Glossary

 

Server Ð The Network has two classes of servers, library servers and access servers

 

Home Server of a user Ð Server that stores all personal records and resources of a user

 

Library Server Ð A library server can act as a Home Server that stores all personal records of user, and is responsible for the initial authentication of that user when a session is opened on any server in the Network. For Authors, it also hosts their construction area and the authoritative copy of every resource that was published by that author. Library servers can be used as backups to host sessions when all access servers in the Network are overloaded.

 

Access Server Ð machines that host learner sessions.

 

Domain Ð The Network is divided into domains Ð domains could be defined by departmental or institutional boundaries. Domains provide the possibility to limit the spread of personal user information flow, load balancing, and content material.  Physically, every domain needs at least one dedicated library server.

 

Users Ð users are identified by a usernames and the domain. Usernames need to be unique within a domain and are not coupled to specific courses. They can also be carried over several semesters.

 

Role - Every user can have several roles, and the roles can change over the lifetime of a username. For example, over the course of studies, a student username assumes the role of "student" in different courses.

Resource Ð multimedia piece of content

Rendering Ð the process of generating output from resources

Granularity Ð grain size of a resource. The system distinguishes between four generic levels of granularity: fragment, page, sequence and course

 

Fragment Ð a resource of the smallest self-contained renderable grain size. Examples: one

image, one movie clip, one paragraph of text

 

Page Ð a resource of the grain size which would be rendered as one page on the web and/or on

the printer

 

Sequence Ð a resource which would be rendered as a sequence of pages, not necessarily

linear. Examples: one lesson, one chapter, one learning cycle

 

Course Ð a sequence which represents the entirety of the resources belonging to a learning

unit into which learners can be enrolled. Examples: a University one-semester course, a

workshop, a High School class. Courses are defined by a "course-level" resource assembly map and an enrollment list with sections.

 

Resource Priority Ð a resource can be Òregular,Ó ÒmandatoryÓ or Òoptional.Ó These resource priorities are only used in book-keeping of earned points by the learners. There are two additional resources priorities, ÒstartÓ and ÒfinishÓ which cannot be set by authors

 

Map Ð a page, sequence or course resource

 

Start Resource Ð the first resource or entry point of a map


Finish Resource
Ð the last resource or exit point of a map

 

Link Ð path from one resource to another within a map

 

Condition Ð condition under which a link can be taken. Examples for variables used in conditions: course parameters, learner performance, learner preferences, date

 

Condition Priority Ð a condition can be used to recommend a certain link over others branching off from the same resource, to block a link if it is false,  or to force a link over all others if true

 

Resource Assembly Ð the process of generating a map by referencing and linking resources. The system allows for assembly of fragments and pages into a page; fragments, pages, sequences into a sequence; fragments, pages, sequences into a course.

 

Resource Pool Ð the entirety of the resources stored and cataloged within the system itself

 

External Resource Ð a resource which is not part of the resource pool

 

Author Ð the author of a resource

 

Learner Ð the consumer of resource renderings

 

State Ð the entirety of the conditions which determine a particular learner's rendering of a

course.

 

Linear Resource Assembly Ð the process of combining a set of resources into a non-branching

non-variable order, where the rendering is independent of state. Examples: an image and a

paragraph of text get assembled into one page where the image will always be rendered on top

of the paragraph.