JAIST Repository
https://dspace.jaist.ac.jp/Title

Ontology‐aware Course Management for Curriculum
Evolution Process in Higher Education

Author(s)Lu, Wenhuan

CitationIssue Date

2009‑03‑13

TypePresentation

Text version

publisher

URL

http://hdl.handle.net/10119/8286

RightsDescription

6th VERITE : JAIST/TRUST‑AIST/CVS joint workshop
on VERIfication Technologyでの発表資料, 開催：3月12日〜13日, 開催場所：JAIST 田町サテライトキャン
パス2階多目的室2Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Ontology‐aware Course Management forCurriculum Evolution Process in Higher Education
Wenhuan Lu
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
wenhuan@jaist.ac.jp

Outliney Background and Goal
y Proposed Solutiony Requirements of multi‐stakeholdersy A Scenario

y Evolutionary Process of Curriculumy The Conceptual Modely Development of On2C system
y The Scenario (cont’d)y Conclusion and Future Works
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Backgroundy Curriculum changes over time. In practice, however,
it is not easy to keep curricular system updated andto provide students with trustworthy course services
that reflect and correspond to the evolutions ofcurriculum:y The information related to curriculum design andorganization may be lost or interpreted in different
ways due to the distribution of time and space incommunication among different stakeholders;
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Background (cont’d)y The lack of the shared vocabulary about domain

knowledge for different stakeholders tocommunicate about the curriculum;y The majority of current strategies need time‐

consuming and labor‐intensive works.

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Two Research Goals
It is necessary tobalance social needs anddifferent concerns ofmulti-stakeholders inorder to make curriculum
evolution smooth.

GOALs

StudentCurriculum Evolution
FacultyDesignerLecturer

y To establish a conceptual framework for explicitly and fluently shareeach concern and understanding among multiple stakeholders, andeffectively tracking the history of curriculum change;y To implement an ontology‐aware course consulting system to meet therequirements of stakeholders involved in curriculum evolution.
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Proposed Solutiony A conceptual model of evolutionary process reflects
essential structure of curriculum and provide
common Our
vocabulary
representsuch model
researchtoaims
to demonstrate
a withpossible
solution for smoothness ofontologicaltechnique.
evolutionary curriculum step by stepy Curriculum ontology
with ontological engineering approach.

y It serves as a fixed conceptual system to fully

predict the generic components of curriculum so
it can be reused in situation‐dependent
curriculum system.
y Ontology‐aware Course Consulting system (On2C)
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Diagram
On2C
Correctly EvoDomain Knowledge

lving

Ontology
Improv

Eff icConceptual model of“Evolutionary process ofcurriculum”

ie ntlying

DesignerQua litIScourseyIntro.

Sele cBasict inAdv.
Inter-midgCour seLecturer

KScourse

StudentAI SYSTEM

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Methodology

7Requirements of multi‐stakeholders
yRequirements of faculty designer and lectureryyyy

The evolutionary change of curricula should be
divided into manageable, more familiar steps. Bothfaculty designer and lecturer want to familiarize
themselves with the changes by taking small steps
first.
It is necessary to adopt instruction design approachand include one quality circle composing planning andevaluation.
Have a clear rationale for change that is grounded inpedagogical practices, which is considered as
background knowledge for reflection, such as during
practicing evaluation of course process.

Requirements of student

6th VERITE 2009/3/13yStudy plan maintenance

8Faculty D1
DesignerAlteration
D1
DesignDesignNew social
needs rise

Software Design Methodology
Basic concepts in
object-oriented technologies;
UML; use-case modeling;
Class; Object; Relation
Dynamic model;
Design patterns

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Relation

Embedded Software Engineering
Introduction of embedded software
Basic concepts in hardware
Real time OS
Embedded programming
Designing real time system
Quality characteristic

Software Design Methodology
Basic concepts in
object-oriented technologies;
UML; use-case modeling;
Class; Object; Relation
Dynamic model;
Design patterns

The knowledge ofdynamic model isnecessary.

