Special Issue on
Advances of Semantic Web and Web 2.0 for Computer Assisted Learning:
Towards Personalized and Adaptive Learning

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning
Editor: Charles Crook, Nottingham University, UK
Deputy Editor: R. Joiner, University of Bath, UK

URL: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0266-4909&site=1
ISI Journal Citation Reports® Ranking: 2006: 47/100 (Education &
Educational Research)
Impact Factor: 0.532

Organized in the Context of the First World Summit on the KNOWLEDGE
SOCIETY,
http://www.open-knowledge-society.org/summit.htm

Special Issue Editors



Miltiadis Lytras, Research Academic Computer Technology Institute and
Computers Engineering and Informatics Department, University of
Patras, Greece, Lytras@...


Ernesto Damiani, University of Milan, Italy.


Call for Papers

Focus

The advent of Semantic Web and Web 2.0 and its relevant technologies,
tools and applications provide a new context for exploitation. The
“expression of meaning” relates directly to numerous open issues in
computer assisted learning. In this special issue the focus is
two-fold: On the one hand to stress the importance of applying
Semantic Web and Web 2.0 techniques towards constructing systems that
provide value to learners, and - on the other hand - to reveal
research opportunities that can initiate interesting projects over the
forthcoming years.

In the W3C Semantic Web activity a list of priorities has set the
challenging landscape for the realization of the next generation web:
The creation of a Policy Aware Infrastructure, the Ontological
Evolution, the promotion of a Web of Trust, and the facilitation of
Information Flow and Collaborative Life.

The huge work that has been carried out during the last years in the
context of Semantic Web and Web 2.0 by several official bodies and
research groups has lead the research community to a mature level
concerning strategies, technologies, frameworks and implementations.

In this context this Special issue of the JCAL Journal intends to be a
reference point for all researchers interested in the challenges that
Semantic Web and Web 2.0 poses to Computer Assisted Learning in
particular and to Learning and Knowledge Technologies in general.

The ultimate objective is obvious. Semantic Web and Web 2.0 Research
“targets the improvement of the human experience and the enrichment of
the living, through a major shift of focus - from computing to
improving human experience - not only with better ability to use
heterogeneous content and apply knowledge, but also to incorporate
perception and pervasive computing” (Sheth 2004).


The exploitation of Semantic Web and Web 2.0 in the context of
Computer Assisted Learning requires a deeper understanding of the
relevant issues:


Expression of Meaning - Content authoring: The obvious direct relation
of Semantic Web and Computer Assisted Learning combines the
traditional content authoring process with the critical objective of
expression of meaning . Issues like semantic mark-up, semantic
retrieval, personalized, (semi)-structured annotation and content
conversion are leading a big research stream, in which the main
concern is the development of semantic e-learning content.

Ontological Evolution - Adaptive Hypermedia: The traditional Adaptive
Hypermedia considerations in Computer Assisted Learning are combined
with Ontological engineering and a lot of flexible systems and
accompanied methodologies have emerged. Issues like ontology-building,
ontology-integration, conceptual modelling and semantic
conceptualisation reveal a new research agenda, in which the
specifications of conceptualisations (ontologies) promote the
performance of learning systems.

Information flow and collaborative Life / Learning Context: The
instrumenting of knowledge flows has been set as one of the priorities
of the SW W3C activity. According to Eric Miller “One of the
challenges we will meet is to strike a balance between requiring
authors to do more at the outset to make information machine
processable, insisting that everything the machine could use to answer
a question be recognized and identified by the (human) questioner, and
leaving large quantities of information inaccessible to the machine”.
In this area Semantic Services, (Semi) Automated Reasoning and
Argumentation are critical themes on the semantic e-learning agenda.

Policy Aware Infrastructure – Interoperability/Standards: The Computer
Assisted Learning industry has many achievements in the area of
interoperability and standards and from this perspective it recognizes
the need to secure a policy-aware infrastructure. The Semantic Web
will only achieve its potential as an information space for the free
flow of scientific and cultural information if its infrastructure
supports a full range of fine-grained policy controls over its
content. The research on types of control over content, the compliance
to semantic and metadata models as well as the issues of versioning
and provenance require extensive research.

