Re: [docbook-apps] Creating learning materials from DocBook?

[Jared Smith <jaredsmith@jaredsmith.net>]

On Tue, 2009-12-08 at 09:02 -0700, Scott Hudson wrote: 
> are you currently creating training documentation or learning materials 
> from DocBook?
> 
> If so, the DocBook eLearning subcommitte wants to hear from you!

Sorry for the slow reply... It's been a busy December for me.  I'm
currently working on quite a bit of training curriculum in DocBook for
the company I work for.

Had I know there was a DocBook eLearning subcommittee, I probably would
have shared my opinions earlier.  (I'm a long-time DocBook user, but
have done things in my own little corner of the world.)

> Tell us how you've needed to extend DocBook to meet your eLearning 
> needs. What is missing? What would make your life easier? What tools or 
> standards do you need your content to interoperate with?

Here's my ultimate goal... it's a bit grandiose, but a guy can dream,
right?

For each so-called module in my curriculum, I'd like to have one source
document that can be used to create slides, handouts, speaker notes, a
section in the manual, and lab exercises.

I'm not sure how this is really related to DocBook other than I'm using
DocBook markup in the various subsections (and this may end up being
something superimposed on top of DocBook), but I'll throw it out in the
open anyway.

In pseudo-code, we might end up with something like:

<module>
  <title>Baking Cookies</title>
  <slide background="default">
    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem><para>Why Cookies?</para></listitem>
      <listitem><para>History of Cookies</para></listitem>
      <listitem><para>Ingredients</para></listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
  </slide>
  <handout>
    <section>
      <title>Baking Cookies</title>
      <para>In this module, we're going to talk about cookies.</para>
    </section>
  </handout>
  <speakernote>
    <para>Don't forget to mention that pumpkin cookies are the
best!</para>
  </speakernote>
  <manual>
    <section>
      <title>Baking Cookies</title>
      <para>Cookies are the quintessential dessert, and baking them is a
joy.  For the past three hundred years...</para>
    </section>
  </manual>
  <lab>
    <section>
      <title>Baking Cookies Lab: Pumpkin Cookies</title>
      <para>In this lab, we'll show you how to bake a batch of pumkin
cookies</para>.
    </section>
    <section>
      <title>Ingredients</title>
      <itemizedlist>
        <listitem><para>15 oz. can of pumpkin</para></listitem>
        <listitem><para>1 box of spice cake mix</para></listitem>
        <listitem><para>2 cups white chocolate chips</para></listitem>
      </itemizedlist>
    </section>
    <section>
      <title>Instructions</title>
      <procedure>
        <title>Pumpkin Cookies</title>
        <step><para>Preheat oven</para></step>
        <step><para>Mix ingredients</para></step>
        <step><para>Form cookie dough in golf-ball sized portions on a
cookie sheet</para></step>                 
        <step><para>Bake at 350 degrees for 16 minutes</para></step>
      </procedure>
    </section>
  </lab>
</module>

And if that wasn't enough, in an ideal world we'd be able to produce
workbooks similar to the ones shown at
http://www.gurulabs.com/partner-program/courseware-layout/ with
combinations of the slides, manual sections, and labs.

-Jared Smith