Educational design language

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Definition

And educational design language is a notation system for creating educational designs, e.g. courses, modules, or scenarios.

An educational design language is “a tool that designers use to communicate designs, plans, and intentions to each other and to the users of their artifacts” (Botturi, 2006: 268). “Notational systems, used in mature fields of study, are closely related to design languages. The future of a technological field depends on the ability to communicate ideas and changes with others in the field. Instructional technology is one field that can benefit from a notation system enabling designers to duplicate, execute, and communicate their ideas” (Waters & Gibbons 2004: 57).

Types of design languages

Botturi, Derntl,Boot & Figl (2006) propose a classification system to describe educational design langages. See also Developing design documents (3D) model.

  • Stratification: flat or layered. Is there unique representation or are there several "tools" to describe various objets like in coUML ?
  • Formalization: between formel or informel. E.g. UML and XML-based vocabularies are both formal languages.
  • Elaboration: conceptual, specification or implementation. These levels are based on the UML model (Fowler, 2003): the conceptuel level allows to gain a global view of a design and its rationale, the specification includes all the details, and the implementation level includes includes sufficient precision to create executive code. E.g. CompendiumLD is a concept map edito, coUML can be considered a set of specification languages, the LAMS editor produces directly executable code.
  • Perspective: singular or multiple. Is there a same view or different views to describe a design? E2ML for instance allows to model both structural and temporal relations between activities.
  • Notation system: none, textual, visual. If there is a notation system, it can be either visual (e.g. like in the informal CompendiumLD editor or a formal UML-derived language) or textual like the typical XML-based educational modeling languages like IMS Learning Design.

A list of systems for educational design

This list puts together systems for educational design into some more or less "natural" categories. We don't include just design languages, but systems that in one way or another support pedagogical design. Simple content-based e-learning languages and tools are not included of course...

IMS Learning Design and basic editors

IMS Learning Design is a formal langage (UML and XML) that is standardised. Designers are not really expected to directly use this language, it's rather expected that they use a high-level editor that then can export to IMS LD. In the same way the e-learning content editors don't need to understand SCORM 1.2.

Design tools that can export to IMS-LD or another executable formalism

There exist several variants. This category includes both visual design tools and form-based editors. Some of them can export to IMS LD. Some are general purpose and some like collage are specialized. Some tools are operational, some just research systems.

Visual design/modelling languages

Some designers use one or several UML languages like UML activity diagrams. Other extend the UML framework and others use their own notational system. Most of these systems are only used by a very small population. Except for the UML tools which are popular in computer science, these languages are all very recent. Usually, they don't produce executable code.

  • BPEL (Business Process Execution Language, used in Model-Driven Learning Design)
  • UML (in particular UML class diagrams and UML activity diagrams)
  • E2ML Visual scenario design language
  • coUML Visual scenario and content design language
  • PALO Visual scenario design language
  • poEML Visual collaborative scenario design language

Visual design languages

Same as above, but easier to use, since not formal. Doesn't produce executable code.

  • CompendiumLD. A concept map editor for learning design. Compendium LD maps also could be given to learners.

Formalisms and tools different from IMS LD

Attemps to enlargen or to modify the IMS-LD framework. These projects include their own meta-model (i.e. their representation of what a pedagogical scenario is) plus a toolkit for design and execution. Most are still very much under development.

Design and execution systems in production

This category includes operational online authoring and execution systems that support learning design. LAMS has a visual design editor, CeLS a forms-based interface.

  • LAMS (voir aussi LAMS) (système d'édition/exécution learning design)
  • CeLS

CSCL research

The Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) community also started to work modelling what they called scripts and to develop notational systems, e.g. see Kobbe et al. (2007) or Dillenbourg & Tchounikine (2007).

  • See CSCL script) for the concept
  • CPM (a UML profile and system somewhere in between CSCL and learning design)
  • Collage A macro-script configuration tool (based on the idea of flow patterms)
  • Cool Modes A system that includes several visual design tools for learners (and teachers). There exist also other microworld systems that include visual design languages.

Other formalisms

IMS Simple sequencing is a formalism that supports mastery learning. It is included in the SCORM 2004 profile (version 3 and later), but it is very difficult to find an LMS and design tools that support this standard.

Systems that focus on the semantics of contents

These formalisms and associated tools allow to create pedagogical documents with semantic structure (and therefore markup).

Systèmes légers

These systems are often included under "teacher tools", i.e. tools that allow a teacher to prepare lessons without too much insisting on detailed scenario design.

Alternatives and anti-models

Visual multimedia authoring languages

There exist other products, e.g. hypercard revival systems.

Microworld design languages

Most of these microworlds are considered to be expressive digitial media for the learners themselves. Nevertheless the teacher also can create designs like simulations for use by learners or demonstrations. He also can create half-baked models that are then given to the learners for further work. Some examples are:

Repositories

Web sites to share designs and scenarios. There exist several types. Some tools just point to an associated learning object repository. Sometimes the tool integrates direct access to the repository. Here are some examples

  • Cloudworks is repository for designs (in simple verbal form)
  • Systems like LAMS point to a community page where registered users can upload and download excutable and editable LAMS packages.
  • Systems like CeLS include the repository in the interface.

Links

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Acknowledgement: This article or part of this article has been written during a collaboration with the EducTice group of INRP, which attributed a visiting grant to DKS in january 2009.