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Architectural pattern for the definition of eLearning ecosystems based on Open Source developments. In J. L.
Sierra-Rodríguez, J. M. Dodero-Beardo, & D. Burgos (Eds.), Proceedings of 2014 International Symposium on Computers in Education (SIIE) (Logroño, La Rioja,
Spain, November 12-14, 2014) (pp. 93-98): Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. IEEE Catalog Number CFP1486T-ART.
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Abstract— The huge penetration of technological ecosystems the integration of different components which should evolve
based on Open Source software, as a technological solution to both individually and collectively.
support the knowledge management of entities and institutions,
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presents new problems in the development and integration of Within the Research Group in InterAction and eLearning
new software components. The aim of this paper has been to (GRIAL) of the University of Salamanca [4], the authors have
participated in the development of several technological
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define an architectural pattern that lays the foundations to define
and implement eLearning ecosystems. The pattern definition has
been realized from a comparative analysis of the Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of a number of real case
studies developed in different contexts. As a result, we have
ecosystems oriented to the knowledge management in different
contexts in order to solve real problems [5][6].
The analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
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obtained an architectural pattern composed by several layers and and Threats (SWOT) [7] of each ecosystem has allowed the
a set of external elements that provides a solution to the main identification of the underlying problems and the definition of
problems identified in the development of technological an architectural pattern [8]. The objective of the pattern is
ecosystems. The pattern has been tested in a real context, establishing the bases for the definition and implementation of
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concretely in the Public Administration, its which has eLearning ecosystems [9] that are be able to solve different
demonstrated that works properly. problems of knowledge management in any kind of
organization or institution. These problems are described in
Keywords—eLearning ecosystems, information systems, this work.
architectural pattern, software engineering, reusable software,
Open Source software. Both the description of case studies and the comparative
analysis of them, that are the knowledge base for the definition
of the proposed pattern, are available in previous works
I. INTRODUCTION [10][11].
Over recent years the number of companies and institutions
that are committed to use Free Software [1] and Open Source In the following sections this paper describe the
developments [2] as technological support to manage the environment and necessary conditions to apply the pattern, the
knowledge that is generated within them are increasingly. problems that resolves, the proposed solution, a real example
where the pattern has been used and, finally, the main
In this context, the proposed solutions to support the conclusions of this work.
different problems and goals related with the knowledge
management are based on the definition and implementation of II. CONTEXT
technological ecosystems, a set of software components related
between them through information flows in a physical The knowledge management is among the main needs that
environment that supports such flows [3]. should meet any kind of organization or institution [12][13].
From the small and medium enterprise (SME) to the largest
In the case of the knowledge management oriented to corporate groups, and from the training centers to the
learning, the eLearning ecosystems are adapted to the evolution universities, generate a large amount of knowledge. This can
of the learning management that takes place both in companies entail large losses both economic and human level if it is not
and institutions. properly managed.
Despite the benefits of the use of technological ecosystems, Enterprises and institutions use information systems to
its implementation in the entities that choose this kind of support all its internal and external processes management. To
solution has greater complexity than systems that were being do this they have different software elements among which can
used until a few years ago because, in general terms, involve
be found mainly the ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning), “are wide range of solutions complicates the selection of
software packages composed of several modules, such as the proper tools.
human resources, sales, finance and production, providing
cross-organization integration of data through imbedded • There are a large amount of applications require for the
business processes. These software packages can be organizations to support their needs. In many cases,
customized to answer the specific needs of each organization” not exist a proper connection among the different tools,
[14]. both technological and methodological level. This
often involves inconsistency of the data, which are
The importance of giving value to that knowledge has been spread among the different applications, and as a
increasing over recent years. This has led to institutions and consequence do not exist a global vision of the
companies to seek technological solutions to cover their information and knowledge generated within the
changing needs and complement the information systems organization.
commonly used so far. The technological ecosystems provide a
solution to this problem. Many entities and institutions have • Most of applications provide tools for user
included new software tools within their workflows, management and authentication. This feature is a
integrating them with the software components of each usability problem that gets worse proportionally to the
organization, in order to support the emerging needs. increase in the number of components of the
ecosystem.
