Elearning Systems Based on the Semantic Web

Abstract

ELearning has been identified as a strategic resource that can be utilized as an increasing variety of venues such as homes, workplaces, and traditional institutions of learning, education, and training. ELearning systems are becoming technologically sophisticated and complicated, with regard to training management or course management. Their use does not always match well with traditional modes of teaching and learning and much care needs to be taken when considering the use of ELearning in educational institutions. The use of semantic web in eLearning has been explored with regard to two application areas: 1) software that supports teachers in performing their tasks in flexible online educational settings, and 2) software that interpret the structure of distributed, self organized, and self-directed ELearning and web-based learning. The resulting system will be used by learners to perform the tasks they are asked to do more effectively in the context of gaining knowledge out of the material presented by teachers. These two application areas and related tasks require a semantic representation of educational entities and pedagogical material, specifically the structure and the techniques of the teaching-learning process. In most eLearning systems users are able to manage and reuse learning contents according to their needs without any access problems. However the quality of learning is not guaranteed. This paper emphasizes the integration of the semantic web technologies with Elearning systems, taking into consideration the standards and reusable Learning Objects LO. The advantage to improve the descriptions of content, context and structure of the learning materials and the benefits of providing access to the learning materials are also presented.