Speaker bio's

Manager, Design and Development; Multimedia Development Coordinator

The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand

sally.rawnsley@openpolytechnic.ac.nz, steve.tongue@openpolytechnic.ac.nz

XML: one source to rule them all!

This session will explore the journey being taken by The Open Polytechnic to introduce the use of XML to enable single source multiple output publishing. The XML project was designed to create standard electronic templates for developing and revising course material. All learning materials will conform to the templates and will be developed as media neutral or media specific course material as required. It is expected that this will facilitate the move towards providing blended learning options for students and also improve efficiency in the course development process. We will discuss issues such as change management, process reengineering, training, infrastructure requirements and, especially, the benefits of moving to XML. There will be discussion of how XML may improve instructional design by encouraging a structured approach to writing. Finally, we will demonstrate how XML templates work and discuss their applicability in other settings.

Presentation notes (PDF 286 KB)

Sally Rawnsley has worked in open and distance learning for over 20 years. In the last 10 years she has managed the design, development and publishing of learning materials in all media at the Correspondence School and, more recently, at The Open Polytechnic. She is responsible for bringing design and development of online courses into 'business as usual' at The Open Polytechnic.

Steve Tongue has worked in education for over 20 years. In the last 12 years he has worked in the Education Technology section of The Open Polytechnic on a wide range of educational technology projects. Steve is responsible for developing and programming multimedia projects.