Glossary

AAI:

AAI stands for Authentication and Authorization Infrastructure (AAI). For detailed information both on technical and organizational level refer to the SWITCH AAI page.

CSS:

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS): A stylesheet language used to describe the presentation of a document written in a markup language. Its most common application is to style web pages written in HTML and XHTML, but the language can be applied to any kind of XML document. CSS is a W3C Standard.

CVS:

CVS, the Concurrent Versions System, is the most widely used tool for controlling different versions of a source code and for a group of programmers to work simultaneously on a source code. Before working with a file, a user needs to do a "checkout" of the file from a "repository" stored on the project server. When writing updates back to the repository (called "committing"), CVS checks issues like access privileges, actual status of code and if no other group member meanwhile altered the code, CVS writes it back to the repository. By doing a "update" all project group members get the latest version of the code. CVS of course stores information about who altered which part of the code and automatically stores different versions of the code. Therefore using CVS it is possible to always reconstruct a former state of the code. The OLAT code is managed using CVS. At the University of Zurich all eLML projects use CVS to store the XML code, images and multimedia elements of a lesson.

eLML:

The eLesson Markup Language (eLML) is an open source XML framework for creating structured eLessons using XML. Many OLAT-authors use eLML to create their e-Learning courses and import it into OLAT using either the IMS CP or the SCORM format. Check the eLML website www.elml.org for more information. (Fisler 2007)

FELIX:

The Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences has switched from an LMS called Clix to OLAT in 2007. They called their first LMS "FELIX", standing for "Furtwangen E-Learning & Information eXchange" and after switching to OLAT they renamed OLAT to "FELIX 2". Link to FELIX 2 server.

IMS:

The IMS Global Learning Consortium (usually known as IMS) is a non-profit standards organization concerned with establishing interoperability for learning systems and learning content and the enterprise integration of these capabilities. Their mission is to "support the adoption and use of learning technology worldwide". Some famous IMS standards are the CP (Content Package) standard used to import/export of content, the "Learning Resource Meta-data Specification" (LOM) or the QTI standard for question and test interoperability. OLAT support both the IMS Content Package format to import content and the QTI standard to import tests and quizzes.

LMS:

A Learning Management System (or LMS) is a software package, usually on a large scale (that scale is decreasing rapidly), that enables the management and delivery of learning content and resources to students. Most LMS systems are web-based to facilitate "anytime, anywhere" access to learning content and administration. Some famous open source LMS are OLAT and Moodle, famous commercial LMS are WebCT and Blackboard.

OPAL:

In Saxony the BPS GmbH (Bildungsportal Sachsen) is one of Germany's major OLAT users. They chose to rename their product from OLAT to OPAL which stands for "Online Plattform für akademisches Lehren und Lernen". The BPS team is not only an OLAT user but their team also contributes to the OLAT code by submitting new features, improvements and bug fixes. Link to the OPAL server.

SCORM:

The Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a standard for web-based eLearning. It defines how the individual instruction elements are combined at a technical level and sets conditions for the software needed for using the content. SCORM is distributed by the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative, a US organization under the Department of Defense (DoD). OLAT supports SCORM 1.2 and therefore SCORM content can be imported into OLAT.

Shibboleth:

Shibboleth is standard-based and open source middleware software which provides Web Single SignOn (SSO) across or within organizational boundaries. It allows sites to make informed authorization decisions for individual access of protected online resources in a privacy-preserving manner. See the Shibboleth Website for more information.