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7/30/2019 IEEE Learning Object Metadata Schema Paper
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Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Learning Object Metadata (IEEE LOM)
By
Christina Magnifico
Learning Object Metadata (LOM), developed and published by the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers Standards Association, is the most widely used solution for classifying and
describing digital resources intended specifically for learning and education (Friesen, 2004). The IEEE
published LOM to support the reusability of learning objects, to aid discoverability and to facilitate
interoperability, usually in the context of online learning management systems (Library Technology
Reports, 2002). As stated on the IEEE LTSC (2005) website, the purpose of LOM is:
To enable learners or instructors to search, evaluate, acquire, and utilize Learning Objects
To enable the sharing and exchange of Learning Objects across any technology supported
learning systems
To enable the development of learning objects in units that can be combined and decomposed in
meaningful ways.
To enable computer agents to automatically and dynamically compose personalized lessons for
an individual learner.
The IEEE (2005) defines a learning object as, [A]ny entity, digital or non-digital, that may be used for
learning, education or training. Learning objects, considered a new way of thinking about learning
content,(WORC, 2012) are much smaller units of learning or shorter lessons that an instructor can use
for education purposes. The IEEE LTSC website gives several examples of learning objects, specifically
technology supported learning. They give computer-based training systems, interactive learning
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environments, intelligent computer-aided instruction systems, distance learning systems, and
collaborative learning environments as examples of learning objects (IEEE LTSC, 2005). A more specific
example of a learning object could be a web-based game about the types of infectious diseases. This
object would be an educational supplement to a health instructors lesson on epidemiology and infectious
diseases. LOM uses a combination of structural, administrative and descriptive metadata. Though it has
many elements, it does not require the cataloger to use each element and allows for a great degree of
flexibility when adding information within the schema.
Learning Object Metadata uses similar elements to Dublin Core, though Dublin Core uses 16
elements and the LOM standard includes 76 data elements (Friesen, 2004). Friesen also states that:
The LOM defines all of its data elements in interrelationships that are both hierarchical and
iterative. At the top of the hierarchy of LOM elements are nine broad category elements: General,
Lifecycle, Meta-metadata, Technical, Educational, Rights, Relation, Annotation and
Classification. The category elements each contain sub-elements, which, in turn, often contain
further sub-elements. Many of the category elements, sub-elements, and subordinate elements can
be repeated. This results in complex hierarchical and iterative structures, allowing for a total of
over 16,000 possible, concatenated element repetitions.
LOM, which is encoded in extensible markup language, or XML format to increase interoperability
(IEEE LTSC, 2005), does not have a rigid structure and thus provides some flexibility in the way it is
used. The LOM schema is broken down into a hierarchical structure with the first element category being
General. UnderGeneralthere are nine elements and two sub-elements. The first element is theIdentifier,
which is a unique string of letters, numbers, or a combination of both, used to identify a unique object.
The second element is the Title; this is where the objects name is entered. UnderTitle is CatalogEntry,
which contains the two sub-elements the first of which is Catalog, the physical or digital location of the
object. The second sub-elementEntry is the field where the catalog specific identifier is located.
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Following the sub-elements, the next header elementLanguage identifies the human language the object
uses to communicate.Description, the fifth header element, is the field where the object is textually
described. This field is similar to an abstract within a paper. TheKeywords element contains a phrase or
keyword that described the topic of the object.Keywords denote a controlled vocabulary within a
database, and will often link to a thesaurus. Within the metadata schema, Coverage is time place,
geography or region to which [the] learning object applies (IEEE, 2005). Continuing under the General
category, Structure refers to the underlying organizational structure of the object (IEEE, 2005). The last
element under the Generalcategory isAggregation Level, which represents the functional granularity of
the object (IEEE, 2005).
The second category under the schema isLife Cycle, which contains three main elements and
three sub-elements. The first of the three main elements is the Version element that identifies the edition
or numerical version of the object. Following Version is Status. The Status element allows the user to see
the condition of the learning object, for example if the link is broken the Status field may show
unavailable or unknown. The last element is Contribute which heads three sub-elements:Role,Entity
andDate. These sub-elements identify the kind of contribution, such as the publisher or editor; the people
or organizations associated with the object; the date the contribution was made. The next important
category is the Technicalcategory, which contains the technical specifications of the object being
described. These specifications include theFormator data type, the Size of the object represented in
bytes, theLocation of the device which is a string that one can use to access the object, the Technical
Requirements the user must know in order to use the object, and any furtherInstallation Remarks that
would be useful in operating or using the object.
