Centralized content repositories for distributed learning management systems

Abstract

An educational system, including a centralized reusable learning object (RLO) repository that provides educational content to users, and communicates user performance data, via SCORM, to and from any one or more distributed, remote learning systems, such as remote learning management systems. The learning systems, and the RLO repository, each reside within different Web domains, and may communicate the learner performance data via one or more pointer SCOs, which may reside in the learning management systems, and may point to educational content and a content delivery engine in the RLO repository, while the educational content and the content delivery engine are not stored in the remote learning systems.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, at a first server within a first Web domain, a first request for educational content and a content delivery engine that reside within the first Web domain, wherein the first request for the educational content and the content delivery engine is received from a first learning system residing within a second Web domain distinct from the first Web domain;   receiving, at the first server, a second request for the educational content and the content delivery engine that reside within the first Web domain, wherein the second request for the educational content and the content delivery engine is received from a second learning system residing within a third Web domain distinct from the first Web domain and the second Web domain;   permitting a user of the first learning system to view the educational content and the content delivery engine residing within the first Web domain via a first pointer Shareable Content Object (SCO) residing in the first learning system within the second Web domain; and   permitting a user of the second learning system to view the educational content and the content delivery engine residing within the first Web domain via a second pointer SCO residing in the second learning system within the third Web domain.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the educational content and the content delivery engine reside behind a first firewall, the first learning system resides behind a second firewall distinct from the first firewall, and the second learning system resides behind a third firewall distinct from the first firewall and the second firewall. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising protecting the educational content from unauthorized distribution by hosting the educational content on the first server within the first Web domain and behind the first firewall. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first learning system within the second Web domain and the second learning system within the third Web domain comprise separate and distinct enterprise learning environments, the method further comprising:
 receiving, at the first server, first learner performance data from the first learning system via the first pointer SCO;   receiving, at the first server, second learner performance data from the second learning system via the second pointer SCO;   sending, from the first server, first updated learner performance data via the first pointer SCO to the first learning system; and   sending, from the first server, second updated learner performance data via the second pointer SCO to the second learning system.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a copy of the educational content does not reside within the second Web domain or the third Web domain, and wherein the first learning system and the second learning system cannot modify the educational content. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein a copy of the educational content does not reside on a second server behind the second firewall or on a third server behind the third firewall. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first learning system and the second learning system are Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)-conformant learning systems. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising modifying the educational content residing on the first server and making the modified educational content available for access via the first learning system and the second learning system without distributing the modified educational content to the second server or the third server, wherein the modified educational content is SCORM-conformant. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising displaying the modified educational content in the content delivery engine residing in the first Web domain via the first pointer SCO residing in the first learning system within the second Web domain, wherein the first learning system is at least one of a SCORM-conformant learning management system and a SCORM-conformant learning content management system. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising displaying the modified educational content in the content delivery engine residing in the first Web domain via the second pointer SCO in the second learning system within the third Web domain, wherein the second learning system is at least one of a SCORM-conformant learning management system and a SCORM-conformant learning content management system. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising storing the educational content and the modified educational content in a reusable learning object repository that resides within the first Web domain, wherein the reusable learning object repository does not reside within the second Web domain or the third Web domain. 
     
     
         12 . A learning system, comprising:
 educational content configured to reside within a first Web domain;   a content delivery engine configured to reside within the first Web domain, wherein the content delivery engine is configured to communicate with a first learning system residing within a second Web domain distinct from the first Web domain, and wherein the educational content does not reside within the first learning system or the second Web domain, wherein the content delivery engine is configured to communicate with a second learning system residing within a third Web domain distinct from the first Web domain and the second Web domain, and wherein the educational content does not reside within the second learning system or the third Web domain; and   a server residing within the first Web domain, wherein the server is configured to receive a first request for the educational content, wherein the first request for the educational content is received from the first learning system residing within the second Web domain, wherein the server is further configured to receive a second request for the educational content, wherein the second request for the educational content is received from the second learning system residing within the third Web domain distinct from the first Web domain and the second Web domain;   wherein the educational content is configured to be displayed in the content delivery engine residing within the first Web domain via a first pointer Shareable Content Object (SCO) residing within the first learning system and the second Web domain; and   wherein the educational content is configured to be displayed in the content delivery engine residing within the first Web domain via a second pointer SCO residing within the second learning system and the third Web domain.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein:
 first learner performance data is configured to be received by the content delivery engine, via the first pointer SCO, from the first learning system;   second learner performance data is configured to be received by the content delivery engine, via the second pointer SCO, from the second learning system;   first updated learner performance data is configured to be sent from the content delivery engine, via the first pointer SCO, to the first learning system; and   second updated learner performance data is configured to be sent from the content delivery engine, via the second pointer SCO, to the second learning system.   
     
     
         14 . A method, comprising:
 requesting, by a first learning system residing within a first Web domain, via a first pointer Shareable Content Object (SCO) residing within the first Web domain, a content delivery engine and educational content residing within a content Web domain distinct from the first Web domain;   displaying the educational content via the content delivery engine and the first pointer SCO, wherein the first pointer SCO is associated with the first learning system, and wherein the educational content resides within the content Web domain but does not reside within the first Web domain; and   transmitting first existing learner performance data from the first learning system via the first pointer SCO to the content delivery engine residing within the content Web domain.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 requesting, by a second learning system residing within a second Web domain, via a second pointer SCO residing within the second Web domain, the content delivery engine and the educational content residing within the content Web domain distinct from the second Web domain;   displaying the educational content via the content delivery engine and the second pointer SCO, wherein the second pointer SCO is associated with the second learning system, and wherein the educational content resides within the content Web domain but does not reside within the second Web domain; and   wherein the educational content and the content delivery engine do not reside within the first Web domain or the second Web domain.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising transmitting second existing learner performance data from the second learning system via the second pointer SCO to the content delivery engine residing within the content Web domain. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first existing learner performance data and the second existing learner performance data comprise at least one of a user's session information, bookmark, history, performance, progress, efficiency, effectiveness, personal data, course data, academic data, time spent, standard reached, completion data, most recently viewed content, and completion percentage, and wherein the content delivery engine comprises a navigation engine. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first learning system residing within the first Web domain receives, from the content delivery engine residing within the content Web domain, via the first pointer SCO, first updated learner performance data. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the second learning system residing within the second Web domain receives, from the content delivery engine residing within the content Web domain, via the second pointer SCO, second updated learner performance data. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the content delivery engine residing within the content Web domain is configured to transmit the first updated learner performance data to the first learning system residing within the first Web domain via the first pointer SCO, and wherein the content delivery engine is configured to transmit the second updated learner performance data to the second learning system residing within the second Web domain via the second pointer SCO, wherein the educational content is stored within the content Web domain but is not stored in the first Web domain or the second Web domain.