Spec online at edutab.test.iminds.be/specs/serif. More and more users obtain new knowledge using e-learning systems, and often assess their understanding of this new knowledge using corresponding assessment items. However, the distribution of content items and assessment items in a learning object is tightly bound. To publish assessment items, independently of the corresponding content items, it is required to wrap these assessment items into separate learning objects, which introduces a large overhead. Moreover, current learning objects are closely coupled with their execution environment. A stand-alone and lightweight format to describe assessment items is needed. This way their publication is facilitated and their discoverability can be increased. This presentation proposes some important features for such a format and introduces SERIF: a Semantic ExeRcise Interchange Format, whose underlying data model is based on the QTI data model, and that can be distributed into different RDF serializations. SERIF was applied successfully in three proof-of-concept applications, where we assessed how SERIF is decoupled from the execution environment and extendable to other content and interaction types. In future work, we will exploit its defined semantics for automatic discovery and combination of assessment items.

1. SERIF
A Semantic ExeRcise Interchange Format
Ben De Meester
Hajar Ghaem Sigarchian, Tom De Nies,
Ruben Verborgh, Frank Salliau,
Erik Mannens, Rik Van De Walle
University Ghent – iMinds – Multimedia Lab
ben.demeester@ugent.be | @Ben__DM
LINKed2015@ISWC | October 11th 2015 | Bethlehem, PA
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2. So, you want to practice something new?
Give me all the exercises!

3. So, you want to practice something new?

4. So, you want to practice something new?
It’s not that simple…

5. On the menu:
Learning online is complicated.
SCORM, QTI, LMS, …
But why?
Overhead, coupled, rigid, vendor lock-in, …
Can we solve that?
SERIF

6. Learning Record Store
The E-Learning Ecosystem
Learning Management System
Server Client
Execution Environment

7. Learning Record Store
The E-Learning Ecosystem
Learning Management System
Server Client
Execution Environment

8. Learning Record Store
The E-Learning Ecosystem
Learning Management System
Server Client
Execution Environment

9. Learning Record Store
The E-Learning Ecosystem
Learning Management System
Server Client
Execution Environment
Activities

10. Technology overview
LMS
Moodle, Blackboard
LRS
Tin Can API
Learning Resource
SCORM, Common Cartridge (IMS)
Assessment items
QTI (IMS), GIFT, Aiken, Blackboard format
Metadata
LOM

11. Learning Resources
IMS Global (CC)
Learning Object
Assessments (QTI)
Execution
Logging
SCORM
Learning Object
Assessments
Execution
Logging (Tin Can)

12. Learning objects are complex
So complex handling is necessary
However… assessments do not need this complexity.

13. Problems
Overhead
Packaging a single exercise in a package
Coupling between execution, content and visualization
Makes sense for learning objects, not for assessments
Not extendable
Content is already complex for learning objects
Vendor lock-in
Hard to conform to complex specs

14. Solutions
No overhead
No packaging needed
Decoupling execution, content and visualization
Data model decoupled from execution
Extendable
Extensible in terms of media types and interaction types
Discoverable
Open format, discoverable and reusable

15. SERIF
Data model, based on QTI, decoupled from execution
Generic MIME type support
Extendable interactions
Described in RDF

16. Example exercise

17. Example exercise
Assessment Item
LOM
Metadata
InfoControl (Hint)
ItemBody
Interaction
ScoreMap

18. Data model (based on QTI)
http://edutab.test.iminds.be/specs/serif/
http://semweb.mmlab.be/ns/serif
AssessmentItem
type
Identifier
title
metadata
ItemBody
value
value-mimetype
infoControlIdentifier
InfoControl
type
identifier
value
value-mimetype
Item
type
identifier
infoControlIdentifier
ScoreMap
value
score
Property
key
value
Option
label
value
value-mimetype
* * *
*
*
*

