Development of Metadata Elements for E-Learning Objects Based on the Learning Object Metadata (IEEE LOM) Standard in Institutional Repositories of Medical Universities

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Leila Arabgari ¹
• Masoumeh Karbala Aghaei Kamran ²
• Zoya Abam ³
• Atefeh Sharif ⁴

¹ PhD in Knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

³ Associate Professor, Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.

⁴ Assistant Professor, Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22067/infosci.2025.87981.1206

Abstract

Introduction: Institutional repositories, along with the research data and learning objects they contain, must conform to established standards. Consequently, metadata management is of paramount importance in the development of such repositories. This study aims to identify appropriate metadata elements for the organization of e-learning objects, drawing upon the IEEE Learning Object Metadata (LOM) standard as a foundation, and to develop enhancements to this standard for application within the institutional repositories of Iranian medical universities.
Methodology: This applied research was conducted in several stages. Initially, a descriptive survey methodology was employed, utilizing observation and checklists for data collection. Sixteen repositories associated with Iranian universities of medical sciences were identified. Subsequently, the metadata elements of learning objects and the standards governing the organization of electronic learning objects within these institutional repositories were determined. A comparative analysis was conducted between the metadata elements extracted from the electronic learning objects within the institutional repositories of Iranian medical sciences universities and a checklist of standard learning object metadata elements. This comparison facilitated the identification of overlapping elements and provided a descriptive profile of the electronic learning objects within these repositories. A two-round questionnaire, designed for a target community comprising information organization and e-learning specialists, was subsequently administered.
 In the second phase, a range of new metadata elements was identified to enhance the LOM standard. This identification process involved documentary observation, document analysis, examination of pertinent literature, and research employing a meta-synthesis methodology. The third phase utilized a researcher-designed questionnaire administered via the Delphi method to refine and validate these findings with expert input. The fourth and final phase resulted in a validated set of elements and entities specifically designed for e-learning objects within the institutional repositories of Iranian medical universities. The first phase of this statistical population study, concerning questionnaire design, utilized learning objects available in the organizational repositories of Iranian universities of medical sciences possessing such repositories. The second phase, questionnaire validation, involved specialists in information organization, metadata standards, and e-learning. Data collection for this research employed structured observation, surveys, documentary analysis, meta-synthesis, and the Delphi technique. This study employed a researcher-designed questionnaire, aligned with a standard metadata framework for learning objects, as its data collection instrument. The questionnaire's objective was threefold: to assess the validity and importance of metadata elements for describing learning objects within the organizational repositories of Iranian medical science universities; to evaluate the accuracy of existing translations; and to ascertain the level of compliance with the identified metadata elements. Data gathered through two Delphi rounds using the aforementioned questionnaire, along with a table of newly identified metadata elements proposed for enriching the learning object metadata standard, were analyzed. Descriptive statistics, including frequency distribution tables, frequency percentage, cumulative frequency, median, mean, and standard deviation, are presented to summarize and interpret the findings.
Findings: The research findings indicated that the institutional repositories of Iranian medical universities do not adhere to metadata standards for the storage and organization of learning objects. Of the 60 elements comprising the Learning Object Metadata standard, only 25 elements (41%) were represented within the identified elements from these repositories. The research findings indicated that the institutional repositories of Iranian medical universities do not adhere to metadata standards for the storage and organization of learning objects. Of the 60 elements that make up the LOM standard, only 25 elements (41%) were represented among the identified elements from these repositories. Additionally, regarding the rights of learning objects, the degree of compliance was reported for only one item. The findings from the Delphi rounds indicated that in assessing the importance of metadata elements for describing e-learning objects—measured using a Likert scale ranging from very high to very low—the results were favorable regarding the presence of metadata elements within the organization. The storage of electronic learning objects in the institutional repositories of Iranian medical sciences universities was reported with a frequency of 89.73%. The findings from the first and second rounds of the Delphi study, which examined the correspondence between metadata elements used for describing electronic learning objects and the standard metadata elements of the LOM standard, indicated that 24.97% of the elements exhibited the highest level of correspondence. Additionally, the LOM standard was enriched with three elements approved by experts. The identified elements pertained to the development of the life-cycle category, classification category, and relationship category.
Discussion and Conclusion: The research findings suggest that the LOM standard, as a comprehensive framework encompassing various types of metadata, is well-suited for organizing e-learning objects within the institutional repositories of Iran's medical universities. Therefore, its adoption is highly recommended for this purpose.

Keywords

• E-Learning
• Organizational Repositories
• University of Medical Sciences
• Metadata Standard
• Learning Object
• Learning Object Metadata(LOM)

Main Subjects

• Information processing and organization

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