ROHNERT PARK - Right now if a biology student wants to find information through the Internet on frog dissection, her search would likely bring forward a citation for Kermit the Frog in addition to dozens of other unrelated frog subjects. Wouldn't it be nice, she might think, if "someone" came up with a set of standards that would help define her search.
Well, someone has. That someone is the Educom Instructional Management Systems Project (IMS), a partnership of academic, commercial and government organizations working to put in place the underpinnings of Internet-based education. Their goal is the widespread adoption of a set of standards that will allow Internet-based learners to work together - no matter where on the globe they are located, or what time of day or night they are connected.
IMS project director and chief information officer at Sonoma State University Mark Resmer said, "The technical specifications we released embody the requirements and best practices of the 29 organizations that have invested in this project and many other groups in education and training that have participated over the last 15 months. The release represents a substantial consensus throughout the learning and technology industries."
The new project specifications were released last week in Washignton DC with the White House support. Widely applauded as the future basis for all Internet learning and research, Educom released technologies that will simplify on-line education. Once implemented, students will be able to narrow their search fields and easily locate specific educational materials-culled from the thousands of non-educational citations on each subject.
"Right now it's hit or miss when you want to find something educationally useful on the Internet. One of the aims of the IMS project is to make it easier to locate and evaluate high quality educational materials," said Resmer.
With the growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web, teaching and learning are being transformed at all levels of education, in the workplace and at home. However, a lack of standards of managing educational content and courses on the Web is a significant roadblock for its widespread and effective use by teachers and learners. By the use of the IMS specifications, activities like locating and using educational content, tracking student progress, communicating, and exchanging student records between systems are vastly improved.
The set of standards will be available freely and openly. Educom is making tools, training, and other technical assistance available to developers (such as teachers and publishing companies) who can then develop products such as Web-packaged courses. Stakeholders in the process include instructors, publishers, authors and learning institutions, all to benefit the main stakeholders: students of all ages. The specifications have been released for a 90-day period of public comment.
Twenty-nine organizations have made substantial investments of time and money in the IMS project and continue active involvement in the on-going technical work. Statements from many of these members are posted at
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Educom
For more information:
http://www.imsproject.org
