Start date: 1 April 2007
End date: 30 September 2007
Funding programme: e-Learning Capital programme
Project website:
http://www.xcri.org/
JISC theme(s): e-Learning, e-Administration
Overview
The OCCAM project will for the first time give access to the whole of the Open University's course catalogue in a standardised format: XCRI CAP. It will enable authorised data aggregators to obtain the OU courses data more effectively and efficiently using a service oriented approach. We believe that this will materially help data aggregators to move from conventional paper or web-based record-by-record data collection to a more efficient bulk data transfer regime.
XCRI CAP stands for eXchanging Course Related Information, Course Advertising Profile. It is an XML schema implementing the XCRI information model. For more information about XCRI, see the official XCRI website.
Aims and objectives
The project will extend, enhance and standardise the existing methods through which the Open University supplies its courses data to third party aggregators, in order to provide the wider community with a model of good practice using the XCRI CAP schema.
The project will contribute to the understanding and usage of XCRI in a live situation, so will increase the knowledge and skills about the emerging standard. Contributions will be in the form of written documents, diagrammatic models and open source service models and specifications to be published by the end of the project.
The project will produce a model of good practice that is transferable to other HEIs. It is expected that this model of a web service coupled with a validating aggregator, will assist in the take up by other aggregators of the consumption of web services for course advertising materials.
The project will test the use of the XCRI CAP schema in a live situation between one university and a range of aggregators.
Project methodology
The project will use a service oriented approach, using UML modelling, service definitions and web services.
The project will document the mapping of XCRI CAP to the OU course data structures and will make recommendations for change or extension where appropriate, bearing in mind the unique structures of OU learning opportunities, which are based on credit-bearing courses that can in most cases contribute to a wide range of qualifications or can be taken as self-standing courses.
The project will design and implement an open source web service to provide OU courses data in XCRI CAP format. APS Ltd will act as the validating aggregator and will deliver data to aggregators in their own formats, transforming from the standardised XCRI data. The web service will be available to bona fide data aggregators approved by the OU.
As the existing system contains a data aggregation sub-system within the University, the project will use an add-on to the existing mechanism to construct an XML source to supply data to the web service.
The web service will be tested, using system and user testing. The XCRI support project will be invited to test the service. Practical use in the field will also be carried out using live data in June, August and September, which are previously identified update dates.
A full project report will be produced including both technical and non-technical results and recommendations.
Anticipated impact
The project will produce a report covering:
- The organisational and technical issues, including a ‘forward plan’ for future development with the aggregators.
- Evaluation of the success of the XCRI CAP schema and its usability.
- Recommendations for future JISC activity.
Lead institution
Project partners