Linking learning object repositories

Abstract

Learning object repositories hold the digital media resources for online learning. Success in the distribution and re-use of learning objects depends on how well the objects can be found, screened, and retrieved for use in a new instructional context. The eduSource Communications Layer (ECL) was developed as the interoperability component for eduSource Canada, a Canadian consortium for a national learning objects infrastructure. The ECL application enables searching across both peer-to-peer and web services architectures. Mechanisms for interoperability at the transactional and semantic levels are described in some detail. Key to the ECL is an open protocol to enable search, gather and retrieval within the eduSource community and gateways to extend this functionality to other learning object repository networks and digital libraries. Within six months of its release the ECL demonstrated federated searches with various learning object repositories in Canada, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European SchoolNet.