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What is Knowledge Class?
Knowledge Class is a customized Web organizer and retriever tailored to individual users' interests and needs.
Each instance of knowledge class is a conceptual building block for knowledge organizing on the Web. Similar to
a classified mini thesaurus, each knowledge class consists of a hierarchically structured collection of controlled
or natural language terms on a particular discipline, such as chemistry or physics; or a specific topic, such as
financial investment or information retrieval.
Functions of Knowledge Class
A knowledge class consists of the following:
- A hierarchical structure of subject terms, with multiple levels constructed on classification principles
- Provision for open-ended search vocabulary derived from controlled vocabularies and/or free-text terms
- Expandable and contractible branches of the hierarchy to allow varying levels of depths
- Static links to remote resources and related sites or pages
- Dynamic links to target information through search engines and subject directories such as AltaVista, InfoSeek,
Yohoo!, Lycos, etc.
- Referral links among terms within a knowledge class and potentially among knowledge classes to enable cross
referencing.
- Instant switch among search engines available on the Web to allow access to a variety of resources offered
by different Web search engines and subject directories.
Individually, each knowledge class is an organized entity on a specific subject, dynamically linked to Web resources.
Collectively, knowledge classes can form a conceptual infrastructure encompassing larger domains of knowledge.
Purposes of Knowledge Class
Knowledge Class provides a dynamic structure for subject access on the Web. Although
the richness of electronic resources available on the World Wide Web is gratifying, the Web's size and range are
often overwhelming to those searching for information. For many users, seeking specific information on the Web
and maintaining it for future use can be daunting and time-consuming. Many search engines are now available on
the World Wide Web to help users search for needed information. However, for those who are not familiar with sophisticated
retrieval methods or who lack sufficient computer expertise, there is a need for improved means of both accessing
and navigating remote electronic resources.
Knowledge Class is designed to help individual users create and maintain personalized maps
of promising resources meeting their needs and interests. For use as a resource management tool, Knowledge
Class organizes related topics within a specific domain in a logical structure. As a tool for resources discovery
and retrieval, it combines the capabilities of subject guides and search engines to automatically construct search
queries in a way to include not only the terms the user has selected but also other related terms and broader terms
in the hierarchy. In the digital environment, knowing where the information is is just as important as knowing
the information itself. The essence of Web resources is not only the information the Web stores or possesses, but
also the richness of the links it provides. Knowledge Class presents a flexible and adaptable mechanism to organize
and manage the links to specific Web resources in a changing information environment.
Knowledge Class brings related resources together in a well-defined framework and thus facilitates
the interaction between the searcher and the information. When a user finds a knowledge class of interest,
he or she will have convenient access to related information on that particular topic.
Knowledge Class makes Web information access transparent to the user. It incorporates
many functions that enable the user to store new links, to view previously stored terms and links, to initiate
a new search, to add new terms to the knowledge class, to expand the hierarchy to accommodate additional levels,
and to utilize relevance feedback.
Knowledge Class provides a relatively stable information space for individual users, while maintaining
dynamic links to reflect rapid changes in the digital environment. It enables the user to function within
a familiar space while keeping in contact with the dynamic and vigorous network environment.
Current Status of knowledge Class:
Knowledge Class is an ongoing research project. Dr. Xia Lin and Dr. Lois Mai Chan are principal investigators of
the project. For more information about Knowledge Class, please contact Xia Lin at xlin@drexel.edu or Lois Mai
Chan at loischan@pop.uky.edu.
Page created on January 29, 1997.
Last updated on February 4, 2001.
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Your Knowledge Class
COLLECTIONS
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| Culture |
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Cymru Wales
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| Economy |
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Investment
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China Trade
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| High School Topics |
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Chemistry
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Physics
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| Literature |
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Anglo-Saxon Literature
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| Technology |
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Information Retrieval
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Adaptive Technology
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