VISUAL UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENTRanjani Saigal and Anoop Kumar

Academic TechnologyTufts University

Academic TechnologyAcademic Technology

Academic Technology (AT) at Tufts is Academic Technology (AT) at Tufts is a university-wide resource that a university-wide resource that provides consultations, collaborative provides consultations, collaborative partnerships, and faculty development partnerships, and faculty development focusing on the use of instructional focusing on the use of instructional technology to support teaching and technology to support teaching and research initiativesresearch initiatives..

OverviewOverview Teaching and Learning with Digital Resources Teaching and Learning with Digital Resources

– The Problem– The Problem Educational FoundationsEducational Foundations Concept Maps in Education Concept Maps in Education VUE – The SolutionVUE – The Solution VUE – ArchitectureVUE – Architecture VUE – ImplementationsVUE – Implementations

FedoraFedora ArtifactArtifact

DemoDemo Future DirectionFuture Direction

Teaching & Learning with Digital Teaching & Learning with Digital Resources – The ProblemResources – The Problem

Valuable digital resources for teaching and Valuable digital resources for teaching and learning have grown exponentially over learning have grown exponentially over the past several years. the past several years.

Custom digital libraries hold these Custom digital libraries hold these collections of digital resourcescollections of digital resources

Lack of tools that provide the flexibility and Lack of tools that provide the flexibility and responsiveness required to support critical responsiveness required to support critical and creative thinking with digital and creative thinking with digital resources.resources.

Educational FoundationsEducational Foundations

Constructivism – Students learn best when Constructivism – Students learn best when they are actively engaged in constructing they are actively engaged in constructing their knowledge – in structuring and their knowledge – in structuring and restructuring informationrestructuring information

Individual Differences – Cognitive Individual Differences – Cognitive differences among people influence their differences among people influence their approach to learning.approach to learning.

Educational FoundationsEducational Foundations

Learning takes place by the assimilation of Learning takes place by the assimilation of new concepts and prepositions into new concepts and prepositions into existing concept prepositional frameworks existing concept prepositional frameworks held by the learnerheld by the learner

Meaningful learning occurs when it is Meaningful learning occurs when it is relatable to the learner’s prior knowledge.relatable to the learner’s prior knowledge.

Concept maps are useful tools to bring Concept maps are useful tools to bring about meaningful learning.about meaningful learning.

Concept Maps in EducationConcept Maps in Education

Tools for organizing and representing Tools for organizing and representing knowledge.knowledge.

Concepts are semantic units of learningConcepts are semantic units of learning Include concepts usually enclosed in Include concepts usually enclosed in

circles or boxes of some type and circles or boxes of some type and relationships between concepts indicated relationships between concepts indicated by a connecting line between the two. by a connecting line between the two.

Words on the line specify the relationship Words on the line specify the relationship between the twobetween the two

Concept Mapping ToolsConcept Mapping Tools

CMap CMap SmartdrawSmartdraw VisioVisio KmapKmap InspirationInspiration

Concept Mapping Tools - Concept Mapping Tools - CMAPCMAP

Concept Mapping Tool – Concept Mapping Tool – SmartdrawSmartdraw

From Concept Maps to Content From Concept Maps to Content MapsMaps

Linking content to concept enhances value Linking content to concept enhances value of concept maps and transforms them into of concept maps and transforms them into content maps.content maps.

Digital content sources:Digital content sources: Local DrivesLocal Drives World Wide WebWorld Wide Web Remote DrivesRemote Drives Digital librariesDigital libraries

Teaching & Learning With Digital Teaching & Learning With Digital Resources - The ProblemResources - The Problem

Valuable digital resources for teaching and Valuable digital resources for teaching and learning have grown exponentially over learning have grown exponentially over the past several years. the past several years.

Custom digital libraries hold these Custom digital libraries hold these collections of digital resourcescollections of digital resources

Lack of tools that provide the flexibility and Lack of tools that provide the flexibility and responsiveness required to support critical responsiveness required to support critical and creative thinking with digital and creative thinking with digital resources.resources.

VUE - A SolutionVUE - A Solution

A visual environment for structuring, presenting A visual environment for structuring, presenting and sharing digital information that allows faculty and sharing digital information that allows faculty and students to integrate digital resources into and students to integrate digital resources into teaching and learningteaching and learning

A way to access different kinds of digital A way to access different kinds of digital resources stored in different digital repositories resources stored in different digital repositories

Has tools for teachers and learner to navigate Has tools for teachers and learner to navigate through these resources to support critical and through these resources to support critical and creative thinking. creative thinking.

Leveraging Open StandardsLeveraging Open Standards

It leverages open and extensible development platform of OKI and FEDORA digital repository to facilitate collaborative open source development.

Goals for VUEGoals for VUE1.1. In support of teaching, provide faculty with a flexible, visual tool In support of teaching, provide faculty with a flexible, visual tool

for semantically structuring and creating pathways through for semantically structuring and creating pathways through digital materials in a manner most consistent with the ideas and digital materials in a manner most consistent with the ideas and concepts that they must communicate to their students.concepts that they must communicate to their students.  

