Chris Candler;
Sharon Dennis; Sebastian Uijtdehaage
University of Oklahoma; University of
Utah; UCLA
Abstract:
Medical educators have employed
multimedia for several years using a variety of platforms and formats.
Unfortunately, high quality multimedia such as images and video have been
costly to develop and difficult to share across disparate systems. Recently,
database and web technologies have enabled educators a convenient way to store
and deliver multimedia files. Metadata, or data about data, has been used to
index materials so that instructors may efficiently index and search for
materials of interest. However, the variety of metadata schemes and the
inherent limitations of HTML continue to hinder the open exchange of
instructional materials.
A new architecture is proposed using
eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and the emerging Instructional Management
Systems (IMS) specification in conjunction with database technologies. Still in
the formative stages of development, these new technologies will enable
institutions and educators the ability to search and share content independent
of individual systems.
This particular project uses Allaire’s
ColdFusion as a middleware solution to connect multimedia within the database
to user requests from the web. The open IMS standard was used to create the
data model used by ColdFusion and the database. A group of educators and
developers jointly defined the field/element definitions key to medical
education.
The ultimate goal of this project is to
define an architecture for a globally available open multimedia repository for
medical educators.
Benefit in Attending
Session:
Participants will appreciate the
development of a standards-based multimedia database using ColdFusion. The
relationship between XML, IMS, and ColdFusion will be outlined as well as the
unique benefits to this architecture.
PRIMARY AUTHOR'S
INFORMATION
Chris Candler, MD
941 Stanton L. Young Blvd, Suite 115A
Oklahoma City, OK 73190
Telephone Number: 405-271-9333
Fax Number: 405-271-9334
E-mail Address: chris-candler@ouhsc.edu
CO-AUTHORS'
INFORMATION
Sharon Dennis, University of Utah
Sebastian Uijtdehaage, UCLA