Web servers with semi-transactions for e-learning activities

A new approach to building Web-based framework for e-learning applications is proposed. The framework is based on Resource Server - a multiversion Web server of three-tier architecture, composed of an interpreter of a query language as main interface of the server, specialized object-oriented database of information resources as an engine, and an XML wrapper as a gateway for data repositories. The server engine provides Web users (e-course participants) with so called sessions. A Web session, being a unit of users' collaboration, corresponds to a single e-course. It has basic transactional properties: atomicity, consistency and durability. It supports user awareness and negotiations. The concept of Web session overrides the concept of a database transaction.