1. Evaluation of Service Oriented
Architecture in e-Learning
Under Supervision of
Prof. Dr. Alaa El-Din Mohamed Riad Dr. Ahmed El-Said Hassan
Head of Information Systems Department Electrical Engineering Department
Faculty of Computers and Information Systems Faculty of Engineering
Mansoura University Mansoura University
Presented By
Haitham Abdel Monem El-Ghareeb
Teaching Assistant
Information Systems Department
Faculty of Computers and Information Systems
Mansoura University
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in
Computer and Information Systems
To the Department of Information Systems, Faculty of Computer and Information
Systems, Mansoura University
2008

2. Agenda
1. Research Goals
2. e-Learning
3. Service Oriented Architecture
4. Proposed Service based Architecture
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusion

3. Research Goals
• Surveying e-Learning
• Studying Enterprise Architectures, Enterprise Non-
Functional requirements, relationship between both
• Studying Service Oriented Architecture
• Presenting a Framework to evaluate Learning
Management Systems and University Management
Information Systems
• Proposing Services based Learning Management System
and University Management System, with detailed
analysis, design, and implementation specifications
• Evaluating the implemented Learning Management
System and University Management System
components, and summarizing results
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4. Agenda
1. Research Goals
2. e-Learning
3. Service Oriented Architecture
4. Proposed Service based Architecture
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusion

5. e-Learning
• Problem Definition
• University Management Information
Systems (UMIS)
• Learning Management Systems (LMS)
• What University Needs
• Shortages of Current LMSs
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6. Problem Definition
• E-Learning has been widely used to refer to computer based
systems that not necessarily help main objectives of e-
Learning
• Too many Titles were presented to address e-Learning.
• Naming Misleading can be accepted, Goals Misleading can
NOT
• In order to present effective e-Learning, requirements, current
shortages, technological limitations should be addressed
clearly and correctly to
– Determine Technological capabilities that satisfy requirements
– Overcome problems and shortages
– Start walking in the right way towards effective future e-Learning.
• Learning should be leading technology and technology should
not be limiting it
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7. University Management Information
Systems (UMIS)
• Definition and Description
– MIS refers broadly to a computer-based
system ‘collection of
hardware, software, people, data, and
information’ that provides managers with the
tools for organizing, evaluating and efficiently
running their departments
• Nothing to do with Learning
• Prototypical UMIS
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8. Learning Management System (LMS)
• Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)
• Definition and Goal
– LMS is the Software that automates the
administration of training. The LMS registers
users, tracks courses in a catalog, records
data from learners; and provides reports to
management (LMS List).
• Nothing to do with University Management
• Prototypical LMS/VLE
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9. What University Needs?
University Needs Both
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10. Current LMS Shortages
• Integration Deficiency
• Agility Deficiency
• Scalability Deficiency
• Extensibility Deficiency
• Flexibility Deficiency
• Interoperability Deficiency
• Redundancy
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11. Agenda
1. Research Goals
2. e-Learning
3. Service Oriented Architecture
4. Proposed Service based Architecture
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusion

12. Service Oriented Architecture
• Architecture Importance
• Software Architecture
• Service, and Service Orientation
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13. Brilliant Architecture
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14. Bad Architecture
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15. Software Architecture
• There is a clear need for an ‘Architectural View’ of
systems
• Software architecture can be defined as ‘the sum
of the nontrivial modules, processes, and data of
the system, their structure and exact relationships
to each other, how they can be and are expected
to be extended and modified, and on which
technologies they depend, from which one can
deduce the exact capabilities and flexibilities of the
system, and from which one can form a plan for
the implementation or modification of the system’
• Common Software Architecture Patterns
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16. Service, and Service Orientation
• Stateless Reusable Unit of Work
• With Standard Interface
• Can be Outsourced
• Legacy Systems are Wrapped
• Integration on Service Level
• Object Component Service
• System is Collection of Services
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17. SOA Technologies
• SOA Technologies include; not only
– Software Agents
– Web services
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18. Software Agents
• Different SOA implementations using
different software agents are presented
• One or more software agents perform
certain task(s), those tasks can be
exposed as services that compose SOA
• Multi Agent System (MAS)
• Driving and Restraining forces of MAS
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19. Web services
• The major implementation of SOA
• Specific to the WS-Coordination specification and
related protocols
• Web services Stack
• Web services Architecture
• Advantages of Web services
– Interoperability
– Language Agonistic
– Relatively Simple
– Loosely Coupled Applications
– Support of Software Industry Leaders
– Integration with the World Wide Web
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20. Demo
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21. Agenda
1. Research Goals
2. e-Learning
3. Service Oriented Architecture
4. Proposed Service based Architecture
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusion

