The ResourceCenter is a digital repository for learning objects described by IMS Learning Resource Metadata at the core, a web-based authoring tool set, consisting of a metadata editor, a metadata wizard for semiautomatic generation of metadata, an editor for structuring courses, an editor for text-based learning objects with integrated multimedia resources, and an export generator for SCORM-compliant courses.

The reusability of learning objects and powerful authoring tools have been propagated as instruments to reduce high costs, particularly saving time and money, for the production of e-learning content in recent years. Much of the research in e-learning focuses on reusable learning objects, metadata and digital repositories for learning objects. Although the infrastructure exists, the reuse of learning objects still remains a theoretical approach and does not occur in practice. Many authors of learning objects do not feel competent enough to describe learning objects with metadata and to have them provided in repositories. On the one hand, the process is too cumbersome in comparison to the personal benefits gained. On the other hand, it has become widely accepted in the meantime that the same learning object cannot be used in contexts which are significantly different. In order to be able to reuse learning objects, users must be able to repurpose them for their learning context, which means that content features such as layout, language, terminology, or previous knowledge have to be adapted. However, even in homogenous groups of authors, working on a specific domain where repurposing is not necessary, reuse does not occur.

The ResocurceCenter has different means to help solve these problems:

• Provision of a simple web-based authoring tool
  
• Support of Authoring by Aggregation
• Integration of a Learning Object Repository in the authoring tool
  
• format-independent representation of text-based contents using XML