IMS Learning Design
Encyclopedia
IMS Learning Design is a specification for a metalanguage
which enables the modelling of learning processes. The specification is maintained by IMS Global Learning Consortium
.
, with the IMS LD specification being released by the IMS Technical Board in February 2003.
IMS LD is made up of three levels (A, B and C), with each level extending and incorporating the previous:
Although it is a relatively new specification (published in 2003), IMS LD has a moderately active community, mostly in Europe, carrying out a wide range of research and experimentation.
Metalanguage
Broadly, any metalanguage is language or symbols used when language itself is being discussed or examined. In logic and linguistics, a metalanguage is a language used to make statements about statements in another language...
which enables the modelling of learning processes. The specification is maintained by IMS Global Learning Consortium
IMS Global
IMS Global Learning Consortium is a global, nonprofit, member organization that strives to enable the growth and impact of learning technology in the education and corporate learning sectors worldwide...
.
Background
IMS LD has its origins in the Educational Modelling Language developed at the Open University of the NetherlandsOpen University (Netherlands)
The Open Universiteit Nederland is a Dutch university or institution for distance learning for higher education at university level . This means that students do not attend classes but study at home...
, with the IMS LD specification being released by the IMS Technical Board in February 2003.
Description
IMS Learning Design is a metalanguage for describing learning designs that claims to be pedagogically neutral (according to their authors, it does not mandate a specific pedagogical approach). The specification can be likened to a stage-play:- People act in different roles
- Roles work towards specific objectives by performing learning and/or support activities
- Activities are conducted within an environment consisting of learning objects and services
IMS LD is made up of three levels (A, B and C), with each level extending and incorporating the previous:
- Level A contains the core elements of the meta language
- Level B enables the use of generic properties and conditions
- Level C provides the ability to use notifications (enables activities to be set dynamically)
Use
The specification is a method for describing teaching strategies (pedagogical models) and educational goals. The language is represented in XML which makes it machine readable; an IMS LD-aware tool is able to "play" a unit of learning.Although it is a relatively new specification (published in 2003), IMS LD has a moderately active community, mostly in Europe, carrying out a wide range of research and experimentation.
Implementation - Players
- The Open University of the Netherlands has developed an IMS LD engine for playing LD called CopperCorehttp://www.coppercore.org/.
- The University Carlos III of Madridhttp://www.uc3m.es has developed an IMS LD player into the .LRNhttp://dotlrn.org Learning platform. It is the first player that has been built completely embedded into an LMS. This player is open source and available from CVS http://cvs.openacs.org.
Implementation - Authoring and Export
- The Reloadhttp://www.reload.ac.uk/ editor can be used to author learning designs in IMS LD format.
- The Graphical Learning Modellerhttp://sourceforge.net/projects/prolix-glm/ provides an intuitive graphical editing interface that abstracts from the technicalities of the IMS LD specification. The OpenGLMhttp://sourceforge.net/projects/openglm/ is an extension of Graphical Learning Modeller, enabling users to retrieve, publish and share resources and learning designs in an open repository.
- LAMSLAMSLAMS, the Learning Activity Management System, is an open source Learning Design system for designing, managing and delivering online collaborative learning activities. It provides teachers with an intuitive visual authoring environment for creating sequences of learning activities...
v2.0 (Learning Activity Management System)http://lamsfoundation.org. LAMSLAMSLAMS, the Learning Activity Management System, is an open source Learning Design system for designing, managing and delivering online collaborative learning activities. It provides teachers with an intuitive visual authoring environment for creating sequences of learning activities...
v2.0 can export learning designs in IMS Learning Design Level C format. - Moodlehttp://moodle.org is also planning to change its current course export format to follow the IMS Learning Design specification in Moodle v2.0 according to the Moodle roadmap.