Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you have any questions that are not answered in the Frequently Asked Questions below, please use the feedback form at Contact ADL Support.

• A lot of our content is copyrighted, so how do we control content "sharing" after it has been delivered to a customer.
• Are individuals required to register?
• Can I register content that is not SCORM-conformant?
• Can I register the assets contained within courseware?
• Can the ADL Registry be used to fulfill the requirement from DoDI 1322.20 to determine if a existing learning product meets an new requirement? Is there a documentation Form that Components will need complete to record their content searches in the ADL Registry (and DAVIS /DITIS), prior to creating new e-elearning content -SCORM or not?
• Can we contribute content under development?
• Does the ADL Registry store content or just descriptive information?
• How do I check on the Status of an ADL Registry Transaction?
• How do I conduct advanced searches?
• How do I submit content metadata to the ADL Practice Registry?
• How do I submit content metadata to the ADL Registry?
• How do people know when registered content has been updated?
• How do we complete the format field? Is it always "application/zip" or is it the mime-type of everything in the package?
• We have learning content. How do we get started?
• What content types should be submitted?
• What is an ADL Registry Transaction?
• What is CORDRA and how does it relate to ADL-R?
• What practice content types should be submitted?
• What repositories should register?
• What version of SCORM must be used for submiting content?
• Who is permitted access to the content?
• Who is responsible for approving repository participation?

A lot of our content is copyrighted, so how do we control content "sharing" after it has been delivered to a customer.
You don't. Once delivered you have no control.

Are individuals required to register?
The ADL-Registry is a public access site. Registration is not required to search. Individuals designated by DoD authorized repositories must register for access to ADL-R administration functions.

Can I register content that is not SCORM-conformant?
Content that is not SCORM-conformant can be registered within the ADL-R. Here's why. You're really registering a SCORM conformant content package (CP), and the ADL-R recognizes the CP's metadata. What's in the package may or may not be SCORM conformant, but SCORM conformant content is preferred. Here's why. It allows for more information (metadata) about the content to be made visible to the search engine.

Can I register the assets contained within courseware?
Yes. Assets can be registered and related to the courseware using a "relation" field. Just put them in a SCORM conformant content package. Acquisition professionals should ensure that appropriate language is included in contracts when a contractor is expected to provide assets indivdually.

Can the ADL Registry be used to fulfill the requirement from DoDI 1322.20 to determine if a existing learning product meets an new requirement? Is there a documentation Form that Components will need complete to record their content searches in the ADL Registry (and DAVIS /DITIS), prior to creating new e-elearning content -SCORM or not?
Perhaps. The ADL-Registry and the DAVIS/DITIS perform different functions, though the metadata is aligned and consistent. Both contain search features to determine if existing content is available. After searching the ADL-R a copy of the search and detailed metadata may be made if desired. Searching DAVIS/DITIS is different; the DAVIS functions as a repository and catalog, while DITIS currently only uses the cataloging function. For DAVIS's Multimedia Productions (DD Form 1995) a search is required before a new VI product is initiated and that search is authenticated by the sponsoring office. For DITIS's Interactive Multimedia Instruction (IMI) (DD Form 2568) a search is also required, but it is not a matter of record. Searching DAVIS/DITIS is required by DoDI 1322.26, in addition to other repositories and catalogs, expecially for non-SCORM content.

DoDI 1322.20 states the following:

There is no DoD-mandated template for an FEA. The MIL-HDBK 29612 series contains considerable language on how to develop an FEA. Further, the Services have implementing instructions for FEAs based on DoDI 1322.20 (currently under revision to include 1322.26 references).

The requirement is for all IMI, not just SCORM content. This is a carryover from the DoDI 5040 series on Visual Information, wherein a new production - of any kind - is not to be initiated until a search is done (implementing audiovisual product management per OMB Circular A-123).

DD Form 1995 synopsizes this in Field #18, above the signature block:

COMMUNICATION TO MY INTENDED AUDIENCE OF THE MESSAGE(S) IN THE VI PRODUCTION I AM HEREBY REQUESTING:

• IS MISSION ESSENTIAL.
• CANNOT BE ADEQUATELY ACCOMPLISHED BY ANY VI PRODUCTIONS IN THE EXISTING DOD INVENTORY.
• AMONG ALL MEDIA, IS BEST ACCOMPLISHED WITH A VI PRODUCTION.

DD Form 2568 (DITIS) is less stringent and does not provide for this, but could. The DoDI 5040.07 excludes productions or acquired as IMI from reporting on DD Form 1995, but ONLY when using DD Form 2568. In sum, you must perform a search and confirm the findings.

Can we contribute content under development?
DoD repositories are encouraged to contribute SCORM conformant Content Packages (CPs) containing metadata when the content is available from a repository.

