Real-time data integration into documentation, such as assessment results in educational content, can be achieved with DITA by following a structured approach that ensures data accuracy and relevance. Here’s how this is accomplished:

Data Integration Structure

DITA offers the capability to define structured data integration elements within educational documentation. Assessment results, which can be subject to frequent updates, can be represented as structured data elements. For example, you can create an XML element within DITA to encapsulate assessment scores or results. By using DITA’s structured approach, these data elements can be integrated seamlessly into educational content in a standardized format.

Real-time Data Sources

To enable real-time data integration, educational systems can provide access to real-time data sources, such as assessment platforms. These data sources should expose assessment results through APIs or data feeds. DITA-aware authoring and publishing systems can then utilize these data sources to fetch the latest assessment results and integrate them into educational documentation automatically. This ensures that the documentation always reflects the most current assessment data, offering learners up-to-date information.

Example:

Here’s an example illustrating how DITA allows for real-time integration of assessment results:

<topic id="math_exam_results">
  <title>Math Exam Results</title>
  <content>
    <p>John's Math Exam Score: <assessment-result data-source="exam-platform-api" data-field="john_math_score" /> out of 100.</p>
    <p>Mary's Math Exam Score: <assessment-result data-source="exam-platform-api" data-field="mary_math_score" /> out of 100.</p>
  </content>

In this example, the DITA topic “Math Exam Results” includes structured content, with assessment results integrated in real-time from the exam platform’s API. Each learner’s score is dynamically fetched, ensuring the documentation reflects the latest assessment data.