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Sharable Courseware Object Reference Model (SCORM)
Version 1.0
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Quick and Simple Metadata Generator Version 1.0.1
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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
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The end tag for element 2.2 "STATUS" was not correct.
This was corrected with the proper end tag.
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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:
- main.htm
- content.htm
- content_output.htm
- rawMedia.htm
- rawMedia_output.htm
- externalCourse.htm
- externalCourse_output.htm
- readme.htm
- adl.gif
- include\formFunctions.js
- include\outputFunctions.js
- include\MetadataGenerator.css
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
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Main Page
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main.htm
This file is responsible for linking the client to the
appropriate generator page. The user is presented with
four choices including Content Metadata, Raw Media Metadata,
External Course Metadata, or View Readme. Once a
selection is made, a new window is opened with the user
selected contents. To return to the main page, simply
close the newly opened window.
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Content Metadata Generation
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content.htm
This file is responsible for presenting the user with an
interface to enter the appropriate metadata information for
describing content. The page is displayed using HTML.
This file also includes underlying javascript that
checks that all of the mandatory course elements have been
completed. If any of the mandatory elements are not
present, a message is posted indicating the appropriate
actions that need to be taken in order for the
metadata to meet SCORM Version 1.0 specifications.
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content_output.htm
This file is responsible for displaying the XML formatted
metadata record generated from the information captured on the
"content.htm" form. Javascript is used to
write the results to an HTML document and display it in the
browser window.
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Raw Media Metadata Generation
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rawMedia.htm
This file is responsible for presenting the user with an
interface to enter the appropriate metadata information for
describing raw media components. The page is displayed
using HTML. This file also includes underlying
javascript that checks that all of the mandatory raw media
elements have been completed. If any of the
mandatory elements are not present, a message is posted
indicating the appropriate actions that need to be taken in
order for the metadata to meet SCORM Version 1.0
specifications.
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rawMedia_output.htm
This file is responsible for displaying the XML formatted
metadata record generated from the information captured on the
"rawMedia.htm" form. Javascript is used to
write the results to an HTML document and display it in the
browser window.
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External Course Metadata Generation
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externalCourse.htm
This file is responsible for presenting the user with an
interface to enter the appropriate metadata information for
describing courses. The page is displayed using
HTML. This file also includes underlying javascript that
checks that all of the mandatory external course elements have
been completed. If any of the mandatory elements are
not present, a message is posted indicating the appropriate
actions that need to be taken in order for the metadata to
meet SCORM Version 1.0 specifications.
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externalCourse_output.htm
This file is responsible for displaying the XML formatted
metadata record generated from the information captured on the
"externalCourse.htm" form. Javascript is used
to write the results to an HTML document an display it in the
browser window.
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Support File(s)
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subFunctions.js
This file contains javascript functions that are used to
verify the format of specific fields.
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MetadataGenerator.css
This file contains the Cascading Style Sheet properties for
all of the Metadata Generator HTML pages.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Extension not supported:
The EXTENSTION element is not included.
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Error checking:
Some error checking is performed, but robust error handling is not
implemented. (ex. "X" is not being checked)
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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.
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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.
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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
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ADL Shareable Courseware Object Reference Model (SCORM) Version 1.0
www.adlnet.org
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IMS Learning Resource Metadata Information Model Version 1.0
www.imsproject.org/metadata/mdinfo01.html
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IMS Learning Resource Metadata XML Binding Specification Version 1.0
www.imsproject.org/metadata/mdbind01.html
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IMS Learning Resource Metadata Best Practices and Implementation
Guide Version 1.0
www.imsproject.org/metadata/mdbest01.html
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IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC) Learning Object
Model (LOM) Draft Document v3.7
ltsc.ieee.org/wg12
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Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
purl.oclc.org/dc/