The relationships among these conceptual models, as well as the various techniques and tools, illustrates the power of the hypertext model within the repository. Creating meaningful projects that will both serve and be served by the repository requires careful planning. Projects must attempt to facilitate learning by making maximum use of the repository. Thus, using the language of work-centered analysis, students must be viewed as customers. But, simultaneously projects must capture the maximum outputs of the learning experience in order to refresh and advance the repository.
Students are, therefore, also participants in the knowledge creation process.
Thus there is a recursive relationship between a repository and students. The notion of a knowledge enigne serves as a metaphor for the repository. Using this engine, students can learn a new topic and see its application within a broader, more concrete context. Students can see how an application provides an example of how a technology, concept, or a tool is used. Or, they might see another student's comment about the value of a particular tool.