More information for developers and about ELML

Since ELML emerged from the GITTA project, we start with a short introduction about GITTA and its purpose. This text was taken out from the GITTA project website :

In comparison to other Swiss Virtual Campus (SVC) projects, we spent a lot of time evaluating the technologies. When we started our project in 2001, we were not satisfied with the existing e-Learning software that was available in the market place. Most of them were expensive proprietary systems that let you put in some information (mostly as HTML code) but offered little possibilities to design your content or even export it to other platforms. These systems were not deemed sustainable by us. Since the goal of GITTA was to integrate e-Learning into the regular curriculum of the participating universities, we could not build such a project on proprietary software.

After months of evaluation the solution for us was using XML to store our content and Open Source software (Apaches Cocoon and Tomcat project) to serve it. We developed a DTD (later an XMLSchema) which described exactly what a GITTA lesson could or should contain and in which order. For more information about the background our structure, please read the Implementation part.

After nearly three years of using and improving our GITTA DTD, we decided to make both the DTD (now an XMLSchema) and the corresponding XSL files to create both HTML and PDF public. EduTech, which has a mandate for providing technological support to SVC projects, supported us both financially and with valuable inputs. We started to create an XMLSchema with the according XSL files from scratch using our GITTA DTD that has been used for the last three years and leaving out the drawbacks and bugs :-) The result was called ELML and is available from the EduTech website as free OpenSource software (see below). The first release was in August 2004, so it's now pretty new stuff.

ELML - eLesson Markup Language: An XML Framework to Represent Course Content

The ELML package is available as OpenSource and contains the following items:

• XMLSchema: The heart of our XML framework.
• XSL files: For creating HTML (using XSLT) and PDF (using FO) Output.
• Manuals: Full documentation together with an extensive Schema reference should help you install and use ELML.
• Content: We provide both a test and a real GITTA lesson in XML format.
• Forum: A discussion board to ask questions or share solutions.

Please note that you do not need any server software with ELML! You can use any XML editor that reads XMLSchema and XSL files to create your XML lessons and transform them into HTML. We will provide Tomcat/Cocoon solutions for ELML soon on the EduTech ELML website.