Tech Reports
Tech Report kmi-97-15 Abstract
The Interactive Course Map
Techreport ID: kmi-97-15
Date: 1997
Author(s): Diane Mole, Tamara Sumner and Josie Taylor
When forecasting the learning situation of the future, we often envision students working with a wide array of on-line tools - ranging from standard office productivity tools, to various kinds of communication software, to specialised learning environments tailored to particular curricular needs. In this scenario, learners are not only trying to master the subject or domain content, they must also cope with: (1) mastering a potentially complex assortment of software tools, and (2) developing new study habits to make effective use of these tools. A challenge for learners in such a situation is effectively 'managing the media mix' to achieve their educational objectives. Recent empirical studies indicate that many learners, particularly those who are inexperienced with computer technologies, feel overwhelmed when faced with this new way of learning. We are investigating how interactive course maps and study guides can help beginning students successfully manage potentially complex mixes of new technologies to enhance their learning process. In effect, we are trying to create meta-learning environments; i.e., environments to help beginning scholars 'learn how to learn' with new media. We are currently conducting this research in the context of a new first-level course on object-oriented computing. Here, we describe the Interactive Course Map we have created for this course and discuss some of the rationale behind its design.
Publication(s):
Submitted to: ED-MEDIA 98, Freiberg, Germany, June 20-25, 1998.
Future Internet
KnowledgeManagementMultimedia &
Information SystemsNarrative
HypermediaNew Media SystemsSemantic Web &
Knowledge ServicesSocial Software
Semantic Web and Knowledge Services is...
Our research in the Semantic Web area looks at the potentials of fusing together advances in a range of disciplines, and applying them in a systemic way to simplify the development of intelligent, knowledge-based web services and to facilitate human access and use of knowledge available on the web. For instance, we are exploring ways in which tnatural language interfaces can be used to facilitate access to data distributed over different repositories. We are also developing infrastructures to support rapid development and deployment of semantic web services, which can be used to create web applications on-the-fly. We are also investigating ways in which semantic technology can support learning on the web, through a combination of knowledge representation support, pedagogical theories and intelligent content aggregation mechanisms. Finally, we are also investigating the Semantic Web itself as a domain of analysis and performing large scale empirical studies to uncover data about the concrete epistemologies which can be found on the Semantic Web. This exciting new area of research gives us concrete insights on the different conceptualizations that are present on the Semantic Web by giving us the possibility to discover which are the most common viewpoints, which viewpoints are mutually inconsistent, to what extent different models agree or disagree, etc...
Our aim is to be at the forefront of both theoretical and practical developments on the Semantic Web not only by developing theories and models, but also by building concrete applications, for a variety of domains and user communities, including KMi and the Open University itself.
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