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Subject: Proposals for Refinements to Learning and Training Modules
In the course of client projects where we are using the L&T modules as the basis for specialized document types and processing, I have identified the need for four refinements to the Learning and Training design. These changes have been discussed by the Learning Subcommittee and accepted in principle. However, these changes must be approved by the DITA TC. Thus I am putting those proposals forward formally in separate emails to follow this one. The proposals, in increasing order of complexity are: 1. Update the learningBase module to make learningBasebody optional, making it consistent with the general DITA topic model (body was made optional in the DITA 1.1) and enabling title-only learning-specific topics. 2. Update the learning map domain to allow topicrefs of the same type to nest and set the default for @chunk to "to-content" for learningContentRef. This allows the creation of learning content structures from re-used subordinate topics (for example, glossary entries, as in the case of my client). Specifying @chunk as to-content ensures that learning content output matches the current SCORM requirement that content be structured as single HTML pages. Or, alternatively (to avoid unwanted implications of nested chunk="to-content", declare a new topicref type for use only within learningContentRef. Note also that the current SCORM structure requirements may be lifted in future versions of the SCORM standard. If the current L&T constraints were maintained, it would be difficult to relax those constraints in the future to reflect a more relaxed SCORM design. 3. Update the learningDomain module to add a third subelement to lcMatchingPair to hold pair-specific feedback. The current design provides no mechanism for associating feedback with specific match pairs. My client has existing match interactions that provide distinct feedback for each pair of match items. 4. Define a new base module, learningDomainBase, providing one element type, lcInteractionBase, specialized from topic/fig. Update learningDomain module to make lcInteractionBase the base type for lcTrueFalse, lcSingleSelect, lcMultipleSelect, lcSequencing, lcMatching, lcHotspot, lcOpenQuestion. This refinement provides a common Learning-defined base for all interactions, enabling the creation of new interaction types that are still unambiguously identified as being Learning interations. It also allows processors to apply interaction-specific processing with a simple, invariant check, rather than having to select on each of the built-in interaction types and, in the case of specialization, locally-defined or future-defined interaction types. All of these proposals are backward compatible with existing learning documents. We are not aware of any existing processors that would either be affected by these changes or for which adding support would be a burden (for example, we know of no implementations that actually render match tables today). In addition, the DITA 1.2 constraint facility can be used to configure uses of the Learning modules such that they reflect the constraints imposed as of today. If there is serious concern, these constraint modules can be provided by the Learning SC itself. The refinement to matching would require change to processors of documents that used the new feedback container, but we are not aware of any such processors. Cheers, Eliot ---- Eliot Kimber | Senior Solutions Architect | Really Strategies, Inc. email: ekimber@reallysi.com <mailto:ekimber@reallysi.com> office: 610.631.6770 | cell: 512.554.9368 2570 Boulevard of the Generals | Suite 213 | Audubon, PA 19403 www.reallysi.com <http://www.reallysi.com> | http://blog.reallysi.com <http://blog.reallysi.com> | www.rsuitecms.com <http://www.rsuitecms.com>
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