How XML is enabling the next generation of elearning systems at Cisco.

Jay Todtenbier
Project Manager
Cisco Systems

California
United States of America

Jay Di Silvestri
Vice President of Professional Services
Astoria

California
United States of America

Abstract

Cisco relies on Elearning for much of its training. So much so, that Cisco has become one of the largest Elearning providers in the world. In fact, Cisco provides over 120 courses in 152 different countries around the world. The courses and related assessments are often subject to frequent change, and the content must be produced in multiple languages or formats, combined into different courses, or efficiently searched and retrieved from large volumes of similar material. Early on, they realized that in order to keep that content current and manageable it was important to build an architecture that scaled well and was easy to maintain.

XML became a clear choice for the data format. Cisco’s RLO (Reusable Learning Object) data model provides for flexible data modules that can be reused in many different contexts and driven to many different formats.

1. Demands of Building a Scalable e-Learning System at Cisco’s Networking Academy

XML is no longer an “emerging technology”. Each of us sees it everyday in the world around us. However, the “Data” side of the XML industry (SOAP, messaging, encryption, etc) has worked its way into the fortune 500 faster than the “Content” side.

This case study shows how critical XML content can be to a large scale, high visibility, XML application. Cisco Systems, has the need to build reusable components and deliver them in an application independent way. These components may be viewed in a number of different presentation layers, but items need to reside in one place, and a change in that place needs to cascade across the entire enterprise Cisco’s Global Learning Network is built on an XML framework, and scales to meet a tremendous throughput. For the purposes of this paper we will show an outline of the overall application and then drill into the areas of interest to the XML community.

1.1 The E-Learning Industry

E-Learning has proven to be a stable if not growing market sector even in a sluggish economy. According to Forrester Research, “With continued economic recovery, expect to see a growing interest in using technology to educate employees, channel partners and customers. Growth will be 18 percent CAGR during the next three years.”

Aside from its wide use by the Federal Government, e-learning is employed more and more by corporations for training and by educational institutions for academic purposes. The case for corporate e-learning depends on a simple equation: increased productivity equals profit. A recent article in the e-Learning Developers Journal noted that, “When faced with shifting operating models, pressure to deliver results, and an increased reliance on the high performing employee, learning, and e-Learning in particular, serves as a wise investment in today’s economy."

An E-Learning based training program can offer a number of benefits over older training and educational methods. Initially, most training programs were instructor led, the most common scenario is a classroom setting, with an instructor leading and the students following at a steady measured pace. This model has worked well for years, but it has its flaws. Students cannot move at their own pace, that cannot skip pieces that they know, or drill deep into areas that are tough for them. The cost of the instruction is linear, and in order to scale, more instructors need to be hired and brought up to speed.

Computer based training, fist took hold in the late 1980s. Early attempts at E-Learning addressed many of the shortcomings of the traditional learning model, but also created some knew ones. Often, these early computer based training models were little more than converted textbooks delivered via an electronic screen. The presence of long chapters and text dominant curricula, proved to be a barrier to adoption and the new medium made little headway in the training industry.

Slowly, however, better systems evolved. A new industry cropped up around multimedia centered content delivered in smaller, easier to consume bites. In this new paradigm, the strengths of a computer based system started to shine. Flash files, Video, sound and other rich media combine to give the end user a targeted, highly effective learning experience. Students are tested online and given only the information that they need to understand the course. Content is interactive, simulating work tasks and guiding the student as needed. These systems are often stand alone, but can also be easily incorporated into an instructor led model, when needed.

Cisco Systems was an early and enthusiastic adopter of this technology, and has begun to pioneer the evolution of new and better ways of doing E-Learning. To this end, Cisco has published the RLO (Reuseable Learning Object) Model, and began to drive the development of E-Learning systems that pushed the envelope on existing architectures. Today, Cisco is among the largest and most forward thinking of E-Learning providers, and they are ever expanding. For this reason, they have needed to force newer and better designs into production.

2. Cisco’s Networking Academy

The Cisco Networking Academy is a comprehensive program designed to teach students Internet technology skills. Its global e-learning program offers students an opportunity to pursue IT curricula through online instructor-led training and hands-on laboratory exercises. As of November, 2002 the Program included:

2.1 The Requirements

Courses and related assessments are often subject to frequent change, and the content must be produced in multiple languages or formats, combined into different courses, or efficiently searched and retrieved from large volumes of similar material. Creating and updating the content in a standards based architecture such as XML (for a more detailed explanation of the data model and its strengths please see Cisco Systems Reuseable Information Object Strategy )was the best solution in reducing the escalating costs and time required to achieve an efficient system. The system needed to allow for dynamic delivery of content in a manner that was network aware, but not reliant on a centralized Learning Management System. They wanted the curriculum to be customizable by instructors and students, which meant assembly “on the fly” based on the results of an assessment, profile, and/or selected options.

2.2 The Plan

While it may seem obvious, there are certain things to keep in mind when developing plans to implement a successful e-learning program.

First, roll out the project in small, discreet, rapidly-deployed cycles. Then continue iteratively to add layers of complexity to the deployment. A provable implementation at each phase allows for the project to gain acceptance. Trying to solve the whole problem at once, or build for what might be useful in the future is a recipe for disaster.

Perhaps most important is to build a team, and gain end-user acceptance. Often in an organization, good ideas grow up. Therefore it is essential to get input from those directly impacted by the day to day workflow changes that are being designed. Focus groups at each phase of the roll out create better design for future phases, and generate a positive mind-set about the project.

Also crucial to the success is to carefully select appropriate technology vendors. Claire Schooley, a Senior Analyst at Forrester Research’s Giga Information Group, suggests that one pitfall is technology that is difficult to use and unreliable. “Make sure the infrastructure can support your e-learning initiative and that the technology is intuitive and transparent to learners.” This requires a thorough selection process to find the “best of breed” tools that are up to the demands of ever increasing scale. The software must be able to be customized in a manner that will satisfy both current and foreseeable future requirements.

Despite extensive planning and research, expect problems. It’s a good idea to have change management plans in place from the beginning. For instance, Cisco found that after several rounds of successful roll outs, the original Content Management System could not scale to meet the needs of the project. Once in production, the system performance was slow to the point of unuseability. The time to check-in or reuse objects was unworkable, even with a small number of users working on data distributed over several servers.

After unsuccessfully attempting to resolve the issues with the current vendor, it became clear that another solution needed to be considered. A new Content Management System was selected after proving that it could successfully resolve the performance issues without an impact to the remaining technologies already in place. The new system used a pure XML object repository which supported distributed servers. Also, much of the functionality “out of the box” solved the other outstanding concerns. Much of the custom code needed in the previous system was obviated. This was an important lesson. When selecting a vendor, look for as much out of the box functionality as possible.

This project is in production and continues to scale to meet the needs of our customers. Cisco has learned quite a bit a long the way, but soon the architecture will grow to the point that we are delivering courses and assessments for third party publishers, into corporate environments, colleges, and even K-12 schools. As the focus and scope changes, the importance of keeping a vendor neutral, scalable model only grows. Cisco is set to become a powerful force in shaping the way learning is done in the next generation.