Joint Information Systems Committee XCRI Briefing 24 November 2008, Becta, 14-19 Diplomas, Aston...

Joint Information Systems Committee

XCRI Briefing24 November 2008, Becta, 14-19 Diplomas, Aston University

24/11/2008 | XCRI Briefing | Slide 1

eXchanging Course Related Information: the emerging XCRI standard

Alan [email protected]

www.xcri.orgPresentation One

Joint Information Systems Committee 24/11/2008 | XCRI Briefing | Slide 2

xcri | genesis

E-Admin … not sexy ...

It cared enough to spin off a project to tackle a shared problem …

And the project was calledeXchanging Course-RelatedInformation

The lack of a standard forcourse information.

But JISC-CETIS EnterpriseSpecial Interest Group cares…


xcri | timeline

Q1 2005 JISC fund XCRI “Reference Model” project devised by Ent SIG + UCAS

Q2 2005 Existing standards reviewed (Norway’s closest but not quite there for UK)

Q3 2005 UK prospectus websites reviewed (161) + case studies + site visits

Q4 2005 R1.0 XCRI schema developed through prototyping & critique

Q1 2006 Schema tested with Plymouth-UCAS, Oxford, Reid Kerr, L’pool LMX

Q3 2006 Existing deployments reviewed & optimised XCRI CAP 1.0 released

Q4 2006 JISC fund XCRI CAP 1.0 trials, demo aggregator & xcri.org support

Q1 2007 XCRI ‘invited’ to brief DfES and Becta

Q2 2007 CAP pilot with London 14-19 > XCRI ‘preferred approach’ in LSC vision

Q3 2007 Bolton, OU, Oxford, MMU & Staffs CAP feeds read by demo aggregator

Q4 2007 CEN WS-LT & vendor meetings for European MLO harmonization begin

Q1 2008 JISC funds CAP 1.1 trials + talks open with Becta about regional 14-19

Q3 2008 Further work on European standardisation

XCRI HE & FE | XCRI 14-19 | XCRI EU harmonization


xcri: Course Advertising Profile (xcri-cap) | schema


Catalog @generated

Provideridentifier*, title*, subject*, description*, relation*, url, image, address

Courseidentifier*, title*, subject*, description*, relation*, url, image, qualification*, credit*

Presentationidentifier*, title*, subject*, description*, relation*, url, image, start, end, duration, studyMode, attendanceMode, attendancePattern, languageOfInstruction, languageOfAssessment, placesAvailable, cost, enquireTo, applyFrom, applyUntil, applyTo, entryProfile*, entryRequirements*, venue*

Plugindescriptionrefinement

vocab

PluginstudyModerefinement

vocab

Plugin…?

refinementvocab

Customization


xcri | rationale

National agenda of ‘informed choice’ about learning opportunities but

– Feeling that education lags behind other sectors in making its ‘products’ easy to discover and compare.

Standards exist for exchanging information about people, groups and membership but

– no standard way to exchange information about courses.

Institutions developing ways to populate their prospectus from definitive data but

– resorting to primitive data entry to populate aggregator sites, regional portals, area prospectuses…

Genuine interest from the community in a standard for exchanging course information that facilitates joined-up thinking.


Preparing for XCRI-CAP

– for the internal delivery units in a learning provider, value is generated by XCRI-CAP in the form of internal efficiency gains as a result of the business process improvements.

Providing XCRI-CAP

– value is generated in the form of strategic capability as the provider better understands the nature of its course offerings when combined into a single XCRI catalog, leading to opportunities for improved quality assurance, standardisation and consolidation of duplicate offerings.

Aggregating XCRI-CAP

– value is generated for the provider in the form of cost savings on data input from the use of XCRI by aggregators. For the aggregator, value comes from the availability of additional providers in the market, and from shifting some responsibility for QA of basic data from its central process to the provider.

Going further

– value is generated for the provider in the form of new business opportunities and revenue-sharing partnerships that result from opening up data networks using XCRI. For the aggregator, the availability of the provider data via XCRI enables new added-value business models that build upon the provider's offerings.

xcri | benefits



xcri | example: Partnership in the East Midlands (I)



xcri | example: Partnership in the East Midlands (II)


Progression Pathways database

Area Prospectus

Learning Provider(s)

Holding tables

XCRI mapping + export

XCRI filtering + ImportXCRI

mapping + export

Pull

Export of basic course data from APs

Leap Ahead / Aimhigher Progression Pathways XCRI Project

Kirstie CoolinAugust 2008

LP = Learning ProvidersAP = Area ProspectusesPP = Progression Pathways Database


XCRI readiness

0

1

2

3

4Number of courses

Complexity of provision

Number of sources

Quality of authoring

Data structures

Update frequency

Audit trailCentralisation (UG)

Centralisation (PG)

Process capability

Technical capability

Organisational context

Resources

xcri | support

www.xcri.org

– Specifications and guidance - Creative Commons license

– Aggregator – “does my data look good in this?”

