Overview
ISO/IEC TR 23843:2020 defines a catalogue model and metadata elements to support discovery and use of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) content in learning, education and training (LET). It specifies how curriculum and achievement-standards information can be linked to VR/AR/MR resources so educators and institutions can search, evaluate and adopt immersive learning content more effectively.
Key topics and requirements
- Curriculum-linked metadata: Metadata fields are designed to connect immersive content to curriculum outcomes and achievement standards to enable relevance-based search and selection.
- Characteristics of VR/AR/MR content: The report highlights metadata needs driven by immersive interactions, multimodal outputs (visual, auditory), movement tracking and device-dependent features (e.g., resolution, eye-tracking).
- Actors and roles: Stakeholders considered include learners, teachers, curriculum developers, institutions, content providers and device vendors - each with distinct metadata and interaction requirements.
- Catalogue entities: The model defines entities such as Content, Platform, Local Release, Distribution Package, Additional Content, and Agent to structure descriptive, technical and distribution metadata.
- ADDIE lifecycle alignment: The catalogue model maps to the ADDIE instructional design phases (Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate) to support lifecycle management of immersive learning resources.
- Search & discovery focus: Emphasis on metadata that enables comparison, filtering and retrieval of immersive resources (type, price, technical requirements, accessibility/usability).
- Non-normative scope notes: The technical report contains no normative references and does not itself propose an implementation using ISO/IEC 19788 (though it references that series as an extensible approach).
Applications and users
This standard is practical for:
- Teachers and learners - find curriculum-aligned VR/AR/MR learning activities and view technical/device requirements at a glance.
- Educational institutions and librarians - manage inventories of immersive content and prioritize adoption based on curriculum fit and technical constraints.
- Curriculum developers - compare candidate immersive resources for curriculum review and alignment.
- Content providers and developers - describe resources to improve discoverability and gather reviews/feedback for iterative improvement.
- Device vendors and integrators - publish device performance metadata to help match hardware capabilities with content requirements and drive interoperability.
- Marketplaces and catalog platforms - implement searchable VR content catalogues that surface relevant immersive learning resources.
Related standards
- ISO/IEC 19788 series (learning metadata) - extensible approach referenced but not specified for implementation in this TR.
- Annex A references other metadata models for context: ISO/IEC 23005 (MPEG‑V), METS, VRA Core, CRMdig, and VGMS.
- Other metadata technologies mentioned: XMP, ID3 concepts and ISO 16684‑1 for metadata practices.
Keywords: VR content catalogue, AR metadata, mixed reality, curriculum catalogue, educational VR, VR metadata, learning resources, metadata schema.