This Standard is a multi-part standard that specifies Learning Object Metadata. This Part specifies a conceptual data schema that defines the structure of a metadata instance for a learning object. For this Standard, a learning object is defined as any entity--digital or non-digital-- that may be used for learning, education or training. For this Standard, a metadata instance for a learning object describes relevant characteristics of the learning object to which it applies. Such characteristics may be grouped in general, life cycle, meta-metadata, educational, technical, educational, rights, relation, annotation, and classification categories. The conceptual data schema specified in this part permits linguistic diversity of both learning objects and the metadata instances that describe them. This conceptual data schema specifies the data elements which compose a metadata instance for a learning object. This Part is intended to be referenced by other standards that define the implementation descriptions of the data schema so that a metadata instance for a learning object can be used by a learning technology system to manage, locate, evaluate or exchange learning objects. This Part of this Standard does not define how a learning technology system represents or uses a metadata instance for a learning object.