Out of all the categories, one of the most important is theEducationalcategory. This category
contains eleven elements, which are core elements educators use when searching for learning objects.
The first element under the education category is theInteractivity Type, which is defined by the IEEE
(2005) as being the predominant mode of learning supported by this learning object. The IEEE (2005)
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also specifies that the field should contain one of three words: active, expositive, or mixed. The second
element is theLearning Resource Type. This element describes the type of learning object, and follows
the vocabulary terms as defined in the OED: 1989 (IEEE, 2005). Examples of aLearning Resource Type
that would be entered into the value field would be lecture, self-assessment or graph.Interactivity Level,
valued from very low to very high, denotes the degree of interactivity associated with the learning object.
The fourthEducationalelement is Semantic Density, which is assessed using the same scale as the
Interactivity Level. Semantic Density is defined by the IEEE (2005) as, the degree of conciseness of a
learning object. Another important element located within the LOM schema, especially for educators, is
theIntended End User Role. TheIntended End User Role allows the educator to discern if the learning
object would be useful for their purpose. When an instructor or educator is browsing a LO repository or
database, they can check this particular value for the type of user this learning object was created for. The
elements that describe theLearning Context, Typical Age Range, andDifficulty all have to do with the
learning objects intended audience. These elements show which environment, age and educational level
the learning object was intended for. The final element that is specific to theEducationalcategory is the
Typical Learning Time and is the approximate or typical time it takes to work with or through the
learning object for the typical intended audience (IEEE, 2005).
Rights, the final category, only contains two elements. TheRights category is the header element
for the Costand Copyright and Other Restrictions. This category allows for the description of the
property rights whether there are any other restrictions that apply to the learning object. These are some
of the elements that make up the Learning Object Metadata (LOM), and I will use the majority of the
elements associated with the schema on the following page.
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LOM Element Name Data
General
Identifier 00905cam a2200289 4504
Title Chapter 1: The history and scope of epidemiology
CatalogEntry -
Catalog publichealth.jbpub.com
Entry publichealth.jbpub.com/friis/flashcards.cfm
Language English
Description Animated public health flash card sets
Keywords Public health, epidemiology, health practice
Coverage 20th century-21st century
Structure Atomic
Aggregation Level 3
LIFECYCLE -
Version 3.0
Status Final
Contribute -
ContributeRole Author
ContributeEntity *CharacterString* ContributeDate 2013
METAMETADATA -
Metadata Scheme LOMv1.0
Language en
TECHNICAL -
Format flash/html
Size Unspecified
Location publichealth.jbpub.com/friis/flashcards.cfm
Requirements -
RequirementType Adobe
RequirementName Flash Player RequirementMinimumVersion 11.5
RequirementMaximumVersion 11.7.700.225
Installation Remarks Install newest version of flash to use flashcards
EDUCATIONAL -
Interactivity Type Active
Learning Resource Type Flashcards
Interactivity Level High
Semantic Density High
Intended End User Role Teacher, Learner
Learning Context Higher education, Training
Typical Age Range 15-30
Difficulty Difficult
Typical Learning Time Unspecified
Description Use as a supplement to public health texts
Language en
RIGHTS -
Cost Free
Copyright and Other Restrictions Jones and Bartlett Publishers
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References
Friesen, N. (November 01, 2004). The International Learning Object Metadata Survey.International
Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5, 3.) Retrieved from
http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ853887.pdf
http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ853887.pdfhttp://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ853887.pdf7/30/2019 IEEE Learning Object Metadata Schema Paper
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Metadata standards. (2002).Library Technology Reports, 38(5), 19. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=7478856&site=ehost-live
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Learning Technology Standards Committee. (2005).
WG12: Learning Object Metadata. Retrieved from http://ltsc.ieee.org/wg12/
Wisconsin Online Resource Center. (2012). Why Learning Objects? Retrieved
http://www.wisc-online.com/listobjects.aspx
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=7478856&site=ehost-livehttp://ltsc.ieee.org/wg12/http://www.wisc-online.com/listobjects.aspxhttp://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=7478856&site=ehost-livehttp://ltsc.ieee.org/wg12/http://www.wisc-online.com/listobjects.aspxRecommended