Kaplan Publishing, the trade publishing group within Kaplan Test Prep, has traditionally produced a range of printed study materials to assist students in preparing for a broad spectrum of standardized tests. Like many companies, Kaplan’s customer base is technologically diverse and highly adaptive, exhibiting increasing demand for innovative digital test prep products that provide a more personalized study experience, adhere to a high standard for quality, and accurately reflect evolving educational standards tested by the test makers. To support the goal of providing our students with excellent study materials that fit their changing needs, Kaplan Publishing began to move towards an XML-based content and product development workflow, and decided in 2010 to adopt DITA as an XML standard--a decision based, in part, on the inclusion of the Learning & Training Specialization in DITA 1.2.

1. An In-Progress Use Case: Customizing &
Deploying DITA to Produce Innovative
Educational Products
3 Year Plan Financial Summary
Edwina Lui
Information Architect, Kaplan Publishing

2. Kaplan Test Prep Overview
3 Year Plan Financial Summary

3. Our Mission
Kaplan helps individuals
achieve their educational
and career goals.
We build futures one
success story at a time.

4. The Kaplan Story
Founded by Stanley Kaplan in 1938
Began as a test prep business in Brooklyn, NY
Helped students gain access to top schools
Made admissions process more transparent
Growth fueled by student success and word of mouth

5. Kaplan Fast Facts
One of the largest global, diversified education companies
Operations in more than 30 countries
16 currencies
More than 1 million students each year
Over 32,000 employees
Over 400 locations around the world
Founded in 1938

6. Kaplan Divisions

7. Kaplan Test Prep
Graduate programs
Pre-college programs
Preparation for business, medical,
law and graduate admissions exams
Tutoring and test prep for K-8 state
test readiness, college prep
solutions, K12 resources for teachers
Health programs
Bar review
Professional licensing preparation
programs for doctors and nurses
Comprehensive and Multi-State bar
review for aspiring lawyers

8. Kaplan Test Prep Product Offerings
On Site
Classroom
Tutoring
Publishing
Printed Books
eBooks
Digital
Online
On Demand
Classroom Anywhere
Mobile
Tablets
Social Media

9. Business Drivers for DITA Adoption
3 Year Plan Financial Summary

10. Kaplan Test Prep Student Data: Device Adoption
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
% of KTP Students
Own Electronic Reader
Intend to Buy Electronic Reader
Own iPad
Intend to Buy iPad
Own Other Tablet
Intend to Buy Other Tablet

11. Kaplan Mobile for iPad

12. Kaplan Test Prep Goals: Student Experience
Portable
Customizable
Adaptive
Multi-Format

13. Kaplan Test Prep Goals: Content
Granular
Modular
Single-Sourced

14. Kaplan Test Prep Content: Categories
Written and video instruction
Guided work and interactive lessons
Diagnostic and practice quizzes and tests
Full-length exam simulations
Quick reference material

15. Kaplan Test Prep Content: Current State
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
4 separate LMS environments
At least 4 distinct source content models (LMS-specific)
More than 130,000 question items
Approximately 120,000 minutes of video
Approximately 22,000 glossary items
200,000 pages of content in unstructured formats
Unknown % of reused/repurposed content across existing
source structured and unstructured formats

16. Kaplan Test Prep Content: “Family Tree”
Mobile App
Book
eBook
Mobile App
Book
Content
eBook
Flashcards
Mobile App
Online Test
Book
Book
Mobile App
eBook
Content
Online Test

17. DITA Adoption: Round 1
3 Year Plan Financial Summary

18. Why DITA for Kaplan Test Prep?
Kaplan Goals
• To support delivery of single-sourced content to multiple
outputs
• To reuse and recombine chunks of content to produce
innovative new products quickly and efficiently
DITA’s Purpose
• To satisfy requirements for information typing, semantic
markup, modularity, reuse, interchange, and production of
different deliverable forms from a single source

19. Why DITA for Kaplan Test Prep?

20. KPUB DITA Specializations: General
MathML support in all topics
Additional granularity in glossary items
Specialized type of note (callout)

21. KPUB DITA Specializations: Assessment
New interaction type: Sort
Enforce creation of question items as individual
topics
Allow use of multiple paragraphs in question
item components
Capture question sets with shared stimuli or
other components
Further identify semantically different test
components

22. DITA Adoption: Round 2
3 Year Plan Financial Summary

23. More than one way to single select…

24. Kaplan Test Prep Content Model Requirements
What are the semantically distinct pieces of
content to be captured?
• Specialized types of lists in question stems
• Distinguish between measurement and instruction in questions
What level of granularity is required for each type
of content?
• Modular use of question components inside and outside questions
• Differing revision lifecycles for different question components
To what extent can like content structures be
standardized?
• Content structures ultimately defined by outside bodies
• Business requirement to replicate actual tests

25. KTP DITA: More Granular, More Flexible
Stimulus
Answer
Option A
Answer
Content
Answer
Feedback
Stem
Question
Topic
Answer
Option Group
Answer
Option B
Question
Hints
Question
Explanation
Answer
Option C
Multiple Choice Interaction in KPUB DITA
Answer
Content
Answer
Feedback
Answer
Content
Answer
Feedback

26. KTP DITA: More Granular, More Flexible
Stimulus
Question
Map
Stem
Answer
Option A
Answer
Content
Answer
Option Group
Answer
Option B
Answer
Content
Answer
Option C
Answer
Content
Interaction
Map
Answer
Feedback A
Option-Level
Instruction
Instruction
Map
Answer
Feedback B
Question
Hints
Answer
Feedback C
Question
Explanation
Multiple Choice Interaction in KTP DITA

27. KTP DITA: More Granular, More Flexible
Stimulus
Stem
Question Map
Answer Option
Group
Stem
Interaction
Map
Question Map
Answer Option
Group
Instruction
Map
Option-Level
Instruction
Instruction
Map
Option-Level
Instruction
Question-Level
Explanation
Multi-Part Interaction in KTP DITA

28. KTP DITA: More Granular, More Flexible
Stimulus
Interaction
Map
Question Set
Map
Interaction
Map
Question
Map
Instruction
Map
Question
Map
Instruction
Map
Interaction
Map
Question Set
Map
Question Set
Explanation
Interaction
Map
Nested Question Sets in KTP DITA
Question
Map
Instruction
Map
Question
Map
Instruction
Map

29. Next Steps
3 Year Plan Financial Summary

30. KTP DITA: Implications
Formalize modular authoring practices
Configure CCMS to manage more
complex, granular assessment model
Develop authoring UI to mask model
complexity and granularity from average
user