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EDUML v0.3



EDUML (XML) v0.3 (dec 10 1998)
------------------------------

I chose not to be fancy nor particularly politically correct (in exchange
for brevity; for example "test" instead of "assessment") with the tags. I am
keenly aware that there is educational stuff going on that need not and does
not want to be monitored, assessed or otherwise recorded in databases. EDUML
is only for those activities needing/wanting some sort of certification,
validation or simply being kept track of.

<edu:school id="unique-school-id-code, can be a home">
 <name> Formal School Name </name>
 <snail> post office address goes here </snail>
 <fax> fax number </fax>
 <phone> phone number </phone>
 <email> postmaster@school </email>
 <uri> website for the school </uri>

 <learner id="unique-learner-id-in-this-school">
  <given> Formal Given Name </given>
  <alias> Informal Aliases </alias>
  <middle> middle names </middle>
  <family> Family Name </family>
  <email> learner@email </email>
  <snail> post office address goes here </snail>
  <uri> URL of portfolio webpage </uri>
  <style> learning style and preferences keywords </style>
  <phone> phone number </phone>
  <fax> fax number </fax> 
  <course id="unique-course-id-at-this-school"> 
    <start> date learner started this course </start>
    <attend id="particular date of attendance"> 
      <status> absent, present, late, sick ... </status>
      <comment> anecdote about this session </comment> 
      <duration> time spent during session </duration>
      <lesson id="issuer:unique lesson identifier">
        <comment> anecdote about this lesson </comment>
	</lesson>
      <test id="issuer:unique assessment identifier">
        <scale> performance coding system used </scale>
	<score> performance code </score>
	<marker> marker's id </marker>
        <comment> anecdote about this assessment </comment>
        </test>
      </attend>
    <end> date course ends </end>
    </course>
  </learner>

 <course id="unique course-id">
  <name> Course Name </name>
  <mentor> teacher, instructor, mentor unique id </mentor>
  <room> room, or virtual room where learners meet </room>
  <email> course mailing list (if any) </email>
  <subscribe> email subscription address </subscribe>
  </course>  

 <room id="unique room id">
  <label> label or name </label>
  <location> description of location </location>
  <schedule> 
    <course id="unique course-id"> time slot </course>
    </schedule>
  </room>

</edu:school>

<--! assessment -------------------------------------------------->

<edu:issuer id="bruno">
  <email> issuer's email </email>
  <snail> issuer's address </snail>
  <name> issuer's formal name </name>
  <uri> issuer's website </uri>
  <plo id="unique id for this issuer's prescribed learning outcome">
    <plo id="issuer:unique id"> prerequisite or composite </plo>
    <name> formal description for this PLO </name>
    <alias> historical plo aliases for smooth transitions </alias>
    <test id="unique assessment id (marked activity)">
      <item type="mult. choice, short ans., mathching, t/f, assign, lab, ..."> 
        <style> learning style + preferences keywords </style>
	<listref> URI for reference list </listref>
	<list> actual list typed in here </list>
        <script id="unique prog. language id" library="URI for library">
	   question + instructions + loads reference lists; 
	   randomize as much as possible based on lists;
	   code snippet that displays question, accepts input,
	   checks answer + scale matrix, provides score.
    	  </script>
        </item>
      </test>
    <lesson id="unique lesson id (un-marked activity)">
      <item type="self-assignment, reading, self-lab, etc... >
        <style> learning style code </style>
	<script id="unique prog. language" library="URI for library">
	  code snippet for interactive lesson, or browser call or
	  just a plain paragraph that says "read p.310 of textbook"
	  </script>
        </item>    
      </lesson>
    </plo>    
  </edu:issuer>
  
<--! library catalog --------------------------------------------->

<edu:item id="resource-id">
  <title>resource title</title>
  <author> author 1 </author>
  <author> author 2 </author>
  <subtitle> section 1 </subtitle>
  <subtitle> section 2 </subtitle>
  <dewey> dewey code </dewey>
  <date> date </date>
  <cost> $ </cost>
  <isbn> 123456789 </isbn>
  <pub> publisher </pub>
  <notes> notes </notes>
  <loan>
    <learner> learner-id from edu:school data </learner>
    <start> date </start>
    <duration> 3 weeks </duration>
    <overdue> date first overdue sent </overdue>
    <overdue> date second overdue sent </overdue>
    <end> date returned </start>
    </loan>
  <loan>
    <learner> learner-id </learner>
    <start> date </start>
    <duration> 3 weeks </duration>
    <overdue> date first overdue sent </overdue>
    <end> date returned </start>
    </loan>
  <edu:item>


NOTES
-----

1. The XML data can be spread out over many files in various locations;
   merging them all would provides the complete picture. But we are not
   advocating a single (Big-Brother-ish) planetary database of unique
   learner IDs.

2. XML here acts like a relational database and it can be structured in many
   ways.  I hope EDUML is arranged in natural groupings (the identations are
   really relations) ... keeping the whole thing as simple as reality
   allows. For example, the school grouping contains students rather than
   the other way around because it is probably simpler to imagine.

3. Once this is approved, constructing a validating DTD would be nice: Most
   tags can be repeated as needed; I show only one of each type here in
   order to keep this document email-sized. Most tags are not mandatory.

4. Please send in proposed structural corrections, or renaming of tags or
   suggest completely different XML proposals for education.  I suggest we
   check our existing admin and educational software export fields to make
   sure the important ones are included here.

5. The core material requires something like /usr/lib/edu filled with
   educational functions/methods in various programming languages for use
   by the code snippets ... which in my significant experience with writing
   testing programs is the most open-ended and creative way of dealing with
   the classic problem of how to store question/answers.  note: simple plain 
   question/answer pairs can be handled by lists (arrays) or via the simplest
   function/method in the chosen language; just display parameter1 and compare
   to parameter 2.  I'll gladly expound on this if anyone lets me :-)


Bruno