What is sLML and why use it.

sLML stands for Structured Learning Markup Language. It is an open source XML standard to help learning designers and developers provide meaningful semantic markup to learning or knowledge based content. sLML was designed to support web 3.0 and the notion of performance based learning as opposed to event based learning. sLML provides a rich lexicon of instructionally relevant tags to content data. The sLML schema supports instructional design through the application of terms and concepts from the science of instructional design.

There are two important reasons to use sLML:

1) sLML provides a natural language around the tagging of content that can act as a common technology for processing learning content. What does this mean? In the same way that the Dewey Decimal System acts as a common technology for library sciences, sLML can provide a common framework for different learning applications to process content. ‘Processing content’ in this case refers to a computer’s ability to understand the nature of the learning content, and then distribute it to the appropriate platform, to the appropriate audience, in the appropriate language at the appropriate time. The distribution of content can be print based, computer based, through mobiles or any other distribution channel. Again, if you think about the Dewey Decimal System and how it is used by computers or card catalogs to find and retrieve books, the technology around the Dewey Decimal System is secondary. What makes the technology useful is the Dewey Decimal System itself. In the case of sLML, organizations are free to build their own tools that are relevant for their organization similarly to the different applications built around the Dewy Decimal System.

2) The use of the sLML model is consistent with the evolution of web technology. The web is slowly moving to being the ubiquitous operating system for everybody. More and more people are storing, transferring and using documents and applications directly on the web. As it relates to sLML facilitating the use of the web as a CPU means that computers (not humans) will be able do the actual developing, compiling and distribution of content into eLearning, print, mobile, etc at run time. This is much different than what happens today. Today the process for developing and compiling learning content into packages for distribution is a manual process. People compile content into pages, develop the code for those pages, apply the proper standards into the code so that the content can ‘play’ in the appropriate application, package the content and so on. Having a computer do that work means that content can be consumed in sync with its inclusion into the web. In other words, plug content into the web using a standardized semantic markup language (sLML) and then have your web based processing agent make sense of it, compile it, distribute it, track it and anything else, all at run time.

Final Vision
A standardized semantic markup language based on the science of instructional design for the learning community gives the community a powerful foundation to start ‘feeding the web’ with content that can be understood by machines. That understanding includes who the content is for, when do people need the content, what the subject of the content is, the learning hierarchical status of the content (memorize, explain, apply, etc), the language of the content and more. Once a machine can ‘understand’ the content, machines can ‘process’ the content into many different applications, including mobile delivery, eLearning, performance support tools, print based documents, etc. It also means that anyone using sLML, who has created personalized processing agents can grab any content using sLML and have it processed based on their individual specifications. To be clear, the processing includes building code such as HTML, PDF or flash in real time at the time the content is actually being accessed.

Benefits
Intuitive markup for creating learning content
Drastically reduce development time for print, eLearning, mLearning
Expand content, modify content without having to repackage it into its deliverable

How the web wants us to learn

For years now, I've been touting the advantages of structured authoring for learning using Instructional Design as the semantic framework for markup. In so doing, I believe the value of instructional designers will once again be placed in the right spot and the industry as a whole (specifically consumers) would benefit both in dollars and time.

Well....the industry is still moving clumsily along with 'black box' technology, yet the most powerful learning tool in the world has completely changed the way people learn and has also demonstrated what learning could be. I would suggest that the Google search engine has done more for learners and learning than any other million dollar app out there. In fact, I would even suggest that Google has provided a will to the web on how people should learn. People have changed their own expectations and clearly show that they don't want 'event' based training, but rather the tools to give them the answers when they need them. So the web wants us to learn through performance support based paradigms (that may include full courses) and we want to learn that way also.

So why does our industry ignore what's happening and continue to work on technology that the web doesn't understand. Structured authoring for learning is the process that supports learning technologies that are understood by the web. What the web understands, the web can process. What the web can process results in pinpoint information when we need it the most. What platform is more ubiquitous than the web? Why not use it.