TLA PlugFest to Help Government and Vendors Adopt New Learning Ecosystem Interoperability Standards

The ADL Initiative is accelerating adoption of data-driven learning technologies that will enable an interoperable digital ecosystem by providing no-cost training at the Total Learning Architecture (TLA) PlugFest in Alexandria, Virginia, on 22-23 June 2022.

TLA PlugFest is intended for technical staff (government, contractors, and other vendors) as well as government decision makers responsible for distributed learning projects. The workshop will include hands-on demonstrations, tutorials, and opportunities for plug-and-play interoperability testing with commercial applications, assisted by ADL Initiative developers and application vendors. In addition, the agenda includes an exploration of product use cases and reviews of the Learning Ecosystem Maturity Model to measure the degree of maturity for participating organizations’ distributed learning processes.

“The Department is moving toward a more open-source, interoperable approach to education and training, with new technologies for the delivery of content and the collection and sharing of learner data,” said ADL Initiative specifications and standards manager Andy Johnson (contractor). “TLA PlugFest will showcase these technologies, allowing DoD users to understand how they can augment or replace current digital learning systems. Our goal is to promote wider adoption of the technologies that are key to enabling DoD’s future learning ecosystem.”

TLA PlugFest focuses on the ADL Initiative’s Total Learning Architecture (TLA), a collection of data standards, technical specifications, business rules, and policy guidance for integrating education and training technologies into a learning ecosystem. Workshop sessions address standards and applications for learner metadata tracking, learner records and learner profiles, migrating from SCORM to cmi5 for online learning activities, competency-based learning and competency frameworks, and integrating these technologies for DoD-wide interoperability.

TLA PlugFest is offered at no cost to a limited number of government stakeholders, contractors, and TLA-compliant ed-tech vendors. Space is limited by the physical seats available, and registration is on a first come, first served basis. (There are currently no virtual participation options.) For more information on the TLA PlugFest, including the agenda, requirements for participation, registration, and location details, visit the event listing or contact Julie Lowndes at julie.lowndes.ctr@adlnet.gov