Internet2 Middleware Initiative K. Hazelton for MACE-CourseID
Internet2 Draft University of Wisconsin-Madison
Expires: June 15, 2005 December 15 , 2004

LDAP representations of eduCourse attributes
and an auxiliary object class
draft-internet2-mace-courseid-educourse-ldap-00

Status of this Memo

This document is an Internet2 Draft and is in compliance with relevant Internet2 document standards.

Internet2 Drafts are working documents of Internet2, its areas, and its working groups.

Internet2 Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or rendered obsolete by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet2 Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

This Internet2 Draft will expire on June 15, 2005.

This document is a submission from the MACE-CourseID WG of the Internet2 Middleware Initiative. Comments should be sent to the mace-courseid-comments at internet2.edu mailing list.

Abstract

Course-related information is used in learning management systems and in other systems that support the learning mission of higher education institutions. The eduCourse information model defines two attributes that provide a standardized way of referring to course offerings and people's role with respect to course offerings. This draft specifies a recommended binding for those two attributes, "eduCourseOffering" and "eduCourseMember," to the LDAP protocol to facilitate their incorporation in enterprise directories.


1. Context and assumptions

Context

This document defines LDAP representations of eduCourseOffering and eduCourseMember, two attributes defined in the eduCourse data model (draft-internet2-courseID-eduCourse-02.html). These attributes are intended to be carried in a person or other entry in the directory.


2. Specification

An "eduCourseOffering" attribute associated with an entity is a collection of values each of which identifies a course offering with which that entity is associated.

attributetype ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.5923.1.6.1.1
NAME 'eduCourseOffering'
DESC 'identifiers for course offerings per the eduCourse data model'
EQUALITY caseExactMatch
SYNTAX '1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15' )

Application utility class: standard; # of values: multi

Definition

The values of eduCourseOffering are identifiers for course offerings with which the containing entity has an association. One common use of this attribute would be in a person's entry where it would list the course offerings with which the person was currently associated.

Permissible values (if controlled)

Any string. If the context requires global uniqueness, well-formed URIs are recommended.


Notes

The companion draft document, "Globally unique identifiers for course offerings," offers guidance on how to form globally unique values for eduCourseOffering identifiers. eduCourseOffering is defined as an optional (MAY) attribute in the auxiliary object class "eduAux." This means that the attribute can be added to any entry, regardless of that entity's structural object class as long as eduAux is defined in the directory schema. If eduCourseOffering occurs in a person entry it can be used to answer the question "What course offerings is this person currently involved in in any role?" Its companion attribute, eduCourseMember carries the specific role the person has with each course offering, e.g., learner or instructor.


Semantics

The presence of a course offering identifier as a value of "eduCourseOffering" implies that the containing entity is associated with that course offering.


Example applications for which this attribute would be useful

controlling access to resources, learning management system reporting, provisioning


Example (LDIF Fragment)

eduCourseOffering: urn:mace:uchicago.edu:classes:autumn2004:phys12100.003

Syntax: directoryString; Indexing: pres,eq


An "eduCourseMember" attribute in a person entry asserts that the person has a specified role with respect to a given course offering

attributetype ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.5923.1.6.1.2
NAME 'eduCourseMember'
DESC 'role-in-course offering per the eduCourse data model'
EQUALITY caseExactMatch
SYNTAX '1.3.6.1.4.1.1466.115.121.1.15' )

Application utility class: standard; # of values: multi

Definition

A value of the eduCourseMember attribute asserts that the person in whose entry the attribute appears has the specified role in relation to the given course offering.

Permissible values (if controlled)

eduCourseMember value = role "@" eduCourseOffering

role = "Learner" / "Instructor" / "ContentDeveloper" / "Member" / "Manager" / "Mentor" / "Administrator" / "TeachingAssistant" or other role string as defined in alignment with the eduCourse data model and IMS RoleTypes. Note that these are case sensitive values.

The eduCourseOffering substring to the right of the "@" must be a legal value of an eduCourseOffering attribute.


Notes

eduCourseMember is defined as an optional (MAY) attribute in the auxiliary object class "eduAux." This means that the attribute can be added to any entry, regardless of that entity's structural object class as long as eduAux is defined in the directory schema. If eduCourseMember occurs in a person entry it can be used to answer questions such as "Is this person an instructor in course offering 'foo?'"


Semantics

The presence of a role-in-course offering value of "eduCourseMember" implies that the containing person has the specified role in the identified course offering.


Example applications for which this attribute would be useful

controlling access to resources, learning management system reporting, provisioning


Example (LDIF Fragment)

eduCourseMember: instructor@http://wisc.edu/course/offering/2004fall/physics1101

Syntax: directoryString; Indexing: pres,eq


EduAux is an auxiliary object class intended to carry attributes that might apply to multiple types of directory entries. As of this time, it includes only two attributes: eduCourseOffering and eduCourseMember. By including the eduAux object class in an enterprise directory schema along with the attributes eduCouseOffering and eduCourseMember, values for those attributes can be added to any directory entry at will.

objectclass ( 1.3.6.1.4.1.5923.1.6.2.2
NAME 'eduAux'
AUXILIARY
MAY ( eduCourseOffering $ eduCourseMember
)

 

Authors' Contact Information

 
  Keith Hazelton
  University of Wisconsin-Madison
  1210 W. Dayton St.
  Madison, WI 53706
  US
Phone:  +1 608 262 0771
EMail:  hazelton@doit.wisc.edu