Forum .LRN Q&A: Re: What is OKI, and what should dotLRN's relationship with it be?

From my point of view the missing question is what is OKI for? I believe it was intended to create a modular architecture for learning systems with 2 objectives. (1) Plug and Play modules (2) a platform of services that mean creating innovative new educational applications becomes quicker and easier.

I would then say - can we think of some use cases? We at Cambridge would be pleased/impressed if we could use Stanfords Coursework for content management, but use dotLRN/OpenACS communities within and across courses. Stanford have not implemented all of the OKI API's, but they are using authentication. They are also working on implementing more.

So in Andrew's 3 'ideas' above, 1 & 3 may be useful to OpenACS, but do not serve the objectives of OKI that I have described so whether we use OKI to achieve them is simply a question of whether the OKI work helps the dotLRN/OpenACS project. Idea 3 on the other hand seems to suggest that interoperation is doable. I would strongly encourage looking at this.

Finally, as I understand it. OKI have worked with Sun (with the UK eUniversity architecture) to converge on the OSIDs and to put them up to IMS. I believe a web services binding as well as a Jave binding is expected at some point.

CETIS in the UK is charged with representing UK Universities at IMS and has a good web site explaining the various learning technology standards (http://cetis.ac.uk). There is a link on the home page to a report from the recent OKI/IMS Alt-i-Lab meeting that I attended.