU-funded projects
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4. Steps towards implementing a MLE
How to define a Managed Learning Environment?
“A system that uses technology to enhance and make more
effective the network of relationship between learners,
teachers and organizers of learning, through integrated
support for richer communication and activities”
Source: http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/InfoKits/creating-an-mle
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5. OLAT LMS
OLAT Version 6.3 from University of
Zurich was selected as central LMS
by UNIMC
• open source and free
• intuitive and easy-to-use interface
• extensive set of learning activities
and tools out of the box
• clear mapping of learning path
(XML-based structure)
• developed for
scalability, portability, interoperability
• IMS award winner 2009 and 2010
• Release migration (v7.2) just carried
out through summer 2013
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OLAT
LMS Server
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6. Steps towards implementing a MLE
Implemented services:
• Centralized user provisioning:
– User DB >> Virtual directory >> OLAT LMS
• Videoconferencing service:
– User DB >> Virtual directory >> OLAT LMS >> Adobe Connect
• Tracking and monitoring service:
– LMS Audit manager >> Message Queue Service >> Statistic
processing Agent >> Statistics DB >> WS >> LMS Statistics GUI
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7. MLE system architecture
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8. Centralized user provisioning
Open Source Virtual Directory service for
aggregation of identity data from multiple
heterogeneous sources.
Exposed as an LDAP Interface
• real-time, automated update of user records
and course access authorization (e.g. no admin
intervention required);
• simplified user management with unique login
for different systems;
• low overhead on system performance thanks to
caching mechanism.
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9. Videoconferencing service
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•
•
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available to students of all
courses at any time
tutors can schedule
regular meetings with
class
integrated into LMS
course tools through a
general connector
seamless login integration
(user’s ID, full name and
role is passed from LMS
to VC app)
virtual room is
automatically created for
each course
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10. Videoconferencing application
Main interaction tools
• audio/video/text chat
• desktop, application,
document sharing
• meeting recording
and offline playback
• collaborative note
writing
• survey, FAQ
• attendees
and roles
management
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11. Statistics GUI
Need of a tool to assess students’
participation and activity in the
LMS, hence tracking:
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•
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Login time / frequency,
permanence
Course node activity
Forum / Wiki readings / writings
Download of study material
Delivery of assignments
Upload of files in portfolio folder
…and more
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12. Tracking and monitoring service
Three-layer structure:
• Data Collection: ActiveMQ
• Data elaboration and storing: JaDE
Multi Agent System + MySQL
• Data reporting: Web Services +
Protochart
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13. Advantages
• Reduced TCO (Total Cost of Ownership):
– services shared between LMS instances (currently 4);
– reduced administration costs;
– more services running on a single server.
• Scalability:
– possibility to move an overcharged service in a dedicated server, or
to a better performing one with minimum downtime for the main
LMS.
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14. Related research & projects
• Related research
– Evaluation of user interaction in forums (network analysis)
– Semantic analysis on forum messages content
• Related projects
– User generated concept maps with VUE
– Virtual tutoring through software agents (via ChatBot)
– Accessibility assessment (WCAG 2.0)
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15. Information systems for Web Portals
• Goals
– Reuse, without duplication, of centralized DBs
– Accessible information systems for the web
• Legal requirements for public agencies and institutions
• Norms are mainly focused on accessibility, usability and transparency
• Steps
– Faculty members portal
– Institutional web site
– Accessibility: sites and webapps
• Results
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16. CMS requirements
• Updating of contents in extremely reduced times
• Publishers do not need technical skills
• Definition of user roles (manager – publisher – editor) with
workflow control for content checking and revision
• Changes to content can be checked and reverted
• Easy to manage access control through LDAP
• Dedicated site for each department or area with
independent management of each site
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17. CMS choice
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Open source system
Support of local and international community
Good availability of deployable, third-party products
Application structure and programming language are
powerful and reliable (page template, python scripting)
• Suitable for large and complex-structured portals
• Optimum scalability with ZEO-zope enterprise object
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18. Faculty members portal
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19. Institutional web site
principi
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20. Accessibility
Some definitions
• «Content is accessible when it may be used by someone
with a disability»
• « Ability of information systems to provide services and
open information, within the limits of technological
knowledge, without discriminating any user, including
people needing assistive technologies and particular
settings»
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21. Example of accessible site: WiseFirb
Standard version
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22. Example of accessible site: WiseFirb
High contrast version
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23. Example of accessible site: WiseFirb
Text only version
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24. Example of accessible site: WiseFirb
W3C compliance standards: xhtml 1.0 & css
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25. Example of accessible webapp
Centralized phonebook for blind switchboard
receptionist
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26. Example of accessible webapp
Special technology
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Screen reader
Braille terminal
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27. Example of accessible webapp
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28. Example of accessible webapp
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29. Results: sites deployed
Portal web site
Web sites
5 Departments
8 Institutes
6 Centers
4 Schools
1 Faculty members portal
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Staff
Access
30
3
Publishers
Technicians
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Almost 8K
views per
day
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30. Results: accessibility level
• Compliant with web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG
v2.0)
• XHTML 1.0 and CSS following the W3C specifications
• “AA” accessibility level (WCAG v2.0)
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31. Questions?
Get in touch
Simone Carletti
simone.carletti@unimc.it
Roberto Rascioni
roberto.rascioni@unimc.it
Centro di Servizi per l’Informatica d’Ateneo
University of Macerata - Italy