Description (dc:description)

Things to do

• Keep it brief and write only 1 description.
• Keep the tone of the description somewhat neutral. You may include ideas on how a learning object might be used.
• State what the resource offers.
• Use complete sentences.
• Spell out all acronyms when they are initially used.
• Because the description is searchable, incorporate key terms and concepts that can facilitate resource discovery.

Things to avoid

• Do not create inadvertent relationships between two distinctly different resources. For example, do not say this is one of four modules about: 1) ozone, 2) seasons, 3) ice and 4) atoms when you are cataloging the ozone one. This would cause the ozone resource to be listed when someone searched on ice. And the ozone resource is not about ice. (Not good).
• Generally, do not include information that is collected in other metadata fields (e.g. resource creators or resource types). Some redundancy of terms is acceptable, but a description that relies solely upon this does not provide additional information for resource discovery.

Examples

• Climate and CO2: Analyzing Their Relationship: Through this activity, students learn about atmospheric carbon dioxide and its role in the greenhouse effect. They can identify the leading producers of carbon dioxide emissions and read about the global climate conference that was held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997 to set international limits on these emissions. The material provides information to increase students' understanding of the implications and processes of possible changes in the world's climate.
• Big Trouble in Earthquake Country: This activity has students use online earthquake hazard maps and other relevant geological information to assess hazards to life and property associated with hypothetical earthquakes. Students working in small groups use this information to develop strategies to reduce damage and loss of life in the area near their home or school. This lesson will help students gain an understanding of the effect of earthquakes on natural and man-made systems and afford them a better understanding of the complex consequences of earthquakes for human beings. The background information is structured to cater to both Bay area residents and non-residents.
• The MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) web site is a free and open resource designed primarily for faculty and students in higher education. MERLOT offers a continually growing collection of peer-reviewed, online learning materials and assignments in science and technology, mathematics, business, education, social sciences, arts, and humanities. The resources include animations, simulations, reference materials, and collections. Each resource is accompanied by a peer review that includes a descriptive paragraph and rates of the quality of content, overall effectiveness, and ease of use. Visitors are invited to submit their comments as well.
• Weathering: In this interactive Earth science resource, students are first presented with six photographs, each featuring a different mechanical weathering event in which rock is broken down. Examples of the events include road damage due to ice heaving and the expansion of cracks in rocks due to tree growth. Students are instructed to click on each labeled image to see an enlarged version of it. In the enlarged view, brief text, often accompanied by visual cues such as arrows, explains the physical weathering process shown.

Title (dc:title)

Things to do

• Make title the name of the resource as displayed on the screen to the user (not the browser bar).
• Capitalize proper nouns in the title (i.e. names of programs, projects, agencies, centers, corporate bodies and software).
• Capitalize the words of the title (and any subtitles) excluding prepositions, articles and pronouns.
• Use acronyms sparingly in the title. Spell out abbreviations in the title if the meaning is unclear or the title won't make sense without clarification. See examples below.
• Keep initial articles, A, An, and The in the title as the first word.
• Keep ending punctuation in the title statement, but no periods.

Things to avoid

• Do not use extraneous words at the beginning of the title such as: 'Welcome to the,' ' NASA presents,' or 'by Joe Smith.'
• Do not use words like unit, chapter and section as the first words of a title.

No Title or Generic Title? Do this:

• Construct a title that is descriptive, concise and accurately describes the content of the resource. Keep in mind resource discovery.
• To construct a title, choose descriptive words from captions, headings and introductory paragraphs.
• Generic titles that should be enhanced include: Lesson Plan, Teacher Resource, Career Pathway, Problem Set, Assignment and Lab.
• Seismographic Interference: Wind, Traffic and Other Disturbances
• Example of a generic title enhanced: Assignment was enhanced to be Mountain Simulation: Assignment.

Need a Subtitle? Do this:

• Create subtitles to further describe a resource.
• Add a subtitle by adding a colon at the end of title.
• Example of a subtitle and ending punctuation: Down the Drain: How Much Water Do You Use?

Overly Long Titles: Do this:

• Edit titles that are especially long.
• Example of a long title to be edited: change Association of American Geographers (AAG) Hands-On: Introduction to the Human Dimensions of Global Change to Introduction to the Human Dimensions of Global Change.

