What is LTI Resource Search?
LTI Resource Search defines how to search digital repositories for a set of resources. The standard addresses searching learning object repositories (LORs), and other catalogs of learning resources, from learning tools using various attributes of resources and returning full metadata about the resources to the learning tools. Results can be launched either as URLs or LTI links. The benefit for an educator or student using the learning tool (such as a Learning Management System) is the seamless ability to search resource libraries for appropriate resources and transparent launching of those resources.
ACT's Open Source Sample Client for LTI Resource Search
ACT has created and received 1EdTech Conformance Certification for their OpenEd LTI Resource Search Client v1.0. The OpenEd LTI Resource Search client is a command line tool allows searching by various criteria against any LTI Resource Search compliant Learning Object Repository. Criteria include keyword search, search by learning objective (expressed as CASE or human-readable names). Results are returned as text of the resource names and URLs.
It has been tested against Knovation, the 1EdTech test system, and OpenEd. As other LORs adopt the standard it will be tested against those as well.
It is also open sourced under Apache2 license and full source is available at http://github.com/openedinc/srch_cli. It is written in Ruby but the techniques should apply to any programming language. If you are considering accessing an LTI Resource Search supporting LOR inside your ed tech tool (such as an LMS or assessment system) this code should help you implement your own client much faster.
MINERVA - An Open Source Learning Object Repository
ACT has created and received 1EdTech Conformance Certification for the OpenEd Educational Resource library which is built on the Minerva Platform. The OpenEd Educational Resource Library is a K-12 educational resource library focused on aligning resources to learning objectives. Specifically, OpenEd uses machine learning to accurately align videos, games, and assessments to learning goals such as the Common Core State Standards, NGSS, TEKS and detailed taxonomies of fine-grained learning objectives (from Renaissance, ACT, and others).
For Learning Object Repository(LOR) providers who want to accelerate get an LTI Resource Search API implementation quickly MINERVA can be interesting. MINERVA provides the basic LOR backend schema and database implementation. It also provides web services to query via LTI Resource Search and publish to the catalog. Finally it has administrator user interface to manage the publishing and alignment of resources to standards. You can take your catalog content (expressed as an Excel CSV file for example) and republish it to your own hosted instance of MINERVA. MINERVA is available free under Apache license at http://github.com/openedinc/minerva.
Knovation's LTI Resource Search Service
Knovation’s LTI Resource Search Service is powered by entering a Keyword, or selecting a Subject or Standard.
Based upon the size of the search result set, filtering by Learning Resource Type, Language, Publisher, Rating or Age Range will limit the number of results and allow you to view the OER that meet that criteria. Note that the available filter criteria will vary based upon the initial search results list, and certain combinations of filters may result in the message “We couldn’t find anything matching.”
This demonstration search service is a prototype utilizing limited Subjects and Standards. In its production environment, Knovation curates OER across all academic subjects, and the state and national academic standards for Math, ELA, Science and Social Studies.