FlowiXML

Abstract In this paper the authors present a structured method for automatically generating User Interfaces for e-learning environments. The method starts with a definition of the learning scenario where the different goals, jobs (professor-student/trainer-learner), and tasks are described and stored in a template. After, the description is mapped to FlowiXML, a learning process authoring tool, where graphically trainers or content designers draw the overall process. A learning process is viewed as a workflow and modeled using Petri net ...

Supporting business processes through the help of workflow systems is a necessary prerequisite for many companies to stay competitive. An important task is the specification of workflow, i.e. the parts of a business process that can be supported by a computer-based system. We investigated how to close the gap between the organization requirements and the development of information systems to support them. We introduced FlowiXML a methodology for developing user interfaces for a workflow information system in a systematic way. The methodology provides designers with methodological guidance on how to derive user interfaces of workflow information. We have already experienced the benefits of FlowiXML in several real life case studies conducted at the University. In this paper we report on our evaluation of FlowiXML against the cognitive dimension framework.

Technology to support groups is rapidly growing in use. In recent years, the Web has become a privileged platform for implementing community-oriented workflows, giving rise to a new generation of workflow information systems. Specifically, the Web provides ubiquitous access to information, supports explicit distribution of business process across workers, workplaces, and computing platforms. These processes could be all supported by platform-independent user interfaces. This chapter presents a model-driven engineering method that provides designers with methodological guidance on how to systematically derive user interfaces of workflow information systems from a series of models. For this purpose, the workflow is recursively decomposed into processes which are in turn decomposed into tasks. Each task gives rise to a task model whose structure, ordering, and connection with the domain model allows the automated generation of corresponding user interfaces in a transformational approach. The various models involved in the method can be edited in a workflow editor based on Petri nets and simulated interactively.

Abstract. In this paper we present a method for automatically generating a series of Collaborative Multiplatform Scenarios based on Interactive Learning Objects. The overall learning process of a learner interacting with an eLearning system is interpreted as a workflow that provides tools to guide individual and group learning processes. There is a plethora of learning environments but the collaboration management and definition is only included intrinsically, while in this approach is explicitly included as a first class citizen ...

In this paper the authors present a structured method for automatically generating User Interfaces for e-learning environments. The method starts with a definition of the learning scenario where the different goals, jobs (professor-student/trainer-learner), and tasks are described and stored in a template. After, the description is mapped to FlowiXML, a learning process authoring tool, where graphically trainers or content designers draw the overall process. A learning process is viewed as a workflow and modeled using Petri net notation. From each step in the process model more details are added using user task models; user’s activity interacting with a user interface is stored in such diagrams. Then, a transformational method for developing user interfaces of interactive information systems is used that starts from a task model and a domain model to progressively derive a final user interface. This method consists of three steps: deriving one or many abstract user interfaces from the task model, deriving one or many concrete user interfaces from each abstract interface, and producing the code of the final user interfaces corresponding to each concrete interface. The models and the transformations of these models are all expressed in UsiXML (User Interface eXtensible Markup Language) and maintained in a model repository that can be accessed by the suite of tools. Developing user interfaces in this way facilitates its automated generation over multiple computing platforms while maintaining portability and consistency between the multiple versions. Our approach is illustrated on an open Learning environment using a case study.

Abstract. In this paper we present a method for automatically generating a series of Collaborative Multiplatform Scenarios based on Interactive Learning Objects. The overall learning process of a learner interacting with an eLearning system is interpreted as a workflow that provides tools to guide individual and group learning processes. There is a plethora of learning environments but the collaboration management and definition is only included intrinsically, while in this approach is explicitly included as a first class citizen ...

Supporting business processes through the help of workflow systems is a necessary prerequisite for many companies to stay competitive. An important task is the specification of workflow, i.e. the parts of a business process that can be supported by a computer-based system. We investigated how to close the gap between the organization requirements and the development of information systems to support them. We introduced FlowiXML a methodology for developing user interfaces for a workflow information system in a systematic way. The methodology provides designers with methodological guidance on how to derive user interfaces of workflow information. We have already experienced the benefits of FlowiXML in several real life case studies conducted at the University. In this paper we report on our evaluation of FlowiXML against the cognitive dimension framework.

Abstract In this paper the authors present a structured method for automatically generating User Interfaces for e-learning environments. The method starts with a definition of the learning scenario where the different goals, jobs (professor-student/trainer-learner), and tasks are described and stored in a template. After, the description is mapped to FlowiXML, a learning process authoring tool, where graphically trainers or content designers draw the overall process. A learning process is viewed as a workflow and modeled using Petri net ...

Supporting business processes through the help of workflow systems is a necessary prerequisite for many companies to stay competitive. An important task is the specification of workflow, i.e. the parts of a business process that can be supported by a computer-based system. We investigated how to close the gap between the organization requirements and the development of information systems to support them. We introduced FlowiXML a methodology for developing user interfaces for a workflow information system in a systematic way. The methodology provides designers with methodological guidance on how to derive user interfaces of workflow information. We have already experienced the benefits of FlowiXML in several real life case studies conducted at the University. In this paper we report on our evaluation of FlowiXML against the cognitive dimension framework.

In this paper we present a method for automatically generating a series of Collaborative Multiplatform Scenarios based on Interactive Learning Objects. The overall learning process of a learner interacting with an eLearning system is interpreted as a workflow that provides tools to guide individual and group learn-ing processes. There is a plethora of learning environments but the collaboration management and definition is only included intrinsically, while in this approach is explicitly included as a first class citizen and spread over the whole process. On top of classical standards used for specifying learning objects, a meta-description of scenarios is defined based on an extension brought to UsiXML, a XML-compliant User Interface Description Language. Describing a user interface in this way facilitates the automated generation of user interfaces over multiple compu-ting platforms while maintaining portability and consistency between the multiple versions. Finally, the extension brought to UsiXML is intended to support the in-teraction description via Learning Objects. This approach is illustrated based on Claroline, an open Source eLearning and eWorking software platform allowing teachers to build effective online courses and to manage learning and collaborative activities on the web for the learners.

supporting business processes through the help of workflow systems is a necessary prerequisite for many companies to stay competitive. An important task is the specification of workflow, i.e. the parts of a business process that can be supported by a computer-based system. We investigated how to close the gap between the organization requirements and the development of information systems to support them. We introduced FlowiXML a methodology for developing user interfaces for a workflow information system in a systematic way. The methodology provides designers with methodological guidance on how to derive user interfaces of workflow information. We have already experienced the benefits of FlowiXML in several real life case studies conducted at the University. In this paper we report on our evaluation of FlowiXML against the cognitive dimension framework.