Evaluation Criteria for Recommendations

Kattemingga Lodge
Melbourne, Australia
© 2000 Dublin Core Metadata Initiative Jon Mason & Stuart Sutton, Co-Chairs
1 March, 2000
All Rights Reserved

Evaluation Criteria for Recommendations
In assessing each of the five categories of educational information that were defined in Frankfurt and discussed to varying degrees on the DC-Education listserv, the following questions were used at the face-to-face meeting to guide assessment of each category:

1. Can “it” be clearly described? Can the semantics of the proposed element or element qualifier be expressed precisely, unambiguously, and briefly?

2. Is there a clear requirement for “it” in support of resource discovery in the education domain? Is there a demonstrated need for the proposed element, element qualifier, or value qualifier?

3. Does “it” support interoperability? Does it, to the maximum extent possible, support interoperability.

4. Is “it” practical? How difficult would it be for people creating metadata to comprehend the semantics of the proposed element or element qualifier and to apply it reasonably in the description of resources.

5. Does “it” refine an existing element? If “it” is a proposal for a new element, can it rationally be handled as effectively as an element or value qualifier for an existing element?

6. Are there alternative ways of implementing “it”? Within the conceptual framework of the Dublin Core Element Set (i.e., element/element qualifiers and value/value qualifiers), are there alternative ways to achieve the ends sought?

7. Are there existing implementations or controlled vocabularies, etc., supporting “it”? Somewhat akin to number 2 above, are there existing implementations for which this solution (element or element qualifier or value qualifier) is needed in support of “it” in resource discovery. In similar fashion, are there existing value qualifiers (i.e., controlled vocabularies, thesauri, etc.) that support “it”.

1.	Can “it” be clearly described?	Can the semantics of the proposed element or element qualifier be expressed precisely, unambiguously, and briefly?

2.	Is there a clear requirement for “it” in support of resource discovery in the education domain?	Is there a demonstrated need for the proposed element, element qualifier, or value qualifier?

3.	Does “it” support interoperability?	Does it, to the maximum extent possible, support interoperability.

4.	Is “it” practical?	How difficult would it be for people creating metadata to comprehend the semantics of the proposed element or element qualifier and to apply it reasonably in the description of resources.

5.	Does “it” refine an existing element?	If “it” is a proposal for a new element, can it rationally be handled as effectively as an element or value qualifier for an existing element?

6.	Are there alternative ways of implementing “it”?	Within the conceptual framework of the Dublin Core Element Set (i.e., element/element qualifiers and value/value qualifiers), are there alternative ways to achieve the ends sought?

7.	Are there existing implementations or controlled vocabularies, etc., supporting “it”?	Somewhat akin to number 2 above, are there existing implementations for which this solution (element or element qualifier or value qualifier) is needed in support of “it” in resource discovery. In similar fashion, are there existing value qualifiers (i.e., controlled vocabularies, thesauri, etc.) that support “it”.