Learning Resource Type (dc:type)

Things to do

• This is a required field with a controlled vocabulary.
• Use for describing the nature, function or typical use of a learning or teaching resource.
• Choose the dominant type(s) that best describe or fit the resource.
• If selecting lower-level terms, such as Course, include the hierarchy of terms above. This would include Instructional Materials.
• If a resource comprises multiple dominant types, check all appropriate terms.
• If adequate description of a resource requires the selection of a large number of type (generally five or more), consider cataloging the resource as separate objects (i.e., consider creating multiple metadata/catalog records).
• Choose terms to the finest level of granularity appropriate for the resource. For example, if a resource only applies to a Rubric, then use that. If a resource applies to a few more types in the broad-group Assessment Material, select as many assessment materials as appropriate (along with the broad-group term) or simply select Assessment Material.
• Items and articles within newsletters may be cataloged separately, at a cataloger's discretion.
• For project-like resources that are used primarily as assessments, use the term Assessment Material.
• The resource type terms are defined after the examples.

Things to avoid

• If a Curriculum includes an assessment, do not use the broad-group term Assessment Material because most curricula by their nature include assessment material. (Do, however, use the broad-group term Instructional Material alongside Curriculum, per best practices outlined above.)
• For large resources, do not choose every resource type encompassed by the resource, choose the representative ones.
• Do not describe every way a resource may be used. Focus on the general intended use of a resource.
• Do not let URL extensions like .com, .org, etc. be a primary influence on the choice of a resource type.

Examples

• Simulation: Teachers Domain: The Jet Stream and Horizontal Temperature Gradients
• Project: Down the Drain: How Much Water do You Use
• Tool and Search Engine: Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE)

Usage Examples

• Use Voice Recording and Fiction or Nonfiction Reference for an audio book.
• Use Student Guide for lab manual, study guide, or workbook.
• Use Form for calculator or survey form.
• Use Forum for message board or chat.
• Use Simulation for applet or mathlet.
• Use Broadcast for webcast, podcast, newscast, or talk show that occurs at a specific time.
• Use Remotely Sensed Data and Animation/Movie for satellite or radar imagery.
• Use Annotation for a teaching tip, comment, or formal review of a resource.
• Use Assessment Material for non-examination materials such as a webquest, concept-map-building assignment, lab report, survey, questionnaire, or take-home questions.
• Use Fiction for prose literature, novels, or poems.
• Use Periodical to represent an entire journal.
• Use Article to represent a single article within a journal.
• Use Article to represent essays, information sheets, pamphlets, or brochures that are not expressly career-oriented.
• Use Career Information for information sheets, pamphlets, or brochures that provide career information.
• Use Image/Image Set for a poster, digital print, or painting.
• Use Problem Set for a worksheet.
• Use News for newsletters and press releases.

Definitions of NSDL Type terms:

