2.3.3 BELLE (Broadband Enabled Lifelong Learning Environment)

Lead 

Netera Alliance (see list of partners below) 

Origin Canada 

Background 

This is really a two year R & D $3.4 million shared cost project funded under the CANARIE Learning 

Program. It builds upon the successful work of CAREO project, as the University of Calgary are key 

members of the project's partnership. BELLE s objective is to develop a prototype educational object 

repository. It is a partnership led by Netera Alliance that includes: Banff Centre for the Arts, McGill 

University, Faculty of Medicine, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Seneca@York, Sheridan 

College, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine, 

University of Calgary Learning Commons, University of Lethbridge, Vancouver Film School. 

The actual repository being used is actually CAREO re branded as Alexandria, it can be found at: 

http://careo.ucalgary.ca/cgi bin/WebObjects/CAREO.woa?theme=alexandria 

URL http://belle.netera.ca/ 

Aims and 

BELLE is investigating four interconnected aspects of establishing this repository, these are as follows: 

Objectives 

1. Creating and Cataloguing Educational Objects 

BELLE is cooperating with other Learning Program projects to develop the "Canadian Core", a set of 

standards to describe the content of educational objects so that the repositories can be effectively 

searched. In cooperation with the Learning Commons at the University of Calgary, BELLE is creating tools 

and methods for automatically generating metadata and optimizing the digital content creation and 

repurposing process. 

2. Pedagogical Models and Peer Review 

Tim Buell at the University of Calgary is leading the investigation into the pedagogical approaches that are 

required to establish peer reviewing and quality assessment of educational objects. This is designed to give 

academic merit to the production of educational learning objects. 

3. Evaluation and Support 

Under the direction of Terry Anderson of the University of Alberta, BELLE is developing a comprehensive 

set of evaluation tools to assess the value and impact of its components. Netera is also developing a 

comprehensive structure for the support and dissemination of information about the project. This includes 

demonstrations, presentations, articles, and support via telephone and email. 

4.Testbed Infrastructure 

Finally, Netera Alliance is working with all its partners to establish a testbed infrastructure of Client Learning 

Environments, servers and Content Repurposing Facilities. Client Learning Environments are mobile 

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