Why EDUML?

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

By working on EDUML, I offer to others that which I want for myself:

When I set out to learn something, I would like to set what my particular 
educational goal is, and have the network keep track of what I have 
accomplished and still have to accomplish.

I want to get up in the morning and the first page I see on my browser (be it 
a palm pilot, webTV, dick tracey watch, plain old telephone service servicing 
VoxML page translations, output from my fax, or an old fashioned Pentium III 
desktop computer) is what are my options for the day. If my current goals are 
to get an A in Math 12, and to be recognized as a junior naturalist by the 
local Parks Board, then I should see what classes are available to me this 
day, which mentors I am scheduled or able to schedule time with, and which 
MOO/IRC sessions are available for me on this topic today. I should also see 
a link to a mastery test for the current unit I am studying (say 
trigonometry) in Math 12, a link to a relevant exercise requiring use of Dr 
Geo, as well as a listing of currently available (and annotated) books and 
magazine articles on the topic in my local public libraries' branches as well 
as the library of the high school I am registered with. Ditto for the 
naturalist goal but likely coming from different sources. For exercises 
requiring daily or fortnightly review or revisiting, they would show up on 
the right day on that day's page (I am thinking here particularly of 
supermemo-style reviews based on neurological time sequences for optimal 
memorisation www.supermemo.com)

A bar graph showing my progress to date would be a nice touch. Estimated time 
of completion based on the rate of my accomplishments to date would also be 
great.

In other words, I want the institutions that I register with to provide me 
with the stuff, the connections available to me on this day to combine their 
information together with what is generally available GPL-style to everyone 
ont the net, and in the local "commons" ... all on one page that I can print 
out or work with througout the day allowing me to efficiently progress 
towards my goal.

No two "students" would ever have quite the same page even if their goals are 
identical ... unless perhaps if they live in exactly the same area and 
proceed at the same pace, and have similar learning styles.

In order to realize this dream, we need a common data interface between all 
programs (proprietary or local to certain instutions, as well as public and 
available to all).  This is the reason why I am excited about EDUML. (or 
something similar: an XML for education).

total EDUML-compliance could also be used by selected counsellors and parents 
to get a good big picture view of how a student is doing in order to provide 
relevant advice. For everybody else, the information should be strongly 
private.  The information could be dispersed in several databases across 
several institutions and put together as a single page only by the person 
holding the keys to each one simultaneously.

It is unecessary to struggle for pure EDUML applications.  However, it 
is reasonable to write format translators (proprietary format to EDUML and 
sometimes the other way around) for every educational application that 
maintains some state about the user's achievements.   That is all that is 
needed for this dream to come true.  :-)

Bruno

http://cran.seul.edu/~vernier/eduml/eduml.xml