• Assessment Material - material that enables evaluation or measurement of progress, development, ability, skill, understanding, knowledge, aptitude, achievement, or an opinion/attitude (use for: webquest, building a concept map, lab report, survey, questionnaire, open-ended question, or take-home questions)
• Answer Key - a correct solution or response to a question, problem or test
• Portfolio - a collection of student work that demonstrates academic progress or knowledge acquisition over a period of time
• Rubric - statements describing the abilities, knowledge, or understanding of a content area in order to reach a certain level of mastery
• Test - an oral or written examination comprising questions, exercises, and/or problems that measure the skill, knowledge, capacity, or aptitude of an individual or group; may or may not include an answer key
• Dataset - visual, factual, or numerical information that comes from a sensing device, whether instrument-measured or human-observed; describes both unprocessed, "raw" information as well as information already organized into lists, tables, or databases
• Database - information held electronically and organized for rapid search and retrieval by a computer
• List/Table - factual or numerical information arranged for ready reference and interpretation by users
• Observed Data - visual, factual or numerical information generated from human observations or in-situ instrument measurements
• Remotely Sensed Data - imagery generated from measuring devices that are not in direct contact with the medium they are measuring (use for: radar or satellite imagery)
• Trial - one of a number of repetitions of an experiment
• Event - a non-persistent, time-based occurrence [Dublin Core]
• Award/Recognition/Scholarship - monetary or honorary acknowledgement bestowed for merit, research, performance, study, writing, or other professional/educational endeavors (includes honorarium or stipends)
• Broadcast - media presentation (audio, video and/or text) prepared and intended for a wide or specific audience, often with limited or controlled audience participation, occurring on a certain date and often archived for later use; may lose relevancy over time (use for: concert webcast, podcast, newscast, or talk show)
• Call for Participation - time-sensitive invitation for contribution, involvement or input on a product, event, or project (use for: call for papers, call for input, testing, feedback, formative evaluations, or collaborations)
• Conference - physical or virtual meeting of broad or tightly focused appeal targeted for a specific academic and/or professional community and typically sponsored
• Exhibit - a non-permanent display of artifacts, images, or resources organized around a particular theme or topic
• Learning/Research Opportunity - activity whose primary object is professional/academic development and practical research experience; may or may not include a stipend or honorarium (use for: field project, course, internship, mentoring, tutoring, exchange, or college credit opportunity)
• Job - position for which participants receive remuneration (pay for work done but not a stipend or honorarium) (use for: postdoc, internship, fellowship, assistantship, or research associateship)
• News - general information or announcement that loses its immediate relevancy after a short time (use for: newsletter, press release)
• Workshop - short-term meeting or interaction, typically with a well-defined outcome like professional-skills development
• Instructional Material - resource or learning object intended to facilitate teaching or enable learning
• Activity - non-laboratory material designed to stimulate learning and help students develop particular skills, specific knowledge, or reflexive habits of mind
• Annotation - a comment, review, graphic, question, tip, or link associated with an existing resource and providing further explanation, expansion, and/or reaction
• Case Study - resource offering intensive analysis of discrete, or a combination of, peoples, locations, environments, objects, time periods, or concepts
• Course - a set of teaching materials (generally for instructors) or learning materials (generally for students) intended to achieve a range of objectives over an extended period of time
• Curriculum - a program of study which may or may not include assessment material
• Demonstration - a resource that exposes the nature and requirements of a procedure, process, or principle by manipulating real objects (term is distinct from Simulation in that demonstrations have real objects in them as opposed to representations)
• Experiment/Lab Activity - a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact [Compact Oxford English Dictionary]
• Field Trip - excursion to a place to gain firsthand information, knowledge, or experience (use for: descriptions or plans for field trips, virtual field trips)
• Game - an interactive environment in which participants compete, strategize, play, role-play, troubleshoot, or make decisions in order to learn a subject or skill
• Instructional Strategy - a guideline, pedagogical description, or tip for effective teaching and learning
• Instructor Guide/Manual - resource for teachers regarding the use of learning materials with respect to educational objectives, classroom management, materials development, assessment, and additional reference material
• Interactive Simulation - a representation of a system, process or environment where learners control and manipulate variables or other objects to affect outcomes (use for: applet, mathlet)
• Lecture/Presentation - audio or text record of a speech or a unit of instruction organized and delivered by an instructor for the purpose of informing a group about a topic
• Lesson/Lesson Plan - resource to support students' learning of specific concepts, skills, or content; often includes teaching instructions, educational goals, learning objectives, and procedures
• Model - a mathematical or physical construct intended to study or represent a real-world system or phenomenon
• Problem Set - series of tasks or questions posed to the student, as in homework or other assignment (use for: worksheet)
• Project - individual or group activity or problem that supplements and applies classroom studies and often results in a product
• Simulation - imitative representation of a system, process, photo, setting, or principle (note that the imitative nature of Simulation distinguishes it from a Demonstration, which employs real objects)
• Student Guide - resource for learners to help facilitate learning and comprehension of subject matter content (use for: lab manual, study guide, workbook)
• Syllabus - plan showing the structure of a particular course, including course description and objectives, grading policy, materials, assignments, lesson sequence, and course calendar [iLumina]
