EDUC8 ontology: semantic modeling of multi-facet learning pathways

Abstract

One of the main challenges to be confronted in Higher Education, so as to increase quality, is the personalization of education services, since each student constitutes a unique case. In this paper, we present the conceptualization of the domain of Learning Pathways in Higher Education. We present the EDUC8 (EDUCATE) ontology, which models the needed domain knowledge streams for the learning pathways and consists of four (4) main modules: 1) the learner model 2) the learning pathway model 3) the business model and 4) the quality assurance model. Taking into account the multifaceted nature of a learning pathway in a Higher Educational Institution (HEI), our proposal achieves a holistic conceptualization of the domain of educational provision, in order to be further utilized for the implementation of a Semantic Web Rules repository. This rule base is in control of the required streams of knowledge enclosed in the learning pathway for developing, recommending and executing tailored educational processes to meet each learner’s personal characteristics. Finally, EDUC8 ontology is applied for the definition of a ruleset for the Computer Science program case study. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.