OASIS Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) TC

Hello, I discussed with my team possible input for the DITA 1.3 spec. Since we are still in the implementation phase for an infrastructure to produce training content, we still collecting first experiences with DITA. Nonetheless the team came up with a proposal and would be willing to take ownership for the issue. Here is a short description. “The DITA Learning and Training Specialization should support the storage of learning objects as separate files on a file system or repository. Currently, it only supports the storage of the components within a learning object as separate files.  In the 1.2 model, learning objects are implemented using the learningObject topicref element within a map or learningGroup. Children of the learningObject including learningPlanRef, learningAssessmentRef, learningOverviewRef, learningContentRef, and learningSummaryRef then contain references to separate files. However, it could often be the case that an implementation requires that learning objects be stored as a discreet components. In this way, multiple learning maps could then reuse the same set of learning objects in different aggregations.  One possible approach is to implement two new elements, learningObjectMapRef and learningObjectMap. The learningObjectMapRef could be a topicref specialization that could be a child of a learning map or learningGroup. A child of learningObjectMapRef could then be learningObjectMap which could be a map specialization that would function as a wrapper element around learningObject. This would enable the learningObjectMap to be stored as a separate file and referenced by the learningObjectMapRef in one or more maps.” BR Thilo     Dr. Thilo Buchholz Head of Production Platform Management & Operations Knowledge Productization Services SAP AG       Dietmar-Hopp-Allee 16      69190 Walldorf T   +49/6227/7-61331 F   +49/6227/78-26574 M  +49/170/2200117                      mailto:thilo.buchholz@sap.com http://www.sap.com Pflichtangaben/Mandatory Disclosure Statements: http://www.sap.com/company/legal/impressum.epx Diese E-Mail kann Betriebs- oder Geschäftsgeheimnisse oder sonstige vertrauliche Informationen enthalten. Sollten Sie diese E-Mail irrtümlich erhalten haben, ist Ihnen eine Kenntnisnahme des Inhalts, eine Vervielfältigung oder Weitergabe der E-Mail ausdrücklich untersagt. Bitte benachrichtigen Sie uns und vernichten Sie die empfangene E-Mail. Vielen Dank. This e-mail may contain trade secrets or privileged, undisclosed, or otherwise confidential information. If you have received this e-mail in error, you are hereby notified that any review, copying, or distribution of it is strictly prohibited. Please inform us immediately and destroy the original transmittal. Thank you for your cooperation    

I agree that it would be sensible to have a mapref specifically for references to learning object maps. However, remember that the learning object map elements are a domain and in the TC-provided learning map document type shell are integrated with an otherwise generic map. So there is already the ability to use generic <mapref> to point to maps containing only learningObject elements. So I'm not sure the lack of a specialized learning object map reference element is actually preventing satisfaction of the requirement. On the other hand, the specialization is pretty trivial. Cheers, E. On 7/26/11 3:37 AM, "Buchholz, Thilo" <thilo.buchholz@sap.com> wrote: > Hello, > > I discussed with my team possible input for the DITA 1.3 spec. Since we are > still in the implementation phase for an infrastructure to produce training > content, we still collecting first experiences with DITA. Nonetheless the team > came up with a proposal and would be willing to take ownership for the issue. > > Here is a short description. > > ³The DITA Learning and Training Specialization should support the storage of > learning objects as separate files on a file system or repository. Currently, > it only supports the storage of the components within a learning object as > separate files. > > In the 1.2 model, learning objects are implemented using the learningObject > topicref element within a map or learningGroup. Children of the learningObject > including learningPlanRef, learningAssessmentRef, learningOverviewRef, > learningContentRef, and learningSummaryRef then contain references to separate > files. However, it could often be the case that an implementation requires > that learning objects be stored as a discreet components. In this way, > multiple learning maps could then reuse the same set of learning objects in > different aggregations. > > One possible approach is to implement two new elements, learningObjectMapRef > and learningObjectMap. The learningObjectMapRef could be a topicref > specialization that could be a child of a learning map or learningGroup. A > child of learningObjectMapRef could then be learningObjectMap which could be a > map specialization that would function as a wrapper element around > learningObject. This would enable the learningObjectMap to be stored as a > separate file and referenced by the learningObjectMapRef in one or more maps.² > > BR Thilo > > > > Dr. Thilo Buchholz > Head of Production Platform Management & Operations > Knowledge Productization Services > SAP AG > Dietmar-Hopp-Allee 16 > 69190 Walldorf > T +49/6227/7-61331 > F +49/6227/78-26574 > M +49/170/2200117 > mailto:thilo.buchholz@sap.com > http://www.sap.com < http://www.sap.com > > Pflichtangaben/Mandatory Disclosure Statements: > http://www.sap.com/company/legal/impressum.epx > Diese E-Mail kann Betriebs- oder Geschäftsgeheimnisse oder sonstige > vertrauliche Informationen enthalten. Sollten Sie diese E-Mail irrtümlich > erhalten haben, ist Ihnen eine Kenntnisnahme des Inhalts, eine > Vervielfältigung oder Weitergabe der E-Mail ausdrücklich untersagt. Bitte > benachrichtigen Sie uns und vernichten Sie die empfangene E-Mail. Vielen Dank. > > This e-mail may contain trade secrets or privileged, undisclosed, or otherwise > confidential information. If you have received this e-mail in error, you are > hereby notified that any review, copying, or distribution of it is strictly > prohibited. Please inform us immediately and destroy the original transmittal. > Thank you for your cooperation > > -- Eliot Kimber Senior Solutions Architect "Bringing Strategy, Content, and Technology Together" Main: 512.554.9368 www.reallysi.com www.rsuitecms.com

Hi Eliot, We were able to satisfy the requirement through specialization creating the learningObjectMapRef and learningObjectMap as described below. We did have to do some tweaking to our infrastructure to support storing and authoring learningObjectMap elements as separate files. The intention of our proposal for the TC is to consider that a standard approach. The learning and training industry has been talking about learning objects for a long time and DITA 1.2 has really aided the industry by defining what a learning object is. The only real shortcoming we have seen in the L&T specialization is a standardized approach to make learning objects exist truly as objects. This would allow tool providers to support such a feature in a standardized way and enable the easy exchange of learning objects between companies. Regards, Mark Mark Myers Knowledge Transfer Architect, Production Platform Management and Operations Knowledge Productization Services SAP America, Inc. 3999 West Chester Pike Newtown Square, PA 19073 USA T 1-610-661-5823 F 1-610-661-5824 M 1-484-802-1809
Original Message----- From: Eliot Kimber [ mailto:ekimber@reallysi.com ] Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 10:15 AM To: Buchholz, Thilo; dita Subject: Re: [dita] Proposal for DITA 1.3 I agree that it would be sensible to have a mapref specifically for references to learning object maps. However, remember that the learning object map elements are a domain and in the TC-provided learning map document type shell are integrated with an otherwise generic map. So there is already the ability to use generic <mapref> to point to maps containing only learningObject elements. So I'm not sure the lack of a specialized learning object map reference element is actually preventing satisfaction of the requirement. On the other hand, the specialization is pretty trivial. Cheers, E. On 7/26/11 3:37 AM, "Buchholz, Thilo" <thilo.buchholz@sap.com> wrote: > Hello, > > I discussed with my team possible input for the DITA 1.3 spec. Since we are > still in the implementation phase for an infrastructure to produce training > content, we still collecting first experiences with DITA. Nonetheless the team > came up with a proposal and would be willing to take ownership for the issue. > > Here is a short description. > > ³The DITA Learning and Training Specialization should support the storage of > learning objects as separate files on a file system or repository. Currently, > it only supports the storage of the components within a learning object as > separate files. > > In the 1.2 model, learning objects are implemented using the learningObject > topicref element within a map or learningGroup. Children of the learningObject > including learningPlanRef, learningAssessmentRef, learningOverviewRef, > learningContentRef, and learningSummaryRef then contain references to separate > files. However, it could often be the case that an implementation requires > that learning objects be stored as a discreet components. In this way, > multiple learning maps could then reuse the same set of learning objects in > different aggregations. > > One possible approach is to implement two new elements, learningObjectMapRef > and learningObjectMap. The learningObjectMapRef could be a topicref > specialization that could be a child of a learning map or learningGroup. A > child of learningObjectMapRef could then be learningObjectMap which could be a > map specialization that would function as a wrapper element around > learningObject. This would enable the learningObjectMap to be stored as a > separate file and referenced by the learningObjectMapRef in one or more maps.² > > BR Thilo > > > > Dr. Thilo Buchholz > Head of Production Platform Management & Operations > Knowledge Productization Services > SAP AG > Dietmar-Hopp-Allee 16 > 69190 Walldorf > T +49/6227/7-61331 > F +49/6227/78-26574 > M +49/170/2200117 > mailto:thilo.buchholz@sap.com > http://www.sap.com < http://www.sap.com > > Pflichtangaben/Mandatory Disclosure Statements: > http://www.sap.com/company/legal/impressum.epx > Diese E-Mail kann Betriebs- oder Geschäftsgeheimnisse oder sonstige > vertrauliche Informationen enthalten. Sollten Sie diese E-Mail irrtümlich > erhalten haben, ist Ihnen eine Kenntnisnahme des Inhalts, eine > Vervielfältigung oder Weitergabe der E-Mail ausdrücklich untersagt. Bitte > benachrichtigen Sie uns und vernichten Sie die empfangene E-Mail. Vielen Dank. > > This e-mail may contain trade secrets or privileged, undisclosed, or otherwise > confidential information. If you have received this e-mail in error, you are > hereby notified that any review, copying, or distribution of it is strictly > prohibited. Please inform us immediately and destroy the original transmittal. > Thank you for your cooperation > > -- Eliot Kimber Senior Solutions Architect "Bringing Strategy, Content, and Technology Together" Main: 512.554.9368 www.reallysi.com www.rsuitecms.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from this mail list, you must leave the OASIS TC that generates this mail. Follow this link to all your TCs in OASIS at: https://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/portal/my_workgroups.php