19. LOM metadata
ex:test1 a serif:AssessmentItem .
ex:test1 <http://schema.org/name> "Example exercise" .
ex:test1 lom:educationalDifficulty "easy" .
ex:test1 lom:educationalLanguage "fr" .
ex:test1 lom:classification _:b0 .
ex:test1 lom:classification _:b3 .
_:b0 lom:classificationPurpose "discipline" .
_:b0 lom:taxonPath _:b1 .
_:b1 lom:classificationTaxon _:b2 .
_:b2 lom:taxonEntry "French" .
_:b3 lom:classificationPurpose "educational objective" .
_:b3 lom:taxonPath _:b4 .
_:b4 lom:classificationTaxon _:b5 .
_:b5 lom:taxonEntry "Grammaire/Le pronom/Le pronom personnel" .
http://data.opendiscoveryspace.eu/lom_ontology_ods.owl
AssessmentItem
type
Identifier
title
metadata

20. Support for multiple mimetypes
ItemBody
value
value-mimetype
infoControlIdentifier
InfoControl
type
identifier
value
value-mimetype
Item
type
identifier
infoControlIdentifier
Option
label
value
value-mimetype
*
{
"value": "$x=frac{1+y}{1+2z^2}$",
"value-mimetype": "application/x-tex"
},
{
"value": "<p>What do you see here? <img src="/dolphin.jpg"/></p>",
"value-mimetype": "text/html"
}

21. Additional info
AssessmentItem
type
Identifier
title
metadata
ItemBody
value
value-mimetype
infoControlIdentifier
InfoControl
type
identifier
value
value-mimetype
Item
type
identifier
infoControlIdentifier
* * *

22. Scoring
Item
type
identifier
infoControlIdentifier
ScoreMap
value
score
*

23. Extensible Interaction types
Item
type
identifier
infoControlIdentifier
Property
key
value
Option
label
value
value-mimetype
*
*
Currently supported:
• ChoiceInteraction
Multiple choice
• TextEntryInteraction
Fill in the blank
• AssociateInteraction
Find connections
• OrderInteraction
Order multiple options
• AudioInteraction
The response is an audio clip
• VideoInteraction
The response is a video clip
• CanvasInteraction
The response is a digital drawing

24. { "@context": "http://edutab.test.iminds.be/specs/serif/context.jsonld",
"identifier": "http://www.example.com/test1",
"type": "AssessmentItem",
"title": "Example exercise",
"itemBody": {
"value": "<p>How much is two times five?<br
/>{{http://www.example.com/interaction1}}</p>",
"value-mimetype": "text/html"
},
"infoControl": [{
"type": "Hint", "identifier": "http://www.example.com/infocontrol1",
"value": "Two times a number is equal to 'number + number'"
}],
"item": [{
"type": "ChoiceInteraction",
"identifier": "http://www.example.com/interaction1",
"infoControlIdentifier": "http://www.example.com/infocontrol1",
"properties": [
{ "key": "maxChoices", "value": 1 },
{ "key": "shuffle", "value": false }
],
"scoreMap": [
{ "value": 10, "score": 1 }
],
"options": [
{ "label": "four", "value": 4 }, { "label": "seven", "value": 7
{ "label": "eight", "value": 8 }, { "label": "ten", "value": 10

25. Use Case
SERIF

26. Comparison
Format Coupled Content Type Interaction Integration Overhead
SCORM 1 ∞ - ++++
CC 1 ++ - ++++
QTI 1 ++ - +++
GIFT 1 + + +
AIKEN 1 + + +
Blackboard 1 + + +
SERIF ∞ ∞ +++ ++

27. Learning Record Store
The E-Learning Ecosystem
Activities
Learning Management System Execution Environment
Server Client

28. Learning Record Store
The Future E-Assessments Ecosystem
Activities
Server Client
Execution Environment

29. http://edutab.test.iminds.be/specs/serif/
Our project
EduTablet
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Our partners: