JISC

The project aims to develop a toolkit corresponding to the resource discovery services area of the JISC e-Learning Service-Oriented Framework. Resource discovery supports the core functions of VLEs and digital repository systems, as well as enabling existing resources to be identified and repurposed for teaching. The overall aim of the project is to develop a software toolkit that mediates the discovery of deep resources in distributed and heterogeneous repositories. The toolkit will consist an application framework that brokers the functionalities of repositories (based on IMS reference models), and enables the functions to be accessible via a unified set of web service interfaces. A reference services consumer will also be provided to demonstrate the functionalities of the toolkit.

Aim: develop a resource discovery toolkit for the JISC e-Learning Framework.

Specific objectives are based on developing the following toolkit components:

• an application framework (d+) as an underlying architecture for various software components that mediate resource discovery functions
• software components for searching heterogeneous repositories including standard-compliant bibliographic databases (Z39.50, SRW/U), DSpace, Xgrain, UPortal, learning objects repositories, selected proprietary resources gateways, VLEs and SQL databases.
• a set of web services interfaces providing the search functions and a basic web application demonstrating how the web services are consumed
• technical and implementation documentation

Project Methodology

The project consists of three main development strands: Specifications, Framework Development, Reference Web Services. The Specifications strand deals with system scoping and specification development. Development of the d+ Framework initially focuses on assembling the software components required for accessing Z39.50 repositories and implementing a base system for the framework. This includes incorporating relevant web services protocols (SRW and OpenURL) as a unified search interface and the associated APIs (JAFER and Digital Repository OSID) within the framework. The development will focus on implementing IMS Digital Repositories Specification Use Case 3 (for discovering resources). This anticipates the first alpha release of the toolkit for testing various existing Z39.50-compliant search targets. Further developments in subsequent stages, deliverable as monthly toolkit releases (alphas + one beta versions) aim at integrating other types of repositories. The implementation involves developing and assembling software components according to the architecture of the framework, developing additional core and utilities components, and creating stubs to access web services-based (standard and proprietary) repositories. Implementation of the reference web services are synchronised with the development of the d+ Framework and precede each of the toolkit releases. The web services development is geared towards developing an application demonstrating three IMS resource discovery use cases, i.e. “search/expose”, “request/deliver” and “submit/store”.

Implications/ Deliverables/ Stakeholders

While considerable advances have been made in enabling the reuse of existing online resources, accessing  deep and distributed resources remains an essential requirement for the e-learning communities. The project aims to tackle this requirement by developing a toolkit with a set of web services mediating the disparate resource discovery functionalities inherent to heterogeneous repositories. This lowers the barriers for tool developers to implement resource discovery features within VLEs and tools such as learning objects editor, and thus enabling vast amount of legacy metadata and digital resources to be repurposed for educational purposes. Content providers can also use the toolkit to set up web services accessibility to their repositories, e.g. enabling a web service (SRW) search on a Z39.50 catalogue. Being part of the JISC e-Learning Framework, the toolkit also provides a basis to evaluate the usability of existing standards, web services protocols, relevant horizontal and vertical (database specific) web application frameworks, as well as identifying issues relevant to the framework implementation. 

Project Partners

• EDINA JISC-funded national UK Data Centre
• Intrallect
• University of Edinburgh: College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Learning Technology
• University of Oxford: Learning and Teaching Group - JAFER project
• University of Southampton: Electrical and Electronic Engineering Assessment Network E3AN project
• WebCT inc