Understanding the Importance of Interoperability Standards in the Classroom of the Future

The development of e-learning platforms and their extensive use in schools and universities allows students from isolated locations to remotely participate in educational activities. This article provides an analysis of prominent interoperability standards for e-learning, emphasizing their role in the development of the classroom of the future. Although current e-learning infrastructures support the remote access to learning resources and on-line assessment, the classroom of the future will reposition the professors' and students' approach to education, and will include tools and technologies for personalized learning, virtual and augmented reality, cloud computing, 3D-printing, deep learning and learning analytics. Achieving interoperability among e-learning infrastructures is essential for the classroom of the future. However, the field of e-learning has grown without a clear vision on how heterogeneous e-learning systems should inter-relate, and interoperability remains a big challenge. We analyze relevant standardization approaches which in turn shapes an overview of enabling technologies for e-learning. Finally we look at challenges for e-learning infrastructures interoperability that can shape future research, tackling inclusive education.