Exposure Draft.These Principles are a work-in-progress. They record initial discussions held among Ministry of Education and National Library staff, as a “straw man” which the ESAF working party then developed further. They build on work done during development of the Tertiary Information Strategy?. They define the working party’s “rules of engagement”. The purpose of the education sector Architectural Framework is to achieve open, standards-based interoperability so that people and organisations can exchange and use data, information, knowledge and associated learning services, wherever they are, regardless of the hardware or software they use.
protect the security and privacy of individuals, and ensure their online safety
support a diversity of learning needs, learning styles and learning pathways
respect the autonomy of individuals and organisations to make their own ICT-related decisions
protect the intellectual property rights of copyright holders and the fair use rights of learners
the framework will adopt open, rather than proprietary, standards, and interoperability solutions will be platform-neutral
the framework will avoid solutions that tie the sector to one brand of hardware or operating system
parts of the sector may decide to standardise on a single product, provided that it supports open interoperability with other products
Developing and implementing the framework will follow the Open Process? principle. The framework will come alive through the actions of those developing it. Participants in the framework’s development agree to act in ways consistent with framework principles. This site is the first example — it works with any browser, on any platform, and anyone can contribute to it.
The framework will adopt, rather than adapt, existing international standards. We will seek to influence the direction of those standards, so that they meet the needs of New Zealand learners and educators. The framework will comply with eGIF.
Some hold the view that New Zealand should adapt international standards for New Zealand conditions; others hold the view that New Zealand should adopt Australian standards, if these exist.
Whenever an education sector organisation makes its electronic data holdings accessible to others, it will do so through an accepted Open Data Standard?.
This principle elicits a wide range of views. Everyone agrees that Open Data Standards? are the base on which the framework rests; everyone agrees that choice of software must be inclusive and must not exclude those who have made a different choice.
Some hold the view that the framework should prefer open source solutions to proprietary software; others hold the view that the framework should always consider open source solutions alongside proprietary software; and some hold the view that only proprietary software offers the industrial strength needed for long term, sector-wide solutions.
The framework will document requirements in the form of business outcomes sought and will ensure contestability of supply for all solution components.
The framework development process is one of knowledge discovery. The process will be to record different points of view factually, so that over time positions on which we all agree can emerge. Being learner-centred means we describe services as learners experience them, rather than as agencies provide them. Participants who choose to contribute to this site agree to state facts and attribute opinions.
“The mind is like an umbrella — it works best when it’s open.”
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