Tools for knowledge articulation software in education

Samenvatting

Knowledge articulation software enables learners to create models and by doing so acquire insights in the behavior of systems. Tools that bridge the gap between sophisticated knowledge representation languages and modern application development techniques are needed in order to facilitate the creation of such model-building software. This document describes the design and implementation of such a tool, the GKOM module, which serves as a basis for knowledge articulation applications. GKOM offers application developers a knowledge representation language based on qualitative reasoning, and it provides modeling support. Additionally, GKOM-based applications operate in a network for collaborative modeling and learning, in which communication among modeling applications facilitates collaborative learning, and communication with remote services allows for advanced features such as simulation, and central storage of models.