Welcome to the OMNIBUS project: an ontology of learning, instruction and instructional design

• SMARTIES, which is a prototype of theory-aware and standard-compliant authoring system, is updated. Please come to the download page via download top. (2010.11.16)
• The link to the OntologyViewer is added. You can see a part of OMNIBUS on your web browser without HOZO. Please come to the download page via download top. (2008.12.30)
• SMARTIES, which is a prototype of theory-aware and standard-compliant authoring system, is released. Please come to the download page via download top. (2008.2.14)
• OMNIBUS ontology is updated! Please come to the download page via download top.(2007.11.19)
• PDF version of this WEB site is here (2007.7.31)
• Slides of the Keynote Talk at SWEL'07 is available. (2007.7.25)

In their paper{1}, Jacquline Bourdeau and Riichiro Mizoguchi foresaw a framework for ontology-based intelligent systems as shown in Fig. 1. Although it took longer years than their expectation, the ontology they have been developing is now released for evaluation. Ontology building is a labor-intensive process and it is rarely perfect. Our enterprise is not an exception. The current ontology is still very preliminary because it has been completely reconstructed from the existing one with a few new ideas. So, we hope the readers be generous when they read the ontology.

The ontology presented here is not a light-weight ontology but a heavy-weight ontology. It is built based on philosophical consideration of all the concepts necessary for understanding learning, instruction and instructional design. Although it is full of axioms, the Hozo GUI which is based on a frame structure makes it easier to read it. However, the readers are expected to have basic knowledge of ontology such as the theory of role[Kozaki 02]¹⁾ and the Hozo way of role representation.

Papers{4,5} would be helpful to grasp what we are doing with this ontology. The prototype system built is a totally ontology-aware system which fully utilizes the merits of ontology computationally as well as conceptually. The prototype system is so preliminary that it can't be open to public, though you can get a rough idea of what it is from the papers{4,5}.

Fig. 1 A framework for ontology-based intelligent systems

Riichiro Mizoguchi, Jacqueline Bourdeau and Yusuke Hayashi

• OMNIBUS ontology in Hozo format and OWL format, and
• a prototype of theory-aware and standard-compliant authoring system: SMARTIES

are available now.

You can download the ontology from download top.

1. Introduction
   1. Scope: Objectives and non-Objectives
   2. Expected outcomes
   3. Current state and Future plans
2. Conceptual model for instructional/learning design
   1. Modeling the interaction between learning and instruction
   2. Modeling the abstract structure of instructional/learning scenario
   3. Modeling strategies suggested by instructional/learning theories
3. Concept defined in the ontology
   1. The basic principle of conceptualization in Hozo ontology editor
   2. Ontological approach to systematization of educational theories
   3. Main wholeness concepts
      1. State
      2. Action
      3. Educational event
   4. Relational concepts
      1. Pure relational concept
      2. WAY: prescriptive model derived from strategies defined in theories

Keynote Talk at SWEL'07

• Structure of this talk
  1. Introduction
  2. Part 1: How SMARTIES works
     • Functionality and computational aspect of ontology use
  3. Part 2: How the ontology is built and its underlying philosophy of its design
     • Ontology engineering aspect

Powerpoint slides (.pps file, 4.67MB))

PDF (.pdf file, 9.23MB)

You can download OMNIBUS ontology and SMARTIES from download top.

1. Mizoguchi, R. and Bourdeau, J.: Using Ontological Engineering to Overcome AI-ED Problems, International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, Vol.11, No.2, pp.107-121, 2000. PDF
2. Bourdeau, J. and Mizoguchi, R.: Collaborative ontological engineering of instructional design knowledge for an ITS authoring environment, Proc. of the 6th International Conference (ITS 2002), Biarritz, France, June 2-7, pp.399-409, IOS Press, 2002. PDF
3. Bourdeau, J., Mizoguchi, R., Psyche, V. and Nkambou, R.: Selecting Theories in an Ontology-Based ITS Authoring Environment, Proc. of the 6th International Conference (ITS 2004), pp. 150-161, Alagoas, Brazil, Aug. 30 - Sep. 3, 2004.
4. Psyche, V., Bourdeau, J., Nkambou, R. and Mizoguchi, R.: Making Learning Design Standards Work with an Ontology of Educational Theories, Proc. of the 12th Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED2005), pp. 539-546, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, July 18-22, 2005. PDF
5. Hayashi, Y., Bourdeau, J. and Mizoguchi, R.: Ontological Support for a Theory-Eclectic Approach to Instructional and Learning Design, Proc. of First European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL2006), pp.155-169, Crete, Greece, Oct. 1-4, 2006. PDF
6. Hayashi, Y., Bourdeau, J. and Mizoguchi, R.: Ontological Modeling Approach to Blending Theories for Instructional and Learning Design, Proc. of The 14th International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE2006), pp. 37-44, Beijing, China, Nov.30-Dec. 4, 2006. PDF
7. Mizoguchi, R., Hayashi, Y. and Bourdeau, J.: Inside Theory-Aware Authoring System, Proc. of The Fifth International Workshop on Ontologies and Semantic Web for E-Learning (SWEL'07) , pp. 1-18, Marina del Rey, CA, USA, July. 9, 2007. PDF
8. Hayashi, Y., Bourdeau, J. and Mizoguchi, R.: Standard-compliant Scenario Building with Theoretical Justification in a Theory-aware Authoring Tool, Proc. of The 13th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2007), pp. 37-44, Marina del Rey, CA, USA, July. 9-13, 2007. PDF
9. Bourdeau, J., Mizoguchi, R., Hayashi, Y., Psyche, V., and Nkambou, R.: When the Domain of the Ontology is Education, Proc. of the 4th Conf. on Intelligent, Interactive Learning Objects Repository Networks (I2LOR'07), CD-ROM, Nov. 4-7, 2007.
10. Hayashi, Y., Bourdeau, J. and Mizoguchi, R.: Theory-aware Explanation Support for Standard-compliant Scenario Building, Proc. of the workshop on Semantic Technology for Learning , pp. 104-109, Hiroshima, Japan, Nov. 5, 2007. PDF

• Riichiro MIZOGUCHI (I.S.I.R, Osaka university, Japan) E-mail: miz at ei.sanken.osaka-u.ac.jp
• Jacqueline BOURDEAU (LICEF, Télé-université, Canada) E-mail: jacqueline.bourdeau at licef.teluq.uqam.ca
• Yusuke HAYASHI (I.S.I.R, Osaka university, Japan) E-mail: hayashi at ei.sanken.osaka-u.ac.jp

Please replace ” at ” to ”@”.

• Mizoguchi lab, I.S.I.R, Osaka university, Japan.
• Licef research center, Télé-Université, Canada
• Hozo ontology editor

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