Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic Learning Objects

Abelardo PardoAbelardo Pardo, , Gradient LaboratoryGradient Laboratory

University Carlos III of Madrid, SpainUniversity Carlos III of Madrid, Spain

AdagioAgile and Distributed Authoring of

Generic LearnIng Objects

www.slideshare.net/abelardo_pardowww.slideshare.net/abelardo_pardo

Current Status

• Migrated to Python implementation

• Documentation lagging behind

• Major code reorg to package sw.

• Help!

3Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

The scenario• Course material is extremely

important• Coherent, well organized, easy

to modify• Created collaboratively• Difficult to coordinate• Tendency to create “Isolated

Silos”• Difficult to reuse• Potential for automation

4Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

The problem

• LMS = Forum

• Large number of learning objects

• Increasingly heterogeneous nature

• Course “enactment” getting more complicated when moving to active learning

5Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

The proposed solution

• Leave the low level object creation in the hands of the author.

• Automate the combination of low-level units to obtain the final material

• Offer a truly collaboratively environment

• Lower the threshold for adoption as much as possible

6Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

What could be automated?• Upload material to its final

destination.• Produce PDF from your

slides• Produce PDF from your

course notes in Word.•

7Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

Adagio: Rules in your directory

• Text file Properties.dgo

[office2pdf]

files = ModeladoDeDatos_e?.doc

[export]

files = ModeladoDeDatos_e?.pdf

8Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

The “production chain”

• 1 directory = 1 production step

1.Call other dirs to obtain resources (Opt.)

2.Produce local resources

3.Select resources for export (Opt.)

9Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

Markup capabilities

• Markup = “forget about the style, focus on content”

• From WYSIWYG to FASFOC

• Text based documents that are processed

• Docbook selected• Better for high

complexity publication

10Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

Docbook processing rule

• Already existing XSL stylesheets

[xslt]

files = index.xml

styles = foo.xsl 

(languages = es,

output_format = html

src_dir = .

dst_dir = .

extra_arguments = 

11Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

Stylesheets extended

<chapter id="InstallVirtualBox">

  <title>

    <phrase lang="es">Instalación de la máquina virtual en tu ordenador personal</phrase>

    <phrase lang="en">Installing the virtual machine in your personal computer</phrase>

  </title>

  <para lang="es">Las instrucciones que se incluyen en este documento son para instalar el entorno de trabajo en tu ordenador personal, es decir, uno del que dispondrás regularmente para realizar los ejercicios de la asignatura. Si, por el contrario, utilizas los equipos de la universidad, estas instrucciones no sirven, pues estos equipos no te permitirán instalar las herramientas que se necesitan.</para>

  <para lang=”en”>The instructions included in this document are to install the working environment in your personal computer, that is,

12Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

13Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

• Manage material in two languages

• Maintain coherence

• Make sure the two versions are aligned with respect to changes

• Propagate changes quickly in the chain

• “Problem pattern”

14Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

Professor guide

• Mark section, note, paragraph with special attribute

• Create document with those elements “hidden” for students

• Create document for the instructor

15Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

Questions/Answers

• User Docbook markup for questions/answers

• Extend style sheets to render exams in HTML

• Include solutions conditionally

• Include historical data

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Dublin Core Metadata

• Automatic inclusion of several fields

– Author– Date– Topic– Description

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Collect informal feedback

• Include one element with the activity duration

• Include URL to send answer

• HTML includes form• Response is hidden as

well as form.

18Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

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Additional ideas

• Multimedia embedding• RSS generation• Embedded questions• ...

21Abelardo Pardo. Adagio: Agile and Distributed Authoring of Generic LearnIng Objects

Using templates

• Offer simple Docbook templates with initial markups

• Customize stylesheets to simplify processing

• Enhances coherence