Open Content Education (EDUML v.0.83)

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

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This is a proposed standard for an open curricular resource package / test
bank.

I have gone for elegance, openness and flexibility.  Please feedback :-)

Executive Summary: 

curricular building blocks called <OUTCOMES> possibly <REQUIRE>ing
prerequisites and possibly referring to <ENCYCLOPEDIA> lists for use in
test/activity <ITEMS> can call up <SCRIPTS> in any language.

(EDUML v0.83 is out now on http://seul.cran.org/~vernier and contains
 other details on this proposed standard)

1. It is GPLed and it is critical that only GPLed or GPLish elements be
included in the core package (clear copyright indications for other items)
... we already have GPLed operating systems, applications, programming
languages, scientific data sets, communication protocols and sundry
standards.  What we need for structured education generally (people are
overwhelmed by the resources available on the net and request a guide) is a
universal GPLed curricular resource package.

2. Anyone can propose an outcome or an improvement to an existing outcome
based on their field of expertise and interest.  Eventually, all teachers
(anywhere, any time, of any sort) will be able to draw on this resource ...
and time spent mastering its use, improving its quality and writing software
that makes original use of it will give returns throughout our lifetimes and
should make a great legacy for our descendants.

3. So far, all other similar projects I have seen (getting teachers to
share their lesson plans and test banks) have had strings attached to
commercial interests, national/provincial/association restrictions or
include advertising... and none explicitly adopts a GPL type licencing
arrangement with an open data standard.


Here is the annotated structure (portion of EDUML XML):

<OUTCOMES> root element for the test-bank/courseware database

 <OUTCOME> can be an entire course or course fragments, workshop, units,
 right down to the atomic Prescribed Learning Outcome; the smallest
 measurable unit of learning.  Different groups or individuals can submit
 different sets of outcomes while avoiding redundancy.  

  <REQUIRE id="outcome-code" /> prerequisite/co-requisite/composite outcomes
  (tree structure) can be used to verify/recommend that the student has
  mastered the prerequisites or is pointed back to those outcomes.

  <ITEMS> Activities, Quizzes, Relevant Resources and pointers to resources,
  including "textbook-like" fragments, labs, procedures, HOWTOs, and sundry
  documentation. Hopefully, educators and field experts will be improving
  the quality of these items for everyone's benefit.

   <ITEM> Each item can be a "form" for an activity/test item with variable
       and random selections from lists.  We can concentrate on writing good
       "typical" questions that get re-used over and over with different
       list data.  Simple questions/answers can come here as well as the
       most sophisticated clever educational activity ideas.

       references to a <REF id="from the encyclopedia below">list</REF> 
       <ANSWER> if not already provided by a script for ex. </ANSWER>
    
   </ITEMS>
  </OUTCOME>
 </OUTCOMES>

 <ENCYCLOPEDIA>
  <TOPIC>
   sets of "hopefully important and timeless truth" which can be
   randomly/systematically drawn on for activity/test items. 
   </TOPIC>
  </ENCYCLOPEDIA>

=============================++++++++++++++++++++++++++==================
here is an example:

-->
<EDU>

<ENCYCLOPEDIA>
 <TOPIC id="email-smileys">
  <TABLE>
   <TR><TH>smiley</TH> <TH> english     </TH></TR>
   <TR><TD> :-)  </TD> <TD> happy       </TD></TR>
   <TR><TD> :-(  </TD> <TD> sad         </TD></TR>
   <TR><TD> ;-)  </TD> <TD> winking     </TD></TR>
   <TR><TD> :-|  </TD> <TD> indifferent </TD></TR>
   </TABLE>
  </TOPIC>
 
<OUTCOMES>
 <OUTCOME>
  <ITEMS>
   <ITEM type="tf" level="1">
     Is this a simple self-referencing question?
      <ANSWER>T</ANSWER>
   <REF ref="email.smileys" id="smileys"/>
   <ITEM type="mc" level="2">
     Which of the following smileys mean 
     <PERL id="mc"> $smileys, "smiley", "english", 4 </PERL>
    </ITEM>
   </ITEMS>
  </OUTCOME>
 </OUTCOMES> 
 
<SCRIPTS>
 <SCRIPT id="mc" lang="perl" >
   a suggested perl script to handle multiple choice questions would come here
  </SCRIPT>
</EDU> 

<!-- Bruno vernier@vc.bc.ca (c)1999 OPL -->