Sharable Courseware Object Reference Model (SCORM) Version 1.0
Quick and Simple Metadata Generator Version 1.0.1

Table of Contents

    I.  Revisions
   II.  Introduction
  III.  Installation
  IV.  Instructions
   V.  Implementation
  VI.  Limitations
 VII.  References



I. Revisions

Date Changed File(s) Changed Details
09/19/2000 content_output.htm
externalCourse_output.htm
The end tag for element 2.2 "STATUS" was not correct.  This was corrected with the proper end tag.


II. Introduction

Welcome to the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Sharable Courseware Object Reference Model (SCORM) Version 1.0 Quick and Simple Metadata Generator Version 1.0.1.  This release contains three separate metadata generator tools, each used for a separate and unique type of metadata creation.  The purpose of the Quick and Simple Metadata Generator is to simplify and accelerate the process of writing ADL SCORM Version 1.0 comformant XML metadata records.  A list of all metadata elements can be located in section 7 of the SCORM Version 1.0.   The Metadata Generator Version 1.0.1 has been designed for use with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, and Netscape 4.0 or later.  Support for other browsers is limited and has not been tested at this time.  The following sections describe the use, implementation, and limitations of the tool.  It is recommended that you read this entire Readme before using the ADL SCORM Version 1.0 Quick and Simple Metadata Generator Version 1.0.1.



III. Installation

Unzip the MetadataGenerator1_0_1.zip file to a directory on your hard drive.  Winzip will create a "MetadataGenerator" folder nestled within an "adl" folder.  This "MetadataGenerator" folder should contain the following files:




IV. Instructions

Step 1:

Launch your web browser and open the "main.htm" file.

Step 2:

Once you are at the main page, simply click on the link corresponding to the type of metadata record that you wish to create (or choose the View Readme button for help).  This will bring up the appropriate Metadata Generator.

Step 3:

Next, enter your metadata into the corresponding text boxes.  Notice that the numbers next to the text box labels correspond to the numbering system used in section 7 of the SCORM Version 1.0.  The labels are color coded to help you identify the mandatory elements.   If the label is purple and there is a "*" on the right hand side of the text box, the element is mandatory (required), and must have that information specified.  If the label is blue, the element is optional.  Note the special instructions on certain fields.  These will help you with certain formats of text.  (e.g. date: yyyy-mm-dd)

Step 4:

Click on the "Generate XML Metadata" button at the bottom of the page.  This will display a generated XML record containing the metadata information you entered.  If you failed to enter all of the mandatory metadata elements, a message will be displayed indicating which elements still need addressed.  You will need to enter this information on the form before your results will can displayed.

Step 5:

After the XML metadata record has been generated, you need to save the record to a file. One way to do this is to select the results and copy them to the clipboard using the Edit Copy command.  Then, open a text editor of your choice (e.g. "notepad") and paste the results into the text editor.  Save this file with a ".xml" extension.



V. Implementation

  1. Main Page

  2. Content Metadata Generation

  3. Raw Media Metadata Generation

  4. External Course Metadata Generation

  5. Support File(s)



VI. Limitations

The ADL SCORM Version 1.0 Quick and Simple Metadata Generator Version 1.0.1 makes some simplifying assumptions.  As a result, it is limited as described below.  Feel free to inspect the implementation if more details are desired.

  1. Element attribute specification and use:

    Users can not specify the values of the few element attributes used in the XML metadata binding.  These attributes are not used, or at a minimum set to default values where required.  (ex. The lang attribute is not used on the LANGSTRING element, and the type attribute is not used on the LOCATION element.)  These can be entered manually after the file is saved.

  2. Language support:

    All text is assumed to be in English, US. There is no default language specified for the XML encapsulated data.  An explicit lang="en-US" is not used on any of the LANGSTRING elements.  Entering the same information in multiple languages is not supported.

  3. Listed, or repeated, information is not supported:

    Many of the LOM elements are allowed to repeat in ordered or unordered lists.  There is no mechanism in the interface to enter list-style information, with the exception of the keywords which may be separated by commas.  (ex. Repetition of Contributors, Roles, Entities, etc. is not implemented.)

  4. Dates:

    Support for a variety of DateType specifications is not supported.   Much of this is fixed.  (ex. Durations greater than 99 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds are not supported.)  Date strings are not supported.

  5. VCard Information:

    VCard format and contents are fixed.  (ex. Contributor's Entity can be either a Full Name or an Organization.)  Additional, and repeated VCard information is not supported.

  6. Technical Format:

    The Technical category's FORMAT element could be implemented as a list of known formats.  Currently, the user needs to enter the format.  This is typically the described entity's MIME type.

  7. Extension not supported:

    The EXTENSTION element is not included.

  8. Error checking:

    Some error checking is performed, but robust error handling is not implemented.  (ex. "X" is not being checked)

  9. Direct XML file creation:

    Users need to Save As or Cut and Paste the generated XML record from the browser to a file on the disk manually.

  10. The XML is not validated against the IMS DTD:

    It is highly recommended to test the XML document using the ADL SCORM Version 1.0 Conformance Test Suite Version 1.0 (Self Test) after completion.  Using the Quick and Simple Metadata Generator Version 1.01 does not guarantee that your metadata will be conformant to ADL SCORM Version 1.0 since text boxes are used requiring user input and the error checking is not robust enough to handle every case.

  11. Best Practice Vocabulary:

    The user will be forced to use best practice vocabulary.  If the user does not wish to adhere to this recommended vocabulary, the user can edit during the cut/paste steps described above.


VII. References

  1. ADL Shareable Courseware Object Reference Model (SCORM) Version 1.0
    www.adlnet.org

  2. IMS Learning Resource Metadata Information Model Version 1.0
    www.imsproject.org/metadata/mdinfo01.html

  3. IMS Learning Resource Metadata XML Binding Specification Version 1.0
    www.imsproject.org/metadata/mdbind01.html

  4. IMS Learning Resource Metadata Best Practices and Implementation Guide Version 1.0
    www.imsproject.org/metadata/mdbest01.html

  5. IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC) Learning Object Model (LOM) Draft Document v3.7
    ltsc.ieee.org/wg12

  6. Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
    purl.oclc.org/dc/