MIT O.K.I. and IMS/GLC Collaborate to Evolve Open Service Interface Definitions
Cambridge, MA, Tuesday, 12 April 2005. - Today the IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS/GLC) and MIT's Open Knowledge Initiative (O.K.I.) launched a collaborative change process for the next release of the Open Service Interface Definitions (OSIDs). This process will result in the third major release of the OSID specifications scheduled for later this year.
The OSIDs define application programming interface specifications for service-oriented systems that are being adopted by a number of commercial and open source eLearning software products. Several IMS/GLC members, including SUN, Microsoft, Giunti Labs, University of Michigan, MIT, and Cisco Systems, have asked whether the O.K.I's Open Service Interface Definitions (OSIDs) can be made available as part of the IMS/GLC suite of eLearning interoperability specifications. The collaboration between the O. K. I. and IMS/GLC marks the transition of the OSID maintenance and dissemination process, a necessary first step in considering adoption of the specifications by the Consortium.
As part of this effort, O.K.I. and IMS/GLC will be distributing the draft XML models for OSIDs (XOSID) via the IMS member and public websites. The Java language bindings of the OSIDs will also be distributed via the IMS website. PHP bindings also exist, and work is progressing on C# and Objective C bindings which will be distributed when available.
IMS/GLC has created a public forum to support the maintenance process for the OSIDs, located at http://www.imsglobal.org (look in the Quick Links section for "Specification Problem and Suggestion Reporting"). A document describing the process can be found on the IMS/GLC site and also at the O.K.I. project site, http://www.okiproject.org For more information please contact oki-info@mit.edu
About the IMS Global Learning Consortium:
The IMS Global Learning Consortium promotes the development and delivery of interoperable learning technology. IMS/GLC specifications and related publications are made available to the public at no charge from www.imsglobal.org. To join IMS/GLC and participate in the development of e-Learning specifications and support their implementation and use world-wide, visit http://www.imsglobal.org/membership.html.
About the Open Knowledge Initiative:
The Open Knowledge Initiative (O.K.I.), a program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, develops specifications that describe how the components of an educational software environment communicate with each other and with other enterprise systems. O.K.I. specifications address broad interoperability agreements that allow for adaptation and further specification by communities of practice. In this way, O.K.I. seeks to open new markets for educational tools and content.
The O.K.I. team at MIT continues to provide architectural and technical leadership for software initiatives in higher education, among industry affiliates, and through national and international organizations such as the IMS Global Learning Consortium. This work helps ensure that the next generation of e-learning software will integrate seamlessly with the educational enterprise, and it establishes O.K.I. as a global leader in behavioral specifications for educational technology interoperability. http://www.okiproject.org .
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