Re: EOCred: Identifying subtypes of credential

I want to say that Stuart and I have already had this discussion, but:

I don't think credentialType is needed.

Adding credentialType conflicts with the intent of the object's type.
Remember, type is just a field as well.

Schema.org/Thing also has http://schema.org/additionalType to permit the
adding of additional (specific, not defined here) type data to any object.

http://schema.org/Action is a good example of where a lot of subTypes are
added to a base class without necessarily adding properties (though some
do!), so we also have precident there.

There's lots of established avenues that allow for subtyping. On the other
hand, there are also several instances of additional type being
specifically identified, usually paired with a fixed taxonomy of types
(ActionStatusType, BoardingPolicyType, BusinessEntityType,
EventStatusType). I also believe these instances aren't in the spirit of
schema.org.

Type properties like credentialType prevent additional subtyping and
encourage "text" descriptions (see AlignmentObject's AlignmentType) where
it should really be URLs so that interpretations can be distinguished and
separate.

Type properties also discourage additional subtyping and do not prevent a
means of structuring dependent subtypes. Is an IVA credential (from the
example above) a type of SVQ credential? Without an additional structured
ontology to point at, it is difficult to know.

What additional properties does a specific type of credential confer? For
instance, a military MOS credential may have a securityClassificationLevel.
Do we need to add those properties to the base class? (With credentialType,
maybe, with subtypes, certainly not.)

On Wed, Jan 17, 2018 at 9:04 AM, Stuart Sutton <stuartasutton@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Phil, I agree that a credentialType property is needed. I think that
> having the range include both Text *and* URL to allow identification by
> URI where available and text where not is appropriate. You are right that
> CTDL defines subclasses of it's Credential class
> <http://purl.org/ctdl/terms/Credential> and that no single enumeration
> will handle the breadth of the range (and internationalization issues);
> but, where such enumeration(s) exist, my sense is that they should be used.
> The CTDL defines a credentialType
> <http://purl.org/ctdl/terms/credentialType> property that is intended to
> be used wherever reference to a member of the Credential class is needed.
> It's range now enumerates the CTDL subclasses; but should likely reference
> more inclusively the Credential class.
>
> As for use of TermDefinition to identify/define members of such
> enumerations, I hope that it gets approved in a timely manner and that we
> are not forced to even contemplate use of AlignmentObject (ugh...don't get
> me started).
>
> Stuart
>
> On Wed, Jan 17, 2018 at 3:20 AM, Phil Barker <phil.barker@pjjk.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
>> Hello again, moving on to the next requirement for describing Educational
>> and Occupational Credentials in schema.org: I suggest we look at how to
>> identify the subtypes of these credentials.
>>
>> The use case for this
>> <https://www.w3.org/community/eocred-schema/wiki/Use_Cases#Identify_subtypes_of_credential>
>> gives examples of "degree" "certificate" "badge". I know there are about 20
>> others from the Credential Engines' CTDL
>> <http://credreg.net/ctdl/handbook#creds>. Most countries will have their
>> own types of EO Credential, for example in Scotland we have  National
>> Qualifications, HNDs, HNCs, SVQs, IVAs, PDAs, DipHEs, CertHEs and many
>> more. Other countries will be similar. Furthermore, the types of
>> qualification on offer changes over time.
>>
>> In short, the number of types is we need to consider is vast and varied.
>> So, while CTDL has subclasses of its Credential class for each of its
>> distinct types, that is not a practical solution for wider use. Even if we
>> could reduce the number and variety of types, I think it would add too many
>> subclasses to the schema.org hierarchy, given that most of the subtypes
>> would have no unique properties.
>>
>> The alternative is for EducationalOccupationalCredential to have a
>> property which records the type of credential. With a nod to Richard's
>> point that much of what we do is applicable to generic credentials, I
>> propose we call this credentialType.
>>
>> The basic range for credentialType would be text, and I think we should
>> explicitly allow this. We could stop here.
>>
>> In an ideal world there would be controlled vocabulary for naming the
>> credentialTypes. However, I a single controlled vocabulary of all the
>> precise types is not feasible, and I think that producing a vocabulary that
>> classifies these types into categories like "certificate" would be very
>> difficult and the results would be very imprecise. We should, however try
>> to facilitate the use of local controlled vocabularies. This is where we
>> reach the edge of what currently possible in schema.org.
>>
>> Options for facilitating the use of local controlled vocabularies of
>> credential type:
>>
>> 1, allow a URL to link to a controlled value / external enumeration.
>>
>> 2, allow alignmentObjects to provide information about the credentialType
>> as if credential types were educational frameworks
>>
>> 3, use the developing schema.org type that is currently called
>> CategoryCode <http://pending.schema.org/CategoryCode>, but which is
>> proposed to be changed to TermDefinition
>> <https://github.com/schemaorg/schemaorg/issues/1775>
>>
>> In my view: 1 is too vague (who knows what will be at the end of the
>> URL), 2 stretches the alignmentObject somewhat, and 3 is the best option
>> for the long run. An example using option 3 would look something like:
>> {
>>   "@type": "EducationalOccupationalCredential",
>>   "name" : "HNC Facilities Management",
>>   "credentialType": {
>>     "@type" : "TermDefinition",
>>     "name" : "Higher National Certificate",
>>     "termCode" : "HNC",
>>     "inDefinedTermSet" : "SQA Qualifications" //should be a URL or
>> DefinedTermSet object
>>   }
>> }
>>
>> What do you think? Too complicated, maybe? Am I overthinking the problem?
>> Are there enough well-constructed sets of terms describing credential types
>> for it to be worth trying to accommodate anything other than text values?
>>
>> Phil
>>
>> --
>>
>> Phil Barker <http://people.pjjk.net/phil>. http://people.pjjk.net/phil
>> PJJK Limited <https://www.pjjk.co.uk>: technology to enhance learning;
>> information systems for education.
>> CETIS LLP: a cooperative consultancy for innovation in education
>> technology.
>>
>> PJJK Limited is registered in Scotland as a private limited company,
>> number SC569282.
>> CETIS is a co-operative limited liability partnership, registered in
>> England number OC399090
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Stuart A. Sutton, Metadata Consultant
> Associate Professor Emeritus, University of Washington
>    Information School
> Email: stuartasutton@gmail.com
> Skype: sasutton
>
>
>