{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T03:43:05Z","timestamp":1760240585364,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,19]],"date-time":"2019-07-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1563494400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000001","name":"National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["DLR-1740775 and DLR-1740765"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DLR-1740775 and DLR-1740765"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000001","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Virginia Tech's Technology-enhanced learning and Online Strategies unit","award":["--"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["--"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Future Internet"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Researchers in many disciplines are developing novel interactive smart learning objects like exercises and visualizations. Meanwhile, Learning Management Systems (LMS) and eTextbook systems are also becoming more sophisticated in their ability to use standard protocols to make use of third party smart learning objects. But at this time, educational tool developers do not always make best use of the interoperability standards and need exemplars to guide and motivate their development efforts. In this paper we present a case study where the two large educational ecosystems use the Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) standard to allow cross-sharing of their educational materials. At the end of our development process, Virginia Tech\u2019s OpenDSA eTextbook system became able to import materials from Aalto University\u2019s ACOS smart learning content server, such as python programming exercises and Parsons problems. Meanwhile, University of Pittsburgh\u2019s Mastery Grids (which already uses the ACOS exercises) was made to support CodeWorkout programming exercises (a system already used within OpenDSA). Thus, four major projects in CS Education became inter-operable.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/fi11070160","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,22]],"date-time":"2019-07-22T02:55:37Z","timestamp":1563764137000},"page":"160","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Crossing the Borders: Re-Use of Smart Learning Objects in Advanced Content Access Systems"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4516-0238","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hamza","family":"Manzoor","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7761-9755","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kamil","family":"Akhuseyinoglu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Computing and Information, University of Pittsburgh, 135 North Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9219-8821","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jackson","family":"Wonderly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1902-1464","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Peter","family":"Brusilovsky","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Computing and Information, University of Pittsburgh, 135 North Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0001-0295","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Clifford A.","family":"Shaffer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Parlante, N. (2019, July 18). CodingBat. Available online: https:\/\/codingbat.com\/java."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Buffardi, K., and Edwards, S.H. (2014, January 5\u20138). Introducing CodeWorkout: An Adaptive and Social Learning Environment. Proceedings of the 45th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, Atlanta, GA, USA.","DOI":"10.1145\/2538862.2544317"},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"157","article-title":"Parson\u2019s programming puzzles: A fun and effective learning tool for first programming courses","volume":"Volume 52","author":"Parsons","year":"2006","journal-title":"Proceedings of the 8th Australasian Conference on Computing Education"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"267","DOI":"10.15388\/infedu.2004.19","article-title":"Visual Algorithm Simulation Exercise System with Automatic Assessment: TRAKLA2","volume":"3","author":"Malmi","year":"2004","journal-title":"Inform. Educ."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Diehl, S. (2002). Software Visualization, Springer. Lecture Notes in Computer Science.","DOI":"10.1007\/3-540-45875-1"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"95","DOI":"10.1080\/07380569.2012.651422","article-title":"The Role of Visualization in Computer Science Education","volume":"29","author":"Fouh","year":"2012","journal-title":"Comput. Sch."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1145\/1821996.1821997","article-title":"Algorithm Visualization: The State of the Field","volume":"10","author":"Shaffer","year":"2010","journal-title":"ACM Trans. Comput. Educ."},{"key":"ref_8","first-page":"245","article-title":"IMS Learning Tools Interoperability: Enabling a Mash-up Approach to Teaching and Learning Tools","volume":"7","author":"Severance","year":"2010","journal-title":"Technol. Instr. Cogn. Learn."