ISO/IEC TR 24763:2011

TECHNICAL ISO/IEC
REPORT TR
First edition
2011-06-01
Information technology — Learning,
education and training — Conceptual
Reference Model for Competency
Information and Related Objects
Technologies de l'information — Apprentissage, éducation et
formation — Modèle de référence conceptuel pour compétences et
objets liés
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2011
©  ISO/IEC 2011
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
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ii © ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .vi
0 Introduction.vii
0.1 General.vii
0.2 Areas of applicability .viii
0.3 Overview of the structure of this Technical Report.ix
0.4 Acknowledgement.ix
1 Scope.1
1.1 Purpose.1
1.2 Primary role.1
1.3 Aspects not currently addressed .2
2 Terms and definitions .2
3 Symbols and abbreviated terms .4
4 Introduction to the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model for Competency Information and
Related Objects .5
5 Classes of the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model for Competency Information and
Related Objects .7
5.1 Introduction and approach.7
5.2 Identification of classes and their descriptions.8
6 Properties of the classes within the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model for Competency
Information and Related Objects .8
6.1 Introduction and approach.8
6.2 Identification of properties and their descriptions .9
7 How to use the Conceptual Model Reference Model.10
7.1 Overview.10
7.2 Sharing competency information across Digital Services Supply Chains .10
7.3 Aggregating Competency Information using Competency Information Objects .11
7.4 Deriving DSSC Query Requirements from the ITLET CRM.12
7.5 Deriving interoperability requirements for DSSC using the ITLET CRM.16
7.5.1 Constructing CRM Instances for DSSC Links.16
7.5.2 Determining interoperability requirements from the CRM.16
7.5.3 Sharing competency information using a thesaurus .16
7.6 Using metadata to build Competency Information Objects.18
8 Representation of competency information within information technology systems used
for learning, education, and training .19
8.1 Brief Overview.19
8.2 Challenges of standardization for competency information within the context of ITLET .20
8.3 The nature of competency information considered within the context of ITLET and the
labels of competency information .21
9 Potential areas for further international standardization.23
Annex A (informative) Development of models from the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model.25
A.1 General.25
A.2 How to develop a specific use case using the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model .25
A.2.1 Gather representative diagrams and information structures .25
A.2.2 Develop use case description(s) .25
A.2.3 Determine aspects of IT system that will be analyzed using the CRM .25
A.2.4 Prepare new or review existing lexical statement representations .25
A.2.5 Create diagram representations for each lexical statement.26
© ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved iii

A.2.6 Assemble diagram representations or component diagram representations .26
A.2.7 Compare diagrams with CRM.26
A.3 Use case template.26
A.3.1 Background information components.26
A.3.2 Use case components.27
A.3.3 Additional information component — Information relevant to understanding the use case .28
Annex B (informative) Specific example based on a use case submitted .29
B.1 Luxembourg use case.29
B.2 The Luxembourg information models .32
Annex C (informative) Background information related to the development of the CRM .36
Annex D (informative) Use cases submitted by National Bodies.40
D.1 Use cases submitted by National Bodies .40
D.2 SC36 WG3 Use case template .42
D.2.1 Background Information .42
D.2.2 Use case.43
D.2.3 Additional information relevant to understanding the use case .44
Bibliography .45

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 — The ITLET Conceptual Reference Model for Competency Information and Related Objects 7
Figure 2 — Relationship between competency information, competency information records, and a
competency information object . 11
Figure 3 — An example of aggregating competency information from four providers of a DSSC into a
competency information object . 13
Figure 4 — An information model structure based on the CRM for Competency Information and
Related Objects. 15
Figure 5 — Using a competency thesaurus to exchange information and construct a competency
information object . 17
Figure 6 — Examples of identification of competency information that is used and expressed by many
stakeholders in diverse ways. 22
Figure 7 — Luxembourg use case – Step 1: Elaborating the job profile . 29
Figure 8 — Luxembourg use case – Step 2: Designing the curriculum . 30
Figure 9 — Luxembourg use case – Step 3: Delivering the course . 30
Figure 10 — Luxembourg use case – Step 4: Attending the course. 31
Figure 11 — Luxembourg use case – Step 5: Assessing competencies. 31
Figure 12 — Competency information record 1 . 32
Figure 13 — Competency information record 2 . 33
Figure 14 — Competency information record 3 . 34
Figure 15 — Initial set of classes in the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model based on JTC1 SC36
definition of competency . 36
iv © ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved

Figure 16 — First revision of classes and properties in developing the ITLET Conceptual Reference
Model for Competency Information and Related Objects based on use case analyses .38
Figure 17 — Second revision to include new classes and properties in developing the ITLET
Conceptual Reference Model for Competency Information and Related Objects based on use case
analyses .39

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 — Presence of CRM classes within various implementations, specifications, and standards.19
Table 2 — Use cases submitted by National Bodies .40

© ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved v

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of
ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees
established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC
technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information
technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as
an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
In exceptional circumstances, when the joint technical committee has collected data of a different kind from
that which is normally published as an International Standard (“state of the art”, for example), it may propose
the publication of a Technical Report. A Technical Report is entirely informative in nature and shall be subject
to review every five years in the same manner as an International Standard.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/IEC TR 24763 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 36, Information technology for learning, education and training.
vi © ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved

0 Introduction
0.1 General
There are currently several existing and implemented models providing competency information related to
learner knowledge, skills, capabilities, qualifications, performance, learning objectives, and other related
objects. Some of these models do not interoperate because of lack of clarity or consistency of the semantics.
The primary purpose of this Technical Report is to provide an information technology for learning, education
and training (ITLET) Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) that will support consistency and enhance
understanding and interoperability of various existing competency information models across learning,
education and training (LET) communities.
This Technical Report provides both the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model and a process that may be used
to compare and enable exchange of data between heterogeneous information models across LET
communities. The ITLET Conceptual Reference Model is a common reference point against which divergent
and incompatible sources of information can be compared and, ultimately, harmonized. It may also be used as
a basis for the assembly of new models and related standardization work.
The standardization concept is that the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model can be used as a “fundamental
level” of modelling to complement the currently accepted levels of 1) semantic model or meta-model, 2)
information model, 3) data model. It defines a framework for building potential information models related to
competencies as represented in LET information technology systems by providing classes and properties that
are common across multiple use cases and mappings of existing metadata onto these classes. These classes
and properties provide reference points for attributes and information structures included in the information
models. The information models in turn can be used to develop frameworks that may be used to develop
bindings to specific data structures and formats.
This Technical Report provides a common model and format to clarify the logic of information types and
relationships that are used in LET information technology systems underlying the information systems related
to competencies that are used by LET organizations and their respective communities. It is important to note
that this Technical Report aims to clarify the logic of information types and relationships that are used in
information technology systems by LET organizations and their communities in order to manage, develop,
describe, transfer or assess competency information or other related objects. This Technical Report is
primarily informative in content.
Challenges that have been identified include (but are not limited to) the need for competency standards to:
• accommodate complex competency information structures,
• provide adequate linkages to competency information that resides within different IT systems,
• provide support for comparisons of competency information, across diverse communities and contexts,
and
• allow for the monitoring and updating of competency information related to individual learners.
IT systems managing competency information face many challenges, such as the following.
• There is no single definition of competency that is accepted by all. Instead, there are many definitions,
using different structures and vocabularies, describing different levels of competency.
• It has even been suggested that competency is an unobservable entity, and therefore that it cannot be
traced, measured or recorded.
© ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved vii

