The primary purpose of ISO/IEC 19788 is to specify metadata elements and their attributes for the description of learning resources. This includes the rules governing the identification of data elements and the specification of their attributes.
ISO/IEC 19788-1:2011 provides data elements for the description of learning resources and resources directly related to learning resources.
ISO/IEC 19788-1:2011 provides principles, rules and structures for the specification of the description of a learning resource; it identifies and specifies the attributes of a data element as well as the rules governing their use. The key principles stated in ISO/IEC 19788-1:2011 are informed by a user requirements-driven context with the aim of supporting multilingual and cultural adaptability requirements from a global perspective.
ISO/IEC 19788-1:2011 is information-technology-neutral and defines a set of common approaches, i.e. methodologies and constructs, which apply to the development of the subsequent parts of ISO/IEC 19788.