22. Proposed Service based Architecture
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23. Proposed Components
• LMS Components
– Assessment Management System (Demo)
• Mobile Assessment (Demo)
– Course Management System
– Digital Library (Demo)
• UMIS Components
– Student Information System (Demo)
– Library Information System (Demo)
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24. Assessment Management System
• Scope
• Analysis
• Design
• Demo
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25. Assessment Management System
• Scope
– The formal attempt to determine student’s
status with respect to educational variable of
interest
– Can be achieved electronically
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26. Assessment Management System
• Analysis
– Requirements Gathering
• Administration
• Log in
• Take Assessment
• After Take Assessment
– Define Entities
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27. Assessment Management System
• Design
– List of Services
• Manage Students
• Manage Assessments
• Manage True/False Items
• Manage MCQ Items
• Mange Results
• Manage Courses
• Manage Passwords
• Generate Random Number
– Database Tables
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28. Demo
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29. Mobile Assessment
• Scope
• Analysis
• Design
• Demo
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30. Mobile Assessment
• Scope
– Mobile Learning (M-Learning) is an approach
to E-Learning that utilizes mobile devices
– Mobile assessment refers to the capability of
conducting assessments via mobile devices
– Mobile assessment requires architectural
modifications to reflect interoperability as it
relies on external services that are not part of
the LMS
– Mobile Services Architecture
– Student Interaction via SMS
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31. Mobile Assessment
• Analysis
– Use Case Diagram
– System Entities
– System Processes
• Take Mobile Assessment
– Tracker Agent
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32. Mobile Assessment
• Design
– Proposed Architecture
– Take Mobile Assessment Process
• Process Design
• Services Design
– Tracker Agent Design
– Class Diagram
• Service Layer and SMS Manager
• AMS Class Diagram
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33. Mobile Assessment
• Mobile Simulator
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34. Demo
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35. Course Management System
• Scope
• Analysis
• Design
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36. Course Management System
• Scope
– Proposed CMS facilitates integration among
different CMSs
– An automated course search, import, and
deposit process is presented
– Utilizing SOA to integrate Web services and
software agents in CMSs
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37. Course Management System
• Analysis
– Use Case Diagram
– System Processes
• Search
• Manage Rules
– System Software Agents
• Discoverer
• Ranker
• Tracker
• Analyzer
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38. Course Management System
• Design
– Proposed CMS Architecture
– Discoverer Architecture
– System Processes Design
• Search
• Manage Rules
– Services Design
– Tracker Agent Design
– Ranker Agent Design
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39. Digital Library
• Scope
• Analysis
• Design
• Demo
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40. Digital Library
• Scope
– Digital store for Faculty contents that needs to
be available for future use in electronic format
• Entities
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41. Digital Library
• Analysis
– Use Case Diagram
– System Processes
• Review Book
• Review Under Graduate Project
• Review Graduation Project
• Review Post Graduate Project
• Make Under Graduate Project
• Make Graduation Project
• Make Post Graduate Project
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42. Digital Library
• Design
– ER Diagram
– Proposed Architecture
– Class Diagram
– Database Tables
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43. Demo
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44. Student Information System
• Scope
• Analysis
• Design
• Demo
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45. Student Information System
• Scope
– Responsible for managing student data and
all student related activities
– Exist in all faculties in all universities
– Reflects the processes
initiated, managed, and maintained at that
department
• Entities
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46. Student Information System
• Analysis
– Use Case Diagram
– System Processes Analysis
• Registration and Join University Residence
• Recruiting (Student, Employee)
• Time Tabling
• Departure
• Tracking Attendance
• Exams Management
• Preparing Reports
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47. Student Information System
• Design
– ER Diagram
– Proposed Entity Based Architecture
– Database Tables Diagram
– Class Diagram
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48. Demo
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49. Library Management System
• Scope
• Analysis
• Design
• Demo
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50. Library Management System
• Scope
– Automating library activities
– Widely known and accepted for more than
forty years
• Entities
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51. Library Management System
• Analysis
– Use Case Diagram
– System Processes
• Registration
• Purchase Books
• Lend Books
• Sell Books
• Manage Library Employees Data
• Manage Books Data
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52. Library Management System
• Design
– ER Diagram
– Proposed Architecture
– Class Diagram
– Database Tables
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53. Demo
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54. Agenda
1. Research Goals
2. e-Learning
3. Service Oriented Architecture
4. Proposed Service based Architecture
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusion

