UM/MU Futures – Building Knowledge Networks

The Next Generation of On-Line Learning and Research

Support Systems

Duderstadt PresentationJune 14, 2002

The Next Generation

• What we’ve done – the success of CT, WT• What’s the context – increasing adoption,

PIRC• Where we’re going – what an NG system

would look like, what vision it entails• How will we get there – standards (OKI,

Apache, GRID, …), CHEF Technology, open source, support for transition

• Consortium ideas

UM.CourseTools

• Built on tests UM-AA, Dearborn, Ford/UAW• Released Fall, 1999 - over 6,000 users• Growth exceeds expectations – 11,000 in

Winter 2000• Then over 16,000 users – Fall, 2000• Currently, over 30,000 users – Winter 2002• Rapid adoption continuing, and deepening

UM.CourseTools

UM.CT – Current Sites

UM.CT

Custom course page presentedtoeach student

UM.CT

Announcements

Everyone sees this.

UM.CT

CourseSchedule

Link items to a description, assignment, or resource like lecture notes.

UM.CT

CourseSchedule

User-configured choices for Course Schedule presentation

UM.CT

Discussions

UM.CT

Discussions

Used for assignments

Use discussion topics to present assignments when you want students to view each other’s work.

Work originally submitted as an assignment can later be uploaded to the Discussions area for general review.

Here, each Resource links to a web page outside of CourseTools,

creating a portable bookmark page.

Using CourseTools doesn’t mean giving up current web presence.

CourseTools is designed to maximize flexibility while maintaining continuity within University divisions.

UM.CT

While new CourseTools users often limit resources to text files and links…

…more advanced user often include a variety of visual and audio files to support and enhance student learning.

A resource documentcan be attached to adiscussion topic to

Stimulate responses.

UM.CT

Resources And

Discussions

UM.CT

Resources

UM.CT

Resources

OnlyaBrowser Needed

Students working off campus often run into difficulty because their browser or dial-in service

is not correctly configured.

UM.CT

Help for Remote Users

UM.CT Business School Effort - Results

Over 80% of UM Business Courses online after first year

Other UM.Tools Applications

• Support for testing, surveys – UM.Lessons

• Support for lecture capture, replay –UM.Lectures

• Support for research side of learning –

UM.WorkTools

UM.Lectures

CapturingLecturesForTheWeb

AndUM.CT

UM.Lessons

UM.Lessons

Easy to BuildQuizes,Drills,Exams,Surveys

TestsAnd ResultsAvailableThrough

UM.CT

UM.WorkTools

UM.WT

Built on past ExperiencesWith DistributedResearchGroups –SPARC

SupportFor Research

DistributedTeamsAnd Conferences

Support forWork Groups

UM.Worktools

Scientific ResearchGroups

Science ReviewTeams

TechnologyDesignTeams

Currently over3000 users

worktools.si.umich.edu

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000UMCT Adoption at UM-AA - Update

Introduction Fall 1999

Fall 2001Fall 2000 Spring 2001

Now30,000+

So, What’s Doubling Now?

Fall 2000 Winter 2001

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1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

Answer:

Peak UsersInSingle Day

InvariablyATuesday

Fall 2001

10,000+

WorkTools Growth

0

500

1000

1500

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2500

Fall 2001Fall 2000 Spring 2001Spring 2000

3000+

Starting its exponential climb…

Now

Why Build CHEF Here?• UM history of leadership in:

– collaborative projects– on-line educational projects– combining technical and socio-technical

knowledge in software development

• Provost LT Initiative• NSF, NIH support – Collaboratories ITR,

NEES, CFAR,…• Time is right – UM.tools lifecycle, OKI,

market experiences, net development

SPARC and WorkTools

• Collaboration Framework• Targeted at real-time activities

Support for post-event collaboration, “electronic workshops”

• Collaboration focus on data viz Support for collaboration throughout “scientific lifecycle”

• Lotus Domino-based [CourseTools]

Multi-Platform Collaboration

Great Lakes Regional CFAR

Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation

• • Instrument RoomInstrument Room

• • Instrument StatusInstrument Status

• • Experimental DataExperimental Data

• • On-Line ControlOn-Line Control

• • Video ConferencingVideo Conferencing

• • Electronic NotebooksElectronic Notebooks

Provides Access to:Provides Access to:

Materials Materials Microcharacterization Microcharacterization

CollaboratoryCollaboratory

Materials Materials Microcharacterization Microcharacterization

CollaboratoryCollaboratoryMMC Slide:Nestor Zaluzec,Argonne National Lab

http://tpm.amc.anl.gov/TPMLVideo17.html

• Distributed PowerPoint• Co-presence with remote groups• Highest quality but affordable audio and video• Multi-mode operation

