ALT-C2010 7/09/2010 14:50

Giving you back control of your data:

E-qualification system for E-portfolios

Learning Societies Laboratory, School of Electronic and Computer Science, University of Southampton, UK

Thank you for coming!

We have 60 minutes. What we plan to do:

14:55 We will introduce the “linked data” problem and the eCert solution

15:05 There will be a brief opportunity for clarification

15:10 We will split into groups to discuss the possibilities and potential problems (more on this shortly)

15:35 There will be time at the end to share key points from our discussions

15:45 Conclusion

Welcome!

What we are aiming to do

What we said:

“The aim of this workshop is to enable you to engage with the ideas behind our e-Certificate system, to debate the potential benefits it offers, and to work through the potential practical issues that might be encountered in the introduction of such a system into your own institution.”

The Linked Data Problem

It's amazing what data exists “out there”

Modern systems (my 'phone!) can access it, link it... and lose it or abuse it

The “club” entry scenario

It would be great if I could regain control of my data

What the eCert project is all about

We began with the problem of certificates in ePortfolios

Computer scientists know about transaction processing

But “eCertificates” are different JISC are paying us to come up with a good

solution

How the eCert project works - 1

• An eCertificate:

• Contain three sections, digitally signed, encrypted,

• With build-in functions to allow usage control settings while maintain the integrity of the digital signing

• The state of the award, the signer and the signing key, expire time, access time, and content modification, will be validated

How the eCert project works - 2

The three stakeholders & the three subsystems

• Educational organization – create & issue• Exam board

• Learner – manage & distribute• Student

• Reviewer – view & verify• Employer, HE Admissions officer

How the eCert project works - 3

• eCert central system

• Provides management and verification services

• No stored eCertificates – save storage, avoid attacks

• Convenient access

• Lifetime validation

Example use cases

• CV with attached Maths A-Level certificate from Edexcel

• Evidence of work for a portfolio

• Sharing work with tutors, but securing access (i.e. for non-disclosure agreements)

• Many more….

eCert~~~~~~~~~

~

eCert~~~~~~~~~

~

password

eCert

~~~~~~~~~

~

eCert

~~~~~~~~~

~

“Issue”

+ Owner controlled access values

eCert

~~~~~~~~~

~

eCert

~~~~~~~~~

~

CVCV

ZipeCert

~~~~~~~~~

~

eCert

~~~~~~~~~

~CVCV

Zip

eCert~~~~~~~~

~

eCert~~~~~~~~

~

password

CVCV

passwordeCert

~~~~~~~~

eCert

~~~~~~~~

An example

• Educational organization → issuing subsystem• Learner → management subsystem• Reviewer → verification subsystem

What now...?

Do you need to clarify anything about the eCert facility?

Split up into groups. You have 25 minutes to discuss the questions on the next slide.

Please make sure you record the key points of your discussion ready to share back afterwards.

Discussion

Please record the key points of your discussion on the sheets provided.

Groups A, E

Have we a need for the eCert system in our institution?

Would our students want this?

Whose data is it anyway?

Groups B, F

Would there be problems for staff implementing this, or would this help?

Are there infrastructure problems that might create difficulties?

Would this be useful for other purposes?

Groups D,H

Have we a need for eCertificates in ePortfolios in our institution?

What about the “club” scenario, would this be attractive?

Whose data is it anyway?

Groups C, G

Would there be institutional barriers to introducing an eCert system?

What gains would we foresee in using an eCert system?

Would this be useful for other purposes?

Feedback:

Please make sure one member of your group is ready to report back.

Conclusion

Thank you for coming!