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Knowledge is becoming increasingly recognized as a valuable resource. Given its importance it is surprising that expert systems technology has not become a more common means of utilizing knowledge. In this chapter we review some of the... more
Knowledge is becoming increasingly recognized as a valuable resource. Given its importance it is surprising that expert systems technology has not become a more common means of utilizing knowledge. In this chapter we review some of the history of expert systems, the shortcomings of first generation expert systems, current approaches and future decisions. In particular we consider a knowledge acquisition and representation technique known as Ripple Down Rules (RDR) that avoids many of the limitations of earlier systems by providing a simple, user-driven knowledge acquisition approach based on the combined use of rules and cases and which support online validation and easy maintenance. RDR has found particular commercial success as a clinical decision support system and we review what features of RDR make it so suited to this domain.
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With the emergence of the Web 2.0 phenomena, technology-assisted social networking has become the norm. The potential of social software for collaborative learning purposes is clear, but as yet there is little evidence of realisation of... more
With the emergence of the Web 2.0 phenomena, technology-assisted social networking has become the norm. The potential of social software for collaborative learning purposes is clear, but as yet there is little evidence of realisation of the benefits. In this paper we consider Information and Communication Technology student attitudes to collaboration and via two case studies the extent to which they exploit the use of wikis for group collaboration. Even when directed to use a particular wiki designed for the type of project they are involved with, we found that groups utilized the wiki in different ways according to the affordances ascribed to the wiki. We propose that the integration of activity theory with an affordances perspective may lead to improved technology, specifically Web 2.0, assisted collaboration.
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PurposeA problem for many organisations today is what is referred to as the “knowing‐doing gap” or the difference between possessing the knowledge and the actual application of it. This paper aims to explore the perception that... more
PurposeA problem for many organisations today is what is referred to as the “knowing‐doing gap” or the difference between possessing the knowledge and the actual application of it. This paper aims to explore the perception that differences exist with regard to soft or tacit knowledge‐knowing and utilisation in the IT workplace, but at the level of gender and ethnic‐culture specifically. Through a statistical examination of electronic survey results from two ICT organisations in Australia, the study explores the validity of such claims.Design/methodology/approachContinuing from previous grounded theory research, a series of workplace scenarios testing for such knowledge utilisation were created. After trialling the initial scenarios on a pilot population, they were further refined and made part of an online survey questionnaire. Some 119 employees of two Australian ICT organisations rated how they would deal with soft knowledge situations both in principle and in practice. The sample...
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The acquisition and application of knowledge, in particular tacit knowledge (TK), are seen as decisive competitive factors in the knowledge society of the twenty-first century. Despite much talk about the importance of knowledge transfer,... more
The acquisition and application of knowledge, in particular tacit knowledge (TK), are seen as decisive competitive factors in the knowledge society of the twenty-first century. Despite much talk about the importance of knowledge transfer, little research shows how to identify and measure TK, less research addresses how to transfer TK between individuals and even fewer of these approaches offer any technology that can assist with transfer. This paper does not address the issues of identification and measurement of TK. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: describe a knowledge acquisition and representation technique, known as Ripple Down Rules (RDR), which can be used to capture knowledge, explicit and tacit, in context from those already identified as experts and to describe a set-theoretical technique, known as formal concept analysis (FCA) to assist transfer of the RDR knowledge to another human. Unlike most knowledge acquisition approaches, the RDR knowledge acquisition techniqu...
Research Interests: Information Systems, Sociology, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Knowledge Management, and 15 moreTacit Knowledge, Knowledge Society, Knowledge Transfer, Formal Concept Analysis, Procedural Knowledge, Explicit Knowledge, Knowledge Acquisition, Knowledge Modeling, Knowledge Based Systems, Domain Knowledge, Knowledge Value Chain, Information and Knowledge Management, Automatic code generation, Comparative modeling, and Ripple Down Rules
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Ripple Down Rules (RDR) were developed in answer to the problem of maintaining medium to large rule-based knowledge systems. Traditional approaches to knowledge-based systems gave little thought to maintenance as it was expected that... more
Ripple Down Rules (RDR) were developed in answer to the problem of maintaining medium to large rule-based knowledge systems. Traditional approaches to knowledge-based systems gave little thought to maintenance as it was expected that extensive upfront domain analysis involving a highly trained specialist, the knowledge engineer, and the time-poor domain expert would produce a complete model capturing what was in the expert’s head. The ever-changing, contextual and embrained nature of knowledge were not a part of the philosophy upon which they were based. RDR was a paradigm shift, which made knowledge acquisition and maintenance one and the same thing by incrementally acquiring knowledge as domain experts directly interacted with naturally occurring cases in their domain. Cases played an integral part of the acquisition process by motivating the capture of new knowledge, framing the context in which new knowledge would apply and ensuring that previously correctly classified cases rem...
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Research Interests: Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent User Interface Agents, Knowledge Based System, Intelligent Agent, Virtual Reality, and 9 moreArtificial Intelligent, Knowledge Acquisition, Knowledge Based Systems, Learning by doing, Software Agent, Experimental, Learning Experience, Rule Based, and Ripple Down Rules
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The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of different musical styles on learning in virtual-immersive environments. As shown in other studies, music and musical training has positive effects on spatial-temporal reasoning (eg,... more
The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of different musical styles on learning in virtual-immersive environments. As shown in other studies, music and musical training has positive effects on spatial-temporal reasoning (eg, maths, chess). Music is also used in therapies to reduce stress or to aid children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In our study we want to use the findings from former investigations and combine these to create a holistic, immersive learning experience. The idea involves ...
Abstract: The SISYPHUS III experiment draws attention to one of the major problems faced in knowledge engineering (KE), which is how to build systems based on multiple sources of expertise. In this circumstance, the KE task becomes a... more
Abstract: The SISYPHUS III experiment draws attention to one of the major problems faced in knowledge engineering (KE), which is how to build systems based on multiple sources of expertise. In this circumstance, the KE task becomes a requirements engineering (RE) task. A problem with many RE approaches is that the cost of use is prohibitive, and therefore such approaches are rarely applied. We present an RE strategy designed to handle conflicting perspectives that is a small extension to current KE techniques. We implement this ...
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ABSTRACT While virtual worlds are increasingly being used to provide technology-assisted experiential learning opportunities, no research has yet considered the use of reflective reminiscing within these worlds. Drawing on a strong body... more
ABSTRACT While virtual worlds are increasingly being used to provide technology-assisted experiential learning opportunities, no research has yet considered the use of reflective reminiscing within these worlds. Drawing on a strong body of developmental research, in which children's recall for past experiences is enhanced by parents' “high elaborative” reminiscing (open-ended questions, detail), we tested each element of this reminiscing style with adult learners. Ninety-eight undergraduate students were guided through a virtual event, a reflective reminiscing phase, and a memory test (free recall, multiple-choice). In free recall, a questioning main effect emerged. Students who had been asked open- versus close-ended questions during reminiscing deliberated for longer, and subsequently recalled more. When reminiscing time was controlled, those given high detail instead recalled more. In the multiple-choice test, an interaction emerged. Participants scored higher if given both open-ended questions and high detail during reminiscing. We suggest that reminiscing be employed as a reflective tool to enhance learning within virtual worlds, but only if a high-elaborative reminiscing style is used.