WHERE EDUCATION AND THE SEMANTIC WEB MEET

New ways Of Structuring And Presenting Educational Information

Online Educa 2011 – Berlin – December 1, 2011

Jacob Molenaar

Introduction• Jacob Molenaar• NL based independent consultant in educational

technology and educational publishing• Professional background in educational publishing• Trained in Dutch Language & Literature

• The Dutch Ministry of Education Project ELS,An Associative Curriculum Browser for Language And Math

• By Freudenthal Instituut, Expertisecentrum Nederlands, Kennisnet and SLO

• Based on RDF and SPARQL

Topics / Themes• Educational Information• Semantic Web• Our Project Els: using semantic web technologies for

structuring and representing educational information• Business case of the Semantic Web for Education• Conclusions

Educational InformationAll information that is generated in the process of designing, planning and delivering (formal) education to learners:

• Formal curriculum• Rationale of this curriculum

• Additional achievement standards• Rationale of these standards

• Body of Knowledge (concepts, terms, theories, etc.)• Educational Designs:

• Learning Trajectories• Textbook structures

• ‘Lore of teaching’ (didactics, pedagogy)• Learning object metadata• Learner Data (profiles, tracking & tracing)

A Lot Of Information!

Educational Information• Comes from many sources• Is produced by different experts using different idioms• Is structured in different ways• Is difficult to find and access• Is ‘narrative’ (complex and often verbose)• Has a lot of implicit semantics

Navigating this ‘sea of information’ is very hard for a teacher, a curriculum designer, a textbook writer, etc.

Is this perhaps why in practice educational resources and repositories are so scarcely or superficially used only and why we must fear that efforts to compile these resources are so easily wasted?

Can the Semantic Web help to overcome these difficulties?

Semantic Web → Linked Data

http://linkeddata.org:

“Linked Data is about using the Web to connect related data that wasn't previously linked, or using the Web to lower the barriers to linking data currently linked using other methods.

More specifically, Wikipedia defines Linked Data as "a term used to describe a recommended best practice for exposing, sharing, and connecting pieces of data, information and knowledge on the Semantic Web using RDF and UPI’s.”

Can the concept of Linked Data help to overcome the difficulties with Educational Information?

Our Project: ELS• ELS = Educational LinkedScape• Commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Education,

Directie Leraren• As part of the implementation of the new (2010) National

Achievement Standards for Language and Math Skills (Referentiekader Taal en Rekenen)

• Project Partners:• Freudenthal Instituut (Math)• Expertisecentrum Nederlands (Language)• Kennisnet (Semantic Web technology)• SLO (Reviews and testing)

• Prototype created by

All about Els…

Project Stages

1. Selection, analysis and modelling of the information domains/sources

2. Development of the semantic logic (‘reasoning’) necessary for navigating the semantic web created in Stage 1

3. Design and construction of a working prototype

4. Review of prototype and end user tests.

MODELLING THE INFORMATION DOMAINSThe First Step

Requirements

1. Make you information machine-readable: using RDF

2. Make your information machine-findable: using UPI’s

Resulting in:

3. Make your information ‘reasonable’: using SPARQL

The result is: Linked Data.

Create Linked Data: Three Steps

Atomize Relateren

1

Atomize Describe

1 2

Create Linked Data: Three Steps

Atomize Describe Relate

1 2 3

Create Linked Data: Three Steps

ExampleCurriculum:

Learning Goal

Atomize

Skill:Doing

substractions

Atomize

Curriculum:Learning Goal

Describe

Skill:Doing

substractions

Curriculum:Learning Goal

Relate

Skill:Doing

substractions

Curriculum:Learning Goal

Necessary for→← Demands

Relate

Skill:Doing

substractions

Curriculum:Learning Goal

Necessary for→← Demands

The Triple!

Atomize,Describe

SkillDoing

substractions

Curriculum:Learning Goal

Necessary for→← Demands

Learning Object

Relate

SkillDoing

substractions

Curriculum:Learning Goal

Necessary for→← Demands

Learning Object

Lead

s to

→

← L

earn

ed w

ith

SkillDoing

substractions

Curriculum:Learning Goal

Requisite for→← Demands

Learning Object

Lead

s to

→

← L

earn

ed w

ith

Has learning goal→

← Learned with

Inference (Reasoning):“New knowledge”

The Semantic Domain of Els• Not just Curriculum Information and Learning Objects• But four interconnected semantic domains:

1. National Learning Goals / Achievement Standards For Math and Language Skills

2. Learning Design / Learning Trajectories

3. Body Of Knowledge

4. Learning Object Metadata

Skill

Learning Object

Concept

Learning Trajectory

Body Of Knowledge Learning Materials

→ is acquired with

helps to acquire ←

→ p

ast

in

wo

rdt

uitg

evo

erd

me

t ←

→ is acquired with

helps to acquire ←

→ is

ne

cess

ary

fo

r

req

uire

s kn

ow

led

ge

of

←

→ is

aqu

ired

in

le

ads t

o kn

owled

ge o

f ←→ is acquired with

helps to aquire ←

Achievement Standards /Learning Goals

Learning Design /Learning Trajectories

‘Strip’

