The Need

Currently, there are several products that offer online educational information allowing academic instruction and practice to take place outside of the traditional classroom experience. This includes lectures, homework, reference materials, discussion, and tests. However, these pillars of traditional education are scattered throughout online learning platforms without a single platform offering a streamlined approach to delivery of all categories. There is a need for a complete delivery of traditional education in the online environment. In this way, students will have the convenience of one complete online source for their classroom experience.

The Technology

Researchers at The Ohio State University, led by Dr. Jim Fowler, developed a software content conversion tool that facilitates the authoring and distribution of courseware. Unlike several other courseware delivery systems, XiMeRa offers a broad range of educational content including lectures, homework, textbooks, discussion forms, and tests. In the style of open courseware, these are all offered to students free of charge. Despite being in the early stages of development, XiMeRa has already engaged a multitude of users through math content alone with over 275 video lectures, 200 exercises, and a free textbook. Altogether, this platform will eventually include user accounts, open source content, user data analytics, a robust content management system, and grades reporting to subscribing institutions.

Commercial Applications

• E-learning
• Content management systems

Benefits/ Advantages

• Allows interactive elements
• Allows sophisticated typesetting
• Platform independent
• Allows detailed analytics
• Based on LaTeX