IEEE Reusable Competency Definitions (RCD)

Introduction

IEEE Reusable Competency Definitions (RCD) standard (IEEE RCD, 2007), defines a conceptual base schema for describing and sharing learning outcome definitions. The data model provides a way to describe a learning outcome, independently of its use in any particular context or target group (persons), to enable storage, findability and exchange of learning outcomes across learning systems that deal with learning outcomes data.

The Simple Reusable Competency Map (SRCM) was work that was started towards complementing RCD, but it has never been finished (due to the death of Claude Ostyn).

General information

information to be gathered	details (replace these explanations with your gathered information)
Name / title of source/model and version if applicable	IEEE Reusable Competency Definitions (RCD)
Stakeholder	IEEE WSLT WG20
URL	http://ltsc.ieee.org/wg20/
Orientation	Describes a learning outcome, independently of its use in any particular context or target group (persons), to enable storage, findability and exchange
Explicit / implicit	This is an explicit model (Information model)
Organisational competence	NA
Number of people currently affected	IEEE RCD standard is an international standard, so very large community is affected
Sectors covered	Education and training
User communities	University administration, teachers and learners, recruitment systems
Significant use cases	See http://www.icoper.org/results/deliverables/D2-3 (Section 4), a proof of concept implementations is provided. LOCs are exchanged between different systems and institutions using the common LOD application profile, of IEEE RCD
Significant business cases	http://www.icoper.org/results/deliverables/D2-3 (Section 6); its rather feedback from business stakeholders on added value of representing and exchanging LOC related data.
Gather sample materials	About 3000 LOCs are gathered in one repository, originating from different providers are available here http://oics.icoper.org/LOD/ The ATOM XML feed of the LOCs are here http://oics.icoper.org/LOD/.atom
Key features influencing uptake	IEEE RCD and its application profile LOD is very important for InLOC since its an international spec that also tries to represent metadata on LOCs outside their content. Important to note that IEEE RCD does not capture relationships between LOCs.

Features of the Model

This list provides the features of LOD analysed and related to InLOC.

N	Features	?	notes
00	More than one model	0	This is not a model of structure, but just one of a separate competency definition. SRCM would have provided the other model, but it was never completed.
01	Identifiers	1	Yes. Every LOC has an ID
02	Hierarchy(internal)	1	IEEE RCD describe a learning outcome, independently of its use in any particular context or target group (persons), to enable storage, findability and exchange is a metadata model for learning outcomes and the schema has an explicit structure.
03	Internal relationships	0	IEEE RCD represents metadata about one individual LOC; not data about relations
04	External relationships	1	Yes to elements of IEEE LOM
05	Conditionality/ optionality	1	Yes. Some elements are mandatory, optional
06	Text syntax	1	No
07	Structured identifiers	1	IEEE RCD uses the the same structure of IEEE LOM which <identifier> with <catalog> and <entry> as sub elements
08	Classification	0	No
09	Level attribution	0	This model is to represent an individual LOC
10	Level definition	0	No
11	Context	0	No
12	Evidence and assessment	0	No
13	Extensions	1	Yes. IEEE RCD enable extending schema using "metadata" element
14	Profiles	0	No
15	Adaptation	1	Yes, its possible to adapt IEEE RCD spec. to local use. Make profile
16	Definition by example	1	Yes. Some examples are provided
17	Learning resources	0	No
18	Learner records	0	No
19	Multilinguality	1	Yes. elements like title and description can be provided in several languages

Detailed information about the stakeholder or source

IEEE RCD can be good bases for the seed model of InLOC, to make sure all elements of IEEE RCD are covered in InLOC IM for higher interoperability.

Stakeholder sources

IEEE Learning LTSC WG20 Competence workshop
iCoper partners who developed tools that use IEEE RCD and LOD schema to describe learning outcomes

Task S2: Document information from your stakeholder sources

First, find out and record the relevant important information about the stakeholders or other sources from what you know already, the web, and other public sources. Then proceed to liaising with personal stakeholder contacts, checking information you have, and gathering further information you believe is most significant, within the time available. Enter non-sensitive information here on the wiki.

The key information about stakeholders is what they would want or need from the InLOC model, or eventual specification, to secure their adoption of InLOC outputs. The first important part of this is the aspects of the stakeholder model that need to be represented in the InLOC model. The challenge here is to get to the heart of what it is that really matters to them. This should be able to be expressed as concisely as practical. The second important part of this is to work out what needs to be in the Guidelines to help promotion, usage, adoption, or implementation within that stakeholder group.

Potentially useful or interesting information is given in the table below. Building a positive relationship with stakeholders is also vital at this stage and may take more time as well as diplomacy.

Output: appropriate documentation on wiki; other details reported by e-mail to team.

Task S3: Express relevant models

IEEE RCD is a generic model for describing individual learning outcomes. Data model with elements and their attributes are listed in table below:

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Guidance source requirements

to be added...