SEPTEMBER 2009 NEWSLETTER
IN THIS UPDATE:
· LETSI Meeting, Tuesday evening, November 10, at DevLearn in San Jose, CA
· LETSI’s first collaborative project… to be demo’d at DevLearn and I/ITSEC
· LETSI’s innovative approach to solving today’s interoperability problems
· AICC-SCORM harmonization is in the air
· LETSI Managing Sponsors and Advocates for 2009
· LETSI's Social Network
Since the June Technical Workshop in Piscataway, LETSI activity has focused on the pilot project on web services (see below) and on seeking funding for Phase 2 of that project and for several other proposed projects discussed at the meeting. There is much news to report, including an announcement about SCORM and AICC that forced us to delay the September Newsletter a couple of days.
LETSI Event at DevLearn 2009
LETSI will have an open meeting on Tuesday evening, November 10th, from 5:00-8:00pm at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, hosted by the Elearning Guild. The meeting is free to DevLearn attendees. For others, the fee of $100 includes LETSI membership through 2010 — a $100 value!!
If you can attend the meeting, please let us know in advance:
Send an email to
The meeting will include a briefing about LETSI's approach, current projects, and plans. As usual, we'll have an open discussion about the future of elearning systems. However, this meeting will also feature a session that marks a milestone for LETSI...
RTWS Demo at DevLearn and I/ITSEC
The November meeting will feature the first public demonstration of LETSI's first project, the Runtime Web Services project (RTWS). Eight vendors are participating in the initial implementation effort, so far:
· Booz Allen Hamilton
· Rustici Software
· Bullzi Software
· Imedia.it
· The Southwest Research Institute
· Engineering and Computer Simulations
· OutStart
· Intelligent Automation, Inc.
The goal of the RTWS project is to create a modern, secure software communications framework for web-based training systems. The first phase of the RTWS project transitions the current IEEE data model and API calls used by SCORM into a web services framework. Critical new issues like security and accessibility are addressed. An early implementation will be demonstrated, showing delivery of elearning with runtime communication across platforms (LMS, browser, PC desktop, mobile) and with non-browser content like simulations, games, and virtual worlds.
In the next phase of the project, the old conceptual model will be expanded to serve the multi-system environments of modern elearning. The IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC) is involved in the web services project and expects to produce related standards.
LETSI's RTWS project could be the launching point for a new age of innovation in elearning. Open web service definitions will make it easier for innovators to get their pilot projects used "outside the lab." There are a lot of innovative research projects and "pilots" around the world, but very few ever see the light of day, much less broad adoption, because porting the project is harder than doing the project.
LETSI's Innovative Project-Based Approach to Systems Interoperability
The RTWS project is the prototype for LETSI's innovative approach to solving interoperability issues in learning technology. Standards are slow moving, sometimes too slow to be effective solutions to rapidly changing interoperability needs. Starting with a collaborative software effort will eventually lead to more finished standards, less ambiguous documentation, and more consistent implementations. Meanwhile, until the standards are finalized, the software projects themselves will serve as an interim interoperability mechanism for leading-edge innovators, as is common practice in much of modern web software.
Future LETSI projects will address the multi-system architecture, content orchestration/aggregation, competencies, student information, and so on. LETSI is working closely with other organizations in setting direction and priorities for these projects. For the SCORM-AICC community, the most important collaboration is now formally underway....
SCORM-AICC Harmonization
This September Newsletter was delayed so that we could share some potentially important news with you. An agreement has been reached among the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative (ADL), the Aviation Industry CBT Committee (AICC), the IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee (LTSC), and LETSI to cooperate moving forward. The exact focus and nature of that collaboration is still being discussed. It is our hope that a LETSI project focused on extending the current conceptual data model will serve to spearhead the effort, which in turn will lead to revised IEEE standards and incorporation into future releases of SCORM and AICC.
LETSI's 2009 Sponsors
LETSI's focus has changed over the last year, but our mission and bylaws have remained the same. All LETSI activities are open to the public. Individual members can vote in committees and working groups.
LETSI Advocates represent organizations with a stake in LETSI projects. Small companies and government agencies pay $3000/year to be Advocates and have the right to vote on prioritizing LETSI's upcoming technical projects. Non-profit organizations pay no fee.
LETSI's 2009 Advocates are:
· The Aviation Industry CBT Committee
· The IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee
· Instituto Latinoamericano de la Comunicacion Educativa
· The Systems Interoperability Framework Association
inally, LETSI's Managing Sponsors run the organization through an elected Board of Directors, as well as serving as Advocates in LETSI's technical deliberations. Managing Sponsors fund $10,000/year. LETSI's Managing Sponsors for 2009 are:
· Booz Allen Hamilton
· The IEEE Computer Society
· Korean Institute for Electronic Commerce
· Adobe Systems
In anticipation of our 2010 membership drive, LETSI will soon launch a Member Survey to all LETSI members and active working group participants to get feedback about our operations and direction. Stay tuned and please respond when you receive it. Your time and attention is greatly appreciated!
LETSI's Social Network
Check out the new LETSI Calendar and LETSI Blog. You can also follow LETSI on Twitter and Facebook and join our group on Linked-In. LETSI is a member-supported organization. Individual membership is just $100 per year. Visit letsi.org/join to become a member. If your organization is committed to open standards for elearning, please consider contacting us regarding sponsorship: .
The LETSI Update Newsletter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0.
From letsi.org/newsletter/letsi_newsletter_September2009.html 26 January 2010