Server Ð The Network has two classes of servers, library servers and access servers
Home Server of a user Ð Server that stores all personal records and resources of a user
Library Server Ð A library server can act as a Home Server that stores all personal records of user, and is responsible for the initial authentication of that user when a session is opened on any server in the Network. For Authors, it also hosts their construction area and the authoritative copy of every resource that was published by that author. Library servers can be used as backups to host sessions when all access servers in the Network are overloaded.
Access Server Ð
machines that host learner sessions.
Domain Ð The Network is divided into domains Ð domains could be defined by departmental or institutional boundaries. Domains provide the possibility to limit the spread of personal user information flow, load balancing, and content material. Physically, every domain needs at least one dedicated library server.
Users Ð users are identified by a usernames and the domain. Usernames need to be unique within a domain and are not coupled to specific courses. They can also be carried over several semesters.
Role - Every user
can have several roles, and the roles can change over the lifetime of a
username. For example, over the course of studies, a student username assumes
the role of "student" in different courses.
Resource Ð multimedia piece of content
Rendering Ð the process of generating output from
resources
Granularity Ð grain size of a resource. The system
distinguishes between four generic levels of granularity: fragment, page,
sequence and course
Fragment Ð a resource of the smallest
self-contained renderable grain size. Examples: one
image, one
movie clip, one paragraph of text
Page Ð a resource of the grain size which
would be rendered as one page on the web and/or on
the printer
Sequence Ð a resource which would be rendered as
a sequence of pages, not necessarily
linear.
Examples: one lesson, one chapter, one learning cycle
Course Ð a sequence which represents the
entirety of the resources belonging to a learning
unit into
which learners can be enrolled. Examples: a University one-semester course, a
workshop, a
High School class. Courses are defined by a "course-level" resource
assembly map and an enrollment list with sections.
Resource
Priority Ð a resource
can be Òregular,Ó ÒmandatoryÓ or Òoptional.Ó These resource priorities are only
used in book-keeping of earned points by the learners. There are two additional
resources priorities, ÒstartÓ and ÒfinishÓ which cannot be set by authors
Map Ð a page, sequence or course resource
Start
Resource Ð the first
resource or entry point of a map
Finish Resource Ð the
last resource or exit point of a map
Link Ð path from one resource to another
within a map
Condition Ð condition under which a link can be
taken. Examples for variables used in conditions: course parameters, learner
performance, learner preferences, date
Condition
Priority Ð a condition
can be used to recommend a certain link over others branching off from the same
resource, to block a link if it is false,
or to force a link over all others if true
Resource
Assembly Ð the process
of generating a map by referencing and linking resources. The system allows for
assembly of fragments and pages into a page; fragments, pages, sequences into a
sequence; fragments, pages, sequences into a course.
Resource
Pool Ð the entirety of
the resources stored and cataloged within the system itself
External
Resource Ð a resource
which is not part of the resource pool
Author Ð the author of a resource
Learner Ð the consumer of resource renderings
State Ð the entirety of the conditions which
determine a particular learner's rendering of a
course.
Linear
Resource Assembly Ð the
process of combining a set of resources into a non-branching
non-variable
order, where the rendering is independent of state. Examples: an image and a
paragraph of
text get assembled into one page where the image will always be rendered on top
of the
paragraph.