The user control on verbal/non-verbal knowledge visualization

In the past few years we have been experimenting with using hypermedia in a World Wide Web environment for distance learning applications. The courseware was essentially composed of 3D representations and textual notes interconnected at several strategic points. Most of the students reported positively on the organization of the inherent nodes of the 3D model and appreciated the utilization of referential and bi-directional links. Despite the positive results of this first experimentation, we have identified, through the analysis of students' comments and tracking issues a common lack of international activation of conceptual nodes. In this paper we discuss this problem and propose solutions at the level of the visualization of a didactic component's network, in order to provide a potential guidance for students. Our solutions are based on visualizing, before selection, the nature of the reachable components and the semantic model, showing more explicitly navigation strategies. We are currently developing a markup language (AOML) and a browser (Bu'xis) to support these concepts. Besides various information-filtering features, the language supports differentiating the access to the same data set from different paths. The browser provides navigation and information retrieval features and manages contents visualization and fruition, through several site views, compass functions and tracking functions. Or system offers a basis for carrying out studies and comparisons on the way students utilize pedagogical resources, as well as for evaluating the recall of knowledge processing.

@InProceedings{SM98a,
  author       = {Salis, C. and Masili, G.},
  title        = {The user control on verbal/non-verbal knowledge visualization},
  booktitle    = {Proceedings Of SITE 97},
  pages        = {467--471},
  year         = {1998},
  publisher    = {AACE},
  note         = {Published in 1997isbn: 1-880094-25-8idxproject: ?},
  keywords     = {visualization},
  url          = {https://publications.crs4.it/pubdocs/1998/SM98a},
}