E-learning has the potential to offer significant advantages over traditional classroom learning. However, it requires a complete redefinition of the dynamics of interaction between the various actors of a classroom. Moreover, in this context, the authoring of instructional material requires much more time than in traditional learning. Therefore, special care has to be posed to the definition of proper authoring approaches where educators can reuse and easily assemble existing materials. In this scenario, a comprehensive learning platform addressing the various interrelated aspects of authoring and fruition of instructional material is needed. Such a platform should enable reusability of materials, so that it is possible to make efficient use of preexisting experiences, and interoperability with existing platforms so that it is possible to take advantage of their strengths. The SCORM standard offers, among other features, a rich data model that can be used to define and share Learning Objects through different e-learning platforms. We argue that, despite the fact that it is the most emerging and promising standard, SCORM does not address some key issues properly, such as specification of metadata and LO composition. In this paper we focus on these issues and propose some extensions to SCORM that aim to address the above issues.

Abstract: The World Wide Web is a popular platform for providing eLearning applications to a wide spectrum of users. However – as users differ in their preferences, background, requirements, and goals – applications should provide personalization mechanisms. In the Web context, user models used by such adaptive applications are often partial fragments of an overall user model. The

Interoperability among heterogeneous systems can be reached by adopting and combining at least two strategies: one interface-oriented and the other model-oriented. The first one refers to the idea of defining well-known interfaces that systems should expose. The second one refers to the idea of having standard, semantically-rich data model shared by various systems. The SCORM standard supports the modeloriented integration strategy by offering, among the other features, a rich data model that can be used to define and share Learning Objects. We argue that, despite the fact that it is the most emerging and promising standard, SCORM does not address properly some key issues, such as specification of metadata and LO composition. As we discuss in this paper, such issues affect directly the possibility of re-using instructional materials both within the same e-learning system and, even more, across different systems. Within the Virtual Campus approach we have proposed some extensions to the SCORM object model that aim to address the above issues.