E-Learning – Using XML technologies to meet the special characteristics of higher education

In this paper we claim that the current approach to learning objects and metadata standards is counter productive for the integration of e-learning in higher education. We explain why higher education is different with regard to E-learning and we suggest an approach that avoids the use of global standards and favors an approach of an evolving set of metadata tags for an evolving community of practice. We demonstrate how XML technologies and some minimal technical help for the participating teachers can provide the required foundation for a productive process of integrating E-learning in higher education.