• Textbook - resource providing comprehensive materials for specific topics (use for: chapters or other typical book components) [ENC]
• Tutorial - resource that provides guided information about a specific subject
• Unit of Instruction - a set of teaching materials, generally for instructors, or alternatively learning materials, generally for students, intended to achieve specific and focused objectives over a limited period of time such that units often constitute a Course
• Reference Material - specialized information intended to be used as an authoritative source or to stimulate topical research
• Abstract - condensed version or summary of a larger piece of work outlining major points and conclusions [DLESE]
• Article - generally nonfiction writing communicating ideas, concepts, results, or facts; often, but not always, part of a monograph, journal, magazine, or newspaper (use for: essays, information sheets, pamphlets, brochures, preprints)
• Bibliography - a list, often with descriptive or critical notes, of writings relating to a particular subject, period or author [Merriam-Webster Online]
• Career Information - resource describing specific science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) information and/or insight into STEM careers and requisite skills (use for: camps, internship programs, or informational programs which inform and support individuals interested in pursuing STEM careers)
• Classification Key - resource providing guidelines or methods for identifying, sorting, or categorizing objects (use for: cloud chart, soil chart, taxonomic keys)
• Educational Standard - level of achievement to which learners or educators are expected to aspire
• FAQ - frequently asked questions about a topic, organization, or event that are intended to help users
• Fiction - narrative or verse describing imaginary events, people, or objects (use for: prose literature, novels, poems)
• Glossary/Index - a compiled or alphabetical list of words relating to a specific subject, situation, text, or dialect that variously include definitions, explanations, page references, or descriptions (use for: dictionary, table of contents)
• Outline - set of preliminary ideas and thoughts, generally in a list-like format, about a project, paper, or other endeavor
• Nonfiction Reference - writing describing facts, places, events, and things but not including instructional activities (use for: books, websites)
• Periodical - materials in any medium issued under the same title with discrete parts or articles, appearing at regular or irregular intervals; may or may not describe materials with peer review (use for: journal, peer-reviewed journal, magazine, serial)
• Policy - document containing statements or series of steps for a particular way of accomplishing a goal [DLESE]
• Proceedings - collection of papers or abstracts presented at a specific meeting or event with defined outcomes
• Proposal - a formal document detailing an intended or future project, recommendation, plan, or idea
• Report - detailed account or statement, often outlining the results or events of a meeting, endeavor, activity, topic, issue, or study (use for: review, evaluation, monograph)
• Scientific Standard - information regarding physical constants, units of measurement, expressing uncertainty of measurement, conversion factors, and equations
• Specimen - an object from the natural world that is intended for study (use for: rock sample, lab sample, cultures, insect)
• Thesis/Dissertation - research text written in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an academic degree (typically postgraduate)
• Community - a resource that facilitates communications and interactions
• Ask-an-Expert - resource affording the ability to submit questions to a responsive individual or group possessed with specific expertise in the area of interest
• Forum - meeting or medium (synchronous/asynchronous) enabling the exchange of views (use for: message board, chat)
• Listserv - email-based communication that is usually topic-focused and distributed to a member-based group of individuals via a single email address and including the archive of the email list
• Weblog - a web-based publication consisting primarily of articles or entries, written by one person or a group
• Wiki - website that allows visitors to add, remove, edit, link, and change content, typically without the need for registration
• Tool - physical hardware or computer software that facilitates interacting with a resource or accomplishing a task
• Code - set of computer instructions or scripts that enhance a resource; generally does not stand alone
• Equipment - physical device or implement needed to interact with a resource
• Form - formatted document containing blank fields that users populate with data (use for: calculator, online survey form)
• Numerical Model - set of computer instructions intended to operate on a Dataset in order to understand the natural world by predicting current, past, or future situations given a set of initial conditions
• Search Engine - mechanism by which the web or a sub-component thereof is searched, prompted by a specific query entered by a user
• Software - stand-alone tool that provides access, interaction, and the ability to run resources; it does not enhance another piece of software and it is distinct from Numerical Model (use for: data analysis tools, content creation tools)
• Audio/Visual - representations other than text [Dublin Core]
• Graph - visual representation of data with the purpose of providing meaning to the data (use for: pie charts, line graphs)
• Illustration - visual material used to clarify or annotate pieces of text (use for: drawing, diagram)
• Image/Image Set - visual material that is not in motion and is not intended to annotate pieces of text (use for: poster, digital image of a painting or print)
• Map - representation of physical features or data of a discrete area, often done on a flat surface at a point in time (use for: topographic map, soil map, road map, bedrock map, or atlas)
• Movie/Animation - in-motion, dynamic, audio/visual material played in a linear fashion and often not related to a specific date in time (use for: webcast about a science concept, podcast); (see Broadcast for concert, performance, newscast)
• Music - vocal, instrumental, electronically-produced, or mechanical sound featuring rhythm, melody and/or harmony
• Photograph - image produced by radiant energy, especially visible light (use for: photo, digital camera, or computer generated photograph, slide)
• Sound - non-musical, non-vocal, recorded auditory material (use for: natural world, mechanical, noise, tones)
• Voice Recording - recorded material that tends to be descriptive in nature; may or may not be drawn from written texts (use for: audio book, oral history, interview, podcast.

