Structuring Knowledge Bases for Designers of Learning Materials

Abstract

Designers of interactive video training packages need access to multiple sources of information to be able to create exciting materials for learning or training. Hypertext allows dynamic linking of different strands of knowledge in ways which encourage effective elicitation of knowledge from experts, and understandable representation for subsequent users.This paper describes the knowledge representation aspect of a system which will allow a designer to collect information from clients, from experts, as well as from printed and visual sources — to co-ordinate the information in a single environment, and using the same set of tools, to link the information to learning materials using videodisc and graphics packages.The total system for a designer consists of an authoring environment, using NoteCards on a Xerox 1186, with a multi-tasking workstation (Amiga) which will bring together output from the knowledge base on the Xerox with information from videodisc. Information about the physical requirements of the authoring environment — constraints, domain limits, financial aspects — can be recorded alongside subject domain knowledge using different ‘modes’ of the Note Cards environment. Modes are a feature of a supplementary package. IDE (Instructional Design Environment), which operates as a ‘shell’ along with Note Cards. Our involvement with the designer's system is in looking at ways in which domain knowledge can be recorded and represented for use interactively with graphics and video materials.