Re: [school-discuss] Static vs dynamic EduML

[vernier@vc.bc.ca (Bruno Vernier)]

On Mon, Feb 11, 2002 at 09:53:57AM +0100, Dominique Broeglin wrote:

> 	Maybe the XML namespaces could be used ? The way the openoffice format
> was build is very intersting (http://www.openoffice.org). They used a
> lot of the existing W3C schemas and assembled them in different
> namespaces (SVG, MathML, HTML, FO, etc...)

Thanks Dom: that is exactly what I am thinking of for Eduml. 
But since W3C does not have any Schemas for Education Interopability, we are
forced to either:

1. look at the Commercial "open" standards which we can slightly
modify to fit our "opensource/freedom" culture. (which is doable now)

2. Make our own standard and submit to W3C for adoption (which is no small feat)

> 	Also, why sould we adapt other formats ? As long as they are open
> formats I think we should just use them in the definition of EduML. This
> would considerably lower the cost of writing the applications because a
> lot of open tools already exist for those formats.

which is why I now favor option 1 above. (after having spent considerable
time with option 2 in 98-99)
 
> 	I'm very favorable to Xiao Gang proposition to integrate dynamic
> exercises. But the different attemps to mix code with XML that I've
> already seen are not very encouraging. Maybe, the definition of the
> exercies representation could be a fist step. And then, add the
> definition of an exercise generator format. That format would certainly
> be far more domain specific (you do not generate/correct an algebra
> exercise the same way you correct a chemical one or an algorithmic
> exercise). But the way you represent an exercise is always the same
> (with some minor changes). Maybe it could be a good first step.

With WIMS (Xiao Gang's wonderful online Math server), because it is open
source, people with linux and net access need only install it locally to 
benefit from the exercises in his OEF format.  If someone wants to integrate
the trigonometry exercise in their own math 12 course using a different
online management system, they can currently link to a WIMS server which
works but then the results (marks) need to be re-integrated back into the
main online management system.  Also, one loses the unified look and feel
since WIMS has a specific "skin" which makes students feel like they left
their school to go to another one, and rewriting the skin is not likely to
be an easy proposition. (Eduml would be the XML format for transferring the
score results back)

If instead a WIMS server exported pre-cooked randomized math exercises
with RPC (remote procedure call), then the management of marks
and scoring methods would devolve to the local online management tool, while
not re-inventing Xiao Gang's wonderful wheel ... the part that generates
dynamic math exercises, together with the answer.  

Now all we need is a driver (an RPC call, a CGI-BIN URL if you wish, let's
say http://wims.unice.fr/oefdriver?item=trig2 which calls for a randomized rendering 
of exercise trig2 and its answer (if it is static, otherwise another RPC
call will be needed for the answer given the student's response as input:
http://wims.unice.fr/oefdriver2?item=trig2&response=b)

The results from calling those URLs would be (Eduml) XML and so a driver for
dealing with those XML responses for each different online management course
system.

I hope that providing these semi-concrete examples is useful to you all.

Bruno