Virtual Learning Environment Requirements
Critical System Requirements
| Name | VLE Host Locator Requirement |
| Description | The VLE must beable to automatically locate and display a list of hosts that are on the network. |
| Rationale | The learner or teacher should not have to locate the host manually. |
| Dependencies | A host on the network, broadcasting. |
| Conflicts | none |
| POC | Anthony Perritano |
| History | Created May 14th, 2004 |
| Name | VLE Logon Requirement |
| Description | The VLE must beable to logon to a host. |
| Rationale | The learner or teacher should beable to logon to the host |
| Dependencies | The host locator has found a host |
| Conflicts | none |
| POC | Anthony Perritano |
| History | Created May 14th, 2004 |
| Name | Assessment Engine Requirement |
| Description | The assessment renderer/viewer can display and record changes to a wide variety of media. |
| Rationale | We need a flexible assessment engine that can enable new forms of assessment such as recording students' creation of a concept map or drawing. |
| Dependencies | none |
| Conflicts | none |
| POC | Jeff Holmes |
| History | Created May 5th, 2004 |
| Name | HTML Rendering Requirement |
| Description | The learner will have the ability to open a webpage inside the environment. |
| Rationale | The Learner needs access to external internet or intranet resources. |
| Dependencies | none |
| Conflicts | none |
| POC | Anthony Perritano |
| History | Created May 5th, 2004 |
| Name | multi-user capabilities |
| Description | The VLE must be able to support multi-user activities in real time, either within a java application or in the full-screen mode. |
| Relevant Stories | The student enters a presentation theatre (in the VLE) and knows who else is in the theatre. All students attend to a single student's presentation that is delivered - perhaps in animated format ,or by video, or in a poserpoint-like format. All students can ask questions of the presenter, and then take turns presenting. Another story: two users are playing with variable in a dynamic simulation, taking turns reacting to the results from the previous run of the simulaiton. The two students are emulating two scientists who are working on an experiment. |
| Rationale | This kind of real time connection between peers in a classroom is a very large area of functionality, and one where WISE and Pedagogica are very limited. It is being used by some of our European colleagues (coLab, WebLABS) - we should enable multi-user experiences. |
| Dependencies | |
| Conflicts | Seems that this needs to have a way of representing, "who, when, and where for each user, allowing them to be in the same location at any moment in time, and have access to the same objects (POts??) |
| POC | Jeff, Jim, Matt F. |
| History | Added 5/18/04 |
Non-Critical System Requirements
| Name | Full screen Requirement |
| Description | The VLE can take over the entire screen. |
| Rationale | Turn general purpose computer in learning appliance. Subdue psychological framing of "computing" experience. Also, potential for improved graphics performance. |
| Dependencies | OS and Java that support full screen control, permission for user on system to go full screen?, possibly permission to change resolution |
| Conflicts | none |
| POC | Turadg Aleahmad |
| History | Created May 7th, 2004 |
| Name | Flexible Help Agent Requirement |
| Description | A teacher can update a help agent on the fly to address a problem/issue that is specific to his/her students. |
| Rationale | It is impossible to predict the specific supports that any particular class might require. Therefore, we should have a flexibly adaptive help system. |
| Dependencies | none |
| Conflicts | none |
| POC | Jeff Holmes |
| History | Created May 5th, 2004 |
| Name | Teacher Intervention Tools |
| Description | Tools that enable the teacher to interact with one or more VLEs in their classroom |
| Relevant Stories | none |
| Rationale | The teacher should be able to affect one or all of his or her students' learning experiences from a central location. |
| Dependencies | |
| Conflicts | none |
| POC | Jeff Holmes |
| History |
Look and Feel Requirements
| Name | VLE Theme support Requirement |
| Description | The VLE must beable to change its look and feel via themes. |
| Rationale | The learner or teacher should be able to change the look and feel of the interface. Also, an author can specify the look and feel of a unit. |
| Dependencies | |
| Conflicts | none |
| POC | Anthony Perritano |
| History | Created May 14th, 2004 |
| Name | Adaptive Curriculum Requirement |
| Description | Curriculum or pedagogical path changes based on student actions |
| Relevant Stories | |
| Rationale | We need the VLE to be responsive to a diverse student population |
| Dependencies | |
| Conflicts | |
| POC | Jeff Holmes |
| History |
Deployment requirements
| Name | VLE Deployment Requirement |
| Description | The VLE must beable to be downloaded and started from Java WebStart |
| Rationale | The learner or teacher should be able to install and run the VLE with one click. |
| Dependencies | |
| Conflicts | none |
| POC | Anthony Perritano |
| History | Created May 14th, 2004 |
| Name | VLE download time requirement |
| Description | The download time for the VLE needs to be reasonable. Reasonable is <4 seconds on an unloaded 10M connection. |
| Relevant Stories | |
| Rationale | Downloads times need to be reasonable |
| Dependencies | |
| Conflicts | |
| POC | |
| History |
Run requirements
| Name | VLE Run Requirement |
| Description | The VLE must beable run on Windows XP (PIII or higher), Mac OSX 10.x(800mhz or higher) and Linux |
| Rationale | The learner or teacher should have the minimum capabilities to run the VLE |
| Dependencies | |
| Conflicts | none |
| POC | Anthony Perritano |
| History | Created May 14th, 2004 |
| Name | VLE Responsiveness |
| Description | Nothing should take more than 7 seconds. See Matt's message. |
| Relevant Stories | |
| Rationale | Any longer and the student's attention is lost. |
| Dependencies | |
| Conflicts | |
| POC | Turadg Aleahmad |
| History |