• IT systems may be designed, developed, and implemented with specific labels for competency
information in mind, according to the context in which it is used (see Clause 8).
• IT systems need to provide cost-effective support for the description of competencies at multiple levels of
abstraction and in various formats.
• IT systems may need to comply with international, national and regional legislative requirements.
• Competency information may be associated with identifiable individuals, and could be used to make
decisions related to employment, advancement, admission, accreditation, etc. When competency
information is related to an identifiable individual, then privacy protection of this individual is essential.
Therefore, competency information standards should protect the privacy and integrity of that information. They
should allow flexible methods for sharing that information under the control of the person or people described
by that information. There is also a need to aggregate and normalize information about the competency of
multiple individuals to support decision-making by organizations. Therefore, competency standards should
support the description of competencies at multiple levels of abstraction. Many stakeholders have an interest
in competency information, all with different views of the information and different terminologies about
competency information.
Each different LET institution may be supported through the use of specific information systems that consist of
digital products and services selected to support the institutional mission. The process of the delivery of digital
products from point(s) of origin (provider) to destination (stakeholder) to support LET can be described using a
Digital Services Supply Chain (DSSC) approach. There currently are several existing and implemented
models providing competency information related to learner knowledge, skills, capabilities, qualifications,
performance, learning objectives, and other related objects. These models are implemented in various ways,
and the relationships inherent within the models may be made explicit by applying a DSSC approach to
real-world implementations of competency information models. Thus, a challenge for competency information
standards is to provide methods for taking advantage of existing information about competencies in current
and emerging IT systems that are used to manage, develop, describe, transfer or assess competency
information or other related objects.
0.2 Areas of applicability
This Technical Report applies to activities including:
a. Assistance with understanding competency as it is measured and observed within an IT system and the
description and process by which the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model may be used as a common
reference point to facilitate the exchange and management of information for IT systems that support the
management, development, description, transfer or assessment of competency information or other
related objects.
b. The use of an ITLET Conceptual Reference Model toolkit that includes:
• the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model that comprises classes of entities and relationships, which
include concepts such as competency, actor, action, outcome, evaluation, assessment process, and
other related concepts or objects;
• procedure to gather information regarding individual use cases;
• process to describe the competency information within different systems and to derive system
information models;
• general information and a detailed example of the application of the ITLET Conceptual Reference
Model toolkit that allows for elaboration of information models, the determination of competency
information objects and competency information records.
c. Guidance regarding a process to assist with the exchange of competency information between and
amongst IT systems used by and developed for LET communities.
viii © ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved

d. A common model and format to identify common information contents that are in different data formats; in
particular to support the implementation of automatic data transformation algorithms from local to global
data structures without loss of meaning. These transformation algorithms are useful for data exchange,
data migration from legacy systems, data information integration, and mediation of heterogeneous
sources.
e. Support for associative queries against integrated resources by providing a central model of the basic
classes and their associations to formulate such queries.
0.3 Overview of the structure of this Technical Report
The structure of this Technical Report includes nine clauses and four informative annexes.
• Clause 1 describes the scope.
• Clause 2 provides terms and definitions used in this Technical Report.
• Clause 3 provides symbols and abbreviations used in this Technical Report.
• Clause 4 provides a graphical representation of the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model, which provides
an introduction to the relationships between the classes and properties.
• Clauses 5 and 6 provide more detailed information regarding the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model
classes and properties.
• Clause 7 provides an overview of how to use the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model, and introduces the
topics of sharing and aggregating competency information (7.2, 7.3), deriving query requirements and
information model structures (7.4), supporting interoperability requirements (7.5), and using metadata to
build competency information objects (7.6).
• Clause 8 discusses the representation of competency within ITLET, the nature of competency as it is
considered within the context of ITLET, and the challenges inherent for competency information standards
within the context of ITLET.
• Clause 9 briefly notes potential areas where further international standardization may need to be
considered.
• Annex A (informative) provides more detailed information regarding the development of an information
model from the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model. This informative annex is closely related to
Clauses 7 and 8, which provide an abbreviated version of the process and several briefer examples.
• Annex B (informative) provides a specific example of a use case.
• Annex C (informative) provides an overview of the development of the ITLET Conceptual Reference
Model and explains the genesis of the model itself.
• Annex D (informative) provides a table of brief descriptions of the use cases submitted by National Bodies
and a template used to support the development of this Technical Report.
0.4 Acknowledgement
The main source of inspiration for this Technical Report is the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model produced
by the ICOM/CIDOC Documentation Standards Group and continued by the CIDOC CRM Special Interest
1)
Group (http://cidoc.ics.forth.gr/), published as ISO 21127:2006 . Although it is the main source of inspiration
for this Technical Report, it is not a normative reference for it.

