Org-Mode as authoring tool for Moodle courses

Org-Mode as authoring tool for Moodle courses

[Gruenderteam Berlin]

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Hello,
beeing still in the process of learning the amazing org-mode, I wonder if
somebody has tried to use org-mode's publishing capacities as an authoring
tool for the Online Learning Platform Moodle
(http://www.moodle.org/<http://www.moodle.de/>),
as a replacement for GUI-tools like eXeLearning
(http://www.exelearning.org/<http://www.exelearning.de/>
)?

eXeLearning is described as follows:
"" The eXe project developed a freely available Open Source authoring
application to assist teachers and academics in the publishing of web
content without the need to become proficient in HTML or XML markup.
Resources authored in eXe can be exported in IMS Content Package, SCORM 1.2,
or IMS Common Cartridge formats or as simple self-contained web pages.""

org-mode definitely can publish self contained web-pages, and I guess all
the functionality needed to to publish the other formats is already there.
It would be extremely beneficial and efficient to be able to write whole
moodle-courses in org-mode, maybe having some templates/stylesheets for
typical course formats like the above mentioned IMS and SCORM (and others
mentioned in the moodle manual: social format, topics format, weekly
format).

I would be very interested if somebody could share previous experiences
about using org-mode for authoring moodle-courses.
Since moodle is very popular, and online learning becomes increasingly
important, beeing the most efficient authoring tool for moodle could
potentially gain a lot of attention for org-mode.
Thanks
Thorsten

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Re: Org-Mode as authoring tool for Moodle courses

[Łukasz Stelmach]

Gruenderteam Berlin <gruenderteam.berlin@googlemail.com> writes:

> Hello,
> beeing still in the process of learning the amazing org-mode,

This never ends ;-)

> I wonder if somebody has tried to use org-mode's publishing capacities
> as an authoring tool for the Online Learning Platform Moodle

We had tried to use moodle at our division before I learnt about
org-mode, and frankly speaking I didn't like moodle that much. Today, I
prepare and publish my courses with org-mode as standalone
web-pages. Considering endless capabilities and flexibility of org-mode,
moodle just scares me. Take for example grading. Org's spreadsheet
(or column-view, I have to try it out myself) is by far more convenient
to use than moodles tables. OK, that's enough, I suppose you'd like to
read something more constructive.

As I said I haven't done this myself but this is how I imagine this can
be done, here and now with as little elisp coding as possible.

1. Create org files in a directory structure resembling the structure of
   the SCORM zip file. That's obvious.
2. Set up a publishing project [[info:org:Publishing]]
3. Add "static" content (scripts, images) that will be published with
   org-publish-attachment function.
4. Create a script (this might imho be a shell script) that generates
   manifest file. Launch it after publishing using :completion-function
   project parameter. The script may create a zip file too. And upload
   it... too ;-)

What I don't know (as I browse through a SCORM zip for the second time
in my life) is what are all xsd files for and how to create them. Are
they optional? Does their content depend on the contents of the course?
If it does then elisp coding might be inevitable, however, since org
generates XHTML it can be reliably parsed with some external tools.

If I had to use moodle today I definitely would use org-mode for html
authoring: exporting to a temporary HTML buffer and then c'n'p to a
browser window.

I know that's not much but I hope I wrote something you haven't known
already or at least I give you a new idea how to put things together.

-- 
Miłego dnia,
Łukasz Stelmach

Re: Re: Org-Mode as authoring tool for Moodle courses

[Gruenderteam Berlin]

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Thanks for your instructing answer,  Lukasz.
It did not occur to me, that using org-mode instead of moodle could be a
solution, but it may actually be the best solution.  Moodle-Hosting is quite
expensive anyway, seems to use many ressources.
So I have to think about a way how to publish org-mode online courses into a
- say scala/lift project -, because I would like to have user management,
authentication, paypal and credit-card services for free (thats what Lift
offers, i.e.).
Or does almigthy org-mode delivers that too?  ;-)
A main disadvantage would be that one can't get started other course-authors
as fast on org-mode as on moodle/exelearning.

I think moodle is a school with courses, and org-mode should be definitely
better for writing online courses, but I need the school too for all the
administration stuff, and I don't want to program that. Maybe Lift or Django
can be used, and the result is much more flexible than moodle.

I have to try the SCORM package instructions - thanks a lot
Cheers
Thorsten



2010/10/21 Łukasz Stelmach <lukasz.stelmach@iem.pw.edu.pl>

> Gruenderteam Berlin <gruenderteam.berlin@googlemail.com> writes:
>
> > Hello,
> > beeing still in the process of learning the amazing org-mode,
>
> This never ends ;-)
>
> > I wonder if somebody has tried to use org-mode's publishing capacities
> > as an authoring tool for the Online Learning Platform Moodle
>
> We had tried to use moodle at our division before I learnt about
> org-mode, and frankly speaking I didn't like moodle that much. Today, I
> prepare and publish my courses with org-mode as standalone
> web-pages. Considering endless capabilities and flexibility of org-mode,
> moodle just scares me. Take for example grading. Org's spreadsheet
> (or column-view, I have to try it out myself) is by far more convenient
> to use than moodles tables. OK, that's enough, I suppose you'd like to
> read something more constructive.
>
> As I said I haven't done this myself but this is how I imagine this can
> be done, here and now with as little elisp coding as possible.
>
> 1. Create org files in a directory structure resembling the structure of
>   the SCORM zip file. That's obvious.
> 2. Set up a publishing project [[info:org:Publishing]]
> 3. Add "static" content (scripts, images) that will be published with
>   org-publish-attachment function.
> 4. Create a script (this might imho be a shell script) that generates
>   manifest file. Launch it after publishing using :completion-function
>   project parameter. The script may create a zip file too. And upload
>   it... too ;-)
>
> What I don't know (as I browse through a SCORM zip for the second time
> in my life) is what are all xsd files for and how to create them. Are
> they optional? Does their content depend on the contents of the course?
> If it does then elisp coding might be inevitable, however, since org
> generates XHTML it can be reliably parsed with some external tools.
>
> If I had to use moodle today I definitely would use org-mode for html
> authoring: exporting to a temporary HTML buffer and then c'n'p to a
> browser window.
>
> I know that's not much but I hope I wrote something you haven't known
> already or at least I give you a new idea how to put things together.
>
> --
> Miłego dnia,
> Łukasz Stelmach
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>

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