The technology of knowledge-based systems undoubtedly offers potential for educational modelling, yet its practical impact on today's school classrooms is very limited. To an extent this is because the tools presently used in schools are EMYCIN -type expert system shells. The main argument of this thesis is that these shells make knowledge-based modelling unnecessarily difficult and that tools which exploit knowledge acquisition technologies empower learners to build better models. We describe how such tools can be designed. To evaluate their usability a model-building course was conducted in five secondary schools. During the course pupils built hundreds of models in a common range of domains. Some of the models were built with an EMYCIN -type shell whilst others were built with a variety of knowledge acquisition systems. The knowledge acquisition systems emerged as superior in important respects. We offer some explanations for these results and argue that although problems remain, such as in teacher education, design of classroom practice, and assessment of learning outcomes, it is clear that knowledge acquisition systems offer considerable potential to develop improved forms of educational knowledge-based modelling.

No description available.

This dissertation is a qualitative case study within an interpretive epistemology that explores the construction and engagement of the informal curriculum and the subsequent interaction with rationalized systems of knowledge by four young autodidactics between the ages of 9 and 15. The analyses of these constructions, engagement and interactions coalesced into three themes. Theme one establishes autonomy as the penultimate emic feature of autodidaxy through its relations with commitment to endeavors, connections along the experiential continuum, and perceived confidence in abilities to learn and to organize the social environment for further learning. Theme two entails the inherent connection participants conceive between interests and progressive, challenging goals. Theme three focuses on how interests are initiated through the exploratory stance of the participants as they purposefully seek out experiential problems from their environment, as well as the control of habitual patterns of pursuit and moments of interest assessment. These themes in relation to the research focus on the informal curriculum and interactions with rationalized systems of knowledge result in three findings. First, rigor is found to operate at multiple levels within autodidactic endeavors; secondly, relevance functions as initial questions arising out of productive boredom tether knowledge to experience and results in persistence and versatility of interest; and finally, the finding of autonomy operates as a process of choice which frames interests with future orientations that afford challenging experiences resulting in joy and the progression of knowledge and skills associated with the interest. Data analysis throughout the themes and findings discussed above culminate in three implications. First, while not engaging all of the disciplines traditionally associated with formal schooling, the informal curriculum does afford opportunities for the rigorous interaction with rationalized systems of knowledge. Second, the informal curriculum also allows for distinct processes by which connections are made along the experiential continuum resulting in relevance. Finally, in order to facilitate the use of the informal curriculum in formal educational institutions, research is needed in which the informal curriculum is operative to varying degrees in contexts with differential affordances of autonomy, most critically with learners form a variety of lived experiences. / text

The paper describes our usage of and experience with the method of participatory systems mapping. The method, developed for the purpose of facilitating knowledge brokerage, builds on participatory modelling approaches and applications and was used in several events involving both researchers and policy makers. The paper presents and discusses examples of how different types of participatory interaction with causal loop diagrams ("system maps") produced different insights on issues related to sustainable consumption and enabled participatory reflection and sharing of knowledge. Together, these insights support a systemic understanding of the issues and thus the method provides instruments for coping with complexity when formulating policies for sustainable consumption. Furthermore the paper discusses the ability of the method - and its limits - to connect mental models of participants through structured discussion and thus bridge boundaries between different communities.

The main aims of automatized environment of theoretical researches are to help and accelerate complicated signals' processing, creation of algorithms of neurons' networks, filters and other symbolic and calculation engineering researches which can be understood and promoted by every person. The environment has been implemented using simple as possible interaction of machine and the human communication and the possibility to actuate into research bases of systems of knowledge.

no / This paper presents an overview of existing function-based conceptual design expert (CDE) systems with a view to identifying their scope in the contexts of functional modeling knowledge representation and conceptual design process. A number of heterogeneous function-based CDE systems are identified and listed. A key comprehensive benchmarking framework is developed in this paper that helps in identifying the trend, gaps and scope of current function-based CDE systems. Accordingly, the gaps in the aforementioned contexts are discussed which are to date have not been summarized and highlighted for a well-balanced system development for a product conceptual design.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008. / Full text also available online. Scroll down for electronic link.