AG at the Chautauquas – A Panel Session

The Next Generation• What we’ve done – the success of CT, WT• What’s the context –increasing adoption,

success, PIRC –President’s Info Revolution Commission

• Where we’re going – what an NG system would look like, what vision it entails

• How will we get there – standards (OKI, Apache, …), CHEF Technology, open source

PIRC (President’s Information Revolution Committee) – Info Rev at

UMThe University in a Changing Information Environment

Never has the need been more pressing for the University of Michigan to examine its relationship to information and communication technologies. The information revolution that is radically altering our whole world at an ever-accelerating pace touches every aspect of university life.http://www.umich.edu/pres/inforev/

PIRC – Knowledge Networks

Research and scholarship are increasingly interdisciplinary, collaborative efforts. The Internet and new information and communication technologies are enhancing — and transforming — research and scholarship, enabling users scattered throughout the world to share facilities, instruments, immense collections of multimedia information, and tools for analysis and synthesis.

Knowledge Networks

PIRC – Encourage Experimentation

The key is to experiment in a systematic fashion, coordinating and exchanging information across the institution, and in the process transforming the University into a living laboratory.

An “Ecology of Experimentation”

The Next Generation

• What we’ve done – the success of CT, WT

• What’s the context –increasing adoption, PIRC

• Where we’re going – what an NG system would look like, what vision it entails

• How will we get there – standards (OKI, Apache, …), CHEF Technology, open source

Support for Learning Lifecycle

• Teaching, Learning • Research, collaboration with

colleagues• Making it easy to move from one to

the other Goal:

Integration of research, the practice of knowledge work, within education

Enhancing Distributed Learning –

Continuing to move forward• Building on current functionality – CT,

WT, Lessons• Support for what users need - including

– Group support– E-portfolio– Case-based tools– Grading, reporting

• Integration– Library resources– printing

Knowledge Networks Vision• Open systems – in all senses

– Open source, build community of support– Open to custom components, cots, fots– Open to all users

• Enabling core competency at University– Teaching/learning, research

• Experimenting at low cost– Supporting early adopters

• Encouraging everyone – raising all boats, as CT has

• Leading – we discover we are already with CT/WT and enterprise

integration– will further with OKI, JetSpeed, IMS/SCORM (RDF,

runtime teamlets), GRID…

The Next Generation

• What we’ve done – the success of CT, WT• What’s the context – increasing adoption,

PIRC• Where we’re going – what an NG system

would look like, what vision it entails• How will we get there – standards (OKI,

Apache, …), CHEF Technology, open source, support for transition

Next Generation

• Built on CHEF technology• CT.NG the next generation

CourseTools• WT.NG the next generation

WorkTools• CHEF an open source software

framework to construct CT.NG and WT.NG

CourseTools:Assignments Quizzes …

Worktools:ToDo listData Access…

Teleobservation – NEESInformatics/MetaData - CMCS

SharedCore Features:LogonFile uploadAnnouncementsDiscussionChatScheduleMail archive …

Gradebook CAPA Quizzes

DissertationTool

OKI APIs

CHEF Technology

Leveraging Education/Research Complementarities

Choices in Platform

Why adopt CHEF• open source – code,

tools, developer community

• configurability/customiz-ability - users, admin

• centralization/decentralization of services as appropriate

• aggregation - rss, html, xml - syndication

• prototype rapidly

Why retire Domino• proprietary• rather closed• not as easy adding

features• no community of

developers• finding expertise hard• but, it has been good

to us

Apache

Tomcat

Turbine Velocity

Jetspeed

CHEFGroups, Awareness, Tools, Administration

Portal EngineUI Templating Engine

Web Application Framework

Servlet and JSP

HTTP Server

CHEF Jetspeed Velocity (and some other Apache Jakarta technologies) Turbine Tomcat (this is the servlet/jsp/http engine)

(possibly, but not at present) Apache HTTP (also will do HTTPS)

We are contributing to the top two layers, CHEF (tools and services) and Jetspeed.