55. Evaluation
• Evaluation is a main step of scientific
research that enables in concluding and
reporting research
results, efficiency, effectiveness, and goals
achievement.
• Evaluation Research 'has become the
subject of a variety of interpretations in
relation to its purposes, scope, and
methodology'
• The generic goal of most evaluations is to
provide quot;useful feedbackquot;
• Evaluation Types
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56. Evaluation Framework
Managerial
Evaluation
Framework
Information
Pedagogical
System
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57. Information System Evaluation
• ISO-IEC 9126
– International standard for the evaluation of
software quality. It is being superseded by the
project SQuaRE, ISO 25000:2005
• Non-defined ISO-IEC 9126
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58. Information System Evaluation
• Performance
– Network Performance
– User Perceived Performance
• Functionality
– Integration and Interoperability
– Compliance
– Security
• Maintainability
– Analyzability, Decomposability, Modularity
– Testability
• Portability
– Replacability
• Scalability
– Hardware Scalability
– Software Scalability
• Simplicity
• Modifiability
– Extensibility
– Reusability
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59. Network Performance
• SOA rely on Messaging
Total Delay = Transmission Delay + Propagation Delay + Processing
• SOA needs extra+ Headers
Delay Queuing Delay
• Because Processing and Queuing Delays are manner of Micro Seconds
Calculation Formula
Total Delay = Transmission Delay + Propagation Delay
Three categories:
•Static Header = 463 characters
•XML Tags =179 characters / record
•Actual Data
FSOA = F + SH + 179 * R
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60. User Perceived Performance
• User-Perceived Performance is measured
in terms of impact on the user in front of
an application
• Primary measure is Completion Time
• Completion Time is the amount of time
taken to complete an application action
• Three different Library Management
System architectures were implemented
and user-perceived performance was
measured against same sample data
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61. Different Library Management
System Architectures
• Parameterized Query based Architecture
– SQL statements exist within the web pages
and accesses database directly
• Stored Procedure based Architecture
– Stored Procedures as a middle layer in-
between portal and database
• SOA based Architecture
– Services layer available in between the portal
and database layer to present a standard
based interface layer that consumes stored
procedures and available for portals
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62. Firebug
• Integrates with Firefox
• Editing, debugging, and monitoring browsed web pages
• Main features of Firebug include the capability to [20,21]
– Inspect and edit HTML
– Visualize CSS metrics
– Monitor Network activity
– Debug and profile JavaScript
– Measure Performance and find bottlenecks fast
– Quickly find errors
– Explore the DOM
– Execute JavaScript on the fly
– and Log for JavaScript
• Capability to watch the timeline of the web page unfolds.
Firebug shows a bar for each file that displays when the file
started and stopped loading relative to all the other files.
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63. Demo
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64. Performance Measures
• Arithmetic Mean (Average) is the value
obtained by dividing the set of quantities
by the number of quantities in the set
• Mode is the Most Repeated Value for each
operation
• Both Measures can be used to evaluate
Performance measure of the three
architectures
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65. Insert Operation
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66. Update Operation
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67. Select Single Item Operation
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68. Retrieve All Data Operation
