Wrestling with metadata.

Abstract

The objective of the OER (Open Educational Resources) project is to develop courseware that will be freely available to all tertiary education institutions in New Zealand. We were faced with the challenge of developing a model for future online open-source education projects. We needed to develop a metadata profile in order to package the learning materials so that they were searchable, and we wanted to be sure that the process we developed was easy to use by a range of people. The presentation will: Share ideas about metadata application profiles, models and pitfalls. Give attendees an understanding of the process we used to develop the application profile. Look at the technical process undertaken in packaging a learning object with metadata attached. Discuss and develop a shared understanding of interoperable metadata application profiles. Involve wrestling metaphors and catch cries. Finally, we compare the OER metadata application profile with that of other developments in Aotearoa New Zealand and discuss suggestions for moving towards greater interoperability.