Xpert contains metadata and resources for almost 150,000 learning objects from over 8000 providers. This data is not only of benefit when running the xpert system, but also to other users and service providers. As part of the "Open Nottingham" strategy (a combination of the Xpert, Xpert Media Search and Attribution, BERLiN, U-Now, Xerte, iTunesU, Youtube EDU and Second Life) we have devised, the Xpert Team have taken steps to start to provide data and services to other repositories and interested parties. Some of the services we have developed are listed below. We are keen to liaise with people regarding how they would like to use Xpert and what data / services they would find useful. These service are recently developed and so should be considered in beta
If you do use any of these services, we'd like it if you could give us credit for it or provide a link to Xpert :)
New tools - searching and wordpress
We've finished off 1 new search tool, which is a bit like one of the earlier ones but with added dimensions!
We've also noticed a lot of UKOER wordpress blogs around, and have developed a way of getting UKOER into your blog posts! Aren't we sweet.You can do this with a cunning bit of javascript
This example will display the best 3 UKOER matches for the word academics - so just past the code into the HTML view of the blog and away you go (swapping economics for something else first).
Please let us know what you think of the tools, either on email at Xpert@nottingham.ac.uk or on Twitter at @Xpert_project
Search tools and Facebook integration
We have developed 2 new search methods for people as experimental new ways of searching....
We have developed a facebook application as well.
- UoN Xpert - http://apps.facebook.com/uon_xpert/
Xpert Mailing list
Want to talk Xpert - feel free to join our list at http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/xpert-project.
API developments
We have developed a series of URLs which can be used to query Xpert and return CC licensed OER in a variety of data formats. The queries can be accessed as follows without an API key.
- XML - to return XML, go to http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/cc_api_search_xml/
- RSS - to return RSS, go to http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/cc_api_search_rss/
- JSON - to return JSON, go to http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/cc_api_search_json/
- OAI - to return OAI, go to http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/cc_api_search_oai/
- PHP - to return serialized PHP, go to http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/cc_api_search_php/
- YAML - to return YAML, go to http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/cc_api_search_yaml/
- SDL - to return SDL, go to http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/cc_api_search_sdl/
You can also search for multiple words using "+" - http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/cc_api_search_php/economics+micro will return serialized PHP matching "economics" and "micro", whereas http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/cc_api_search_oai/economics-micro will return everything matching "economics" and not "micro". Phrase searching is also possible, http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/cc_api_search_php/\"quantum physics\" will return everything for "quantum physics".
Basic SDK
We appreciate a lot of people aren't expert coders, but might like simple ways of using our services. We've developed a very basic API SDK with a few examples in to help people get started with our resources. Download the SDK
Related Items
Many repositories are keen to provide related content to the items they hold. Using the Xpert related items service, resources stored in Xpert can be linked to and added into your website.
To use the service, the base url is - http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/related/. To the end of this add a list of comma separated keywords, then a number of results you'd like to return.
- http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/related/tree,5 - will return 5 items matching "tree"
- http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xpert/related/insect,biology,3 - will return 3 items matching "insect" and "biology"
Adding an Xpert search to your site
Adding the code below (HTML) to your website will allow your websites' users to search for UKOER content within Xpert.