A perspective and pattern-based evaluation framework of EMLs' expressiveness for collaborative learning: application to IMS LD

The objective of educational modeling languages (EML) is to provide a containment framework of elements that can describe any design of a teaching-learning situation in a formal way. In this paper we propose a methodology to evaluate how well an EML supports the realization of such descriptions. The methodology is based on the identification of perspectives and patterns. We consider perspectives as features of a learning situation that should be described by an EML and that can be analyzed separately. For each considered perspective, we study the patterns involved, i.e., the more frequent situations. Perspectives and patterns provide the criterions that constitute an evaluation framework. So far, we have focused the methodology in collaborative learning and in the IMS learning design specification.