Image showing the hierarchy of the NSDL Type controlled vocabulary

Mimetype (dc:format)

Things to do

• This is a required field with a controlled vocabulary.
• Check all appropriate terms.
• Mime types describe the technical features of the resource and can assist in resource discovery as well as indicate how a resource can be displayed, accessed and what is needed by the user to make it work properly.
• Select the dominant mime types that apply to the resource. For example a web site that is comprised of HTML, GIFs and JPEGs.
• Try to be as specific as possible.
• If selecting lower-level terms, such as text/html, include the hierarchy of terms above. This would include Text.
• If a resource needs or uses a helper application, include the mime type for the needed application, audio, image, text or video that are downloadable or viewable from the resource.

Examples

• application/msword: any Microsoft Word document.
• application/pdf: any pdf document that requires a pdf reader (e.g. Acrobat).
• text:/html: a generic web page.
• image/jpeg: a jpg image like this satellite image showing the coast of China.
• audio/x-wav: audio files with a file extension of .wav.

Unable to Determine an Appropriate Mime Type? Do this:

• In your browser, right click with your mouse on the resource. Then select 'properties' if it is available to you. Then look at the type field. This will often indicate the mime type.
• Otherwise, select the Text term as the default mime type.

Terms

• application
• application/ms-excel
• application/mspowerpoint
• application/msword
• application/pdf
• application/postscript
• application/x-director
• application/x-java applet
• application/x-shockwave-flash
• audio
• audio/basic
• audio/mpeg
• audio/quicktime
• audio/x-aiff
• audio/x-midi
• audio/x-pn-realaudio
• audio/x-wav
• image
• image/gif
• image/jpeg
• image/png
• image/tiff
• model
• model/vrml
• text
• text/html
• text/plain
• text/richtext
• text/xml
• video
• video/avi
• video/mpeg
• video/quicktime
• video/realvideo
• video/shockwave
• video/x-ms-wmv
• video/x-pn-realvideo-plugin

Subject (dc:subject)

Things to do

• Math subject is required and uses a controlled vocabulary.
• Use this field to describe what the resource is about - not what it is.
• Be as specific as possible, but only assign terms that describe at least 1/3 of the content of the resource.
• If selecting lower-level terms, such as Linear, include the hierarchy of terms above. This would include Equations and Algebra.
• In order to help complete this field, be sure to read the equivalent and related terms and scope notes below.
• If no term fits or accurately describes the resource, use the keyword metadata field to enter your own terms. But remember that at least one science, math or educational subject term must be selected.

Equivalent and/or Related Terms

• Algebra:Abstract algebra: groups, rings, fields, ideals.
• Algebra:Algebraic manipulation: expressions.
• Algebra:Equations:Linear: slope.
• Algebra:Graphing techniques: Graphing utilities.
• Algebra:Linear algebra:Linear programming: optimization.
• Algebra:Linear algebra:Matrices: matrix, matrix algebra.
• --------------------
• Calculus:Multivariate: fourier series.
• Geometry:Analytic geometry:Cartesian coordinates: Cartesian plane.
• Geometry:Plane geometry: Euclidean geometry.
• Geometry:Plane geometry:Scale: proportional.
• Logic and foundations:Sets and set operations: set theory.
• --------------------
• Measurement:Angle measure: angular measurement.
• Measurement:Length: distance.
• Measurement:Rate: speed.
• Measurement:Scale: scale drawing.
• Measurement:Systems of measurement: units of measurement.
• Measurement:Systems of measurement:English: standard units, customary units.
• Measurement:Temperature: Celsius, Fahrenheit.
• Measurement:Time: calendar.
• --------------------
• Number and operations: computation.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Composition and decomposition of numbers: expanded form
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Counting: skip counting.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Exponents: powers.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Factors: greatest common factor, least common multiple.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Fractions: mixed numbers.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Operations: computation.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Operations:Properties of operations: associative, commutative, distributive, equality, transitive.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Percent: percentage.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Place value: number bases.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Ratio and proportion: proportional.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Roots: cube roots, square roots.
• --------------------
• Number and operations:Number concepts:Complex numbers: imaginary numbers.
• Number and operations:Number concepts:Famous numbers:Golden ratio: Golden mean.
• Number and operations:Number concepts:Integers: negative numbers, positive numbers.
• Number and operations:Number concepts:Whole numbers: counting numbers.
• Number and operations:Patterns and sequences:Number patterns: Pascal's triangle.
• --------------------
• Process skills:Representation:Modeling: spatial representations, models.
• Process skills:Representation:Visual representation: graphic representation.
• Real world applications:Cartography and surveying: triangulation.
• Real world applications:Consumer mathematics: finance, interest.
• --------------------
• Statistics:Data analysis: statistical analysis.
• Statistics:Data analysis:Bayesian statistics: Bayes' theorem.
• Statistics:Data analysis:Data distribution: range.
• Statistics:Data analysis:Hypothesis tests: significance testing.
• Statistics:Data analysis:Mean, median, and mode: measures of central tendency.
• Statistics:Data analysis:Regression and correlation: linear regression.
• Statistics:Data analysis:Standard deviation: measures of spread.
• Statistics:Data collection:Experimental design: bias.
• Topology: knots.
• Trigonometry:Trigonometric functions: periodic functions.

