The project RUBIKON (Framework to support the goal- and demand-driven design, implementation, and evaluation of adaptable modular courses) develops a machine supported framework that helps teachers and students to design, implement, and evaluate modular courses. This project does not develop teaching materials, but shows how to prepare and semantically tie together material that is already available in electronic form (e.g., text fragments, graphics, examples, video and audio sequences, exercises, or bibliographic references) in a suitable manner as regards content (e.g., respecting various kinds of dependence relations and consistency requirements). The goal is to use the computer to quickly compose a tailored course that is consistent with respect to content and organisation, and to be able to respond in a flexible way to the needs of students while that course is being held.

The challenging part is to develop a suitable concept of representing semantic aspects of teaching materials that is validated in real courses. In particular, this concept has to permit the integration of existing materials using diverse formats and presentation forms.