Describing, Instantiating and Evaluating a Reference Architecture: A Case Study

The result of a domain maturing is the emergence of reference architectures that offer numerous advantages to software architects and other stakeholders. However there is no straightforward way to describe a reference architecture and in sequence to design instances for specific systems, while at the same time assuring the quality of the end product. This paper presents an approach of describing a reference architecture, instantiating it into a software architecture by making implementation decisions and evaluating it with respect to quality attributes. A case study for the approach is drawn from the domain of Learning Management Systems which is maturing and would greatly benefit from a reference architecture. This work is based upon the IEEE standard for architectural description, on well-established software engineering practices, and on the empirical results of designing, developing and evaluating Learning Management Systems.