Learn how to use DITA, XML, and other tools to collaboratively build targeted content for multiple purposes.

1. Prepared by © 2008 Lasselle-Ramsay
Presented by
Prepared for © 2009 Lasselle-Ramsay
Beyond the Book and the Class
Using DITA for Training &
Support
Presenters from Lasselle-Ramsay
Joan Lasselle, Tom Voltz, and
Jana Humphreys

2. Welcome!
• Today’s event is being recorded – link available in
follow-up email
• Use Q&A panel to submit questions for Q&A session
• Full screen view available for slides
• Polling panel

3. Our Presenters
Joan Lasselle
President
Jana Humphreys
Director of Operations
Tom Voltz
Technology Manager
www.LR.com

4. Lasselle-Ramsay Industry Expertise
26 years supporting global 2000 clients
with their content infrastructure

5. Information Infrastructure

6. Information Infrastructure

7. Poll
 DITA
 XML
 FrameMaker
 Word
 PowerPoint
 eLearning authoring tools
(Flash, Captivate, Articulate,
Lectora)
How do you currently create, edit, and manage
your content? Check all that apply.
 Content Management
System
 Learning Content
Management System
 Learning Management
System

8. What is DITA?
• An eXtensible Markup Language (XML)
• An XML vocabulary to describe content, like DocBook
and XHTML
• An Information Typing Architecture
• DITA = “Darwin Information Typing Architecture”
• Darwin?

9. Yes, that Darwin
• The DITA architecture
was inspired by
Darwin’s concepts
– Inheritance
– Specialization

10. Specialization

11. DITA Building Blocks: Topics and Maps
• Topics – Containers for Content
– Generic Topic
– Concept
– Reference
– Task
• Maps – Collections of Topics
– Ditamap (generic)
– Bookmap

12. Topic Specialized to Task

13. Body Specialized to Task Body

14. Specializing Maps

15. Adult Learning Lifecycle

16. Adult Learning Best Practices
Keep in mind…
• Learning is a process not an event
• Learning needs to be relevant to the job
• Learners have varied learning needs, levels, and
learning style preferences
• Learning occurs when training is active not passive
It’s important to
design…
• Role based learning
roadmaps using a
blended approach

17. Instructional Design Can Increase Value
of Content

18. A Learning Specialization

19. Filtering Content by Audience
Participant’s Guide Facilitator’s Guide

20. Using Specialization for Different
Audiences
Participant’s Guide Facilitator’s Guide

21. Using Maps for Different Audiences

22. Beyond the Book and the Class - Using
DITA for Training & Support

23. Optimizing the Content Infrastructure

24. Collaboratively Build Targeted Content

25. Poll
 Across functional groups (tech docs, training, support)
 Across multiple audiences (end user, system admin)
 For multiple outputs (Web, PDF, Mobile)
 For translation
Where do you see the highest opportunity for
reusing your content?

26. Why DITA for Learning
Effectiveness
• Better customer experience
• Targeted content for improved
performance
• Consistent information
• Create custom courses quickly
Efficiency
• Efficient reuse
• Repurpose material from other
sources
• Company-wide standards
• Faster development time
• Topic-based authoring offers
flexibility in content
organization
• Leverage stylesheet
development

27. Keys to Success
• Instructional design remains critical
• Learning requires context, transition, relevant examples
not simply assembly
– Resist too much step-by-step
– Move from simple to complex
• Get training team onboard with the move to XML
• Granularity is a challenge in building mastery

28. Learning More
• Custom courses for DITA for both managers and authors
• Custom Courses can make a big difference in adopting
this approach
• Just Systems’ archive of recorded webinars
• Using Structured Content Whitepaper
• Contact us by email

29. Helpful Links
• Tom to provide links

30. Where Are You?

31. Questions
www.lr.com
Joan.Lasselle@lr.com
Jana.Humphreys@lr.com
Tom.Voltz@lr.com
www.justsystems.com
sales@justsystems.com
1-866-793-1542