Web of Trust – Communities/Social Dimensions: According to Eric Miller
“Trust in the human social context is based on constantly evolving and
adapting information.” Two parties may trust each other based on a
history of mutual interaction, based on formal contracts that in turn
rely on other established systems (e.g. legal and legislative), and
based on risk analysis of a failure of any party to perform as agreed.
In the Computer Assisted Learning Industry this issue is of critical
importance. The Learning Objects Marketplaces and Farms, the Unique
Identifications of Resources and the Development of Intelligent
Assistants will require a Semantic Web language of describing trust.


Intended Topics

Within the forthcoming years, Semantic Web and Web 2.0 will provide a
challenging research context for the Computer Assisted Learning
research community. The inevitable role of knowledge and learning in
the knowledge society will drive the development of several semantic
web-enabled services, tools, and applications for citizens and learners.

The Computer Assisted Learning research community has a critical role
in creating synergies and providing value systems for learning - by
exploiting the Semantic Web capacity, building on the maturity of the
previous research in e-learning: Research areas such as: standards and
metadata, adaptive hypermedia, learning communities, knowledge
management, personalized delivery of content, and learning content
annotation show a significant level of readiness to exploit Semantic
Web and Web 2.0. A number of research issues in e-learning revealed
during the past years can be approached through semantic web
practices, tools, methods and technologies.

We invite submissions that fall in to the following three areas:


A. Preparation for Semantic Web and Web 2.0 based E-learning
In this area the main emphasis is placed on the conversion and the
compliance of learning content to semantic web standards. In the
current stage of Semantic Web evolution, this is basically pursued
through the specification of ontologies and their use for e-learning.
Typical themes in this area are:

* Semantic Annotation of Learning content: Content/Learner/Context
orientations.
* Methodologies for (semi) automated conversion to Semantic content.
* Semantic Mining according to multi-criteria for learning performance.
* Development of Learner Model Ontologies.

B. Semantic Web and Web 2.0 based learning
The Realization of Semantic Web and Web 2.0 based E-learning requires
a multifold approach to a number of vertical and horizontal themes.
The international collaboration can promote such a goal, and obviously
the success of the previous area (Semantic E-learning Readiness) will
influence the possibilities for successful and wide adoption of
Semantic E-learning. Some interesting research themes in this area
include:
* Semantic E-learning Portals: methodologies/frameworks/engineering.
* Semantic E-learning Services: exploring resource identities for
(semi)-automated value provision.
* Semantic Content Repositories and Intelligent Assistants.

C. Next Generation Computer Assisted Learning
Undoubtedly, Semantic Web is present on many milestones towards our
goal for effective learning. In the next years we think that the key
challenge for Semantic Web as well as for e-learning will be to
develop infrastructures capable of exploring learning content in every
format in an integrative way. This means that we will see a shift of
focus from formalizing/codifying learning content to managing content
in multimedia forms through automated reasoning and exploitation of
mobile, wireless networks as well as new vehicles through digital TV
channels.

Some interesting research themes in this area include:
* Semantic Multimedia Content Management: methodologies/ frameworks/
engineering.
* Bridging Semantic E-learning to Ubiquitous and Pervasive Networks.


Important Dates

June 5th, 2008: Submission of abstract - through Submission system of
1st World Summit on the Knowledge Society
June 30th, 2008: Initial submissions of manuscripts [through
Jule 10th, 2008: Reviewers initial decisions
September 24-28th, 2008: Presentation in 1st World Summit on the
Knowledge Society
November, 15th, 2008: Editors feedback to authors arising from these
reviews
December, 15th, 2008: Final revisions received from authors
January 15th, 2009: Final submissions to JCAL
January, 20th, 2009: Authors return copyright assignment forms



Style and Author Guidelines

Author guidelines are available at:
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/submit.asp?ref=0266-4909&site=1