Limitations of some eLearning standards for supporting learning

The IMS-QTI, and other related specifications have been developed to support the creation of reusable and pedagogically neutral learning scenarios and content, as stated by the IMS Global Learning Consortium. In this paper we discuss how current specifications both constrain the design of assessment scenarios, and limit content reusability. Key issues regarding reusability such as granularity, localization and self-contained-ness are analyzed from the point of view of current eLearning specifications. We also suggest some solutions to overcome these limitations. The paper is based on our experience developing and testing an IMS QTI Lite compliant assessment authoring tool, QAed. It supports teacher centering, which is quite neglected when designing such tools. In the paper we also discuss how to make compatible standards support and user centering in eLearning applications and provide some recommendations for the design of the user interfaces