in050403

 

Annual Report for INCITS/V36

Period Covered: 2004-03 to 2005-05

Title of INCITS Subgroup:  Information Technology for Learning, Education and Training

 

 

1.      Executive Summary

 

Technical Committee V36 Information Technology for Learning Education and Training supports National and International level work in specific areas, as follows:

 

-        Vocabulary

-        Collaborative Technology

-        Participant Information

-        Management and Delivery

-        Quality Assurance and Frameworks

-        International Standardized Profiles

-        Culture, Language, and Human Functioning Activities

 

The objective is to develop standards in the field of information technologies for learning, education, and training to support individuals, groups, or organizations, and to enable interoperability and reusability of resources and tools.

 

V36 has a working web site.  The link is:

 

http://incits-v36.org

 

This technical committee is the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 and provides recommendations on U.S. positions to the INCITS EB, as the Technical Advisory Group to JTC1,   INCITS.

 

V36 is currently participating in the following projects at the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 level:

 

-        ISO/IEC 2382-36 - Information Technology Vocabulary -- Part 36: Learning, Education, and Training

-        ISO/IEC 19781-1 – Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Registry -- Part 1: Registry

-        ISO/IEC 19781-2 - Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Registry -- Part 2: Registration authority process

-        ISO/IEC 19778-1 - Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Collaborative technology -- Collaborative workplace -- Part 1: Data Model

-        ISO/IEC 19779-1 - Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Collaborative technology -- Agent to agent communication

-        ISO/IEC 19780-1 - Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Collaborative technology -- Learner to learner interaction scheme

-        ISO/IEC 19786 - Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Participant accommodation information

-        ISO/IEC 19787 - Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Participant performance information

-        ISO/IEC 24726 - Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Description of performance metrics

-        ISO/IEC 19788-1 - Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Metadata for Learning Resources -- Part 1: Framework

-        ISO/IEC 19796 - Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Quality Management, Assurance and Metrics

-        ISO/IEC 24725 - xxx - Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Profiles of standards and specifications

-        ISO/IEC 24725 – 002 – Information technology -- Learning, education, and training -- Profiles of standards and specifications -- Part 002: Profile of Rights Expression Language (REL)

 

 

A link to the INCITS Project listing the project is as follows:

 

http://www.incits.org/tc_home/v36sd4.htm

 

 

2.      Significant Accomplishments

 

-        A member of V36 currently serves as the Chair of SC36.

-        Members of V36 are Editors for the following Projects, and progression was made on them as follows:

o        ISO/IEC 19781-1 – Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Registry -- Part 1: Registry; Currently in preparation for CD 2 Ballot

o        ISO/IEC 19781-2 - Information Technology Learning, Education and Training -- Registry -- Part 2: Registration authority process; Currently in preparation for CD 2 Ballot

o        ISO/IEC 19786 - ITLET -- Participant accommodation information; Currently in preparation for CD 2 Ballot

o        ISO/IEC 19787 - ITLET -- Participant performance information; Currently in preparation for CD 2 Ballot

o        ISO/IEC 24726 - ITLET -- Description of performance metrics; Currently in Working Draft

o        ISO/IEC 24725 – yyy – Information technology -- Learning, education, and training -- Profiles of standards and specifications -- Part xxx: Profile of Rights Expression Language (REL); In FPDISP Ballot

 

 

3.      Significant Challenges

 

The US has relinquished the SC36 Secretariat, which has caused significant political problems before and after the announcement of relinquishment.

 

Last year, the V36 Chair reported the following, which still remains true:

 

The US Delegations to the SC36 meetings have established a good working relationships with most of the other NBs and we have leveraged the positive relationships built to our advantage in promoting and protecting US interests.  Unfortunately, the relationships built have been perceived by the UK, and to a lesser extent Australia and Canada, as a threat in promoting their interests.  As a result, the UK, Australia and Canada Delegations have been directly, and indirectly disrupting the projects deemed important to the US and have been attacking the SC36 Chair and the SC36 Secretariat, both US participants, in an attempt to negate the positive relationships the US Delegations have built.

 

 

4.  Expected Challenges

 

Maintaining the positive relationships built with the other SC36 NBs in order to promote and protect US interests.

 

There is an increasing workload in SC36.  V36 needs to increase its membership to provide proper coverage.

