Design of an IMS LD Editor Using Non-IMS LD Concepts

The IMS learning design (IMS LD) specification describes a notation for encoding lesson plans in a standard way. However, the notation does not resemble terms that instructors are familiar with in designing lesson plans. This paper addresses the extensive need for an authoring tool that can be used by both IMS LD experts and non-expert instructors. It describes the design of an editor called Edify, which uses a mapping between the IMS LD elements and the terms that are familiar to instructors. Such an editor will help raise awareness, understanding and use of IMS LD which will result in re-use, improvement and sharing of IMS LD documents. These documents represent lesson plans or instructional designs that are interoperable with any IMS LD compliant system and can save time and costs for educational institutions and organizations involved in training.