Discount

Exercise

Skill from the National Language and Math Curriculum

Context

Tool Learning Object

Learning Trajectory

Calculating Quantative Relations

Achievement Standards /Learning Goals

Learning Design /Trajectories

Body Of Knowledge Learning Materials

Calculating Percentages

Domein Formele kaders Domein Referentieleerlijnen

Domein Vakkennis Domein Lesmateriaal

Leerobject

Vak

Soort leermateriaal

Ontwikkelaar

Beschrijving

Titel

Nadere specificatieper niveau

Kenmerken van de taakuitvoering(Taal)

Tekstkenmerken(Taal)

Niveauaanduiding

Algemene omschrijving

Superdomein

Subdomein

Domein

Referentiekader Taal en RekenenTaak / Vaardigheid

(leerdoel)

Nadere specificatie(Rekenen)

Functioneel gebruiken

Paraat hebbenWeten waarom

Kerndoel(leerdoel)

Tussendoel(leerdoel)

Titel

Korte omschrijving

Vaardigheid

Einddoel(leerdoel)

Ratio

Referentie-leerlijn Groep / klas

Vak

Schoolse context

Maatschappelijke contextBeginGroep / klas

Beschrijving

Beschrijving

Voorbeeld

Op voorbeeld/kernopgave na verder aan elkaar gelijk qua mogelijke associaties

Kernopgave

Hulpmiddel

Concept

Didactische aanwijzing

Oplossingswijze

Voorbeeld

Groep / klas

Subject(vak)

Schoolse context

Maatschappelijke context

Voorbeeld

Voorbeeld

titel

Titel

Titel

OmschrijvingOmschrijving

Omschrijving

Omschrijving

CREATING A SEMANTIC BROWSERThe Second Step

LearningTrajectory

Body Of Knowledge

Curriculum

Lear

ning

Obj

ects

Curriculum

Body Of Knowledge

Learning Trajectories

Lear

ning

Obj

ects

Body OfKnowledge

Learning Trajectories

Curriculum

Lear

ning

Obj

ects

LearningObjects

Body Of Knowledge

Curriculum

Lear

ning

Tra

ject

orie

s

ELS: Subject and Context

Designing The Prototype

RDF file containing all the triples describing the Curriculum, Learning Trajectories, Body Of Knowledge and Learning Objects

Logic (Reasoning)

A user friendly interface to access the semantic domain of Els

Triple Store

SPARQL, Java

CSS, HTML

Online prototype

Online prototype

Enter Search Term

Domein Formele kaders Domein Referentieleerlijnen

Domein Vakkennis Domein Lesmateriaal

Leerobject

Vak

Soort leermateriaal

Ontwikkelaar

Beschrijving

Titel

Nadere specificatieper niveau

Kenmerken van de taakuitvoering(Taal)

Tekstkenmerken(Taal)

Niveauaanduiding

Algemene omschrijving

Superdomein

Subdomein

Domein

Referentiekader Taal en RekenenTaak / Vaardigheid

(leerdoel)

Nadere specificatie(Rekenen)

Functioneel gebruiken

Paraat hebbenWeten waarom

Kerndoel(leerdoel)

Tussendoel(leerdoel)

Titel

Korte omschrijving

Vaardigheid

Einddoel(leerdoel)

Ratio

Referentie-leerlijn Groep / klas

Vak

Schoolse context

Maatschappelijke contextBeginGroep / klas

Beschrijving

Beschrijving

Voorbeeld

Op voorbeeld/kernopgave na verder aan elkaar gelijk qua mogelijke associaties

Kernopgave

Hulpmiddel

Concept

Didactische aanwijzing

Oplossingswijze

Voorbeeld

Groep / klas

Subject(vak)