Scope Notes

• Algebra:Abstract algebra: usually used for resources beyond K-12.
• Algebra:Algebraic manipulation: appropriate for working with algebraic expressions.
• Algebra:Equations: use when resource is about solving equations or graphing equations. Appropriate for first algebra course.
• Algebra:Functions: use when resources focus on the meaning of function. Usually appropriate for precalculus work.
• Algebra:Graphing techniques: techniques capable of producing animated graphing sequences based on mathematical formulas.
• Algebra:Linear algebra:Linear programming: encompasses optimizing a function under fixed constraints.
• --------------------
• Calculus:Functions: use when a resource is designed to build understanding of functions in the context of continuity, limits, and differentiation.
• Discrete mathematics:Game theory: method for analyzing situations of strategic interaction between competing agents or parties, where an agent's payoff from competition is affected not only by its own actions but also by the actions of its competitors.
• --------------------
• Geometry:Plane geometry:Circles: assign when the resource builds understanding about equations of circles and their algebraic properties.
• Geometry:Fractal geometry: assign for fractal resources that may explain self-similarity or the generation of a fractal image and the related mathematics.
• Geometry:Plane geometry: if resource focuses on quantitative, use Measurement.
• Geometry:Plane geometry:Circles: if resource focuses on circumference and area of circles, use Measurement:Area:Area of circles.
• Geometry:Plane geometry:Polygons: if resource focuses on area and perimeter, use Measurement:Area:Area of polygons.
• Geometry:Plane geometry:Quadrilaterals: for area and perimeter, use Measurement.
• Geometry:Plane geometry:Scale: use when the resource is about enlarging or shrinking a shape.
• Geometry:Plane geometry:Transformations: substitution of one mathematical configuration or expression by another in accord with a mathematical rule.
• Geometry:Plane geometry:Triangles: assign for resources about triangle theorems. For area and perimeter of triangles, use Measurement:Area.
• --------------------
• Mathematics history:Early number systems: assign for specific cultural number systems with unusual notation or counting systems other than base ten.
• Measurement: process of obtaining a numerical description of the extent to which persons, organizations, or things possess specified characteristics.
• Measurement:Systems of measurement:Nonstandard: nonstandard units may include paperclips, unifix cubes, finger length, etc.
• Measurement:Time: assign to resources about topics such as telling time, elapsed time, reading a calendar, or reading a schedule.
• --------------------
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Factors: assign when working with numbers, not when working with expressions or equations.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Number sense: assign to resources about the development of early math skills such as recognizing groups of objects, matching names and numerals, or developing the concept of one-to-one correspondence.
• Number and operations:Arithmetic:Operations: assign for a discussion of operations with any subset of the real numbers not specific to decimals or fractions.
• Number and operations:Number concepts:Rational numbers: assign when resource discusses fractions, repeating or terminating decimals, and integers as part of one set.
• Number and operations:Patterns and sequences:Arithmetic sequence: a sequence with a constant common difference between terms.
• Number and operations:Patterns and sequences:Geometric sequence: a number sequence with a nonzero constant ratio between terms.
• Number and operations:Patterns and sequences:Number patterns: can be assigned to patterns arranged spatially such as magic squares.
• --------------------
• Number theory: includes the study of algebraic and transcendental numbers.
• Number theory:Cryptography: the study or analysis of codes and coding methods.
• Number theory:Primes: assign to resources with information about prime numbers such as types, theories, patterns, etc.
• Probability:Distributions: tables or graphs of observed, predicted, or theoretical data indicating either the probability or the number of instances to be found along successive intervals of an ordered scale -- also, the mathematical functions of distributions.
• --------------------
• Process skills: broadly transferable intellectual skills, appropriate to all scientific endeavors -- includes basic process skills (e.g., observing, inferring, measuring, communicating, classifying, predicting, using time-space relations, using numbers) and integrated process skills (e.g., controlling variables, defining operationally, formulating hypotheses, interpreting data, experimenting, formulating models).
• Process skills:Algorithms: use when resource addresses the use or development of algorithms.
• Process skills:Connections: resources that may demonstrate connections within different fields of mathematics or to subjects outside of math.
• Process skills:Estimation: the act or method of calculating or estimating through the use of number operations and/or other mathematical processes.
• Process skills:Problem solving:Word problems: mathematical problems expressed in narrative form -- answered by conversion of the circumstances to equivalent computations or equations, which can be solved arithmetically, algebraically, or with symbolic logic.
• Process skills:Reasoning: interrelated, generally "higher-order" cognitive skills that enable human beings to comprehend experiences and information, apply knowledge, express complex concepts, make decisions, criticize and revise unsuitable constructs, and solve problems -- used frequently for a cognitive approach to learning that views explicit "thinking skills" at the teachable level.
• Process skills:Representation: can be applied to both processes and products.
• Process skills:Spatial sense: assign when a resource supports developing understanding of relationships in either two or three dimensions.
• Process skills:Visualization: assign when a resource supports the understanding of an abstraction through the use of an image.
• --------------------
• Real world applications:Mathematics for social science: this includes the fields of psychology, sociology, and political science.
• Real world applications:Mathematics for the physical science: includes the fields of chemistry and physics.
• Statistics: branch of mathematics dealing with collections of quantitative data.
• Statistics:Data analysis: preparation of factual information items for dissemination or further treatment (includes compiling, verifying, ordering, classifying, and interpreting).
• Statistics:Data analysis:Bayesian statistics: procedures that combine data from new observations with prior observations or estimates to derive new and more precise estimates.
• Statistics:Data collection:Experimental design: the underlying plan or organization of a research project or study that determines its scope and approach -- also, the process of planning and organizing research activities.
• Statistics:Data collection:Sampling and surveys: selecting a representative part of a population to draw inferences about the characteristics of the whole population.
• Topology: study of the properties of geometric forms that remain constant under such transformations as bending or stretching.