1) See Bibliography. ISO 21127:2006 establishes guidelines for the exchange of information between cultural heritage
institutions. It is developed and maintained by ISO/TC 46, Information and documentation, SC 4, Technical interoperability.
© ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved ix

TECHNICAL REPORT ISO/IEC TR 24763:2011(E)

Information technology — Learning, education and training —
Conceptual Reference Model for Competency Information and
Related Objects
1 Scope
1.1 Purpose
This Technical Report provides a Conceptual Reference Model that comprises categories of items, attributes,
and relationships. It can be used to identify the relationships between concepts represented within an
information technology for learning, education and training (ITLET) system, such as competency, knowledge,
skills, capabilities, qualifications, performance, and learning objectives. It can be used to identify related
objects that are used to convey competency information. This Technical Report pertains to the exchange and
integration of heterogeneous information relating to information technology (IT) systems that are used by
learning, education and training (LET) organizations and their communities in order to manage, develop,
describe, transfer or assess competency information or other related objects. The scope is further elaborated
as follows.
• This Technical Report provides guidance regarding the level of detail and precision expected and required
to describe, in relation to the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model, IT systems that are used to manage,
develop, describe, transfer or assess competency information or other related objects within the LET
fields.
• This Technical Report provides a definition of competency (ITLET) specific to competency as it is
represented within an IT system. This definition is not domain dependent and acknowledges the unique
challenges of representing competency information within IT systems (some of which are further
elaborated in 8.2).
• This Technical Report is intended specifically to introduce requisite contextual information, i.e., the
environment, which can, for example, include information such as location description, duration, date and
time.
• The exchange of relevant information from IT systems among LET organizations and their communities,
and harmonization with their models, fall within the scope of this Technical Report.
• This Technical Report introduces the topic of privacy needs as they relate to IT systems that are used by
LET organizations in order to manage, develop, describe, transfer or assess competency information or
other related objects.
• This Technical Report focuses on information about participants, related elements, and the respective
relationships included within IT systems in LET that are used to manage, develop, describe, transfer or
assess competency information or other related objects.
1.2 Primary role
The primary role of this Technical Report is to enable the integration and interoperability of heterogeneous
sources of competency information. This Technical Report provides a toolkit comprising the ITLET Conceptual
Reference Model and processes needed to elaborate semantic definitions and clarifications to transform and
enable the exchange of information across disparate, localized information sources into a coherent global
© ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved 1

resource. The ITLET Conceptual Reference Model can be used as a common reference point, and the
process described in this Technical Report can be used to assist human understanding of IT system(s) used
within LET to manage, develop, describe, transfer or assess competency information or other related objects.
1.3 Aspects not currently addressed
This Technical Report does not address the following aspects.
a. the conception that competency is an unobservable and unmeasurable entity;
b. specific details related to the functions of the classes;
c. the creation of data models and complex data structures;
d. guidelines related to the use of such data models, or to their bindings;
e. Application Program Interfaces (APIs) and associated bindings;
f. specific relationships to other ISO/IEC International Standards and detailed descriptions of related work
by other organizations;
g. multilingual support;
h. cultural adaptability;
i. a detailed overview of privacy issues;
NOTE Privacy within ITLET systems will be the subject of a future International Standard (ISO/IEC 29187).
j. guidance regarding accessibility issues;
NOTE See ISO/IEC 24751 (all parts) for more information on accessibility with ITLET systems.
k. a detailed explanation and guidance regarding the application of a Digital Services Supply Chain (DSSC)
approach to competency information model implementations;
l. guidance regarding best practice in conceptual modelling for information technology systems.
It is anticipated that some or all of these requirements will be addressed in future editions of ISO/IEC 24763,
or in companion International Standards or Technical Reports.
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
2.1
class
category of items that share one or more common properties, which serve as criteria to identify items that
belong to the class
NOTE 1 Within the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model for Competency Information and Related Objects, there are
nine classes: Action; Actor; Competency; Criteria and method; Environment; Evaluation, assessment process; LET
institution; Outcome; and Role.
NOTE 2 Class properties need not be explicitly formulated in logical terms, but may be described as a statement that
refers to a common conceptualization of domain experts. The sum of these properties is called the intension of the class.
A class can be the domain or range of none, one, or more properties formally defined in a model. The formally defined
properties need not be part of the intension of their domains or ranges: such properties are optional.
NOTE 3 Adapted from ISO 21127:2006 (3.1).
2 © ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved

