Proceedings

ontology, with the purpose of ensuring the semantic-based access on e-learning
training programs. The MOF’s pedagogical resources are provided for all e-learning
trainers by the local warehouse, also-called Learning Object Repositories (LORs). In
essence, an e-learning system which has the MOF support should allow the trainers to
formulate several informational requests in order to find out the particular OP.
2.2. Pegagogical objects
For e-learning training programs, a so-called Learning Object Repository (LOR) is
set up, where all pedagogical objects are stored and indexed (OP). Our scientific paper
is mainly focused on the representation of pedagogical objects related to the content
of the training field, which is often identified with the pedagogical resources of the
training process. The working group IEEE-LTSC (Learning Technology Standards
Committee) defines the OP as “any numerical or non-numerical entity which can be
used, reused or referenced during the computer-support learning activity”.
To clear away any possible confusion, Strijker (2004) removes the non-numerical
data, like books and libraries, from the conceptual definition. Wisconsin University
(Wisc-Online, 2007) defines the pedagogical objects as “small autonomous learning
units in line; they are small enough to be well-integrated into an educational activity, a
lesson, a module or a course”. According to Hernadez et al. (2008), an OP represents
“a semantic unit of learning resource”. In its assessment evaluation methodologies of
distance learning educational standards, the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance
in Higher Education (ARACIS) defines the learning unit as “the structural element of
the course, which is unitary from thematic standpoint, integrates a set of specific skills
and, finally, is completed by an evaluation. This is equivalent to one or more chapters
of a semester course”.
Pernin (2003) classifies the pedagogical objects into three fundamental categories,
which are:
� pedagogical units, which allow the structuring of the training and its
organization in space and time;
� pedagogical activities, which define the certain modalities of acquisition,
validation and communication of one or more knowledge (the IMS-LD standard
was specifically developed to define learning scenarios);
� pedagogical, physical and numerical resources required by the carrying out of
the activities.
Our research work is aimed at the pedagogical objects representing learning units,
also-called learning objects.
An OP is often segmented into a finer granulation to allocate the production activity
between different actors (Charlet et al., 2008). A granule represents a pedagogical
object meaning the smallest possible learning pedagogical unit of a pedagogical
pathway. According to IEEE-LTSC (2002) an OP can develop from the smallest
possible learning pedagogical unit to a complete course. Depending on the granularity
level, an OP can be classified in two categories: an elemental OP (text, image, video
and animation) and a composite OP. Each pedagogical object (OP) can be composed
of one or more Web pages, each of these representing different parts of the reference
corpus.
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