Link to Controlled Vocab

Image showing the hierarchy of the MSP2 math subject vocabulary

Date (dc:date)

Things to do

• This is a required field.
• Do repeat this field.
• Choose the date published, created, posted or launched as entered on the resource. This is not necessarily the date of the intellectual property of the resource but generally the date it became available (online).
• Choose a date for the resource taken from the parent site or homepage or taken from a sibling site.
• Enter date in the year-month-day format like: YYYY or YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD (e.g. 2004-12-27).
• A year may be used if that is all that is known.

Things to avoid

• Do not enter days of the week.
• Do not enter just months or days.
• Do not enter dates like: June 1, 2003.

Examples

• Year: 2004
• Year and month: 2004-12.
• Year, month and day: 2004-12-27.
• Year, month, day and time: 2004-12-27T18:00Z.

No Date? Do this:

• If feasible, e-mail the webmaster or web contact person for a usable date. Allow 48 hours for response. After 48 hours, determine the best date from the other best practices about date.
• Estimate the date from the content of site.
• Use current date (year only) if the date cannot be determined.

Collection of Origin (new field - need to decide name of field)

Things to do

• This is a required field.
• Repeat until all collections have been represented.

Terms

See the controlled vocab.

Audience (dct:audience), Education Level (dct:educationLevel) and Standard (conformsTo)

• Do not complete these fields at this time.

Publisher (dc:publisher) and Creator (dc:creator)

Things to do

• Complete either publisher or creator or both.At least one is required.
• Contributors may be people or organizations.
• Enter as many fields as the resource requires, using a new field entry for each.
• Enter multiple authors in their order of importance.
• If unable to determine importance, enter multiple authors in the order given in the resource.

No Apparent Creator? Do this:

• If the resource is part of an organizational site, complete dc:publisher and enter the name of the organization.

Creator

• The person, organization, service or entity primarily responsible for creating or developing the intellectual content of the resource (not the presentation).
• To find authors in the resource, check under Credits, About, Contact, or a copyright statement for pertinent information regarding authorship.
• It is possible and acceptable that an author and a publisher may be the same person or entity.

Publisher

• A person or organization responsible for making the resource available in its current form.
• These include a publishing house, a university department, or a corporate entity, host site, base domain or distributor.
• Use this role for the agency responsible for making the information available in its present form, not for the presentation or site maintenance (i.e. not the webmaster or web page designer).

Language (dc:language)

Things to do

• This is a required field.
• Complete using the RFC3066 codes.

