Overview
EN ISO/IEC 19788-5:2014 (ISO/IEC 19788-5:2012) - published by CEN - is the part of the ISO/IEC 19788 series that defines educational elements for metadata describing learning resources. Built on the framework in Part 1, this rule-based specification defines the metadata elements and attributes (a Metadata Learning Resource - MLR - record) needed to describe how a resource is used in learning activities, how it relates to curricula, and how it targets specific audiences across diverse educational, cultural and linguistic settings.
Keywords: ISO/IEC 19788-5, metadata for learning resources, educational elements, MLR, learning resource metadata, interoperability.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Defines a comprehensive set of Data Element Specifications (DES) for educational metadata, including examples such as:
- Annotation elements (date, text, type)
- Audience descriptors (language, level, role)
- Contributor / Contribution (role, date)
- Curriculum elements (specification, level, topic, assessment)
- Learning activity and learning method definitions
- Pedagogical relations and types, prerequisite, typical learning time, age ranges
- Specifies resource class definitions (e.g., Learning resource, Person, Annotation, Audience, Curriculum, Learning activity) to structure MLR records.
- Includes predefined rule sets and normative vocabularies (Annex A) such as Agent role, Audience role, Induced activity, Learning method, Annotation type.
- Provides informative annexes with human interface equivalents, data element diagrams, and crosswalks to other metadata schemas (e.g., Learning Object Metadata (LOM) and Dublin Core / DCMI).
- Emphasizes interoperability, discoverability and machine-actionable metadata to support federated search and harvesting.
Practical applications and users
Who uses ISO/IEC 19788-5:
- Learning technologists and LMS/platform vendors implementing metadata models
- Digital repository managers and educational content publishers creating interoperable catalogues
- Curriculum designers and instructional designers mapping resources to curricula
- Metadata specialists, librarians, and integrators who perform crosswalks and metadata exchange
Practical uses:
- Improve search and discovery of learning objects by curriculum topic, audience level or pedagogical type
- Enable curriculum mapping, automated recommendation and adaptive learning workflows
- Support interoperability between repositories, LMSs and educational services across languages and regions
Related standards
- ISO/IEC 19788 (series): Part 1 (Framework), Part 2 (Dublin Core elements), Part 3 (Basic application profile), other parts under development
- Crosswalks to LOM and DCMI/Dublin Core are provided in Annex D for compatibility with existing metadata ecosystems.
This standard is essential when you need consistent, standards-based metadata to describe the educational use and pedagogical context of learning resources.