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Shaffer, C.A., Karavirta, V., Korhonen, A., and Naps, T.L. (2011, January 17\u201320). OpenDSA: Beginning a Community Active-ebook Project. Proceedings of the 11th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research, Koli, Finland.","DOI":"10.1145\/2094131.2094154"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scico.2013.11.040","article-title":"Design and Architecture of an Interactive eTextbook\u2013The OpenDSA System","volume":"88","author":"Fouh","year":"2014","journal-title":"Sci. Comput. Program."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"Ericson, B., Cohen, J., and Miller, B. (March, January 27). Using and Customizing Open-Source Runestone Ebooks for Computer Science Classes. Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, Minneapolis, MN, USA."},{"key":"ref_12","first-page":"121","article-title":"Evaluating the Effect of Open Student Models on Self-Assessment","volume":"17","author":"Mitrovic","year":"2007","journal-title":"Int. J. Artif. Intell. Educ."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Loboda, T.D., Guerra, J., Hosseini, R., and Brusilovsky, P. (2014, January 16\u201319). Mastery Grids: An Open Source Social Educational Progress Visualization. Proceedings of the European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, Graz, Austria.","DOI":"10.1145\/2591708.2609840"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1657","DOI":"10.1002\/spe.2492","article-title":"Improving Online Learning Activity Interoperability with Acos Server","volume":"47","author":"Haaranen","year":"2017","journal-title":"Softw. Pract. Exp."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1186\/s41039-018-0085-9","article-title":"An integrated practice system for learning programming in Python: design and evaluation","volume":"13","author":"Brusilovsky","year":"2018","journal-title":"Res. Pract. Technol. Enhanc. Learn."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Karavirta, V., Ihantola, P., and Koskinen, T. (2013, January 15\u201318). Service-oriented approach to improve interoperability of e-learning systems. Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE 13th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, Beijing, China.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICALT.2013.105"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Brusilovsky, P. (2004, January 19\u201321). KnowledgeTree: A distributed architecture for adaptive e-learning. Proceedings of the 13th International World Wide Web Conference on Alternate Track Papers & Posters, New York, NY, USA.","DOI":"10.1145\/1010432.1010451"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1924","DOI":"10.1002\/smr.1924","article-title":"Jsvee & Kelmu: Creating and tailoring program animations for computing education","volume":"30","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Softw. Evolut. Proc."},{"key":"ref_19","first-page":"119","article-title":"Two-dimensional parson\u2019s puzzles: The concept, tools, and first observations","volume":"10","author":"Ihantola","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Inform. Technol. Educ."},{"key":"ref_20","first-page":"351","article-title":"ELM-ART: An adaptive versatile system for Web-based instruction","volume":"12","author":"Weber","year":"2001","journal-title":"Int. J. Artif. Intell. Educ."},{"key":"ref_21","first-page":"363","article-title":"Resolving the problem of intelligent learning content in learning management systems","volume":"7","author":"Brusilovsky","year":"2008","journal-title":"Int. J. E-Learn."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Brusilovsky, P., Edwards, S., Kumar, A., Malmi, L., Benotti, L., Buck, D., Ihantola, P., Prince, R., Sirki\u00e4, T., and Sosnovsky, S. (2014, January 23\u201325). Increasing adoption of smart learning content for computer science education. Proceedings of the Working Group Reports of the 2014 on Innovation & Technology in Computer Science Education Conference, Uppsala, Sweden.","DOI":"10.1145\/2713609.2713611"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hosseini, R., Akhuseyinoglu, K., Petersen, A., Schunn, C.D., and Brusilovsky, P. (2018, January 22\u201325). PCEX: Interactive Program Construction Examples for Learning Programming. Proceedings of the 18th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research, Koli, Finland.","DOI":"10.1145\/3279720.3279726"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"270","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2729.2010.00365.x","article-title":"Guiding students to the right questions: Adaptive navigation support in an E-Learning system for Java programming","volume":"26","author":"Hsiao","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Comput. Assist. Learn."}],"container-title":["Future Internet"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1999-5903\/11\/7\/160\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T13:07:38Z","timestamp":1760188058000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1999-5903\/11\/7\/160"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,19]]},"references-count":24,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,7]]}},"alternative-id":["fi11070160"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/fi11070160","relation":{},"ISSN":["1999-5903"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"1999-5903"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,19]]}}}