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69. Comments on Results
• SOA Performance Time exceeds Others
Total Elapsed Time = NW Time + Processing Time + Display Time
Evaluation was on the same environment
Evaluation Used the same sample data
Total Elapsed Time = Processing Time
Processing Time; include:
• Web server processing of the sent request pages (include: Parameters
processing)
• Web server preparing the request (incase Services are used)
• SQL Server processing of the request (insert, update, and retrieve
operations)
• Web server processing the response
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70. Functionality
• Integration and Interoperability
• Compliance Security
AMS Integrates with SIS by Using Students Data
• Hide the
• Security
AMS Integrates with Mobile Assessment Service URI (Middleware)
• Web services make use of the enhancements
Providing a Service Layer over Digitaladherence services manufacturers (Microsoft
Compliance software Library
performed by Web to application related standards
make its digital of conventionsandregulations in laws and similar prescriptions.
content public to all applications
or IBM for example)
• Web services act as an isolating layer of database;
Courses, Students, Faculty, tothere Assessment within to the database
Learner has Assessments, and access 24 hours
take is no direct
Exam Data areExamNeeds Interoperability Among all presented Systems service
Mobile Assessment is Validany One Week operations are stated within the
available for for external
available, and
• Web services have defined list of Operations
application upon Request
• Web services use Descriptive, NOT explicit
Utilizing SOA makes such rules applicable and underInstructive
Messages
control; More System Agility
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71. Maintainability
• Ease and speed with which systems can
be understood and modified
• Analyzability, Decomposability, Modularity
•Analyzabilityidentificationneeded for diagnosis of deficiencies or causes of
Testabilityeffort of parts to be modified.
is the
failures or for
– Unit Testing
Decomposability is the process of breaking down a system into its smaller
– Functional Testing
components. These components may themselves be systems (subsystems)
and can be broken down into their components as well.
– Integration Testing
Modularity is a direct result of decomposability. It refers to dividing the system
into chunks or modules of a relatively uniform size. Modules can represent a
system simply, making it easier to understand and easier to redesign and
rebuild.
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72. Portability
• Ability of software to be transferred from
one environment to another
• Replaceability
– Opportunity and effort using the software in
the place of specified other software in the
environment of that software
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73. Scalability
• Ease with which a system or component
can be modified to fit the problem area
• Hardware Scalability
– Modify HW Specifications
– Load Balancing
• Software Scalability
– System enhancement service by service
– Web services based SOA is immune to
malicious software attacks
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74. Simplicity
• SOA applies the principle of Separation of
Concerns to the Allocation of Functionality
within Components
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75. Modifiability
• Ease with which a change can be made to
application architecture; without stopping and
restarting the entire system
• Extensibility
– Ability to add functionality to a system
• Extendibility
– ease with which a system or component can be
modified to increase its storage or functional capacity
• Reusability
– Property of application architecture if its
components, connectors, or data elements can be
reused, without modification, in other applications
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76. Pedagogical Evaluation
Agenda Back Next

