License GPL | Website edu-sharing.com | |
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Developer(s) DFG-project CampusContent, edu-sharing community Stable release 3.1 (rc1) / September 2016 Operating system Type Content Management System | ||
edu-sharing is an open source e-learning integration solution. The core of the system is a repository for the co-operative creation, management and usage of objects such as: files, links, instances of integrated tools and courses of connected learning management systems such as Moodle.
Contents
Application
edu-sharing is mainly in the educational area. In this context it is used to:
Features
Content can be managed using a web-based user interface or via WebDAV. The system offers different search options such as a faceted search. Edu-sharing supports any metadata sets such as LOM and Dublin Core. For the usage of content stored in the repository in an educational scenario, the system offers interfaces to systems such as Moodle, ILIAS, OLAT and MediaWiki. The so-called rendering-service enables the usage of content which is not naively supported by learning management systems. Examples for such content items are: SCORM-courses, QTI-compliant tests and drills, audio and video files or courses of learning management systems. In order to facilitate the re-use of content users may attach licenses (e.g. Creative Commons) to their content units. Compared to other repository systems for learning content, edu-sharing offers some specific features:
edu-sharing association
edu-sharing repositories can be connected to each other as well as to other repositories or repository-networks. This enables the exchange of content across the borders of systems and organizations. The edu-sharing network is coordinated by the edu-sharing association. It is based in Weimar, Germany. The association also has offices in Chongqing, China and Krems, Austria. The association was founded in February 2010 by key persons of the DFG-funded project and competence center in e-learning, CampusContent, IT companies who are involved in the project’s technology development and users of the system. As part of a yearly summit the members of the association vote for the community roadmap which accounts for 25% of the total roadmap votes.
History
edu-sharing is the outcome the project “CampusContent” of the FernUniversität in Hagen, which was initiated and directed by Bernd Krämer. CampusContent was subsidized by the DFG. Although CampusContent originally targeted academic education and the idea of open educational resources, it turned out that schools have a high need for technology supporting sharing and re-use of educational content and codified teaching know-how. This is why the system was used in schools before the application in universities. Since the end of the period of sponsorship in 2009 the development of the Open Source software has been managed by a network of IT-service providers which are members of the edu-sharing association.
Technology
The edu-sharing-repository is based on the Alfresco document management system. The GUI uses Google Web Toolkit and Angular JS. The rendering service has been developed in PHP.