The technological ecosystems are the evolution of the
information systems. The technological ecosystem can be • The integration of the components is not always
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defined as a composed system by a set of modules that provide performed at the business logic level and presentation.
the necessary functionality for managing the internal and The integration usually is performed at data level. It
external business processes of the company, for supporting the introduces strong dependencies among the
applications, implying a barrier to ensure the evolution
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information flows among the different components of the
system [3]. of the ecosystem.
III. PROBLEMS PR
The comparative analysis of different software solutions
based on technological ecosystems has allowed the
• The ecosystem definition is carried out, in many cases,
from outside of the organization or institution. It
implies more effort to define properly the information
flows and the objectives to be achieved.
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identification of the main problems that appear when these • Exist a strong evolving component in the technological
kind of solutions are implemented in an organization or ecosystems in order to adapt them to the natural
institution: evolution of the organizations and institutions. The
evolution can be carried out through the mechanisms
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• Enable centralized management of different tools among its services. A tool to support decision making
ecosystem components, with particular emphasis processes based on the management of the information flows
on the management of data. and the software component for monitorization which is
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described in the infrastructure layer.
• Presentation level integration to forward
uniqueness, so that the user is aware that it is in On the other hand, the knowledge management is not only
•
the ecosystem.
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Enable centralized user management, covering
both data management and authentication across
focused in the internal processes that take place within an
organization or institution, a good knowledge management
includes processes and methods for giving visibility to a part of
the knowledge, if not all, in order to reach the interested public.
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the ecosystem. For this reason, we introduce in the services layer a component
• Support decision-making based on the analysis of or a set of components that allow extending the information
information flows that take place both within the flows beyond the ecosystem.
ecosystem and outer it. The fourth layer is only focused in the presentation. One of
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We proposed a pattern composed by four layers. The lower the main usability problems in the technological ecosystems
layers content general-purpose components that provide a lies in the lack of uniqueness among the different software
range of services to the components of the upper layers. The components, such that the user perceives the ecosystem as a
dependencies between layers are set from the highest to the whole instead of the parts that compose it. The presentation
lowest, in order to achieve a loose coupling and facilitate layer aims solve this problem. For this purpose, the
reusability of the low-level components. presentation is uncoupled from the functionality provided by
the services layer. Besides, the access to the technological
First layer is named infrastructure and includes all services ecosystems should be available from any devices so the
that provide a set of basic functionalities for the proper presentation layer must ensure the accessibility to the
operation of the software components located in the upper ecosystem from them.
layers.
Finally, the proposed architectural layer is completed with
It is recommended that this layer include, at least, three two required elements in order to achieve rugged ecosystems
components. First, a mail server in order to support both that meet the needs properly and may evolve depending on the
asynchronous messaging and the notifications, alerts, decisions taken within the organization or institution. These
subscriptions, etc. that can be carry out from other components. elements are two input stream to the ecosystem. One is a strong
Second, the user management should be centralized, both the methodological base to support the definition and operation of
authentication process and the users’ data, through one or the system. The other stream is the project and risk
several components. Finally, the information flows that take management to ensure the implementation of the methodology
place in the system should be monitored in order to provide a and the ecosystem evolution over time.
centralized management of the statistics to support the decision
making processes.
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Figure 1. Architectural pattern
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recall," Long range planning, vol. 30, pp. 46-52, 1997. Software Licenses in Open Architecture Ecosystems," in IWSECO@
[8] F. Buschmann, R. Meunier, H. Rohnert, P. Sommerlad, and M. Stal, ICSR, 2009.
"Pattern-oriented software architecture: a system of patterns. 1996," Part [16] J. Bosch, "Architecture challenges for software ecosystems," in
II, 2001.
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Proceedings of the Fourth European Conference on Software
Architecture: Companion Volume, 2010, pp. 93-95.
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