77. Pedagogical Evaluation
• All Previous Features, are Available
• Integration of Software Agents
• Mobile Learning (M-Learning)
• Unlocking Course Repositories
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78. Agenda
1. Research Goals
2. e-Learning
3. Service Oriented Architecture
4. Proposed Service based Architecture
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusion

79. Conclusion
• SOA is a design pattern addresses functional and non
functional requirements
• Proposed LMS facilitates integration
– Among different LMSs
– Between LMSs and UMISs
– Of University and Non University Applications
– Software agents and Legacy Systems with New Systems
• Pedagogical, Social, and Managerial advantages of
Proposed CMS include
– Overcome lack of internal courses
– Get use of external, higher pedagogical features courses
– Shareability among different educational institutions
– Competition increment adds to quality (indirect effect)
– Increase Return-On-Investment (ROI) by selling courses
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80. Conclusion
• Assessment is an integral part of the
learning process, and a learning activity
that can be achieved efficiently via mobile
devices. Mobile assessment can
encourage students to attend
assessments and enable distance
education by expanding interactivity tools
available to students to include mobile
devices
• SOA is better utilized between Systems
Agenda Back Next

81. Questions
Agenda Back Next

82. Thank You

83. e-Learning Titles
Distance Education VLE
Telecast Virtual Conference
Adaptive Teaching System Remote Teaching System
Authoring System Virtual Classroom
Computer Assisted Instruction Multimedia Internet Training
Electronic Courses Online Distance Education
Online Courses WBT
CIT: Computer, Information, and Television Web-based Interactive Course
Computer Managed Learning System Web-based Course Management System
Computer Based Courses Distance Learning
Computer Assisted Learning PLE: Personal Learning Environment
Integrated Student Information System Web-based LMS
CBT Virtual University
LMS: Learning Management System Future Learning Environment
Interactive Learning Environment Interactive Web-based Learning
Course Management System Adaptive LMS
Courseware Authoring Tool Enterprise Course Management System
Assessment Management System Internet based Education
Electronic Learning Internet based Education
Computer Assisted Personalized Approach Extended Learning Institute
Collaborative Learning Integrated LMS
Virtual College
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84. LMS List
Agenda Back

85. Common Software Architecture
Patterns
Agenda Back

86. Registration
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87. Recruiting - Student
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88. Recruiting - Employee
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89. Time Tabling
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90. Departure
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91. Tracking Attendance
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92. Exams Management
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93. Fill Forms and Prepare Reports
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94. SIS ER Diagram
Agenda Back

95. SIS Architecture
Agenda Back

96. SIS Database Tables
Agenda Back

97. SIS Class Diagram
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98. Registration
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99. Sell Books
Agenda Back

100. Purchase Books
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101. Borrow Books
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102. ER Diagram
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103. Proposed Architecture
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104. Class Diagram
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105. Database Tables
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106. ER Diagram
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107. Proposed Architecture (a)
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108. Proposed Architecture (b)
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109. Class Diagram
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110. Database Tables
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111. Search Process Analysis
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112. Manage Rules Process Analysis
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113. Ranker
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114. Tracker
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115. Analyzer
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116. Proposed CMS Architecture
Agenda Back

117. Discoverer Architecture
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118. Search Process Design
Agenda Back

119. Manage Rules Process Design
Agenda Back

120. Services Design
• List of System Services
– Discover / Recommend
– Display
– Check Capability
– Import
– Manage Courses
– Pay
– Raise Exception
– Manage Rules
Agenda Back

121. Discover/Recommend Service
• Discover / Recommend
– Searching internal and external list of ranked
courses to prepare a list of ranked courses
that satisfies user query.
– Ranking results prepared by Discover service
by relevance of its keywords and user query
keywords.
– Database Tables
Agenda Back

122. Display Service
• Display
– Preparing data that will be displayed
– Passing this data to the proper page at
presentation layer
– and acquiring input from end user.
– Display service manages different kinds of
data. Those data include:
• List of courses
• Notification messages
• Acquires input from instructor and business
manager
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123. Check Capability Service
• Check Capability
– Determines either the course satisfies
organizational rules or not (can be imported or
not)
– Rules not only include financial issues; like
limits provided for each instructor, but they
also reflect pedagogical
– Database Tables
Agenda Back

