| |
The IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS GLC) has announced, at its annual Learning Impact conference, that several of its member organisations have committed to funding the development of a shared web catalogue of learning resources.
The catalogue web tool will enable education institutions and school districts to find and connect to standards-based content and learning applications through their enterprise course management system or portal. The freely available, web-accessible catalogue will enable faculty, teachers and students to find a wide variety of standards-based digital learning materials and applications, such as ancillary textbook assets, e-Books, study aids, and homework applications.
The Digital Learning Connection (DLC) is a new collaboration, announced last November, in which digital learning application and content providers are working together to enable access and installation of a wide variety of products and services using a common set of standards-based protocols and formats.
This new program is designed to make it easier for faculty, professors, teachers and IT staff to incorporate digital learning applications and content into course websites. Institutions and school districts in the US could begin piloting the approach as early as this coming autumn.
The committed sponsors of the project, providing financial and technical resources are Pearson Education, Cengage Learning, ANGEL Learning, Desire2Learn and Follett Corporation.
The catalogue web tool will be developed and supported as a web service by Giunti Labs based on the HarvestRoad Hive Digital Repository. The approach encompasses a variety of open standards for digital learning content and applications – including IMS Common Cartridge and Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI), and open application programming interfaces that allow any compliant learning system or portal to interact with the catalogue.
“Follett has long served a critical role in the course materials distribution chain,” said Gary Shapiro, SVP, Intellectual Property, Follett Higher Education Group.
“The DLC is an innovative effort to streamline that process. We believe we will add value to the initial design of the catalogue tool and that Follett’s own digital strategy will benefit from our active participation.”
“We are pleased to be working with the IMS Global Learning Consortium and industry colleagues on the DLC catalogue initiative,” said Bill Rieders, Executive Vice President of Global New Media, Cengage Learning. “Cengage Learning is committed to offering educational materials in a variety of formats and the DLC will help to make our digital learning applications and content more readily accessible to instructors, students and institutions.”
“Penn State is pleased to be working with the IMS Global Learning Consortium to pilot the DLC Program,” said John Harwood, Senior Director, Teaching and Learning with Technology, Penn State. “The program will increase the incorporation of digital learning into our high enrollment courses by providing ease of use benefits to faculty, while simultaneously improving the technical support of digital content and applications from a variety of providers.”
About Learning Impact 2009
Learning Impact 2009 is IMS Global Learning Consortium's annual conference and brings together the world's leading creators, vendors, users, and buyers of learning technology to participate in programme tracks focused on the latest innovations in learning systems, digital learning content, the learning enterprise, and open technologies. Presenters answer a key challenge question designed to inform the attendees on the state of innovation and best practices.
About IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS GLC)
IMS Global Learning is a nonprofit member organisation that strives to enable the growth and impact of learning technology in higher education, K-12, and corporate education worldwide. IMS GLC members are leading corporations, higher education institutions, school districts and government organizations who are enabling the future of education by developing interoperability and adoption practice standards for educational and learning technology. IMS GLC sponsors Learning Impact: a global program and conference that recognises the impact of learning and educational technology on access, affordability, and quality – the world’s most significant educational challenges.
About Giunti Labs
Giunti Labs (giuntilabs.com) is a leading Online and Mobile Learning Content Management Solutions provider with global headquarters in Italy and offices in London (UK), Frankfurt (Germany), Lund (Sweden), Boston (US), as well as Sydney and Perth (Australia).
Giunti Labs provides a wide range of solutions, in response to any content, learning and knowledge management need, covering:
• 24/7 multi language learning content production;
• LCMS and Digital Repository Platforms;
• Delivery solutions for mobile & wireless;
• Consulting and professional services.
Giunti Labs is part of Giunti Group, a leading educational and cultural heritage publisher with roots back to 1841. Over the years Giunti has built a catalogue of huge dimensions (over 7.000 titles) and acquired new brands in Italy and worldwide.
In 2008, Giunti Labs acquired the HarvestRoad Hive digital repository system, which manages any form of content used in online learning, corporate training and knowledge management initiatives. HarvestRoad Hive can interface with practically any ERP, Learning or Course Management System and is already integrated with several commonly used course management systems, authoring and content assembly tools.
|
bob.little[.]boblittlepr.com 
