Re: [seul-edu] EduML questions

[Bruno Vernier <vernier@vc.bc.ca>]

On Wed, Jan 05, 2000 at 03:18:43PM -0600, Eric Sandeen wrote:

> The <PEOPLE> section makes plenty of sense to me, but I'm not sure how
> I'd use EduML to record assignments and grades.  Would this go under
> <TASKS> or in the <OUTCOMES> block?  What's an <ACT>, and what's a
> "plo?"  A short example of 1 class with 1 student who has grades in 1
> assignment would be a big help...

Act can be a unit test, an assignment or an atomic outcome; (we call these
PLOs in my part of the planet = prescribed learning outcome)

OK, the current way that teachers around me
keep their marks is in a variant of a simple database with 
typically 5-9 fields: (which are easily implemented in an sql database:)

so for a traditional class, teacher-centered where everyone does the same
thing at the same time:

Teacher Student Session Course  Class Date       Unit (Act) Mark
----------------------------------------------------------------
eric    bruno   term-2  math-12 sec-A jan-5-2000 basic-trig  56%
eric    doug    term-2  math-12 sec-A jan-5-2000 basic-trig  86%
eric    odile   term-2  math-12 sec-A jan-5-2000 basic-trig  87%
eric    georges term-2  math-12 sec-A jan-5-2000 basic-trig  88%
...


In XML (EduML), we transform that to:  

<EDUML>
 <COURSE id="math-12">
  <SESSION id="term-2"> 
   <TEACHER id="eric"/>
   <STUDENT id="bruno">
    <ACT id="basic-trig" date="jan-5-2000">
     <SCALE id="percent"/>
     <MARK student="bruno" marker="eric"> 56% </MARK>
     <MARK student="doug" marker="eric"> 86% </MARK>
     <MARK student="odile" marker="eric"> 87% </MARK>
     <MARK student="georges" marker="eric"> 88% </MARK>
    </ACT>
   </STUDENT>
 </COURSE>
</EDUML>

and EduML contains many more elements for less traditional arrangements ...
one only need use those elements that make sense in one's situation.  We
hope to have covered every possible assessment arrangement used on this
planet!

> Also, I mentally put things into the following hierarchy:
> 
> Session (term, semester, etc)
>   Course (i.e., Freshman English)
>     Class (i.e., Freshman English, Period 1)
> 
> Would this hierarchy be a useful EduML addition?  Or is the concept of
> session/course/class too narrow?

I like it and have incorporated it in the above example.  I will update
EDUML to include the <SESSION> element... unless this thread brings out
other considerations.


Bruno