124. Import Service
• Import
– It consumes other services:
• Download Course file
• Update Course
– Download Course is responsible for
downloading the course file into FTP server
Agenda Back

125. Manage Courses Service
• Manage Course
– Implement basic databases operations
insert, update, and delete [29]
– Courses are classified into three categories:
Internal, External, and Imported
• Internal Courses developed by institution’s instructors.
• External Courses available in other educational
institutions and have not been imported yet
• Imported Courses downloaded form external sources
– Courses are ranked
– Database Tables
Agenda Back

126. Pay Service
• Pay
– Money Deposit into accounts determined by
Transaction
– Manage transactions
– Database Table
Agenda Back

127. Raise Exception Service
• Raise Exception
– Adds an entry to (Differs according to Exception)
– Failed Imports table
– Log table
– Database Tables
Agenda Back

128. Manage Rules Service
• Manage Rules
– Basic database operations on rules
– Rule’s categories: Rules, Analysis Rules, and
Suggested Rules.
• Rules educational institution courses ranking
• Analysis will be used by Analyzer agent on failed
imports, in order to generate suggested rules
• Suggested either new rules or edited current rules
suggested by Analyzer agent and waiting for
Business Manager approval
– Database Tables
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129. Tracker Agent Design
• Tracking instructor’s feedback of imported
courses
• Instructor who imported a course should
give her/his feedback
• Utilized services
– Manage Courses
– Send Mail
– Manage Instructors
• Database Table
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130. Ranker Agent Design
• Prioritized Pedagogical and Managerial Rules
• Ranking based on
– Instructor’s feedback (Courses, Instructors, Faculties)
– Mathematical Formula (Universities)
• Threshold value is used to guide Ranker in making
the Accepted/Not Accepted Decision
• Universities ranking is the average of all faculties
composing this university ranks.
• Consumed Services
– Retrieve Course
– Update Course
• Database Tables
Agenda Back

131. Take Mobile Assessment
Agenda Back

132. Tracker Agent
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133. Proposed Architecture
Agenda Back

134. Take Mobile Assessment
Agenda Back

135. Services Design
• List of System Services
– Manage SMS
– Manage Learner
– Manage Assessment
– Manage Assessment Items
– Session Manager
– Manage Session
– Manage Exception
Agenda Back

136. Manage SMS
• Collection of services, include
– Retrieve SMS
– Send SMS
– Insert SMS
– Delete SMS
• AMS maintains a record of all sent and
received SMSs for
managerial, financial, and educational
issues
Agenda Back

137. Manage Learner
• Encapsulates the three primary database
operations insert, update, and delete
Agenda Back

138. Manage Assessment
• Concerned with the three main database
operations insert, update, and delete
• Assessments should contain variant
difficulty levels of assessment items
• Automated assessment calculation
• Database Tables
Agenda Back

139. Manage Assessment Items
• MCQs, True/False are examples of
applicable mobile assessment items
• Assessment item difficulty level is
determined by instructor
Agenda Back

140. Session Manager
• Session refers to the period of time in which the same user
interacts with the system
• Mobile user interacts with the system via multiple discrete
responses
• Session Managers hold the business logic required to enable
the supported processes and can
– Recognize either the learner is in the middle of an assessment
or attempting to a new one,
– and then Invoke the suitable Web services based on user state.
• Some of the services Session Manager invokes are
– Add Session
– Update Session
– Update learner profile
– Send SMS
Agenda Back

141. Manage Session
• Responsible for the insert, update, and
delete sessions
Agenda Back

142. Manage Exceptions
• Exception Log
Agenda Back

143. Tracker Agent Design
• Tracking process consumes five Web
services:
– Read Learner Data,
– Read Course Data,
– Read Assessment Data,
– Send Mail,
– and Send SMS
Agenda Back

144. Service Layer Class Diagram
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145. AMS Class Diagram
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