1 Gerd Steinkamp: FuXML – A Content Authoring System Seminar on Advanced Technology for Lifelong...

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Gerd Steinkamp: FuXML – A Content Authoring SystemSeminar on Advanced Technology for Lifelong Open and Flexible Learning, Hagen 05-27-2005Hagen, 05-27-2005

Dipl.-Ing. Gerd Steinkamp

Seminar on Advanced Technology for Lifelong Open and Flexible Learning- Educational Research and Technology (ER&T)

FuXML – A Content Authoring System

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Gerd Steinkamp: FuXML – A Content Authoring SystemSeminar on Advanced Technology for Lifelong Open and Flexible Learning, Hagen 05-27-2005

Overview

• Problem description• Requirements• Solution• Typical workflow• Example• Prospective developments and current state

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Current Distance Teaching Approach

• Printed course material– Consists of course text, appendices, assignments, solutions– Structured into course units– Shipment by traditional mail

• On campus events– Seminars, tutorials, labs, etc.

• Multimedia– Videos, audio tapes, TV broadcast (WDR)– CDROMs (CBT)

• Elearning – „Virtual University“– Hypermedia

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Lessons Learned in the „Virtual University“

• Production of high quality hypermedia courses– is expensive and – requires a team of specially skilled people

• Students demand a printed version of a course

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Solution

• A Learning Content Management System, that

– can be operated with existing personal and financial ressources

– fits within the IT-infrastructure of the university

– is oriented at the special requirements of content creation and management at the FernUniversität

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Requirements (I)

• Simplification and standardisation

• Reduction of technical overhead

• Separation of contents and design

• Cross-media-publishing

– high quality print version (primary medium!)

• High flexibility

– but economical (1600 courses!)

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Requirements (II)

• Support of academic contents– Numbering

– Bibliographies

– Footnotes, marginal notes

– Mathematical expressions

• Didactical structuring– Two layers

• Logical content layer (Chapter, Section)

• Time layer (course units)

– Assignments

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Make or Buy?

• Several commercial products available

• Do these products fulfil the requirements of the FernUniversität?

• No!

• Furthermore:

– Purchase of a product is not enough

– Solution is an evolving and ongoing process

• Conclusion: own development

– FuXML

• Project team

– ZFE (Requirements, application experts)

– LGPI (Databases, CMS)

– LGKS (XML Publishing)

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Media-Concept

• Evolution of existing courses– Online digital course– Didactical markup

• Learning objective, prerequisites, example, exercise, hint, note, comment, etc.

– Linking of contents.– Utilisation of catalogues

• Index, glossary, list of abbriviations, etc.

– Integration of multimedia elements• Animations, videos, simulations,etc.

– Technical basis: XML

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FuXML Documents

• Mapping of the existing course structure– course unit, assignment, prerequisite, learning objective

• Editorial elements – Paragraphs, sections– Also visual markup (bold, italic)

• Didactical elements– example, hint, exercise

• Faculty-specific elements– e. g. law (case, adjudication), mathematics (theorem, proof,

etc.)

• Mathematical expressions– LaTeX syntax

• Diverse media objects– Images, animations, applets, videos, audio

• Support of modular contents

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System Overview

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XML Editor (XMetaL)

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Web Folder

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Web Interface

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Cross-Media-Publishing

Content

Print

Online

CD-ROM

techn.Production

LMS

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Production Component

Rule-based Rendering Engine

PDF HTMLDesign Interface

config.xml template.html styles.css

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Example: Multimediaobject in XML Editor

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Example: Multimedia Object in Browser

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Example: Multimedia Object in PDF

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Prospective Further Developments

• Open Source

• Support of SCORM

• Output to Mobile Devices

• Support of MathML

• LaTeX to XML– Hermes Project: http://alphaserv3.aei.mpg.de/hermes/

• Inclusion of interactive exercises (QTI)

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Summary and Current State

• Properties

– High quality output

– High flexibility

– Good extensibility

– But, relatively high complexity

• Several courses from different departments– Electrical Engineering, Cultural and Social Sciences, Law,

Computer Science, Economics

• System deployed and operated in computer centre

• Public launch: end of july

1 Gerd Steinkamp: FuXML – A Content Authoring System Seminar on Advanced Technology for Lifelong...

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