Improving Knowledge Transfer: Prioritizing Content Creation in Digital Libraries Using Competitive Intelligence Systems

Drexel University, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

In order to learn effectively, people need to know how to independently find the right information, in the right format, at the right time. Digital libraries provide access to a wide range of networked resources, but there are two potential problems: (1) people will be intimidated by the scope of the information and be reluctant to use it, or (2) they will attempt the journey alone and become "lost in hyperspace." This project is exploring new ways to make relevant information easier to get and easier to use. High-end multi-agent collaborative competitive intelligence systems are able to mine data from a wide variety of internal and external sources to support the decision processes of managers. This project is testing the feasibility of also using such systems to transfer knowledge from experts to novices. The focus of the study is on creating and testing a digital library as support for instruction in introductory computer programming courses. These courses are part of the push toward online delivery of core content for distance or on-campus asynchronous learning, and are likely to benefit from the availability of a topical digital library. This is the first known effort to automatically capture, process, and associate relevant cross-disciplinary digital content into topically related libraries designed to support traditional research and learning environments. The project team expects to develop a framework that supports a taxonomy of learning practices that will help to integrate the disparate literature in the various domains. The major technical challenges addressed by this study are how to: -- identify and synthesize the knowledge discovery processes of experts, students, and non-specialists; -- customize access to relevant sources and forms of digital content; -- support the capture, maintenance, and sharing of knowledge among a community of users; and -- evaluate the related cost-benefit issues.