 

Since there is an increase in the number of internal JTC1 Liaisons SC36 has established, V36 must initiate closer coordination with the appropriate US TAGs.

 

 

5.  Committee Activities

 

On average, V36 meets about once a month.  Most of these meetings are done via telecom.  There are at least one "face to face" meeting each year.  The frequency of meetings helps the V36 membership in staying informed, quickly reacting to NBLO contributions, and in creating timely contributions for SC36 and to support EB activities.  In addition, V36 actively participates in SC36 Plenary, WG, RG and Ad Hoc meetings.  This includes Interim WG and RG meetings.

 

Future V36 Meeting Schedule

 

2005-07-14, Location: Telecom

2005-08-18, Location: Telecom

2005-09-13 / 2005-09-14, Location: ITI

2005-10-27, Location: Telecom

2005-12-15, Location: Telecom

 

Future SC36 Meeting Schedule

 

2005-09-19 / 2005-09-24: United States

2006-03-13 / 2006-09-17: Turku, Finland

2006-09-18 / 2006-09-22: Beijing, China

2007 Canada

2007 UK

2008 Korea

 

 

6.  Membership and Officers

 

 

V36 Members

 

There are five voting members and one advisory member in V36.  The following are members of V36:

 

ContentGuard (voting): Harry Piccariello; Manual Ham

Farance Inc. (voting): Frank Farance; Timothy Schoechle

Raytheon (voting): Bruce Peoples; Jesse Jarrell

RTI International (voting): Harold Waters II; Geoffrey Frank

WGBH-National Center for Acessible Media (voting): Madeleine Rothberg

Foundation for Institutional Development (advisory): Tony Monaco

 

V36 Officers

 

-        Chair:  Frank Farance

-        Vice Chair: Vacant

-        Secretary: Open

-        International Representative:  Vacant, current call for volunteers

 

 

7.      Future Trends

 

There continues to be a strong need for international standards and technical reports on information technology to be used specifically by students, learners, instructors, developers, and education and training institutions; and to be used for accessing, developing, and delivering training and learning resources. Current internet specifications and web technology specifications, although evolving rapidly, are inadequate for learning, education, and training because learning experiences involve much more than just "content delivery" and internet connectivity.

 

There is also a strong need arising for international standards and technical reports on information technology directly related to the domain of Learning, Education and Training to be used specifically by the developers of non-human entities such as intelligent agents, intelligent systems and intelligent robots.  In the current demand for “intelligent web services”, and robotics that are adaptable to specific consumer needs and contexts, a demand for “intelligent entities” that can “mimic” human behavior and create and function in learning environments specifically relevant for these “intelligent entities” exists.   Standardization for these types of LET activities will enable adaptable behaviors by such “intelligent entities”.

 

Learning environments are unique in that standardization and interoperability are required across many "qualities of implementation", including the low-end (e.g., a standalone PC workstation), the middle (e.g., workstations with high-speed internet access), and the high-end (e.g., high-fidelity simulators and trainers). Interoperability is necessary among low-cost, consumer, high-cost, and specialized learning technology systems.

 

Learning, education, and training environments increasingly use distance (wide area network), distributed (multiple resources acting as a single resource), and nomadic (roaming, sometimes connected) technologies, yet users, vendors, and institutions all expect interoperability and good system performance among these diverse operating environments.  International standards are critical in enabling the interoperability expected.

 

 

 

Learning, education, training, and content development are increasingly depending upon collaboration and cooperation. Institutions and vendors cannot afford to develop all the necessary learning materials and resources, thus, organizations must collaborate to reuse and resell learning resources. International standards are critical to the success of collaboration and cooperation among organizations and the reuse of learning content.

 

 

8.      Other Administrative Information

 

Financial Statement

 

V36 does not collect funds for its operations and a financial statement is not applicable.

 

Meetings

 

V36 conducts most of its meetings via teleconferencing.  This has been successful in the past and V36 will continue to conduct the majority of its meetings in this manner.  V36 is committed to holding at least one "in person" meeting per year, and has found it beneficial to hold these meetings right before plenary level SC36 meetings.

 

Communications

 

V36 has an active e-mail reflector to exchange information.  Several of our ballots are conducted over the e-mail reflector.  The V36 working web site is also used to post documents critical to its members.  The documents are in a web based document register that utilizes a document register numbering system.   Sensitive documents are password protected.