2.2. In support of active learning, provide students with a flexible In support of active learning, provide students with a flexible tool for manipulating and extending existing instructional tool for manipulating and extending existing instructional presentations (concept/content maps) in support of personal presentations (concept/content maps) in support of personal reflection on course topics as well as support for the creation reflection on course topics as well as support for the creation and communication of new, personally meaningful and communication of new, personally meaningful concept/content maps. concept/content maps.

3.3. Extend the value of FEDORA-based digital libraries and their Extend the value of FEDORA-based digital libraries and their collections by providing a flexible, visual tool for viewing and collections by providing a flexible, visual tool for viewing and organizing digital content in pursuit of individual learning and organizing digital content in pursuit of individual learning and research goals.research goals.

4.4. Leverage OKI technical standards to enable the sharing, Leverage OKI technical standards to enable the sharing, distribution and integration of this new educational tool in distribution and integration of this new educational tool in educational environments and systems beyond Tufts University.educational environments and systems beyond Tufts University.

VUE

OKI

FEDORA

DRAPI

Learning Theories- Constructivism - Active Learning - Individualized Learning

DigitalRepository

OKI-FEDORA Bridge

VUE Overview

Technical Infrastructure

Support- Faculty needs- Learners needsExtend- Digital Libraries- OKI Standards

DR Implementations

DigitalRepository

VUE – ArchitectureVUE – Architecture Concept map componentsConcept map components

NodesNodes LinksLinks PathwaysPathways

Resource componentsResource components Resource objectsResource objects Data sourcesData sources

Auxiliary componentsAuxiliary components PanelsPanels Drawing toolsDrawing tools MenusMenus Tool barsTool bars

Resource InterfaceResource InterfaceResource Interface•getTitle•getSpec•getPreview•getProperties•getExtension•displayContent

MapResource(implements all the above methods

for VUE map)

AssetResourceget/setAsset(oki.dr.Asset)

CabinetResource(oki.filing.Cabinet)

Data Source InterfaceData Source InterfaceDataSource Interface•getId•getDisplayName•getAddress•getPublishMode•isAutoConnect

VueDataSource(implements all the above methods

for VUE )

FedoraDataSource(connect to Fedora)

GoogleDataSource(Conduct google

search)

artifact.DataSource(connect to artifact

repository)

Local/RemoteDataSource

(oki implementations)

VUE ImplementationsVUE Implementations

FedoraFedora Digital Repository ArchitectureDigital Repository Architecture

ArtifactArtifact Art History database at TuftsArt History database at Tufts

VUE ImplementationVUE Implementation - Fedora - Fedora OKI BridgeOKI Bridge

Fedora Object ModelFedora Object Model OKI.DR API OKI.DR API OKI.DR asset modelOKI.DR asset model Fedora – OKI bridgeFedora – OKI bridge

Fedora Object ModelFedora Object Model

OKI.DR APIOKI.DR API

OKI.DR Asset ModelOKI.DR Asset Model

Fedora OKI BridgeFedora OKI BridgeFedoraFedora OKIOKIPIDPID Shared.IdShared.Id

DRDR DigitalRepositoryDigitalRepository

FedoraObjectFedoraObject AssetAsset

FedoraObjectIteratorFedoraObjectIterator AssetIteratorAssetIterator

BehaviorInfoStructureBehaviorInfoStructure InfoStructureInfoStructure

BehaviorBehavior InfoRecordInfoRecord

DisseminationInfoPartDisseminationInfoPart InfoPartInfoPart

DisseminationDissemination InfoFieldInfoField

ParameterInfoPartParameterInfoPart InfoPartInfoPart

ParameterParameter InfoFieldInfoField

DataOutputStreamInfoPartDataOutputStreamInfoPart InfoPartInfoPart

DataOutputStream(MIMETypeStream)DataOutputStream(MIMETypeStream) InfoFieldInfoField

VUE Implementations - ArtifactVUE Implementations - Artifact

ASP, MS SQL Based web application to ASP, MS SQL Based web application to organize art history contentsorganize art history contents

Developed XML object generator for Developed XML object generator for ArtifactArtifact

Design and develop resource and data Design and develop resource and data source classes in VUE to work with Artifact source classes in VUE to work with Artifact object modelobject model

Future DirectionFuture Direction

Interface for any datasourceInterface for any datasource Federated search Federated search Front end to course management toolsFront end to course management tools User interfaces to view complex mapsUser interfaces to view complex maps

Semantic zoom Semantic zoom Fish eye viewFish eye view 3- dimensional views3- dimensional views

Web-siteWeb-site

http://vue.tccs.tufts.edu/http://vue.tccs.tufts.edu/

VUE

Datasource Interface

Learning Theories- Constructivism - Active Learning - Individualized Learning

Fedora Digital Repository

FedoraImplementation

VUE Overview

Technical Infrastructure

Support- Faculty needs- Learners needsExtend- Digital Libraries- OKI Standards

DR Implementations

DigitalRepository