What is IMS-LD?

Learning Design is defined by Koper (2005) “as the description of the teaching-learning process that takes place in a unit of learning (eg, a course, a lesson or any other designed learning event). The key principle in learning design is that it represents the learning activities and the support activities that are performed by different persons (learners, teachers) in the context of a unit of learning.” [Koper 2005, p.13] IMS Learning Design (IMS-LD) “aims to represent the learning design of units of learning in a semantic, formal and machine interpretable way.” [Koper 2005, p.13] IMS-LD is a specification that provides a generic and flexible language or a meta-model that can be used to describe different pedagogies. The learning scenarios can be presented to learners online and can be shared between systems. [IMS GLC 2009; Jeffery & Currier 2003; Koper & Tattersall 2005]

According to Koper (2005, p. 14) the IMS-LD specification is developed to meet some specific requirements. These requirements are listed below:
1. Completeness:
The specification must be able to fully describe the teaching-learning process in a unit of learning, including references to the digital and non-digital learning objects and services needed during the process. This includes:
- Integration of the activities of both learners and staff members.
- Integration of resources (learning objects and communication/collaboration services) used during learning.
- Support for both single and multiple user models of learning.
- Support for mixed mode (blended learning) as well as pure online learning.

2. Pedagogical expressiveness:
The specification must be able to express the pedagogical meaning and functionality of the different data elements within the context of a Learning Design. While it must be sufficiently flexible to describe Learning Designs based on all kinds of pedagogies, it must avoid biasing designs towards any specific pedagogical approach.

3. Personalization:
The specification must be able to describe personalization aspects within a Learning Design, so that the content and activities within a unit of learning can be adapted based on the preferences, portfolio, pre-knowledge, educational needs and situational circumstances of users. In addition, it must allow the designer, when desired, to pass the control over the adaptation process to the learner, a staff member and/or the computer.

4. Compatibility:
The specification must enable learning designs to use and effectively integrate other available standards and specifications where possible, such as the IMS (imsglobal.org) and IEEE LTSC (ltsc.ieee.org) specifications.

The IMS-LD specification consists of several components. It consists of a conceptual model for the description of teaching and learning processes. This model is expressed as an UML model (see Figure The conceptual model of IMS Learning Design). [Koper 2005]

Figure: The conceptual model of IMS Learning Design (Koper 2005, p.15)

Jeffery & Currier (2003) point out that in IMS-LD the structure of a learning scenario is separated from the learning materials and services. The materials can be reused in different scenarios and the scenarios can also be reused and new materials added. The authors describe the characteristics of IMS-LD as followed:

“IMS Learning Design relies on a number of elements. These include: roles that people perform (who does what); activities (what they do); and environments, which include where they do them (services) and what they do them with (learning objects). The overall scenario or design is described within the method element, which contains play, act, and role-parts elements, and is analogous to a theatrical play. A learning design may be based around the achievement of specified learning objectives by learners; it may also define prerequisites. As well as allowing an entire design to be shared or reused, IMS Learning Design allows these elements to be reused in other learning designs.” [Jeffery &Currier 2003, p. 1]

IMS-LD allows teachers to describe and implement learning activities based on different pedagogical modes or approaches to learning, including group work and collaborative learning. It admits them to coordinate multiple learners and multiple roles within a multi-learner model, it support single learner activities as well as the use of learning content with collaborative services. IMS-LD allows teachers to coordinate and to support multiple delivery modes, including mixed-mode learning. [Jeffery &Currier 2003]

Cited Literature
[Koper 2005]
Koper, R. (2005). Current Research in Learning Design. Educational Technology & Society, 9 (1), 13-22.

[IMS GLS 2009]
IMS Global Learning Consortium (2009). Learning Design Specification. Retrieved September 14, 2009, from Website of the IMS Global Learning Consortium: http://www.imsglobal.org/learningdesign/.

[Jeffery & Currier 2003]
Jeffery, A. & Currier, S. (2003). What Is … IMS Learning Design? Cetis, Standards Briefings Series, JISC. Retrieved September 14, 2009, from Website of cetis: http://zope.cetis.ac.uk/lib/media/WhatIsLD_web.pdf.

[Koper & Tattersall 2005]
Koper, R. & Tattersall, C. (2005). Learning Design: A Handbook on Modelling and Delivering Networked Education and Training. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer Verlag.

2009 Marion R. Gruber, CELSTEC, OUNL