Versioning of E-Learning Objects Enabling Flexible Reuse

One promise that has always been made in the field of e-learning is the possibility to create and deliver learning material that is adaptable to individual learners. Realising this vision requires the possibility to reuse existing learning objects, combining them in new contexts. Reuse, in turn, can only be supported, if a flexible versioning scheme is in place that can easily handle multiple versions of objects. In this paper, we analyse the requirements of e-learning systems for versioning support. Considering well-known design spaces for versioning systems we develop a versioning scheme that perfectly meets the requirement list. This socalled implicit versioning scheme allows for transparent versioning and reuse of arbitrary content objects. We explicitly stress on the integration of the versioning schemes into the authoring process of e-learning material and discuss its effects on the usability.