Developing Lightweight Multimedia Learning Objects for the Semantic Web

Interactive multimedia elements allow information to be presented in a comprehensible format attuned to the way a students' mind works. A multimedia learning object is defined as an animation that includes a combination of text, graphics, sound, and video packaged together. Unlike the standard lecture mode, learning objects allow flexibility and round-the-clock access by the students. This article develops a method for creating interactive multimedia learning objects based on the SVG standard that is widely used on the semantic web. We refer to our implementation of this method as the learning object presentation (LOP) generator, a tool capable of generating CanCore compliant learning object presentations. This tool has been written using a mixture of Java and JavaScript to make it independent from the platform. The presentations generated by it utilize embedded JavaScript rather than declarative animation for reasons of increased portability, reduced complexity, and file size minimization.