LMML – The Learning Material Markup Language Framework

LMML is a pioneer standard for the XML based description of eLearning. This talk presents its main features. LMML facilitates the modular creation and re-use of eLearning content at arbitrary levels of granularity and supports various forms of personalization and adaptation. In contrast to other approaches, LMML is based on a meta modelling architecture and provides a framework that can be instantiated to different domains of application. Thus, LMML is an open family of educational markup languages rather than just a single instance. 1 Passau Teachware Metamodel and its XML binding The definition of a suitable conceptual model prior to the technical development of the Learning Material Markup Language Framework LMML [5] was of chief importance: The Passau Teachware Metamodel [10] [11] serves as a general description of the modular structure of educational contents and can be instantiated for as different application domains as computer science / mathematics, financial planning, and operations research. Educational contents forms a hierarchy consisting of Modules that can contain other Modules. The smallest entities, i.e., the leaves in this hierarchy, are ContentModules, e.g. Definition, Motivation, Formula, Algorithm, Theorem, or Proof. ContentModules may again have structure such as List or Table. The leaves in the ContentModule hierarchy are static or dynamic MediaObjects like Text, Image, Animation, which can be included using an open plug-in interface. LMML-Modules may be associated with other LMML-Modules. The Passau Teachware Metamodel supports predefined associations such as defines, illustrates, references. Depending on the application domain these can be adapted or additional associations can be defined. The metamodel outlined above forms the conceptual basis for the adaptation of the LMML framework itself, e.g. its instantiation and/or extension to specific domains. It facilitates the component-based re-use and cooperative development of educational contents and supports their adaptation to different contexts and to the requirements of the individual learner. Furthermore, the metamodel guides the creation of indexes for efficient retrieval of educational contents stored in a XML-repository. Finally, some runtime properties of eLearning systems can be specified at the meta-level thereby providing a form of reflection that allows to modify the system behaviour, e.g. the form of presentation of eLearning contents. Proc. Int. Workshop ICL, Villach, Austria, 2002