2.2
competency
〈ITLET〉 observable or measurable ability of an actor to perform a necessary action(s) in a given context(s) to
achieve a specific outcome(s)
NOTE See Clause 8.
2.3
competency information
〈ITLET〉 data about a competency that may be aggregated for communication among individuals,
organizations, and public administrations
NOTE Competency information may reside in one or several competency information records, and may be
associated with other types of information related to an individual or an organization.
2.4
competency information object
〈ITLET〉 set of information that is structured to facilitate communication about competency among individuals,
organizations, and public administrations
NOTE In order to facilitate communication and exchange, a competency information object may be formatted in an
agreed upon manner by combining competency information that is contained in one or more competency information
records.
2.5
competency information record
〈ITLET〉 set of recorded information describing competency
2.6
digital services supply chain
〈ITLET〉 process of the delivery of digital products from a point(s) of origin (provider) to a destination
(stakeholder) to support learning, education and training
2.7
environment
〈ITLET〉 context, surroundings or conditions in which a person lives or operates
NOTE Environment (ITLET) is a class within the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model for Competency Information
and Related Objects.
2.8
ITLET conceptual reference model
definitions and a common structure for describing the implicit and explicit concepts and relationships within an
information technology (IT) system for learning, education and training (LET)
2.9
LET institution
any institution delivering learning, education or training (LET) services, whether they be formal or non-formal
EXAMPLE A social or decision-making body, an organization, a government ministry, a community of learners, a
professional certifying body, a person, etc.
NOTE LET institution is a class within the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model for Competency Information and
Related Objects.
2.10
object
something that is perceivable or conceivable
NOTE 1 Objects may be material (e.g., resume, paper transcript, computer), immaterial (e.g., virtual environment,
streaming video) or imagined (e.g., a unicorn).
NOTE 2 Adapted from ISO 1087:2000 (3.1.1).
© ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved 3

2.11
property
characteristic of a class that states the specific relationship that exists between two classes
NOTE 1 A property is characterized by an intension, which is conveyed by a statement or a scope note.
NOTE 2 Within this Technical Report, Clause 6 identifies each of the distinct properties, i.e., characteristics of each
member of a class, which are identified and defined in Clause 5.
NOTE 3 Adapted from ISO 21127:2006 (3.14).
3 Symbols and abbreviated terms
The following symbols and abbreviations are defined for use within this Technical Report.
Symbols
[ ] Square brackets – denotes a class, subclass, or instance related to
a class in clauses 5, 6, 7.4, 7.6 and Annexes B and C.
{ } Curly brackets – used to denote examples of subclasses in
clauses 5 and 6. Used in clause 7.4 to help denote examples of sets
and subsets of information that form competency information
objects.
( ) Brackets or parentheses – used throughout the document to provide
parenthetical or additional information. Used in clause 6 to denote
range-to-domain relationships. Used in clause 7.4 to help denote
examples of sets and subsets of information that form competency
information objects.
Union – This symbol represents a basic binary operation in set
∪
theory known as union. The union of two sets is denoted as A ∪ B,
which indicates a set that includes all the sub-components that are
included in at least one of A or B. For example, the union of (1, 2)
and (2, 3) is the set (1, 2, 3). The use of this symbol in clause 7.4 is
intended to provide support for queries, not necessarily to create
data models but to create sets of information.
Subset of – This symbol represents a subset. For example, if set A =
⊂
(1, 2, 3) and set B = (1, 2, 3, 4), then A is a subset of B. In this
Technical Report this is described using the notation A ⊂ B.
Whereas, if set C = (1, 5), then it is not a subset of B. This is
provided as an illustrative example only; additional notational
formats are described elsewhere in formal texts related to set theory.
Abbreviations
API Application Program Interface
CRM Conceptual Reference Model
CWA CEN Workshop Agreement
DCMI Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
DSSC Digital Services Supply Chain
4 © ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved

