Lets Talk about LMS

Let’s go a bit detail about LMS which is widely used word Learning Management System or Learning Content management System (LCMS).

LMS is a platform where our e learning course is deployed. Basically LMS will work as a database engine, which track the user login, Course viewed time etc.,

Ideally LMS will contain the fallowing functionalities in it:

• User authentication
• Send Receive mails
• User data Track
• User time track
• Chat
• Blackboard
• Forums
• Blogs
• Calendar
• Progress Report Generator
• Report Card Graphical representation
• User Course progress
• User Course Time Tracking
• User Mark Sheet
Also another some functions in it.

Basically LMS will contain 5 Major functions which will communicate with course and LMS.
They are

• LMSIntialize()
• LMSGetValue()
• LMSSetValue()
• LMSCommit()
• LMSFinish()
With these 5 major functions LMS will communicate with our course. If we go in detail about a course structure. We need look after all these functions .

LMSInitialize() : This is the first call from Course to LMS. Whenever the user enters into a course the course will send a call to LMS saying that Course is started, but LMS need to receive this call. To receive this call LMSInitialize function need start at beginning of the course.

LMSGetValue(): This is the second function loads when the course is started , If any values already have been passed to LMS will be checked over here. If no value found in the LMS variable then the LMSGetValue() function will be closed.

LMSSetValue(): If you are about to leave the course in between or completed the course then you need to close the course window. Once you are done with it, Curse communicator will send the value to LMS. This value will be carried to LMS through LMSSetValue() function

LMSCommit(): Once the LMSSetValue() function Is send a value to LMS, then the LMSCommit() function will be set the variable value to LMS.

LMSFinish(): This will close the connection in between the SCO and LMS. Once this function called then the communication with the SCO and LMS are closed.


All these functions are available in a single JavaScript file ideally called APIWrapper.js

We will go further in later posts..
bye for now

Some standards

Now we will take look on the development side of Elearning
As we know as of now, we need to fallow some standards to maintain the consistency of the media. So to maintain this consistency we use SCORM standards.
SCROM is the packaged data of various Learning Objects (LO’s). These Learning Objects contains various SCO’s (Sharable Content Object). These are again divided into various Assets.
This Asset is the main media of the elearning content. Asset is the combination of some media, text, voice, video etc.

Media can be in any type like image or gif animation or Flash animation. The development of these assets is depending on the level of SCORM standards we are fallowing.
Now days we are fallowing the SCORM 1.2 and SCORM 2004 level to develop the e learning content. Here we need understand the difference in the level of development of course and level of content development. Since Content level and Course developmental level are different.

As of now we have four levels in content development

Level 1
Level2
Level3
Level 4

These four levels indicate the content usage levels in the courseware. In Level 1 and Level2 we use the text and images etc. will be embedded in the asset page. There is no communication between the asset and the other pages. In Level 3, the asset page will be called in to SHELL (Shell is the player of the courseware), each and every asset is called into this Shell. The content is embedded into the asset page. The last level is Level 4, here the Asset and Text will be called into the Shell through XML.

If we fallow Level 3 and Level 4 content development standards the third user can use the content through XML and he can do the changes if he required.

So as of now we know about SCORM standards and Content Development Level’s
Let us look at some file types which AICC (Aviation Industry of Computer Based Training Committee) recommended



The AICC recommends the following standard formats for courseware elements:

Text ASCII

Graphics:
CGM Computer Graphics Metafile
TIFF Tagged Interchange File Format
PICT Macintosh Picture Format
WMF Windows Metafile
DIB (or BMP) Windows Device Independent Bitmap

Motion (Frame-based)

AVI Audio Video Interleaved.
MPEG Motion Picture Experts Group
QuickTime Apple format
FLIC/FLI AutoDesk Animator format
PICS Apple format


Audio

WAVE MS Windows audio
AIFF Audio Interchange File Format (Mac)
AICC Aviation Industry CBT Committee standard formats (DOS)


Logic

Logic elements can be stored in one or more ASCII text files per lesson. The text files may contain programming language code, a scripting language, or SGML tagged text.

The content, in whatever format, must be comprehensive and clear enough to enable a person with a good understanding (of the scripting language or programming language, etc.) to reproduce (without any other information) the exported CBT completely.

Some of the file types we can change upon our convenient or to maintain consistency.

Why E Learning ?

As of now a day’s to learn the new things or new concepts or new subjects is more necessary for our own growth.

But who will teach all these things??

If any one teach us also, should we are able to spare 3 to 4 hours of our time to go that place and learn the things?


It’s a big question.



To overcome these type of problems, the new e learning concept has came into the industry.

Everyone (maximum) having internet in their offices and homes. So when internet is available why can’t we use internet as a tutor for us.

So internet will teach us about the new things which we don’t know. But who will develop such type of content for us to use through internet.


