\label{Guts_Authoring} \subsection{Content Re-usage and Granularity} % Replace this with stuff from LyX {}``Resources''\index{resources} are the atomic unit of content in LON-CAPA. Learning resources could be simple paragraphs of text, movies, applets, individualizing homework problems, etc. Any faculty member can use their {}``construction space''\index{construction space} to create or upload their resources, either into the common pool or with highly selective access controls. LON-CAPA was designed from the beginning to support collaboration and using resources that may be distributed all across the planet. For each resource in the LON-CAPA network, LON-CAPA track metadata about that resource, provides versioning of the resource, and provides automatic subscription and change notification mechanisms. Thus, you can freely use resources from other institutions, and you can either tell LON-CAPA to always give you a given version of a resource if you're happy with it, or allow the system to automatically propagate changes to you. For example, an instructor from Community College \textbf{A} could combine a text paragraph from University \textbf{B} with a movie from College \textbf{C} and an online homework problem from Publisher \textbf{D}, to form one page. Another instructor from High School \textbf{E} can take that page from Community College \textbf{A} and combine it with other pages into a module, unit or chapter. Those in turn can be combined into whole course packs. Faculty can design their own curricula from existing and newly created resources instead of having to buy into a complete off-the-shelf product. % \begin{figure} \begin{center}\includegraphics[% width=0.55\paperwidth]{Resource_Assembly}\end{center} \caption{Resource Assembly} \end{figure} Fig. {}``Resource Assembly'' shows a general overview of the resource assembly mechanism and the different levels of content granularity supported by the current implementation of this principle. The topmost puzzle piece represents a resource at the fragment level - one GIF, one movie, one paragraph of text, one problem, or one regular web page. Attached to the resource is metadata gathered at the publication time of the resource. Using the resource assembly tool described below, these fragments and pages can be assembled into a page. A {}``page'' is a resource or collection of resources that would be seen as one web page, or printed as one unit. Using the same tool, fragments (which would then be rendered as stand alone pages), pages and other sequences can be assembled into sequences. Sequences are resources which are rendered a sequence of pages, not necessarily linear. Examples are one lesson, one chapter, or one learning cycle. On the third granularity level, fragments (rendered as stand alone pages), pages, and sequences can be assembled into courses. Courses are a sequence which represents the entirety of the resources belonging to a learning unit into which learners can be enrolled. Examples are a University one-semester course, a workshop, or a High School class. \subsection{Maps} To increase the utility of the materials, the number of hard-coded hyperlinks between the resources should be minimized. The actual combining and sequencing is part of the system functionality and driven by external \char`\"{}roadmaps\char`\"{}, which are constructed by the instructors. With this mechanism, one and the same resource can be part of different courses in different contexts. The soft-linking makes it possible to import only the desired set of resources without effectively importing additional parts another instructors resources through hard-linked menus or \char`\"{}next page\char`\"{} buttons that might resided on those resources. \subsection{Curriculum Adaptivity} Maps allow for conditional choices and branching points. The actual path through and presentation of the learning resources is determined by instructor-specified combinations of learner choices and system-generated adaptations (for example, if the learner does not pass a test, additional resources may be included). Each learner can have an individualized curriculum according to preferences, capabilities and skills. These maps can be generated at different levels of granularity with a graphical tool, or in an automated way through custom scripts. \subsection{Resource Assembly Tools} LON-CAPA provides several tools to facilitate assembling resources together, with varying levels of sophistication, depending on the skill level of the user. It is worth observing that while creating a complicated sequence with a high degree of adaptivity may be challenging for some users, because LON-CAPA resources can be so easily re-used, it need only be done once by one person to be useful to many, many instructors. The full assembly tool, which is capable of creating sequences with all of the advanced functionality discussed above, is called the Advanced Resource Assembly Tool. To read about it from the user's point of view, see the Author's Manual (available in your LON-CAPA installation at \texttt{http://your-server.com/adm/help/author.manual.pdf}, or if you do not have a LON-CAPA install, at \texttt{http://msu.loncapa.org/adm/help/author.manual.pdf}), in the {}``Creating a Simple .sequence with the Advanced Editor'' section. A simpler resource assembly tool can be used in the common case where an assembler merely wishes to string other resources together into one unit. This can be seen in the Author's Manual in the {}``Creating a Simple .sequence with the Simple Editor'' section. Finally, the \textbf{DOCs} interface allows course instructors to perform certain manipulations of the course's content while it is running. Information about this from the user's point of view can be found in the Course Management manual, in the {}``Course Documents Screen'' chapter.