Institution Name:       Syracuse University
Work Package Title:     ASC CY4 IC
Project Title:		TangoInteractive Integration and Enhanced Authoring
POC:                    Bernholdt David E
Email:                  bernhold@npac.syr.edu
Phone:                  315 443 3857
Fax:                    315 443 1973
CTA or PEI:             Information and Communications
Project Description:	

Integration of existing training tools (TANGO, LecCorder, WebWisdomNT)
into a unified framework for both synchronous and asynchronous
web-based training and enhancements to incorporate the latest web
technologies (i.e. dynamic HTML).

Project Objectives:

Over the last year, experience in using TangoInteractive and study of
other major activities has led to an increasingly clear picture of a
good model for web based training that can be expected to be effective
and well supported as the web evolves. One should link synchronous and
asynchronous models so that synchronous delivery uses a subset of
material (web-site) used for asynchronous training.  One needs to
support both structured (e.g. database backend) and unstructured
material (few pages put together by harried faculty just before
class). One needs to be be able to archive training sessions. We have
developed in TangoInteractive collaboration system, the WebWisdomDB
database system and LecCorder archiving system solutions to the key
needs of training supporting the above model. Separately we are
enhancing this suite of tools with a training management database.

In this project, we will join ASC ARL and CEWES support to integrate
these systems for greater power and ease of use. We also add a key new
ingredient -- good support for dynamic HTML and XML. Note that XML is
a key part of Gateway approach.

Authoring tools were studied in the last meeting organized by
Central State at ASC. This identified a spectrum of approaches to
authoring Web based training which offer different tradeoffs between
ease of development and richness of the learning environment. At the
easy to use end we have pure HTML and Powerpoint with Internet
export. As an intermediate solution, there are systems like WebCT
which various enhancements such as glossaries. Another successful
model is to take HTML and use Java, Dynamic HTML and JavaScript
(with possibly a database backbend) to provide a very interactive
learning environment. Examples here include the Cornell Virtual
Workshop and the many successful Physics and Engineering applets
developed at Syracuse. The latter are notable as several have
already been ported as examples to TANGO Interactive. Finally, there
are the authoring solutions used in the familiar sophisticated
CD-ROM's and here Macromedia Director/Authorware is a typical
authoring tool.

There will never be a single authoring tool as there are properly
different trade-offs and further different people certainly prefer
different systems which are optimized for their needs and
capabilities.

Much of DoD training for the MSRC and University education uses "low-end"
approaches such as HTML and Powerpoint as they are very suitable for
rapidly changing topics. It is interesting to note that "Microsoft 2000"
will allow more elegant export of PowerPoint to the web using XML and
Dynamic HTML. We suggest that a good strategy is not to use sophisticated
systems like Macromedia but rather focus on using core web technologies
which are sure to track change well. Fortunately TangoInteractive with its
powerful JavaScript API allows good support for XML and dynamic HTML. As
part of this project we intend to extend our current prototype JavaScript
shared browser to support the changing standards for dynamic HTML and XML.
This will allow good authoring (support for telecursors and interactive
pages) as well as elegant support for quizzes and glossaries.

The other clear area of immediate improvement concerns the integration of
our current tools so that one can simultaneously deliver a lecture using
TangoInteractive with material in the WebWisdomDB database and with
archiving using LecCorder. As well as this example, it is useful to link
more simply LecCorder with TangoInteractive. We also can benefit by
integrating the training database into this system. Here we focus on the
most cases without this additional complication.

Deliverables:

o TANGO Interactive support for Dynamic HTML in version 4 browsers (Aug 99)
o TANGO Interactive support for DHTML glossaries and interactive
  quizzes (Jan'00) 
o TANGO Interactive support for Dynamic HTML and XML in version 5
  browsers (March 00) 
o Training in Authoring with dynamic HTML  and use of training
  technologies as needed 
o Integration of LecCorder and Tango Interactive (July 99)
o Integration of LecCorder, Tango Interactive and WebWisdomDB. This
  includes a two month testing and evaluation phase.(March-May '00). 

Customers/End Users:

PET Training staff and instructors

Benefit to Warfighter:

Provides indirect benefit to the warfighter through support of PET's
training mission

Project Dependencies and Scope:

This project leverages on-going work at CEWES and (if funded) at NAVO.

Risk Element:

The primary risk in this work involves the quality of web browser
support for dynamic HTML.  However we assume that even if there are
problems initially, dHTML support will improve with time, so that in
the long-term the risk is minimal.

Required Funding Level
        Year X:		50,000
        Year X+1:	     0
        Year X+2:	     0