9Faculty D1
Designer

Alteration
D1
DesignEmbedded Software Engineering
Introduction of embedded software
Basic concepts in hardware
Real time OS
Embedded programming
Designing real time system
Quality characteristic

DesignSoftware Design Methodology
Basic concepts in
object-oriented technologies;
UML; use-case modeling;
Class; Object; Relation
Dynamic model;
Design patterns

Only basic knowledge
have been taught.

RelationObjectInteraction
State Diagram
Sequence Diagram
Collaboration Diagram
Activity Diagram

ObjectInteraction
State Diagram
Sequence Diagram
Collaboration Diagram
Activity Diagram

Software Design Methodology
Basic concepts in
object-oriented technologies;
UML; use-case modeling;
Class; Object; Relation
Dynamic model;
Design patterns

The knowledge ofdynamic model isnecessary.

As prerequisiteknowledge, dynamic
model has beentaught first.

The stakeholders would
be adversely affected by
the ambiguity of change
from syllabus

6th VERITE 2009/3/1310Faculty D1
Designer

AlterationD1
DesignEmbedded Software Engineering
Introduction of embedded software
Basic concepts in hardware
Real time OS
Embedded programming
Designing real time system
Quality characteristic

DesignSoftware Design Methodology
Basic concepts in
object-oriented technologies;
UML; use-case modeling;
Class; Object; Relation
Dynamic model;
Design patterns

SoftwareDesignMethodology

RelationObjectInteraction
State Diagram
Sequence Diagram
Collaboration Diagram
Activity Diagram

ObjectInteraction
State Diagram
Sequence Diagram
Collaboration Diagram
Activity Diagram

Software Design Methodology
Basic concepts in
object-oriented technologies;
UML; use-case modeling;
Class; Object; Relation
Dynamic model;
Design patterns

The knowledge ofdynamic model isnecessary.

Embedded
SoftwareEngineering

S1
SoftwareDesignMethodology

Syllabi are same, but
it is NOT understandable due tolack of prerequisite knowledge;

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it is understandable,
since having mastered
prerequisite knowledge

Embedded
SoftwareEngineering

11Faculty D1
DesignerAlteration
D1
DesignEmbedded Software Engineering
Introduction of embedded software
Basic concepts in hardware
Real time OS
Embedded programming
Designing real time system
Quality characteristic

DesignExplicateand sharethe intentionof design
Software Design Methodology
Basic concepts in
object-oriented technologies;
UML; use-case modeling;
Class; Object; Relation
Dynamic model;
Design patterns

SoftwareDesignMethodology

ObjectInteraction
State Diagram
Sequence Diagram
Why is itDiagram
few？
Collaboration
Activity
Whatis Diagram
the goal？

S1

To explicate change makes it
get understandable.

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Relation

CHANGE

ObjectInteraction
State Diagram
Sequence Diagram
Collaboration Diagram
Activity Diagram

Learningwith clear
justification

Software Design Methodology
Basic concepts in
object-oriented technologies;
UML; use-case modeling;
Class; Object; Relation
Dynamic model;
Design patterns

The knowledge ofdynamic model isnecessary.

Embedded
SoftwareEngineering

SoftwareDesign
Methodology

Embedded
SoftwareEngineering

12The architecture of On2C system :• Which class should I take toachieveSelectmy goalcourses;?

STUDENTa course;• Does myTakeplan satisfy
the course
regulation?
Evaluationgoal• How should we change my plan?

Plan

Grade Maintenancee-Learning

Plan Consulting

Organize•Howthe knowledgechange of of
regulation
effects onlearning contents
thestudents'
plan
Design regulation
and•How thecoursecurriculum
designmatches with
Recordrationale
students' needs

goal
goalCurriculum

Regulation

Rationale

Knowledge

Class Design Support

FUCULTY
DESIGNER

Course Design Support

Course Management System (CMS)LECTURER
Makecourse•Whatshould
weplanteachtothestudents?
Design teaching strategy•Howwell examples
the students
Selectlearned ?
Assessment

