This Quick Start Guide is intended to provide a brief overview of how you can participate in this important and mandatory requirement to provide centralized access to DoD learning and performance content. The mission benefits of participation include rapid access to content, lower development costs, less duplication, and joint interoperability of DoD content.

The ADL Registry: Central Registry for Learning Content Information

Under DoD Instruction 1322.26, Department of Defense (DoD) content repositories are required to register and submit metadata for SCORM conformant learning content to the ADL Registry (ADL-R). Metadata for other learning and performance content may also be submitted.

What is a Repository?

A repository is any collection of content managed by a single activity or proponent. Only DoD approved repositories will be approved to submit content. A DoD approved repository is one having a proponent sponsor that verifies that the repository maintains mission-relevant and SCORM conformant content.

Getting Started: The Basics

Since the ADL Registry is restricted to approved participants, the first step is to identify if you qualify as a DoD Repository, a DoD international partner, a Federal agency partner, a developer or an approved contractor with a DoD sponsor. If so, you can apply for access at this portal. The ADL-R Registrar coordinates access approval.

There are two different versions of ADL-R. These are:

• The ADL-R Practice Registry (PR) and
• The ADL-R Operational Registry (OR).

  A new repository is first granted access to the ADL-R Practice Registry. This version of ADL-R is intended to allow new repositories to develop and test their submission processes with ADL-R prior to interacting with the ADL-R Operational Registry.

  Only approved DoD Repositories are then given access to the OR.

  Once access is provided, approved participants may submit, update and manage content submission metadata within the appropriate ADL Registries on a continuous basis.

  What are the steps to participate?

  There is a standard procedure for repository and staff processing and approval:

  Step 1: A repository manager submits repository information via the repository registration form. He or she then submits a personal application for an ADL-R user account, referencing the just registered repository.

  The same repository registration form is used for applying for access to the ADL Practice Registry and the ADL Operational Registry. As previously indicated, access to the ADL Practice Registry is always granted first.

  Step 2: For DoD repositories that will eventually require ADL Operational registry access, the identified DoD Component's Proponent Office authorizes or defers the application. This may take between two to fifteen days, depending on the DoD proponent decision process.

  Step 3: The ADL-R Registrar reviews and coordinates approved applications and assigns an account (handle) validating the repository manager's application.

  Step 4: Once approved, the Repository Manager submits a request to establish access accounts (handles) for the other repository staff members to the ADL-R User Support Team at support@adlregistry.org. The Repository Manager must also indicate what access permissions shall be provided to each staff member. Access permissions include INSERT, UPDATE, MOVE, WITHDRAW, DEACTIVATE and DELETE.

  Step 5: The ADL-R User Support Team assigns access permissions to approved staff members based on Repository Manager direction. Along with the individual user account information provided in Step 5, these access permissions provide the information necessary to interact with the registry.

  Step 6: The participant reviews all ADL-R: The Basics training content and reference documents under the Learning tab of this portal to gain understanding of the ADL-R submission workflow and content registration requirements

  Step 7: The participant tests sample content metadata submissions using the ADL Practice Registry under the Learning tab of this portal. A valid INSERT submission is displayed here. An ADL-R Practice Registry submission is identical to an ADL Operational Registry submission except the GroupIdentifier and Name Space are different.

  Step 8: Once the participant and repository exhibits an ability to successfully submit content metadata to the ADL-R Practice Registry, the ADL-R User Support Team will add permissions for access to the ADL-R Operational Registry. Any real content that was submitted to the Practice Registry during the practice period must be resubmitted to the Operational Registry.

  The participant then may submit and update content metadata to the ADL-R on a regular basis. The repository determines the interval of submission updates. Typically, this is weekly or monthly, depending on the volatility and mission criticality of content.

  For each submission, the ADL Registry will respond with a confirmation of submission success/status and a TransactionID. If the submission does not immediately process at the registry, the TransactionID may be used to check on transaction status under the Check Transaction Status screen.

  How is content object metadata submitted?

  Content object metadata must be submitted in a specific form. This process is described in detail under How to Contribute and under ADL-R: The Basics. Currently the ADL Registry only supports manual submissions from approved Participants. Larger repositories will typically automate the submission process. Contact the ADL Registry Help Desk at support@adlregistry.org for advice.

  A second critical issue is the quality of the data submitted. It is important that the participant and repository understand the usage and definitions of the data elements to be submitted. ADL Registry metadata registration requirements are described in theADL Registry Metadata Model Document and in simplified form under ADL-R: The Basics.

  We're here to help!

  At any time, contact the ADL User Support staff with any questions via the ADL-R Portal Feedback form or contact us at:

  ADL-R User Support: 1.888.DOD-ADLR (1.888.363.2357)

  ADL-R User Support: support@adlregistry.org