Collaborative Development of Educational Modules - E-Infrastructures and Technologies for Lifelong Learning - page 195

Figure 4. The IMA-CID modeling approach

instantiating the process. Indeed, each different
instance of SP-DEM can establish a specific set of
automated tools and supporting mechanisms to be
applied. In our instantiated process, we analyzed
the adequacy of different tools; for the complete
references on the supporting tools analyzed see
(Barbosa, 2004). In short, we adopted specific
tools (Moodle and WebCT) and generic tools (web
and PowerPoint) as the presentation tools. As the
collaborative tool, we adopted CoWeb; as the in-
frastructure for capturing the classes, we chose the
eClass environment. As the support for authoring
the educational content, we adopted generic edit-
ing tools (Word, PowerPoint, FrontPage, Visio,
LaTeX). To support communication among team
members we chose electronic mail and CoWeb.

way to structure the relevant parts of the subject
domain. Also, how the content is structured and
organized directly impacts the reusability, evolv-
ability and adaptability of the module.
Despite its relevance, there are few approaches
specifically designed for modeling educational
content. Furthermore, each model addresses dif-
ferent perspectives, which can be suitable for a
given learning scenario but inadequate for others.
Motivated by this scenario, we have proposed
IMA-CID (Integrated Modeling Approach -
Conceptual, Instructional and Didactic) - an
integrated approach for modeling educational
content (Barbosa 2004; Barbosa & Maldonado,
2006a). IMA-CID is composed of a set of models,
each one addressing specific issues to structure
and represent the educational content. Figure 4
summarizes the key points of the approach.

IMA-CID: AN APPROACH
FOR MODELING
EDUCATIONAL CONTENT

Conceptual Model

The Conceptual Model consists of a high-level
description of the knowledge domain, represent-
ing its main concepts and the relationships among
them. The relationships can be divided into two
classes. Structural relationships are useful to set
up taxonomies among concepts and make infer-
ences about the knowledge, representing a generic

Content modeling plays a fundamental role in the
development process of educational modules (Bar-
bosa & Maldonado 2006a); for this reason, it was
also considered in the establishment of SP-DEM.
Basically, it helps the developer to determine the
main concepts to be taught, providing a systematic