The integrated content environment

Abstract

[Outline]: The Integrated Content Environment (ICE) is a distributed, web based content management application for preparing text- intensive courses for higher education, both for delivery electronically and in print. ICE is free software released under the GNU General Public License (FSF, 1991). The copyright holder for the ICE code is the Distance and e- Learning Centre at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). USQ is a distance education specialist, with a history of paper, web and now transmodal delivery of courseware via the Distance and e- Learning Centre. This paper explores the requirements and motivation for the system, why it needed to be developed in- house, and the use of a variety of standards. After a brief system overview, the first topic discussed is the requirements, followed by the technical architecture of the system and some other noteworthy architectural design decisions. Discussion continues with a brief overview of the development methodology, and sections on installing and using ICE, concluding with potential future research and development work.