Courseware that is proposed, under development, completed, or being revised should be reported in accordance with DoDI 1322.20. The ADL-R also provides a search function for content tht has been registered. To locate content under development, search the registry content and note the STATUS data element. The available vocabulary options for this element are:

• proposed development
• under development
• development or acquisition completed
• program revision
• out of service
• program terminated
• other

The intent of this discovery feature is to minimize duplicating content development.

Does the ADL Registry store content or just descriptive information?
The ADL Registry does not store content! It only stores descriptive metadata about the content stored and maintained by DoD repositories.

How do I check on the Status of an ADL Registry Transaction?
Go to the CONTRIBUTE tab and select "Check Transaction Status."

1. Fill in the requested fields:

User ID (required): The user identifier provided by the ADL Registry

Password (required): The password assigned by the ADL Registry

Batch Transaction Id: The transaction identifier for the registry transaction. This is the transaction identifier returned by the ADL Registry during the Content Registration process.

2. Click the "Check Status" Button to submit the transaction to the ADL Registry.

Once you submit your transaction status request using your transaction identifier, the ADL Registry will return processing status information. The information provides more detailed information on the status of the transaction submitted.

How do I conduct advanced searches?
The ADL Registry allows users to search for various types of content that have been previously registered with the ADL Registry. Below are some basic instructions for creating a search query.

Terms
A query is broken up into terms and operators. There are two types of terms: Single Terms and Phrases.
· A Single Term is a single word such as data or test.
· A Phrase is a group of words surrounded by double quotes such as "test data".
Multiple terms can be combined with Boolean operators to form more complex queries (see below).
Capitalization is not important in terms. Searches for Water and water will find exactly the same items.

Fields
By default, the ADL Registry performs a general text search. The term or set of terms represented in the query are used to search every field within the metadata. Sometimes you may want to limit your search to a specific field. Using these specific fields will limit the search of the ADL Registry to only the field identified. This type of search will ultimately limit the number of matches and return results that specifically meet the query.
You can search a specific field by typing the field name followed by a colon ":", followed by the term you are looking for. If no field is specified then the text field is searched by default.

Syntax: :term

Examples:
keyword:water
title:water

The following specific fields are searchable through the ADL Registry
· identifier
· keyword
· description
· title
· version
· status
· entity
· metadataschema
· format
· purpose
· taxonpath
· datemodified (must be in date format)
· text (contains the title, keywords, description, purpose and any field that were not listed above)

Wildcard Searches
The ADL Registry supports both single and multiple character Wildcard Searches.
Syntax: To perform a single character wildcard search use the ? symbol in place of the character in question.
The single character wildcard search looks for terms that match that with the single character replaced. For example, to search for "ship" or "shop" you can use the search:

Example:
sh?p

Syntax: To perform a multiple character wildcard search use the * symbol in place of the characters in question.
Multiple character wildcard searches look for 0 or more characters. For example, to search for ship, ships or shipping, you can use the search:

Example:
ship*

Note: You cannot use a * or ? symbol as the first character of a search.

Fuzzy Searches
The ADL Registry supports Fuzzy Searches. Fuzzy Searches allow for searching the ADL Registry for terms similar in spelling to the term in question.
Syntax: To perform a Fuzzy Search use the ~ symbol at the end of a Single Term.
For example, to search for a term similar in spelling to "book" use the Fuzzy Search:

Example:
book~

This search will find terms like cook and books.


Proximity Searches
The ADL Registry supports Proximity Searches. A Proximity Search is a search for words which appear within a specific distance of each other.

Syntax: To perform a Proximity Search use the ~ followed by a number that represents the number of words within each other. This type of search requires multiple terms.

For example, to search for "coffee" and "tea" within 5 words of each other in a document use the search:

Example:
"coffee tea"~5

Boolean Operators
Boolean operators allow terms to be combined through logic operators. The following logical operators are supported:

· AND
· OR
· NOT
· "-"
· "+"

Boolean operators must be ALL CAPS.

AND Operator
The AND operator matches content where both terms are present anywhere in the text of a single document. The symbol && can be used in place of the word AND.

Syntax:
· AND
· &&

Example: For example, to search for content that contains "coffee cake" and "tea cup" use the query:
· "coffee cake" AND "tea cup", or
· "coffee cake" && "tea cup"

OR Operator
The OR operator is the default operator. This means that if there is no Boolean operator between two terms, the OR operator is used. The OR operator links two terms and finds a matching document if either of the terms are present. The symbol || can be used in place of the word OR.

Syntax:
· OR
· ||

Example: For example, to search for documents that contain either "coffee cake" or just "cake" use the query:
· "coffee cake" OR "cake", or
· "coffee cake" || "tea cup", or
· coffee cake cake

NOT Operator
The NOT operator excludes content that contains the term after NOT. The symbol ! can be used in place of the word NOT.

Syntax:
· NOT

Example: For example, to search for documents that contain "coffee cake" but not "tea" use the query:
· "coffee cake" NOT tea, or
· "coffee cake" | tea

+ Operator
The "+" Operator requires that the term after the "+" symbol be present somewhere in a field of a single document.