– Calls for mini projects

– Developer forum

How to implement XCRI

– “XCRI Readiness”

– Implementationmodels

– Scenarios of practice

– common problems and solutions



xcri | context of the implementation models


Course advertising function

Get the data

Create new information

Aggregate into catalogue(s)

Transform(s) for output

Edit existing information

HEI website(s)

Export to file(s)

Paper publications

API / web service(s)

Issues

CheckXCRI for

transformation and data exchange processes

Integration and

aggregation

Internal and external

supply and publishing


xcri | Readiness Characteristics I

ID Attribute Start 0 1 2 3 4 End1 Number of courses 1 Very large Y Very small

2 Complexity of provision 3 Highly varied Y Simple

3 Number of sources 3 Multiple Y Single

4 Quality of authoring 3 Poor Y Excellent

5 Data structures 2 Poorly defined Y Well defined

6 Update frequency 1 Less than once/year Y Continuous

7 Audit trail 0 None Y Detailed

9a Centralisation (UG) 3 Mostly decentralised Y Complete

9b Centralisation (PG) 2 Mostly decentralised Y Complete

10 Process capability 2 Ad hoc Y Well defined

11 Technical capability 0 Low Y High

12 Organisational context 3 Hostile Y Benign

13 Resources 2 Minimal Y Plenty

Key to scale: 0 = Least favourable circumstance4 = Perfect!



Minimum characteristics for XCRI readiness

0

1

2

3

4Number of courses

Complexity of provision

Number of sources

Quality of authoring

Data structures

Update frequency

Audit trailCentralisation (UG)

Centralisation (PG)

Process capability

Technical capability

Organisational context

Resources

xcri | Readiness Characteristics II



xcri | Implementation Models


Simple Single Stream Model

Multiple Source Aggregation Model

Integrated Content Management Model

Outsourcing Model

Feedback Model

Courses update push model from Data Collecting Organisation’s perspective


xcri | implementation top tips


Problem SolutionsWe don’t know how many courses we offer; our courses data sets are extremely variable.

Review and model processes you use; you may find the XIM template useful.Consider creating a single catalogue that will aggregate all your courses data.

We have a great many de-centralised sources with no links between them.

Carry out preliminary work in each source, so that you can aggregate them; introduce common course identifiers; consider changing to compatible data structures.

Our quality of authoring is poor.

XCRI implementation may provide opportunity to change how your authors work. Consider providing a new data entry system that will feed your XCRI outputs. Improvements in data quality can be presented as a ‘quick win’ for an XCRI implementation.

Our data analysis is poor, so it is very difficult for us to map to XCRI successfully.

For initial XCRI implementation, create new data store with data structures that reflect the XCRI model and import data into the new store. Reduces dependencies between XCRI and other components of the system. Then a full integration of the new system with the old one, or an entire replacement system, can be planned.

The institution is re-organising the department, its courses, everything!

Use small scale projects for incremental gains. Or put off XCRI implementation till re-organisation complete.Plan for delays.Consider using XCRI as a common means of exporting courses data for import into a new merged system.Refer to the XCRI mini project reports.


xcri | lessons

XCRI…

– went for low hanging fruit: course advertising = inherently public data

– sought out & engaged key experts & practitioners

– discovered huge inefficiencies arising from embedded work-arounds

– promoted & celebrated its “shared response to a shared problem”

– evolved by keeping it real – real data, real people, real processes

– is increasingly seeking out policy makers, senior managers & vendors to support sector process re-engineering

We are “learning to network and networking to learn”

And now…

– we’re joining up the pilot work, gaining the authority of a formal standard and entering the mainstream!



xcri | summary

Committed to joined-up thinking

Partnering with key agencies: Becta, UCAS, LSC, DCSF/DIUS ISB …

Keeping it simple and testing thoroughly with real data

Building capacity: funding mini projects

Going beyond technical support to organisational readiness: XIM

Keen for more institution, agency and vendor engagement

Aware of role in delivering 14-19, Leitch, Burgess, Bologna, Burgess,...

Go to http://www.xcri.org to discover more.



XCRI Briefing24 November 2008, Becta, 14-19 Diplomas, Aston University


eXchanging Course Related Information: the emerging XCRI standard

Alan [email protected]

www.xcri.org


Data source Transform to XCRI XCRI source

Paper publications

Export to file

[correct]

Could be database or any other electronic source

HEI website(s)

API / web service

Could be database or flat file in XCRI format

Amend [incorrect]

Checking

xcri | Simple Single Stream Model



xcri | Multiple Source Aggregation Model

Multiple Source Aggregation

Data source A

Transformto XCRI

Paper publications

Export to file

HEI website(s)

API / web service

Data source C

Data source B

Data source D

Aggregation

Verification

Master database Master databaseValidation Classification

Sources may be different formats, but have common IDs and compatible structures.



xcri | Integrated Content Management Model

Content management system

Transformto XCRI

Paper publications

Export to file

HEI website(s)

API / web service

Updates fromauthors

Edit

Createnew course records

Validate

Classify

Data source

Transformation

Content managementdata store

Content managementdata storeDirect to CMS

Via intermediatedata source

MIS

Admissions



xcri | Outsourcing Model

Transformto XCRI

API / web service

Verification, transformations and mappings

Updated data setfrom HEI

Various services dependent on agreements between the HEI and agency.

Export to format ATransform

Export to format BTransform

Export to format CTransform



xcri | Feedback Model

3rd party data collection system

Input the data3rd party

Data store

Transform into XCRI

XCRI output

Validation Classification3rd party

Data store

Collect XCRI dataNew data store at HEI 3rd party data collector acts as an agency for the HEI, providing its own data back in the standard XCRI format.



Courses update push model from Data Collecting Organisation’s perspective

Provider Course Mgt system

Whole data set in XCRI-CAP

Updates inXCRI-CAP

Transforminto XCRI-CAP

Make XCRI-CAPdata available

Whole data set

Updates

Filter

Transform intodata collector’s format

Transform intodata collector’s format

Data collector’s courses system

Import


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