1. Improving the mobile learning
experience using DITA
Mark Poston
Senior Technical Consultant

2. About me
• Technical Consultant at Mekon for 18 years
• FrameMaker, Acrobat, WebWorks, SGML, XML, DITA
• Previously developed solutions for
• English Parliament & Hansard, Singapore Hansard
• dunnhumby, Elekta, Abbott
• Consultancy DITA CCMS, DITA Publishing, Bespoke DITA-
based solutions
• Lead Architect for
• Mekon DITAweb
• Mekon DITA2InDesign Plugin
• Research & Development

3. Trends in DITA

4. Extended use of DITA
• Companies more forward thinking
• Integration of content from other systems
• Source code/doxygen, databases
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Support systems
• Use of DITA outside of techcomms teams
• product labelling, marketing material (datasheets),
learning and training
• Extending use of CCMS investment
• reuse of content
• benefit from existing translation
• DITA as an “enabler”
• Government, Education, Publishing

5. Dynamic Delivery

6. Personalised content

7. Mobile

8. Integration with existing systems
• DITA CCMS
!
• Web CMS
• Customer Relationship Management (salesforce.com)
• Support Portals
• Entitlement Servers
• Learning Management Systems
!
• How do we delivery content to them all?

9. DITA Maturity Model

10. Rethinking the learning experience …
… beyond the LMS

11. http://www.globalenglish.com/why_globalenglish/approach/70-20-10

12. Tin Can (Experience) API
• Developed to capture “experiences” a person has
• interaction with people
• performing a task at work
• taking a test
• attending a presentation
• interacting with content
• Each “experience” is described by a “statement”
• actor + verb + object
• Mark read “Introduction to DITA”
• Mark presented “Improving the mobile learning experience”
• Each “statement” is stored in a “Learning Record Store”

14. {
"actor": {
"name": “Mark Poston",
"mbox": “mailto:mark.poston@mekon.com",
"objectType": "Agent"
},
"verb": {
"id": "http://ditaweb.com/xapi/verbs/1.0/read",
"display": {
"en-US": "read"
}
},
"object": {
"id": "https://ditaweb.com/dita/#/00011856-MC.00011550-MC",
"definition": {
"name": {
"en-US": “Topic hierarchy"
}
},
"objectType": "Activity"
},
"timestamp": "2014-04-25T20:02:42.626Z"
}

16. "object": {
"id": "https://ditaweb.com/dita/#/00039237-DB_5.00039220-DB_1",
"objectType": "Activity"
},
"context": {
"contextActivities": {
"parent": [
{
"id": “https://ditaweb.com/dita/#/00039237-DB_5",
"definition": {
"name": {
"en-US": “The DITA Style Guide Best Practices for Authors"
},
"objectType": "Activity"
}
]
},!
"application": {!
"id": “mLearningiPad”,!
"definition": {
"name": {
"en-US": “mLearning App for iPad"
}
}!
}
}

21. Key Benefits of Tin Can API
• Record any activity
• Flexibility in statements
• context, individual results, group members
• Not dependent on LMS
• Use mobile apps for learning
• Persistence across devices
• Track offline learning
• Track real world experiences
!
• Greater reporting and analytics
• Gamification
• Create more personalised learning experiences
• Adaptive Learning

23. Using DITA for Learning Solutions

24. Learning Object
Overview
audience
duration
intro
objectives
prerequisites
resources
challenge
duration
instruction
intro
objectives
Assessment
single/multi select
true/false
sequencing
matching
hotspot
open
Summary
next steps
objectives
resources
review
summary
Content Reuse
ConceptTask Reference
Content
Product
Documentation
Product
Documentation
Product
Documentation
Plan
gap analysis
intervention
needs analysis
project
technical

25. Learning Group
DITA Maps
Learning Object
Topic References
Learning Object
Relationship Tables
Learning Group
Subject Schemes
Learning Object
Content
Classification
Learning Object
Enumerated Lists
Learning Group
Advanced Metadata
Learning Object
Content
Classification
Learning Object
Map Metadata
reuse
Learning Group
Customised Course
Learning Object
Content
Classifciation
Learning Object
Map Metadata
Learning Object
Customer-Specific
reuse
reuse

26. Learning Group
DITA Maps
Learning Object
Topic References
Learning Object
Relationship Tables
Learning Group
Subject Schemes
Learning Object
Content
Classification
Learning Object
Enumerated Lists
Learning Group
Advanced Metadata
Learning Object
Content
Classification
Learning Object
Map Metadata
reuse
Learning Group
Customised Course
Learning Object
Content
Classifciation
Learning Object
Map Metadata
Learning Object
Customer-Specific
reuse
reuse
Learning Map
Basic Training

27. Learning Group
DITA Maps
Learning Object
Topic References
Learning Object
Relationship Tables
Learning Group
Subject Schemes
Learning Object
Content
Classification
Learning Object
Enumerated Lists
Learning Group
Advanced Metadata
Learning Object
Content
Classification
Learning Object
Map Metadata
reuse
Learning Group
Customised Course
Learning Object
Content
Classifciation
Learning Object
Map Metadata
Learning Object
Customer-Specific
reuse
reuse
Learning Map
Basic Training
Learning Map
Advanced Training

28. Learning Group
DITA Maps
Learning Object
Topic References
Learning Object
Relationship Tables
Learning Group
Subject Schemes
Learning Object
Content
Classification
Learning Object
Enumerated Lists
Learning Group
Advanced Metadata
Learning Object
Content
Classification
Learning Object
Map Metadata
Learning Map
Customised
Training
reuse
Learning Group
Customised Course
Learning Object
Content
Classifciation
Learning Object
Map Metadata
Learning Object
Customer-Specific
reuse
reuse
Learning Map
Basic Training
Learning Map
Advanced Training

29. Metadata in DITA
• Learning Object Metadata
• difficulty, type of interaction, intended end user role, learning time
• Profile-based (@audience, @product, @platform etc.)
• <prolog> & <topicmeta> in topics and maps
• Semantic markup
• Specialisation of DITA to create new metadata or
semantic markup
• Classification of content using subject schemes and
subject referencing

31. Requirements of DITA Content Server
• Understand DITA content
• native DITA support
• configurable
• index content
• full text
• metadata
• Deliver content
• appropriate for application
• HTML, DITA,
• graphics
• search for content
• query metadata!
• Web-based APIs

33. Summary
• Companies are now ready and willing to explore new
opportunities in DITA-based mobile learning
• proof of concepts
• Recent technologies and standards in DITA and Learning
can facilitate development of combined learning solutions
• No constraints in how content is delivered to mobile
• Metadata in source content is key to any solution

34. </presentation>
@markposton | @mekonltd | @ditaweb
http://linkedin.com/uk/markposton
!
Help support research into finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes. Over the
coming months I will be taking part in a number of cycle rides to raise
money for JDRF – a charity that funds research into finding a cure for Type 1
diabetes. If you’d like to donate to this good cause please find out more
here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/poston