HRIS Human Resources Information System
HR-XML Human Resources XML
ICT literacy Information and Communication Technology literacy
NOTE This also may be referred to as IT literacy or as IT fluency.
IEC International Electrotechnical Commission
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
IMS IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc.
ISO International Organization for Standardization
IT Information Technology
ITLET Information Technology for Learning, Education, and Training
LET Learning, Education, and Training
LOM Learning Object Metadata
MLR Metadata for Learning Resources
SIS Student Information System
QTI Question Test Interoperability
RCD Reusable Competency Definition
RDCEO Reusable Definition of Competency or Educational Objective
XML eXtensible Markup Language
4 Introduction to the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model for Competency
Information and Related Objects
A Conceptual Reference Model is typically the most abstract level of the standardization process. The ITLET
Conceptual Reference Model provides definitions and a formal structure for describing implicit and explicit
concepts and relationships for competencies and related objects within an IT system. It provides a model
against which heterogeneous information models may be compared. The ITLET Conceptual Reference Model
can be used to gain understanding of the types of information different organizations/institutions/government
agencies encode, and facilitate interoperability by providing a framework for considering who, what, how,
when, why, and where information is being encoded, thus enabling the leveraging of information within
existing systems.
IT systems that support the management and exchange of competency information may exist in varying levels
of complexity and capture, store, and exchange diverse types of information. The approach taken in this
Technical Report has been inspired by the museum world in which an ISO/IEC standard can be used to help
understand IT systems and to support interoperability by providing a flexible and consistent way of thinking
about information models. The ITLET Conceptual Reference Model approach allows for the identification of
groupings of information that represent a concept regardless of the label that has been placed upon the
information in actual IT systems. It is recognized that not all concepts denoted in the ITLET Conceptual
Reference Model are represented in all IT system information models. However, by referring to the ITLET
Conceptual Reference Model it is possible to identify which concepts are present within an IT system
© ISO/IEC 2011 – All rights reserved 5

information model and the relationships that may exist between those concepts within the IT system
information models being studied.
At the heart of the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model for Competency Information and Related Objects is
the understanding that IT systems need to support human development. This means that IT systems need to
be structured to do more than simply define learners in terms of their competencies; instead a more flexible
approach is needed. The approach outlined in this Technical Report provides a useful toolkit that can help to
identify where knowledge and skills meet specified criteria for example. It also provides flexibility to
acknowledge that there are many factors that contribute to the competency measurement process, such as
the criteria used, the assessment or evaluation methods that are employed. As well, the words that have been
used in the ITLET Conceptual Reference Model itself have been carefully chosen so that they do not favour
one specific learning theory.
The ITLET Conceptual Reference Model introduces a fourth element to the generally accepted 3-layer model
st nd
for data model interoperability specifications: meta model (1 layer), information model (2 layer), and data
rd th th
model (3 layer) (Hirata, Ohara, & Makiuchi, 2007). This 4 element does not correspond to a 4 layer. It is a
more conceptual approach, akin to a semantic model, and is referred to as a common “Conceptual Reference
Model (CRM)”. The CRM for Competency Information and Related Objects formalizes the semantics
necessary to express observed situations in the world of learning, education, and training in a standardized
manner and to analyze cases in which "competencies" and other related objects are used in LET institutions
within different sectors (e.g., academic, government, corporate). It provides a common reference point for the
identification of the classes, properties, and relationships present in ITLET systems. The CRM classes are
optional and repeatable, which means that the model itself is flexible and modular so that it can be used to
describe differing real world instances that are being explored and examined.
The ITLET Conceptual Reference Model formalizes the semantics necessary to express observed situations
in the world of learning, education and training and cases in which competency information and other related
objects are used in LET institutions within different sectors (e.g., academic, government, corporate). It may be
used to describe and compare the internal semantics of disparate Digital Services Supply Chains.
This ITLET Conceptual Reference Model is designed to assist with identification of:
• Classes, properties and relationships existent in specific cases to support comparisons and exchange of
competency information (further information is provided in clauses 5 and 6);
• Information model requirements, in terms of
o competency information as it resides in competency records; and,
o the aggregation of competency information from competency information records into competency
information objects that can be used to facilitate the exchange of competency information (further
information is provided in clauses 7 and 8);
• Functionality and methods that may be required for manipulation of competency information records or for
aggregation of associated competency information records to form competency information objects
(further information is provided in clauses 7 and 8);
• Required authorization and control mechanisms by helping to clarify the relationships between actors
(e.g., individual learners) and LET institutions (e.g., accreditation bodies, degree-granting institutions, etc.)
within the specific contexts that are being explored and examined.
In many cases, existing standards, or standards being developed by ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 may be used to
complement and to clarify issues that may not be comprehensively addressed in this standard (e.g.,
accessibility, privacy, etc.). A basic assumption is that these records will be aggregates of many types of
information. A goal of this ITLET Conceptual Reference Model is to identify methods where the structure and
information in competency records may be used to determine or manipulate related records.
The ITLET Conceptual Reference Model for Competency Information and Related Objects includes 9 classes
and 17 properties (or relationships between the different classes), which are
...