Domain Modelling the upper levels of the eframework

Yvonne Howard Hilary DexterDavid Millard

Learning Societies Lab Distributed Learning, University of Southampton, UK University of Manchester, UK

Where we did we start?- FREMA

• The e-Framework REference Model for Assessment

• JISC funded Project between Southampton, Strathclyde and Hull

• 2004 - 2006• Aim to produce a Reference Model of the e-

Learning Assessment Domain• To aid interoperability and aid in the creation of

Assessment Services for the e-Framework

FREMA

Definitions

• What is a Reference Model?– A guide to help developers create web services that work

with one another– But there is more than one type of guide

• A standard data format• A best practice example of service design• A methodology for creating or describing services• A description of what is currently available

• What is a Reference Model for Assessment?– Assessment is a broad and complex domain– Many different assessment scenarios

• More than one data model• More than one set of cooperating services

– An active Community requires an evolving model

Concept Maps

FREMA Ontology

Semantic Wiki Pages

Use Cases and Interaction Diagrams

Stakeholdersand Personas

Domain Modelling

Domain Context

Stakeholders and Role Models

Domain Information Model

Scenarios(workflows and narratives)

Domain System Model

Goal and FunctionModel1

2

3

4

5

Concept Mapping

• Focused on the key activities in the domain (the functions)

• Captured the domain knowledge of the experts– The goals in the domain– Important functions– Entities in the domain– Begins to structure the knowledge

• Built a shared understanding of the domain– Common vocabulary of domain areas

Concept Maps

2

FREMAConcept

Map (verbs)

Concept Maps

2

A Knowledge Base

• Decided to deliver our domain model as a searchable, flexible, dynamic website

• Built on a knowledge base– Requires an ontology of resources in the domain with

relationships between them– The ontology is the schema that describes what types of

resources and relationships are allowed– (Ontology means the study of existence, and an ontology is a

particular view of existence)

• The ontology is different from the concept maps– Concept maps shows areas of the domain– Ontology shows what type of thing can be in the domain

FREMA Ontology

3

The FREMA OntologyFREMA Ontology

3

what

who

Ontology Example

Project:FREMA

Organisation:JISC

Organisation:University of Southampton

Is funded by Is involved in

JISC

frema

FREMA

Southampton

JISC

Uni Soton

frema

Semantic Wiki Pages4

Semantic Wiki• Semantic Wiki

– a wiki in which all the pages and links are typed

• Open editing, but with Administrator controls

• Users can edit– Resources– Relationships between

resources– The ontology itself

• Enables full evolution of the Domain Information and System models

• Enables Smart Searching and Analysis

– Semantic Search– Dynamic Gap Analysis

Semantic Wiki Pages4

Browsing the WikiSemantic Wiki Pages4

Dynamic Gap AnalysisSemantic Wiki Pages4

FR

EM

A

Scenarios

• Scenarios capture a certain activity (function) within the Domain

• Can be captured at different levels of formality

• From narrative descriptions

• Through to real interacting services

Use Cases and Interaction Diagrams

5

form

ality

Written Scenarios

Use Cases

ServiceExpressions

ServiceInteractions

ServiceInterfaces(WSDL)

ServiceWorkflows

(BPEL)

Service Implementations

Service Usage Model

• Describes a scenario in which services work together

• Use Case Diagram• Set of Abstract

Logical Service Expressions

• Interaction Diagram

Use Cases and Interaction Diagrams

5

FR

EM

A

Written Scenarios

Use Cases

ServiceExpressions

ServiceInteractions

ServiceInterfaces

(WSDL)

ServiceWorkflows

(BPEL)

Service Implementations

Scenario: Technical Developer

Will, Technical Developer‘I want to lookup use cases and scenarios to help me design my application. This will help me to define my footprint in the assessment domain. I see there are some web services I could re-use but some are missing. What standards can I use when writing my own web services to ensure that I can interoperate with the web services I’ve chosen?’

Where we’re going - eFUL• Integrating the eframework models

– Hilda• What goes on

• Formally modelled views e.g. lifecycle stages

• Enables strategic domain analysis

– and Frema like models• What is there

• ‘lazy’ approach, easier to contribute

– Together can answer this kind of question• Show me all the Standards that are relevant to the Course Evaluation stage of the

Course Lifecycle”.

– International eframework• low level, technical, formal descriptions of how services are defined and work together

– Service Genre - a family of services.

– Service Expressions – a specific abstract service.

– Service Usage Models (SUMs) – an area of work, and a description of how Service Genres and Expressions might collaborate to do that work.

The three models working together

The e-framework is made up of three layers that translate into these three models

eFUL Ontology

eFUL semantic wiki exemplar

What are the challenges to achieving the eFUL?

• If we build it, will they come?– Boot-strap the eFul?

• FREMA content?

• SIG involvement?

• If we build it, how do we protect carefully constructed domain knowledge from thoughtless destruction?– Editing Interfaces that help convergence?– Peer review?– SIG involvement?

Thank you…

http://www.frema.ecs.soton.ac.uk/