EN 15982:2011
(Main)Metadata for Learning Opportunities (MLO) - Advertising
General Information
- Abstract
This European Standard specifies the characteristics of electronic representation of Learning Opportunities in order to facilitate their advertising and subsequent discovery by prospective learners.
Key users of the standard will be:
- those who provide opportunities for learning and wish to advertise them;
- those who offer electronic search services that aggregate results from multiple Learning Opportunity providers;
- those who wish to compare Learning Opportunities that have been represented electronically.
This European Standard specifies an abstract model for representing Learning Opportunities. The model specifies three resources about which metadata can be stored to facilitate advertising of Learning Opportunities:
a) the Learning Opportunity Provider;
b) the Learning Opportunity Specification; and
c) the Learning Opportunity Instance.
This European Standard specifies the characteristics of relations between the three resources and recommends a core set of metadata for each.
- Status
- Published
- Publication Date
- 06-Sep-2011
- Withdrawal Date
- 30-Mar-2012
- Current Stage
- 9093 - Decision to confirm - Review Enquiry
- Start Date
- 05-Mar-2023
- Completion Date
- 23-Sep-2026
Overview
EN 15982:2011 - Metadata for Learning Opportunities (MLO) - Advertising defines a lightweight, machine-readable model to describe and advertise learning opportunities so prospective learners and third‑party services can discover, compare and aggregate offerings. The standard specifies an abstract data model built around three core resources: Learning Opportunity Provider (LOP), Learning Opportunity Specification (LOS) and Learning Opportunity Instance (LOI). It is designed to be easy to implement, to fit existing business processes and to work with semantic web and web‑based architectures.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Three-resource model: metadata relates to the provider (LOP), the abstract specification of a course or program (LOS) and concrete instances (LOI) such as scheduled runs.
- Core metadata set: the standard recommends core properties to advertise LOs, including url, location, qualification, credit, languageOfInstruction, level, start, duration, cost, prerequisite, places, engagement, objective, assessment and relationship properties (for example, offeredAt linking LOS/LOI to LOP).
- Semantic/web technologies: uses URIs, RDF/RDFS concepts and aligns with web identifiers (IETF‑RFC2396). Properties use namespaces (mlo:) and may be combined with other vocabularies.
- Conformance model: allows claims of strict or general conformance for instances, bindings (exchange formats) and applications (providers and consumers). Implementations can be strictly conforming (only classes/properties from the standard) or conforming (may include extensions).
- Interoperability note: the standard intentionally defines the data model but does not mandate controlled vocabularies; it supports integration with existing vocabularies and schemes (e.g., ECTS exchange is supported at design level).
Practical applications
- Course and program advertising on institutional websites or learning marketplaces using standard metadata to improve discoverability.
- Aggregation/search services (aggregators, brokers) that harvest descriptions from multiple providers to offer unified search, comparison and application workflows.
- Comparative tools that automatically compare learning opportunities across providers (credits, level, cost, language).
- Integration with portals and student services (application processing, financial services) that rely on consistent metadata.
Who should use it
- Educational institutions, training providers and continuing education organisers who want to publish interoperable learning‑opportunity metadata.
- Developers and operators of aggregator/search/broker platforms that collect and index learning offerings.
- LMS integrators and data architects building discovery, comparison and application workflows.
Related standards
- ISO 15836 (Dublin Core) - referenced for element mapping (e.g., date, language).
- W3C recommendations (RDF/RDFS) and IETF RFCs for URIs.
Keywords: EN 15982, Metadata for Learning Opportunities, MLO‑AD, learning opportunity metadata, learning opportunity advertising, learning opportunity discovery, learning opportunity provider, LOS, LOI, semantic web.
Relations
- Effective Date
- 09-Feb-2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
EN 15982:2011 is a standard published by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). Its full title is "Metadata for Learning Opportunities (MLO) - Advertising". This standard covers: This European Standard specifies the characteristics of electronic representation of Learning Opportunities in order to facilitate their advertising and subsequent discovery by prospective learners. Key users of the standard will be: - those who provide opportunities for learning and wish to advertise them; - those who offer electronic search services that aggregate results from multiple Learning Opportunity providers; - those who wish to compare Learning Opportunities that have been represented electronically. This European Standard specifies an abstract model for representing Learning Opportunities. The model specifies three resources about which metadata can be stored to facilitate advertising of Learning Opportunities: a) the Learning Opportunity Provider; b) the Learning Opportunity Specification; and c) the Learning Opportunity Instance. This European Standard specifies the characteristics of relations between the three resources and recommends a core set of metadata for each.
This European Standard specifies the characteristics of electronic representation of Learning Opportunities in order to facilitate their advertising and subsequent discovery by prospective learners. Key users of the standard will be: - those who provide opportunities for learning and wish to advertise them; - those who offer electronic search services that aggregate results from multiple Learning Opportunity providers; - those who wish to compare Learning Opportunities that have been represented electronically. This European Standard specifies an abstract model for representing Learning Opportunities. The model specifies three resources about which metadata can be stored to facilitate advertising of Learning Opportunities: a) the Learning Opportunity Provider; b) the Learning Opportunity Specification; and c) the Learning Opportunity Instance. This European Standard specifies the characteristics of relations between the three resources and recommends a core set of metadata for each.
EN 15982:2011 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 35.240.90 - IT applications in education; 35.240.99 - IT applications in other fields. The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.
EN 15982:2011 has the following relationships with other standards: It is inter standard links to ISO 15836:2009. Understanding these relationships helps ensure you are using the most current and applicable version of the standard.
EN 15982:2011 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.
Standards Content (Sample)
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.Metadaten für Lernangebote (MLO) - WerbungMétadonnées pour les opportunités d'apprendre - PublicitéMetadata for Learning Opportunities (MLO) - Advertising35.240.99IT applications in other fieldsICS:Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z:EN 15982:2011SIST EN 15982:2011en,fr,de01-november-2011SIST EN 15982:2011SLOVENSKI
STANDARD
EUROPEAN STANDARD NORME EUROPÉENNE EUROPÄISCHE NORM
EN 15982
September 2011 ICS 35.240.99 English Version
Metadata for Learning Opportunities (MLO) - Advertising
Métadonnées pour les opportunités d'apprendre - Publicité Metadaten für Lernangebote (MLO) - Werbung This European Standard was approved by CEN on 29 July 2011.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
Management Centre:
Avenue Marnix 17,
B-1000 Brussels © 2011 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CEN national Members. Ref. No. EN 15982:2011: ESIST EN 15982:2011
Informative data model . 12Bibliography . 13 SIST EN 15982:2011
NOTE Attention is drawn to W3C-RDFS for the detailed definition of this term. 3.12 literal literal value for a pr
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