DITA learning and training content sub-committee - work complete!

[john_hunt@us.ibm.com]

Dear DITA Learning and Training content
sub-committee,

With the long-awaited, much-anticipated
OASIS approval of the DITA 1.2 specification, the work of the DITA Learning
and Training content sub-committee is complete.

The sub-committee formed in August,
2006. We worked intensely over the next 18 months to iron out the specifics
for a general top-level design for structured, intent-based authoring of
learning content with good learning architecture, following DITA principles
and best practices.  The results are a set of DITA specializations
that now make up the OASIS DITA 1.2 Learning and Training Specialization.

Here's a summary of what this specialization
provides:
   1. offers a starter set
of specialized topic types that support structured, intent-based authoring
of content for learning and training, including assessments
   2. provides a map domain
for structuring the specialized learning topics as reusable learning objects,
and for managing the linking and relationships among them
   3. includes a starter set
of commonly-used learning interactions and an assessment topic type, for
use in testing and assessment
   4. provides support for
learning metadata based on the IEEE standard for learning objects metadata
(LOM), for use in both topics and maps

For more information, including links
to sample content, see the sub-committee home page - http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=dita-learningspec.

At this point, I consider that work
of the sub-committee complete. 

I'll be reporting this back to the DITA
Technical Committee at the regular TC meeting next Tuesday, along with
the recommendation that the sub-committee officially disband. As new requirements
for additional support for learning and training content emerge in the
DITA 1.3, then a new sub-committee may form to develop and promote them.

As sub-committee chair, I extend a very
warm thank you to all of the members, past and present, who contributed
to the success of this activity.

I also thank the many vendors and supporting
partners.

I look forward to working with the DITA
Adoption TC to help promote awareness and adoption of the new specialization.

Sincerely,

John Hunt, IBM

Chair, DITA 1.2 Learning and Training
content specialization sub-committee