Following meetings with the Vice-Chancellor, Diana Laurillard (PVC-Tech. Devpt.), and KMi research groups, Mark Resmer (of Sonoma State Uni.) concluded his visit to the OU with a KMi Seminar on the Instructional Management System (IMS) Project.

The IMS seeks to make the web more educationally useful by developing “a specific set of higher-order standards and tools that enable teachers, learners, software developers, content providers, and other parties involved in the learning process to create, manage and access the use of online learning materials and environments.”

“Overall, the IMS project attempts to address three obstacles for providing effective online materials and learning environments:

• Lack of standards for locating and operating interactive platform-independent materials
• Lack of support for the collaborative and dynamic nature of learning
• Lack of incentives and structure for developing and sharing content”

The photo shows KMi Chief Systems Strategist Blaine Price demonstrating the electronic submission and processing of TMAs via the internet.

The IMS Project web site: http://www.imsproject.org