Schoolse context

Maatschappelijke context

Voorbeeld

Voorbeeld

titel

Titel

Titel

OmschrijvingOmschrijving

Omschrijving

Omschrijving

Learning Trajectories

Body Of Knowledge

Curriculum Information

Learning Objects

Achievement Standards Learning Trajectories

Body Of Knowledge Learning Materials

Skill

Learning Object

Concept

Learning Trajectory

→ is acquired with

helps to acquire ←

→ p

ast

in

wo

rdt

uitg

evo

erd

me

t ←

→ is acquired with

helps to acquire ←

→ is

ne

cess

ary

fo

r

req

uire

s kn

ow

led

ge

of

←

→ is

aqu

ired

in

le

ads t

o kn

owled

ge o

f ←→ is acquired with

helps to aquire ←

Select Learning Trajectory

Subject

Associated information from other domains

Subject

Associated information from other domains

Achievement Standards Learning Trajectories

Body Of Knowledge Learning Materials

Skill

Learning Object

Concept

Learning Trajectory

→ is acquired with

helps to acquire ←

→ p

ast

in

wo

rdt

uitg

evo

erd

me

t ←

→ is acquired with

helps to acquire ←

→ is

ne

cess

ary

fo

r

req

uire

s kn

ow

led

ge

of

←

→ is

aqu

ired

in

le

ads t

o kn

owled

ge o

f ←→ is acquired with

helps to aquire ←

Select Learning Object

Subject

Associated information from other domains

Subject

Associated information from other domains

Achievement Standards Learning Trajectories

Body Of Knowledge Learning Materials

Skill

Learning Object

Concept

Learning Trajectory

→ is acquired with

helps to acquire ←

→ p

ast

in

wo

rdt

uitg

evo

erd

me

t ←

→ is acquired with

helps to acquire ←

→ is

ne

cess

ary

fo

r

req

uire

s kn

ow

led

ge

of

←

→ is

aqu

ired

in

le

ads t

o kn

owled

ge o

f ←→ is acquired with

helps to aquire ←

EVALUATING THE PROTOTYPEThe Third Step

Panel Test Outcomes• The use case of the semantic browser is acknowledged

by both teachers and experts• Integrated access to associated information domains is

valued (though teachers prefer learning objects and tend to ignore other information!)

• The information delivered through the semantic browser is appreciated

• User interface is hardly understood

CREATING THE SECOND PROTOTYPEThe Fourth Step

Learning Trajectories

Body Of Knowledge

Curriculum Information

Learning Objects

Learning Trajectories

Body Of Knowledge

Curriculum Information

Learning Objects

Subject

Achievement Standards Learning Trajectories

Body Of Knowledge Learning Materials

Skill

Learning Object

Concept

Learning Trajectory

→ is acquired with

helps to acquire ←

→ p

ast

in

wo

rdt

uitg

evo

erd

me

t ←

→ is acquired with

helps to acquire ←

→ is

ne

cess

ary

fo

r

req

uire

s kn

ow

led

ge

of

←

→ is

aqu

ired

in

le

ads t

o kn

owled

ge o

f ←→ is acquired with

helps to aquire ←

Subject

Associated information from other domains

USE CASE OF LINKED DATAWhy should Education invest in the Semantic Web?

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

The national curriculum is published as Linked Data

Curriculum Information

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

The national curriculum is published as Linked Data

Curriculum Information

The Achievement Standards are published

as Linked Data

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills

Both information databases are linked

together

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills Exams

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidItem

The national exams are published as Linked Data

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills Exams

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidItem

The exam items are linked to the National curriculum

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills Exams

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidItem

A provider of open access learning objects describes his repository

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidLO’s

Learning Objects

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills Exams

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidItem

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidLO’s

Learning Objects

And links his objects to the National Curriculum

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills Exams

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidItem

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidLO’s

Learning Objects

A publisher describes the chapter structure of

his textbookHoofd-

stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

Chap-ter

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills Exams

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidItem

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidLO’s

Learning Objects

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

Chap-ter He also describes his

additional online learning objects

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

LO

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills Exams

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidItem

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidLO’s

Learning Objects

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

Chap-ter

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

LO

And links these objects to his chapter structure

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills Exams

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidItem

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidLO’s

Learning Objects

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

LO

Finally he links his chapter structure to the National Curriculum

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

Chap-ter

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills Exams

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidItem

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidLO’s

Learning Objects

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

LO

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

Chap-ter

Textbook Content

Without any extra work the publisher can now provide his users with information about the learning goals of his materials, the math and language skill levels associated with them and he can lead them to additional learning materials

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills Exams

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidItem

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidLO’s

Learning Objects

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

LO

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

Chap-ter

Textbook Content

Or a school can without having to do anything itself relate the strengths and weaknesses of it’s students achievements in recent National Exams directly to the

National curriculum and even to the chapters of the textbooks in use

How does a semantic network grow?

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Kern-doel

Tussen-doel

Vak-inhoud

Learn-ing

Goal

Specif-ication

Sub-ject

Curriculum Information

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidSkill

National Achievement Standards for Math and

Lanuage Skills Exams

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidItem

Vaardig-heidVaardig-heidLO’s

Learning Objects

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

LO

Hoofd-stuk

Vaardig-heid

Vaardig-heid

Chap-ter

Textbook Content

Others keep linking their information to the semantic

network. It grows and grows

Y

ZX

CONCLUSIONS

What have we learned from ELS?• RDF-type modelling and publishing of complex

educational information is perfectly possible and feasible• The business case looks very promising• The user interface aspect is a weak point

Furthermore:• What is needed is a national or even international

infrastructure for Linked Data in Education (standards, tools)

• In NL the Ministery of Education together with its institutional partners is actively investigating the possibilities of such an infrastructure

Adjacent Projects

Achievement Standards Network (US)• Stuart Sutton• http://asn.jesandco.org/

Spider Project (Sweden)• Fredrik Paulsson (Umea University)• www.???

Europeana Project (EU)• www.europeana.eu

Any questions?

jacob@jacobmolenaar.nl

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