The Learning Resource Exchange (LRE)

European Schoolnet
Learning Resource Exchange
http://lreforschools.eun.org

David Massart <dmassart@acm.org>

Outline
• What is the LRE?
• 200,000+ OERs that ‘travel well’
• How does the LRE work?
• LRE Subcommittee
• Latest developments

Learning Resource Exchange (LRE)
• Result of an effort started in 2002
• By European Schoolnet (EUN) and its supporting
European Ministries of Education (MoEs)
• With support of the European Commission
(CELEBRATE, CALIBRATE, MELT, ASPECT and
eQNet)
• Self-sustained since 2008
• Covers all aspects linked to access to OERs:
Interoperability and
standard, Legal, Quality, Infrastructure, Pedagogy,
Retrieval

Catalogue of Quality OERs
for K-12 Education in Europe

200,000+ Open Educational Resources

Trans-national Topics
(MUST BE PRESENT)
The resource addresses curriculum topics
that could be considered trans-national.
For example, teaching multiplication is
usually covered in every national
curriculum, but teaching the folklore of a
very specific region is not. It can also be
a resource well suited for use in multi-
disciplinary or cross-curricular contexts.
http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/guest/resour
ce-details?resourceId=280919
http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/guest/resour
ce-details?resourceId=400452

www.europeanschoolnet.org - www.eun.org 8

Knowledge of a specific language is not
needed
(MUST BE PRESENT)

The resource can be used without having to translate
accompanying
texts and/or the resource may be available in at least 3
European
languages.
For example, a resource might be a video where
the narrative can be turned off, or it employs icons,
images, animations, maps, etc. making its contents
understandable for everyone.
http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/guest/resource-
details?resourceId=400117


Stored as a file type that is usable
with generally available software*
The resource can be used in any
environment (online and off-line) and
runs on multiple platforms (also
hand-held, IWB).
For example this can be an
animation that plays in a web
browser without the need for
additional software.
http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/gues
t/resource-
t/resource-


Methodological support for teachers
is not needed
Subject teachers can easily
recognize how this resource meets
their curriculum requirements or how
this resource could be used in a
teaching scenario without further
instructions. This criteria should not
be used to assess the usability
(technical qualities) of a resource.
t/resource-
t/resource-


Intuitive and easy to use

The resource is intuitive to use in the
sense that it has a user-friendly
interface and is easy to navigate for
both teachers and students without
having to read or translate complex
operating instructions.
Example are resources with simple
button commands to create maps for
use on computers, printouts or
interactive white boards.
http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/guest/res
ource-details?resourceId=261871
http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/guest/res
ource-details?resourceId=280960


Interactivity with or without feedback in a digital
environment
This kind of resource invites or requires a significant
degree of user input or engagement, other than just
reading something on a page in an online or offline
environment.
The interactivity can be simple or complex. Simple
forms can be feedback on correct or incorrect
answers in a drill/practice scenario. Complex forms
can be lab activities that produce different results
depending on user actions or hints to help complete
tasks successfully in an online environment. An
interactive resource that does not provide feedback
but still requires user input would be a geometric 3D
shape that can be moved and turned.
http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/guest/resou
rce-details?resourceId=248375
http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/guest/resou
rce-details?resourceId=264849


Clear license status (MUST BE PRESENT)
The user can easily find information about the
license/rights (sometimes called Terms of Use,
Copyright or Permissions) for this resource.
These statements explain if users or educators are
allowed to make copies, or remix or redistribute
a resource, or use images from the site in a
blog without contacting the photographer, or if
they can put this resource in a VLE like Moodle,
etc.
This license/rights information should be
understandable for a typical user.


Catalogue Service for Learning
Environments

LRE Widget
http://lrewidget.eun.org/

LRE Portal
http://lreforschools.eun.org/

http://www.klascement.net/lre/zoeken/?extra_url=&previous=&q=&filter_group%5B%5D=all&e
xtra%5Bdatabase%5D=LRE&extra%5Buser%5D=&cmdFilter=filter_activated

http://www.stemit.be/focus/europees

http://www.skolverket.se/skolutveckling/itiskola
n/digitala-larresurser/sok-med-spindeln

http://www.ggflondemand.com/faces/home/home.jsf

Metadata & Metadata Acquisition

LRE Metadata Application Profile (1)
http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/guest/metadata

LRE Metadata Application Profile (2)
http://lreforschools.eun.org/web/guest/metadata

Inside the Dark Cloud
Once collected (or generated), metadata is
1. Controlled
2. Corrected / Completed
3. Identified
4. Transformed into an LRE format (CMR)
5. Translated
6. Indexed

Metadata Control (Negotiation)

Metadata Correction / Completion

LRE Subcommittee
• LRE governing body
• Meets twice a year
• Founding members and Associate members have
one vote each and elect a Chair
• Technical Advisory Board – chaired by EUN
• Decisions on operation of LRE and annual workplan
decided by Founding and Associate members
• Changes to statutes of LRE Governing Committee
and LRE membership rules require majority
decision by Founding members (MoE)

Types of LRE Members
• LRE Founding members – EUN MoEs
• LRE Associate members
– Territorial, regional, municipal authorities
– Commercial and public sector content providers
– Tools’ providers
• LRE Subscription members (limited to 1 year)
– Smaller organizations exploring LRE added value

LRE Subcommittee Members
• Belgium • The Netherlands (chair)
• Czech Rep. • Norway
• Finland • Portugal
• Italy • Sweden
• Lithuania • Switzerland

Currently discussing with SMEs, MoEs, Projects

Location of LRE Portal Visitors (2012)

Beyond Metadata: Artifact Data

LRE Proxy (under development)
• This proxy is very similar to URL
shorteners such as goo.gl or tinyurl.com
• LRE “short” URLs are used in the LRE
metadata to replace resource locations
• Each time users consult the LRE catalog to
access OERs, they contact the LRE Proxy
that captures data before redirecting the
users to the actual resources

OER Analytics
• Associated with metadata, interaction data enables
– Improved curation, searching, ranking, and recommending
of OERs
– Better data on which OERs are most likely to be used and
where
• Valuable source of analytics of OERs’ audience
preferences
• Helps to identify quality resources by crowdsourcing
• Makes it possible to measure
– Impacts of marketing campaigns for the uptake of OERs
– Shifts in educational policies on OERs globally

• D. Massart and E. Shulman. Interaction Data Exchange.
D-Lib Magazine, May/June 2013. (forthcoming)

For Further Information

WEB:
http://lreforschools.eun.org
EMAIL:
lre-contact@eun.org

The Learning Resource Exchange (LRE)

More Related Content

Similar to The Learning Resource Exchange (LRE)

More from David Massart

Recently uploaded

The Learning Resource Exchange (LRE)

Editor's Notes