May 2005 Program Meeting: XML Single Sourcing Solution at WebCT

WebCT is the world’s leading provider of e-learning systems for educational institutions. The WebCT Technical Communications group produces online help and user guides for WebCT Vista, the industry’s premier Academic Enterprise System (AES), using XML.
Writers author help topics in XML using Epic Editor and then map those topics to WebCT Vista using a proprietary help management system. Those topics are then transformed into help and print guides using XSL transforms developed at WebCT.

Amie Yuen, Paul Monk and Susan O’Rourke presented the WebCT XML solution at the May 17 STC Canada West Coast Chapter Meeting. The presentation covered the WebCT XML implementation and the benefits and issues of the implementation from a management perspective, a writer’s perspective, and a technical perspective.

Susan O’Rourke is the Manager of Technical Communications at WebCT. She has over twenty years experience working in the technical communications field as a writer and a manager.
Paul Monk is a Senior Writer at WebCT. He played a leading role in developing the XML solution at WebCT and continues to manage and develop the publishing transforms.