To get rid of this type of problems E LEARNING has came into the market.



E Learning works with LMS (Learning Management System). LMS is just like a blackboard in our traditional institutions, where the content is displayed.

If anyone makes the content that should be displayed in the LMS, but how come we know about which LMS will support our content.

So we need fallow some standards to develop the content. Those standards are called SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Module) standards.

SCORM is a combination of LO’s (Learning Objects). LO is nothing but a Module or Unit in our traditional books. Here each LO is divided into some SCO’s (Sharable Content Objects). Again SCO is the combination of Assets.


The Asset is the main page of our content which can be included like Text, Audio, video or Animation etc,.

So when ever we are working on a e learning course please try to understand the standards and maintain them to fit our content in any of the LMS’s.

E Learning is going high

Hi Dudes,

Let us Discuss about E Learning, features of elearning and your growth.

let me tell you about the elearning first.

Electronic learning or E-learning is a general term used to refer to computer-enhanced learning. It is used interchangeably in so many contexts that it is critical to be clear what one means when one speaks of 'eLearning'. In many respects, it is commonly associated with the field of advanced learning technology (ALT), which deals with both the technologies and associated methodologies in learning using networked and/or multimedia technologies.


History about E learning:

The first general-purpose system for computer-assisted instruction from which e-learning evolved, was the PLATO System developed at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.The Plato system evolved with the involvement of Control Data who created the first authoring software used to create learning content. The authoring software was called Plato. The Science Research Council then wrote the first CAI system of Math for K-6. Wicat Systems then created WISE as their authoring tool using Pascal and developed English and Math curriculum for K-6. The very first complete CAI classroom for K-6 students was set up at the Waterford Elementary School in Utah using the Wicat system. The first public CAI classroom with its own layout and design was implemented with the Wicat System by Baal Systems (later known as Virtual Systems) in Singapore as a joint operation between Wicat and Baal. It is from this design that all the computer learning centers globally evolved and which were the forerunners of eLearning.



Advantages and Disadvantages:

Key advantages of E-learning are flexibility, convenience and the ability to work at any place where an internet connection is available and at one’s own pace. E-classes are asynchronous which allows learners to participate and complete coursework in accordance with their daily commitments. This makes an E-learning education a viable option for those that have other commitments such as family or work or cannot participate easily e.g. depending on a disablility. There are also transportation cost (and time) benefits with not having to commute to and from campus.
The cost benefits of E-learning to large corporate organizations are difficult to ignore. When using E-learning to train users of corporate computer systems, normally achieved by way of simulation-based learning content, the learner finds himself in a software environment that is exactly like the real one but which does not carry the same error risk. Unlike classroom training, users may repeat the E-learning course without duplicating the cost. It is commonly accepted that the initial cost of an E-learning implementation is expensive (once-off development cost), but that the cost of training (per user) goes down exponentially as more learners use the E-learning course material. When using E-learning simulations to assess learning progress, the instructor is assessing the actual competence of the user to perform a transaction and not merely knowledge of the system.
Other advantages of E-learning are the ability to communicate with fellow classmates independent of metrical distance, a greater adaptability to learner's needs, more variety in learning experience with the use of multimedia and the non-verbal presentation of teaching material. Streamed video recorded lectures and MP3 files provides visual and audio learning that can be reviewed as often as needed. For organizations with distributed and constantly changing learners (e.g. restaurant staff), E-learning has considerable benefits when compared with organizing classroom training.
Disadvantages of E-learning include the lack of face-to-face interaction with a teacher. Critics of E-learning argue that the process is no longer "educational" in the highest philosophical sense (for example, as defined by RS Peters, a philosopher of education). Supporters of E-learning claim that this criticism is largely unfounded, as human interactions can readily be encouraged through audio or video-based web-conferencing programs, threaded discussion boards,of fact, many in K12 would support E-learning if it was not associated with the more extreme versions that attempt to cut out the directed teacher-student relationship.
The feeling of isolation experienced by distance learning students is also often cited, although discussion forums and other computer-based communication can in fact help ameliorate this and in particular can often encourage students to meet face-to-face, although meeting face-to-face is often not possible due to the disarray of student's physical locality. Discussion groups can also be formed on-line. Human interaction, faculty-to-student as well as student-to-student, should be encouraged in any form.
E-learning tends to work better for the student when the topic matter consists of self-learned items. When much group collaboration is required, E-learning can cause lag times in collaborative feedback if the students are not discipled. For example, some student's may only check their online agenda once a week, or even less, making it impossible to achieve goals. Web and software development can be expensive as can systems specifically geared for E-learning. The development of adaptive materials is also much more time-consuming than that of non-adaptive ones.



I will go indetail about e learning later keep clicking the blog for your future in elearning.