Areas of Jetspeed contribution:- general features / bug fixes / stability – Portlet API, Java Community Process (JCP) definition and implementation – multi-user / collaborative / groups support - automatic updating / independent updating technologies - integration of OKI layers in the Jetspeed framework

CHEF

Apache

Tomcat

Turbine Velocity

Jetspeed

Teamlet-Based Ed/Research Apps

OKI/API’s Net-BasedServices(Grid)

Teamletsare toolsbuilt for the portal environment

We are building the OKI APIsAnd GRID servicesinto the portal environment

Users Content

OKI “Core” Reference Architecture

ComponentSpecification

Quiz

White Board

Virtual Lab

Portfolio Management

Content Outline

User InterfaceSpecification

List Management

Enterprise Data Exchange

Specification

DigitalAsset Exchange

Specification

EnterpriseInformation

--Student

Information Systems

AssetManagement

--Digital

LibraryInitiatives

AuthenticationServices

Modular Authentication

Process

OKI “Core” Reference Architecture

Users Content

User InterfaceSpecification

OKI – Standards for LMS APIs

CHEF node

CHEF node

CoGXML

CoGXML

Grid

CHEF and the Grid – Access to Nationally Distributed Computing

Resources

… plus OKIAPIs to services…

CHEF

Apache

Tomcat

Turbine Velocity

Jetspeed

Portlet-Based Educational Apps

OKI/API’s Net-BasedServices(Grid)

…plus CHEF framework (groups, awareness, etc.)…

… with CHEF/Jetspeedportlets/teamlets for education and collaboration…

… Conneted to GRID network services …

So, wehaveateamportal…

Collaboration Tools built using CHEF• CourseTools/WorkTools Next Generation

– Existing collaboration tools– Additional capabilities & collaboration tools

• Presence, Synopsis, Notification, Personal worksite, Web Site, LabNotebook, DataViewer, etc…

– Customizable• Administrators• End users

– OKI built in– Grid enabled

Personal worksiteWT.NG

Group worksites (collaboration groups)

WT.NG

Announcement teamlet

Menu – access to tools (teamlets)

Discussion teamlet

CourseTools/Worktools Next Generation

• Built on a portal model• Extended to support teams, not just

individuals• A portal aggregates Teamlets (tools)

– A teamlet is a tool that displays in the portal – Teamlets can be mixed/matched on a page– Combine or not according to a

Team’s/User’s needs

Worktools Next Generation

Worktools Next Generation

For any ‘page’…

… teamlets (tools)can be added or subtracted(permission controlled)

Collaboration Tools – CT/WT.NG

• CHEF framework provides added configuration– Installation level– Worksite level– User level

• Administrator’s control over user’s role, privileges

• User’s personal preferences

Flexibility at the worksite level – control over users, roles, access privileges. For example…

…ability to add/change roles, and…

… allow/deny permissions for a role

Integrating Your Own Tools

• Basic Integration– Existing tools– Puts tool immediately into Chef context

with minimal effort• Advanced Integration

– New tools– Develop using Portlet API– Tool can utilize Chef services, eg,

security, and interact with other Chef tools

Integrating Your Own Web Tools: Basic

• Easy way to integrate existing tools• Requires URL Accessible, iFrame

compliant tool (e.g., web page, web app)

• Create simple teamlet definition for tool

• Appears as menu element

Integrating Your Own Tools: Advanced

• Utilize CHEF/ NEESgrid services

You do not have authorization to view this experiment.

AuthorizationService

DataDirectory

DataRepository

e.g., NEESData Viewer

YourToolHere

CHEF/NEESgri

d

CHEF/NEESgri

d

Integrating Your Own Tools: Advanced

• Interact with other tools (e.g., notify)

Experiment Control Page

Start Experiment

Configure Experiment

Stop Experiment

CHEF/NEESgri

d

CHEF/NEESgri

d

e.g., ExperimentControl Page

YourToolHere

e.g., Notification

Service

New Announcement…

New Email…

Alert to new data…

Integrating Your Own Tools: Advanced

• Develop tool using Portlet API– Currently using: Jetspeed-1.4 Portlet API– Summer 2003: JAVA Portlet API 1.0

• This is part of a Java Community process that will result in an open standard and an open source reference implementation

• Brings another level of standardization to portal environments

• So, CHEF could run on top of another compliant portal engine, eg, WebSphere, not just Jetspeed – IBM, Sun, Apache participants

Support for Transition

• Continuing support for CT/WT, natch• Advance notice of timelines• Input from users - faculty, students,

staff, and other developers - as we go along

• Transition support as we go along,– Media Union staff– Online info, notices of NG development

Transition - CT.NG looks like CT

Design criteria:A user familiar with CT should be able to easily use CT.NG.Interfaces should be recognizable.Actions should be similar.New features should be integrated into familiar frameworks.

Early CT.NG Prototype

CHEF Info Site

http://chefproject.org

stop

hardin@umich.edu