Syntax:
· +

Example: For example, to search for documents that must contain "coffee" and may contain "tea" use the query:
· +coffee tea

- Operator
The "-" Operator excludes documents that contain the term after the "-" symbol.

Syntax:
· -
Example: For example, to search for documents that contain "coffee " but not "cake" use the query:
· coffee cake


Grouping
The ADL Registry supports grouping of clauses to form complex queries. Parentheses can be used to group clauses to form sub-queries. This type of query is useful if you want to control the Boolean logic for a query.

Example: For example, to search for either "coffee" or "tea" and "cake" use the query:
(coffee OR tea) AND cake
This eliminates any confusion and makes sure you that cake must exist and either term coffee or tea may exist.


Escaping Special Characters
Special characters that are part of the query syntax must be escaped in order to properly query the ADL Registry. The \ character is used to escape the special characters.
The current list special characters are:
· +
· -
· &&
· ||
· !
· (
· )
· {
· }
· [
· ]
· ^
· "
· ~
· *
· ?
· :
· \

Example: For example to search for (1+1):2 use the query:
\(1\+1\)\:2

Revised October 25, 2006

How do I submit content metadata to the ADL Practice Registry?
1. Choose the "LEARN" tab and access the "Practice Registry", "Register Practice Content" Link

2. Fill in the requested fields:

• User ID (required): The user identifier provided by the ADL Registry.
• Password (required): The password assigned by the ADL Registry.
• E-mail Address (optional): This information will be used to e-mail status information.
• ADL-R Transaction: (required): This is a location to the actual ADL-R Transaction.

How do I submit content metadata to the ADL Registry?
1. Choose the "Register Content" Link

2. Fill in the following fields:

• User ID (required): The user identifier provided by the ADL Registry.
• Password (required): The password assigned by the ADL Registry.
• E-mail Address (optional): This information will be used to e-mail status information.
• ADL-R Transaction: (required): This is a location to the actual ADL-R Transaction.

How do people know when registered content has been updated?
There is no requirement in DoDI 1322.26 to track "stale" or out-of-date information. The ADL-R only maintains metadata that is reported by the individual repositories. Life-cycle management for content is a responsibility of the repository based on their mission requirments or business practices. DoDI 1322.20 requires courseware reported on DITIS to be managed by updating the database for content that is being revised, or has been removed from the inventory. DoDI 1322.20 also requires courseware to be periodically review to determine if the courseware is still appropriate.

How do we complete the format field? Is it always "application/zip" or is it the mime-type of everything in the package?
This metatdata is intended to describe the type of object (Flash object, JPEG image, Word Document, HTML, etc).

Since many content items being registered will be aggregations of content (such as SCOs or courses), the principal format should be indicated, such as HTML.

We have learning content. How do we get started?
There is a specific procedure that has been established for admitting repositories to the ADL-R. DoD Instruction 1322.26 calls for a single office at the DoD Component level to serve as the approving authority (Proponent) for a repository. Proponent offices are listed under Proponent Offices.

What content types should be submitted?
The ADL-R accepts only SCORM conformant Content Packages (CPs) as metadata. The ADL-R does not accept content. This threshold ensures a level of access and interoperability consistent with ADL Initiative goals.

Although the emphasis is on learning content, the ADL-R committed to the convergence of all forms of learning, performance, and knowledge content. This includes any content aggregation that support learning and performance enhancement - competencies, pedagogies, technical reports, knowledge portals, e-newsletters, intelligent agents, digital clones, performance aids, Interactive Electronic Tech Manuals (IETMS)and more than 50 other forms of performance enhancing content.

Repositories are encouraged to submit content of this type on a voluntary basis.

What is an ADL Registry Transaction?
An ADL registry transaction is a batch submission of content metadata from one or more content aggregations.

This submission is made in accordance with the ADL-R Content Object Registration Model, including the metadata schema, an introductory summary, a cardinality document that describes each data element, and examples of successful submissions.

This submission is prepared or automatically generated at the repository and then submitted via POST transaction to the registry. This submission form can be accessed under "Contribute", "Register Content" in the ADL-R portal.

What is CORDRA and how does it relate to ADL-R?
CORDRA (Content Object Repository Discovery and Registration/Resolution Architecture) is an open, standards-based model for designing and implementing software systems to discover, share, and reuse learning content. CORDRA establishes interoperable federations of learning content repositories. The ADL Registry is the first operational implementation of CORDRA. CORDRA is designed to be an enabling model to bridge the worlds of learning content management and delivery, and content repositories and digital libraries. CORDRA aims to identify and specify (not develop) appropriate technologies and existing interoperability standards that can be combined into a reference model used to enable a learning content infrastructure. CORDRA is: A formal model that can be used to design federations of repositories (the CORDRA reference model). A collection of operational systems built from the CORDRA model, including: