[July 31, 2000] A communiqué from Christian Süss (Forschungsgruppe Datenbanken, Universität Passau) reports on the ongoing development of the Learning Material Markup Language (LMML). LMML is "an implementation of the XML binding of the teachware-specific meta-model described in Christian Süss, A Meta-Modeling Adaptive Knowledge Management: Approach and its Binding to XML (2000). As an instance of this framework you can find here the Learning Material Markup Language for Computer Science (LMML-CS), a language for specifying teachware from the domain of application of teaching and learning computer science as described in Christian Süss, Burkhard Freitag, Peter Brössler, Metamodeling for Web-Based Teachware Management (1999)." The project web site supplies relevant Document Type Definitions (DTDs), samples, and documentation.
On XML Binding: "A knowledge management system should be able to manage knowledge Modules from different types and domains of application using database technology which is particularly suited to improve especially the access to huge amounts of documents. To make use of the advantages of our meta-modeling approach presented in the previous sections, we need a format which allows storage, easy access, combination and adaptation of Modules by a knowledge management system. As an XML (Extensible Markup Language) document is a hierarchy comprising elements that have contents and attributes, XML is perfectly suited for representing our hierarchical modeling, i.e., the conceptual content of the basic modules as well as the modular structure. Our teachware-specific model and its domain-specific instantiations serve as a well defined basis for a corresponding XML based markup language, the learning material markup language (LMML), the elements of which represent conceptual ContentObjects by syntactical means. Furthermore, ViewSpecifications are realized by Style Sheets of the Extensible Style Language (XSL). They use ModuleProperties and ConceptualProperties coming from XML bindings of different metadata proposals and standards like [LOM Learning Object Metadata] for restructuring and rendering the corresponding LMMLmodules for different audiences, layouts or platforms. [...] A meta-modeling approach to adaptive hypermedia-based knowledge management has been presented. It extends previous work by introducing an application-specific layer which allows to describe knowledge about aspects of the conceptual and the modular structure of teachware, business information etc. We have described teachware-specific instantiations which can be further specialized e.g. by a domain-specific model for course material on database theory. Our approach enables knowledge management systemes like the Passau Knowledge Management System PaKMaS to provide type-specific filtering of ContentObjects and Relationhips, adaptable presentation and convenient navigation as well as sophisticated query capabilities, the support of automatical integration of new material and the import and sharing of existing material and its composition and configuration to new audiences. Finally we presented a XML binding of our model specifications and discussed how they serve as sophisticated a-posteriori data schemata that allow to apply database technology to knowledge management to improve especially the access to knowledge modules." [from the paper "Adaptive Knowledge Management: A Meta-Modeling Approach and its Binding to XML"]
References:
[December 01, 2000] LMML-CS Version 1.1 DTD "LMML-CS, a language for specifying teachware content from the domain of application of teaching and learning computer science..." [cache]
LMML 1.1 DTD package - LMML11-CS driver and modules archive [cache]
LMML 1.1 - Changes Since LMML 1.0
[December 01, 2000] Adaptive Knowledge Management: A Meta-Modeling Approach and its Binding to XML, by Christian Süss. In: H.-J. Klein (Ed.), 12. GI-Workshop Grundlagen von Datenbanken, Plön, TR 2005, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, Germany, 2000. "In this paper we propose a meta-modeling approach to adaptive knowledge management. It extends previous work by introducing an application-specific layer which allows to specify meta-models for different types of application such as teachware or business information. These models focus on the conceptual content structure of knowledge modules and their modular composition. They facilitate their managing, exchanging and dynamical composition to personalized information spaces. We further introduce the concept of view specifications which allow the adaptation of knowledge modules to the individual user. As an instance of our generic framework we discuss a teachware-specific meta-model and its binding to the XML based Learning Material Markup Language LMML." [cache]
Metamodeling for Web-Based Teachware Management, by Christian Süss, Burkhard Freitag, and Peter Brössler. In P.P. Chen, D.W. Embley, J. Kouloumdjian, S.W. Liddle, J.F. Roddick (Eds.): Advances in Conceptual Modeling. ER'99 Workshop on the World-Wide Web and Conceptual Modeling, Paris, France, Nov. 1999, LNCS 1727, Springer, 1999. In this paper we propose a meta-modeling approach to adaptive hypermedia-based electronic teachware that focusses on document structures and navigational services and which is also applicable to knowledge management. An abstract meta-model is presented which is suitable to describe heterogeneous and semi-structured course material from different domains of application on the web. As an instance of this generic framework we derive a sample model for the domain of teaching computer science. Content identification and querying at the meta-level and the use of metadata enhance navigation and facilitate adaptive presentation and navigation as well as reuse and adaptation of existing material to new audiences. Each model can serve as a well defined basis for a corresponding XML based learning material markup language (LM2L) representation which can be restructured and rendered by XSL style sheets for different audiences, layouts, or platforms in web based teaching."
"Modularization of LMML: A Meta-Modeling Approach to teachware and its Binding to XML." By Christian Süss (Fakultät f|r Mathematik und Informatik, Universität Passau, D-94030 Passau, Germany). [LMML specification, draft version; contact the author for details.] "The Learning Material Markup Language LMML is an XML binding of our meta-model for teachware in our generic meta-modeling approach to adaptive knowledge management. This paper specifies an abstract modularization of LMML and an implementation of the abstraction using XML Document Type Definitions (DTDs) based on the mechanisms defined by the W3C. It provides a means for subsetting and extending LMML, a feature needed for extending LMML's reach onto different domains of application..."