Curriculum Ontology

On2C includes CMS and Curriculum Ontology
for coping with the requirements from different stakeholders
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Description of Evolutionary Process ofCurriculum‐‐ Curriculum Ontology
y “Evolutionary process of curriculum” indicates twoaspects of curriculum in higher education:y (1) a designed sequence of changes anddevelopment of properties or attributes ofcurriculum;y (2) intention behind the designing, which initiate aseries of intentional behaviors of people involved insuch process.
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Description of Evolutionary Process ofCurriculum-- Curriculum Ontology
refer torefer torefer torefer torefer torefer torefer to6th VERITE 2009/3/13 A hierarchical conceptualization of “Evolutionary Process of Curriculum”
and its related concepts defined in is-a and part-of structures

15

Intention of curricular evolution

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“Regulation” in Curriculum Evolutionary Process
y Regulation is considered as a sort of social rules,
which plays a crucial role in curriculum evolutionary
process:y it is the rule of curriculum to control
y the way curriculum is designed, revised, and evaluatedORy the way stakeholders behave;y it should be always INSPIRED by or MEET with “Intention ofcurricular evolution”.

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Four Spaces of Relationship during Course
Change:2nd•Realized by•Goal of•Guaranteed by•Consist with

3rdSequence
Relationship•Pre‐requisite•Co‐requisite

4th•Extend from•Narrow down
•Adapt to•Accessorize with•Facility‐equip withEffect
Relationship

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1stHistory
Relationship

Inter‐Terms

Contextual Courses

Component
RelationshipIntra‐TermSingle Course•Cause effect•Influence effect•Initialize effect•Finalize effect18

On2C system Development
y Interface of On2C system（A）Domain knowledge
viewer•Tree list of domain
knowledge in eachdiscipline•To provide lecturer andstudent with domain
contents and structure（B）Rationale viewer•To explicate the basic
information and intention ofcurriculum design•Well-structured concepts
related to the intention of
curriculum design, and6th VERITE 2009/3/13
relationshipbetween them19

On2C system Development (cont’d)y Domain knowledge viewery （A）the details of the domain knowledge are displayed;y （B） the details of the domain knowledge are displayed in

the graph view（B）the subject matter and content
in each disciplines (concept andrelationship in the graph view)（A）descriptionof domainknowledge ineach disciplines

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On2C system Development (cont’d)y Rationale viewery （A）as a part of Curriculum Ontology, it offers thevocabularies to describe the intention of curricularevolution（A）to show
the intention ofcurricularevolution

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On2C system Development (cont’d)y Conceptualized “intention” in Curriculum Ontology
to offer the vocabulary

To explicit that the intention of add the new course of“Embedded Software Engineer” is for the new socialneed.
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Organizing guidance knowledge of design
to make evolution smoothIntention & Activity of Faculty designer
In order to meet with the change of social needs

to add new course

Intention

Activity

In order to master prerequisite knowledge of the new course
Intention
to add the necessary new learning items in related existing course
Activity

student who has taken the related existing course will be suggested to learn new learning items

try to eliminate adverse effects
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Organizing guidance knowledge of design
to make evolution smoothIntention & Activity of Faculty designer
In order to meet with the change of social needs

to addIntentionEmbedded Software
Engineering
Activity

In order to master prerequisite knowledge of theEmbedded Software
Engineering

Intention
to add the necessary

Sequence Diagram, Collaboration
in Software Design Methodology
Diagram, Activity Diagram
Activity

Sequence Diagram,
Software Design
will be suggested to learn Collaboration Diagram,student who has taken theMethodology
Activity Diagram

try to eliminate adverse effects
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Conclusion and future worky In this work we propose the model of evolutionary process
which reflects essential structure of curriculum for offering abetter ways to tracking the history of curriculum change;y Curriculum ontology we developed serves as a fixed
conceptual system to fully predict the generic components ofcurriculum so it can be reused in situation‐dependent
curriculum system.
y Next step is refinements of the evolutionary curricula modelfor ontology support to intelligent curriculum authoring andconsulting. We are mainly interested in exploring whichfurther functionalities are needed and wanted by different
stakeholders.
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