Adoption of Service-oriented Architecture for Interoperable Learning Systems: Best Practice Recommendations

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is one of the architectural frameworks (a collection of guiding design principles, a vocabulary of types of components and assembly rules) used to define and build Information & Communication Technology (ICT) systems.  As the name implies, SOA is based on building systems that are composed or built from services.  SOA is one of the many frameworks used to define a distributed computing system: a system built (composed) from discrete components (decomposition guided by a “separation of concerns”) that are distributed across a network, and that interact by exchanging message requests between the components.  Where there is a range of possible values for a characteristic e.g. state, coupling, SOA defines specific measures of the characteristics (design principles).  While these are the preferred values for these characteristics, there are no hard and fast rules to say that an approach that violates one of the characteristics or principles does not correspond to SOA.

IMS Global Learning Consortium (IMS GLC) has advocated the use of SOA as the architectural framework since 2003 when we created the IMS GLC Abstract Framework (IAF).  The IAF described the context for how IMS GLC would create interoperability standards for e-learning services.  For implementations, IMS GLC has adopted Web Services as the underlying technology.

There are many differing and confusing claims made for SOA.  SOA suffers from the classical ‘hype’ common for total-solution architectures.  Within the education sector, IMS GLC proposes to undertake a work programme that will produce guidance on how to adopt SOA for education systems.   

Call for Participation

IMS GLC proposes to undertake the development of a best practices guide for the adoption of service-oriented architecture in education. IBM and Oracle have agreed to help charter this effort.  To this end we intend to cover the following aspects:

• The education specific standards to be adopted when creating an SoA-based solution;
• Common service components that can be adopted from other market sectors;
• The underlying technology required to implement an SoA-based design;
• The migration issues to be addressed when adopting an SoA-based solution;
• Determining the return on investment for an SoA-based solution in education.

Further Information

In June 2007, IMS GLC hosted the webinar Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) in Education – from Top to Bottom. Each of the organizations, Cisco Systems, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle provided their own unique focus on infrastructure, applications, and services. They provided their advice on what to consider, how to begin, and what are the real products or services available today. The recording of this event is available at: http://www.imsglobal.org/webinarseries/index.cfm.