Rights (dc:rights)

Things to do

• This is an optional field.
• Repeat the field as necessary.
• Use this field only if such information can be determined and if it provides benefit in the discovery and use of the resource.
• Describe copyright, intellectual property rights and terms of use. If appropriate, include a URL in the URL field as well.
• Describe how a resource may be used or re-used. If appropriate, include a URL in the URL field as well.
• Describe how a resource may be accessed. If appropriate, include a URL in the URL field as well.
• When writing a copyright statement, be sure to include the year, legal entity (person or organization) and replace the copyright symbol with the word 'copyright'. See examples below.
• Replace trademark symbols with the word 'trademark'.
• When entering a URL, please complete the field like this: <dc:rights xsi:type="dct:URI">http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/xxx</dc:rights>

Things to avoid

• Do not use the dct:rightHolder or dct:license fields because these do not exist in the final metadata format.
• Do not use quotation marks or enclose the rights statements in parentheses.

Examples

• Copyright (c) 2006 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR).
• This resource may be re-used for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Please credit NASA.
• Privacy policy: http://www.dlese.org/documents/policy/DLESE_IP_approved.php
• Terms of use: http://www.dlese.org/documents/policy/terms_use_full.php

Accesss Rights (dct:accessRights)

Term and definitions

• Available by subscription - the right to view and/or download material, often for a set period of time, by way of a financial agreement between rights holders and authorized users
• Available for purchase - the right to view, keep, and/or download material upon payment of a one-time fee
• Free access - the right to view and/or download material without financial, registration, or excessive advertising barriers
• Free access with registration - the right to view and/or download material without financial barriers but users are required to register or experience some other low-barrier to use
• Limited free access - some material is available for viewing and/or downloading but most material tends to be accessible through other means

Things to do

• This field is optional.
• This field can be repeated but do so carefully.
• The intent is to provide a general (broad-brush) understanding of a resource's availability or accessibility.
• Determine if providing such information about a resource is beneficial to use and discovery of the resource.
• Then complete this field only if such information can be determined. Otherwise, do no use this field.
• If using one of the controlled vocabulary terms is not appropriate or to provide further textual explanations, enter free text in the dc:rights field.
• When choosing multiple terms, be sure they are not in conflict with each. That is, it can be appropriate to use the term Limited free access with Available for purchase but you may need to provide more explanation in the dc:rights field.
• The term Limited free access can be used in combination with Available by subscription or Available for purchase when there are chunks of materials that are freely available.
• If a concise statement regarding access rights is available via URL, complete the dc:rights field with a URL

Things to avoid

• Do not describe how a resource may be used or re-used. Use the dc:rights fields instead to describe property rights associated with the use and re-use of a resource, including intellectual property rights.

Examples

• Available for purchase: use for membership access or buying of material.
• Available by subscription: use for course access by students, individual subscriptions, institutional subscriptions, subscriptions with a free trial or pay-per-views.
• If free access is limited to specific groups, such a members of a professional association or the affiliates of a university or other institution, use Available by subscription or Available for purchase, as appropriate.
• Free access with registration: use if a resource requires users to log-in or register but otherwise offers total unfettered access.
• Limited free access: use for free trial material or a site that includes an area of free accessible content.

Other Examples

• Below are specific examples for different types of content and websites.
• The examples indicate the access term to use and a possible free text description to include in the rights field.
• The examples may include a description to describe the nature of the resource in order to understand the access term assigned.

Rock sample kit

• Include a free text description in the rights field: Accessible after placing an on order online.
• Use the term: Available for purchase.

Native American resource

• Include a free text description in the rights field: Accessible during the summer season.

BioOne

• Limited free content
• Available by subscription
• Link to: BioOne.

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment

• Available by subscription
• Link to: Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment.

Alice

• Alice is a an interactive 3D programming language.
• Free access
• Link to: Alice.

teachers' domain

• teachers' domain is a site of multimedia resources for the classroom and professional development.
• Free access with registration.
• Link to: teachers' domain.

ExploreLearning

• Available for purchase
• Limited free content
• Link to: ExploreLearning.

MicrobeLibrary.org

• Available for purchase
• Limited free content
• Link to: MicrobeLibrary.org.

Elsevier

• Elsevier is a publisher of science and technology books.
• Available for purchase
• Link to: Elsevier.

Professional society content

• Available for purchase
• Access is available depending on membership level.

A Content Review System

• Available by subscription
• Access only available to administrators and editors.