Adaptability and interoperability in the field of highly interactive web-based courseware

摘要

Developing and managing Web-based courseware has become a well-understood process. We all know how to create educational content, including interactive Java applets, and deliver them via the Web. Working groups are currently drafting standards for organizing learning objects in digital libraries. The vision is clear: developers will share their modules within repositories, and educators will select the best-fitting modules for their own courses, just in time, just in place. This article examines related obstacles with interactive learning objects and outlines possible ways to overcome them. Even the creation of a single self-contained interactive module with didactical value is time consuming and expensive. Its use (and reuse) entails further requirements. Educators would like to adapt layout, appearance, or functionality to their curriculum. Learners would like to ask questions in discussion boards referring to specific configurations, and explore and share their own setups. How can we reuse highly interactive learning objects, particularly in terms of adaptability and interoperability? We review how reusable software components and a scripting architecture allow for creating interactive learning objects that are adaptable in all aspects and interoperable with other learning objects. Next, we discuss how we may enable developers, educators, and learners ― respectively, a courseware's "community" ― to share efforts and collaborate in getting highly interactive Web-based courseware off the ground. Authors may define and modify scripts using online wizards. We present a prototype script database that is rated, annotated, and extended by community members, and close with showcases in the areas of Computer Graphics and Visualization.