Orientador: Mariângela Spotti Lopes Fujita / Banca: Maria Luiza de Almeida Campos / Banca: Isidoro Gil Leiva / Banca: José Augusto Chaves Guimarães / Banca: Plácida Leopoldina Ventura Amorim da Costa Santos / Resumo: Ao longo dos últimos anos, a crescente utilização das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs) tem impulsionado uma nova gama de necessidades informacionais. Os ambientes digitais favorecem a transposição dos limites convencionais de representação e disseminação do conhecimento registrado, incorporando novos elementos aos processos de produção, organização e recuperação de informações. Considerando as ontologias como uma nova e instigante categoria de sistemas de representação do conhecimento, buscou-se, a partir de um diálogo interdisciplinar, fundamentos que possibilitem analisar as aproximações desta nova abordagem computacional com os instrumentos e métodos tradicionalmente utilizados no área disciplinar de Organização do Conhecimento, investigando em que medida a área de Ciência da Informação pode contribuir para o desenvolvimento de ontologias e analisando os reflexos de sua utilização em bibliotecas digitais. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo das principais teorias e tecnologias relacionadas ao desenvolvimento de ontologias e bibliotecas digitais, contextualizando-as a partir do corpus teórico da área de Ciência da Informação. Deste modo, foi desenvolvida a Ontologia de Informações Referencias (OIR) e um protótipo de Biblioteca Digital baseado em ontologias, denominado como BibliOntO, com o objetivo de analisar a aplicabilidade de ontologias em bibliotecas digitais. Como resultados, verificou-se que as ontologias possibilitam o desenvolvimento de novos tipos de serviços de informação e melhorias nos processos de representação, organização e recuperação de informações em ambientes digitais. Constatou-se também que sua aplicação em bibliotecas digitais representa uma interessante alternativa, contribuindo para um... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Throughout the last years, the increasing use of Technologies of Information and Communication (TICs) have stimulated a new gamma of informational necessities. The digital environments favor the transposition of the conventional limits of representation and dissemination of the registered knowledge, incorporating new elements to the processes of production, organization and recovery of information. Considering the ontologies as a new and riveting category of systems of representation of knowledge, we searched, starting from a interdisciplinary dialogue, bases that allow to analyze the approaches of this new computational approach with the instruments and methods traditionally used in the area of Knowledge Organization, investigating in what scale the area of Information Science can contribute to the development of ontologies and analyzing the consequences of its use in digital libraries. Therefore, a study of the main theories and technologies related to the development of ontologies and digital libraries was carried through, contextualized in the theoretical framework of the area of Information Science. In this way, the Ontology of Referential Informations (OIR) and a prototype of a Digital Library based on ontologies, called BibliOntO, was developed with the objective of analyzing the applicability of ontologies in digital libraries. As results, it was verified that the ontologies allow the development of new types of information services and improvements in the processes of representation, organization and recovery of information in digital environments. It was also evidenced that its application in digital libraries represents an interesting alternative, contributing for an adjusted attendance of the informational necessities of the users, in a way that the ontologies consist as a new... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Hoher Wettbewerbsdruck wird für Unternehmen auf allen Ebenen immer stärker spürbar. Noch vor einigen Jahren gab es ganze Bereiche in Wirtschaft, Handel und öffentlicher Verwaltung, die bestenfalls auf eine technisch-inhaltliche Optimierung der jeweiligen Produkte und Leistungen orientiert waren. Dies hat weitgehend einer markt- und wettbewerbsorientierten Ausrichtung Platz gemacht, Innensicht wird durch verstärkte Außensicht ergänzt.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:32:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-03-25Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:03:13Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 ramalho_ras_dr_mar.pdf: 1320132 bytes, checksum: e9d768ced5bb5495c1b0c73b924672b4 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Ao longo dos últimos anos, a crescente utilização das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs) tem impulsionado uma nova gama de necessidades informacionais. Os ambientes digitais favorecem a transposição dos limites convencionais de representação e disseminação do conhecimento registrado, incorporando novos elementos aos processos de produção, organização e recuperação de informações. Considerando as ontologias como uma nova e instigante categoria de sistemas de representação do conhecimento, buscou-se, a partir de um diálogo interdisciplinar, fundamentos que possibilitem analisar as aproximações desta nova abordagem computacional com os instrumentos e métodos tradicionalmente utilizados no área disciplinar de Organização do Conhecimento, investigando em que medida a área de Ciência da Informação pode contribuir para o desenvolvimento de ontologias e analisando os reflexos de sua utilização em bibliotecas digitais. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo das principais teorias e tecnologias relacionadas ao desenvolvimento de ontologias e bibliotecas digitais, contextualizando-as a partir do corpus teórico da área de Ciência da Informação. Deste modo, foi desenvolvida a Ontologia de Informações Referencias (OIR) e um protótipo de Biblioteca Digital baseado em ontologias, denominado como BibliOntO, com o objetivo de analisar a aplicabilidade de ontologias em bibliotecas digitais. Como resultados, verificou-se que as ontologias possibilitam o desenvolvimento de novos tipos de serviços de informação e melhorias nos processos de representação, organização e recuperação de informações em ambientes digitais. Constatou-se também que sua aplicação em bibliotecas digitais representa uma interessante alternativa, contribuindo para um... / Throughout the last years, the increasing use of Technologies of Information and Communication (TICs) have stimulated a new gamma of informational necessities. The digital environments favor the transposition of the conventional limits of representation and dissemination of the registered knowledge, incorporating new elements to the processes of production, organization and recovery of information. Considering the ontologies as a new and riveting category of systems of representation of knowledge, we searched, starting from a interdisciplinary dialogue, bases that allow to analyze the approaches of this new computational approach with the instruments and methods traditionally used in the area of Knowledge Organization, investigating in what scale the area of Information Science can contribute to the development of ontologies and analyzing the consequences of its use in digital libraries. Therefore, a study of the main theories and technologies related to the development of ontologies and digital libraries was carried through, contextualized in the theoretical framework of the area of Information Science. In this way, the Ontology of Referential Informations (OIR) and a prototype of a Digital Library based on ontologies, called BibliOntO, was developed with the objective of analyzing the applicability of ontologies in digital libraries. As results, it was verified that the ontologies allow the development of new types of information services and improvements in the processes of representation, organization and recovery of information in digital environments. It was also evidenced that its application in digital libraries represents an interesting alternative, contributing for an adjusted attendance of the informational necessities of the users, in a way that the ontologies consist as a new... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)