JISC

Overview

The EILE project is driving toward Flexible Service Delivery (FSD) by supporting the implementation and integration of new or enhanced administrative systems. Leveraging the Moodle Virtual Learning Environment’s (VLE) many entities, including users, courses and modules, we will provide mechanisms that allow it to intelligently link to other web systems using the IMS Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) framework and a configurable web services Moodle block that can receive data from providers.

Aims and objectives

The project will be providing two streams of deliverables based upon LTI and interoperability through web services. Each stream will have a compliant consumer for Moodle, acting as a blueprint for other learning environments, and an example of complaint service provider. To support further development, the project will provide tutorials on how to become compliant with both mechanisms and outline the criteria an integration candidate must meet including security, reliability and suitability. To underpin the mechanisms, the project will analyse the integration environment, base lining implementations with and without our mechanisms, attempting to identify real cost savings for academic institutions.

Project methodology

A steering group consisting of senior management, the department’s project coordinator, a representative of our academic partner and the project manager will meet regularly to oversee the project. Project manager Steve Coppin will be forming an experienced Agile development team with John Ennew and James Wilson, all of the University of Kent, to create the technical solution and supporting documentation and studies. The academic and industry partners, Canterbury Christ Church University and IMS GLC respectively, will be engaged throughout the project and will be asked to collaborate at various points throughout.  

Anticipated outputs and outcomes

For both the LTI and web service interoperability standards, the EILE project will deliver the following:

• A compliant consumer for Moodle
• One, or more, compliant providers
• Tutorials on how to become compliant
• A process through which to evaluate potential integration candidates

It will also answer the following questions:

• Are there other opportunities for integration around our and our partner’s institutions?
• What, if any, real cost savings could be achieved through interoperability?
• How might the mechanisms enable Moodle to act as a portal?

Technology / Standards used

EILE will be leveraging the IMS LTI framework as a standard way of integrating rich learning applications. The project will be exploring different data transfer protocols to be used in the web service Moodle block. Any development in Moodle will be performed using the PHP and MySQL framework upon which the core is built.