TEACHING RESOURCES AND LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

The learning management systems or LMS (Learning Management Systems) have become one of the main tools in the learning of Information and Communication Technologies. An LMS allows to publish content and communicate to all members of the educational process (students and teachers).
The use of these new applications makes easier the distribution and communication of contents, but it can cause some problems:
• Difficulty in reusing the educational or pedagogical developed content. The contents created for one platform may not work in another platform and they have to be adapted or created again.
• From the above, this situation generates an economic cost that it is sometimes difficult to face.
To overcome these problems, it is necessary to develop a new model for the design of courses. This model is known as a model of learning objects (LO, Learning Objects). Under this model, the courses are made up of independent elements called learning objects. These objects can be maintained individually.
To develop this model diverse standards have been suggested that specify the objects, the relationships established between them and their use. There are different proposals:
• IMS, e.g. WebCT.
• LTSC (IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee).
• AICC (Aviation Industry Computer-Based Training Comitee).
• MIT OCW (MIT OpenCourseWare).
• ADL / SCORM (Advanced Distributed Learning, Sharable Content ObjectReference Model). Examples of LMS: Moodle, ILIAS, Claroline, Dokeos.

In 1997 the initiative ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning) began with the aim of achieving a quality education. It focuses on learning using the Web. It is the most used in industry and it has a large number of tools. It combines many specifications (IMS, IEEE, AICC, TPSMG, ARIADNE). Under the name SCORM, a data model and a model of the structure of the course is suggested.

SCORM describes a content aggregation model, the relationships between components of the courses, data models and communication protocols. The elements that characterize this model are:
• SCO (Sharable Courseware Object). Component of a course that has enough information to be reused and be accessible. It is the smallest interchangeable unit between SCORM systems. It consists of a learning object that includes a software module that serves to communicate with the LMS execution environment.
• ASSETS. They are elements like text files, images, multimedia, etc. They are grouped in different SCO.
• RTE (Runtime Environment). Environment in which an object (SCO) is presented and which is capable of exchanging data with the LMS.

The requirements of SCORM model are:
• Accessibility. It ensures access to remote educational components using web technologies.
• Adaptability. It allows customizing the training according to user needs.
• Durability. It is the ability to resist the evolution of technology.
• Interoperability. Ability to be used on different platforms and with different sets of tools.
• Reutilization. Integration of the components in diverse contexts and applications.