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In this paper it is presented our contribution for carrying out adaptive and intelligent Web-based Education Systems (WBES) that take into account the individual student learning requirements, by means of a holistic architecture and Framework for developing WBES. In addition, three basic modules of the proposed WBES are outlined: an Authoring tool, a Semantic Web-based Evaluation, and a Cognitive Maps-based Student Model. As well, it is stated a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) oriented to deploy reusable, accessible, durable and interoperable services. The approach enhances the Learning Technology Standard Architecture, proposed by IEEE-LTSA (Learning Technology System Architecture) [IEEE 1484.1/D9 LTSA (2001). Draft standard for learning technology - learning technology systems architecture (LTSA). New York, USA. URL: http://ieee.ltsc.org/wg1], and the Sharable Content Object Reusable Model (SCORM), claimed by Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) [Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative (2004). URL: http://www.adlnet.org].

Now we are able to define a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). SOA is an architectural style whose goal is to achieve loose coupling among interacting software agents. A service is a unit of work done by a service provider to achieve desired end results for a service consumer. Both provider and consumer are roles played by software agents on behalf of their owners.

This paper presents an ontology-based framework aimed at explicitly representing the context of the use of a learning object inside of a learning design. The core of the proposed framework is a learning object context ontology that leverages a range of other kinds of learning ontologies (e.g. domain, user modeling, learning design etc.) to capture the context-specific metadata. On top of that framework, we develop the architecture of an adaptive educational system, in order to illustrate the benefits of our proposal for personalization of learning design. Finally, we reflect on how two present educational tools (iHelp Courses and TANGRAM) correspond to the proposed architecture.

Semantic Web applications offer great potential to student modellers who have traditionally struggled with issues of re-use, portability and tight coupling with learning applications. In this paper, we describe our use of ontology languages and elearning standards to develop a loosely coupled and portable student modelling architecture used in a large-scale, distributed production learning environment.

Semantic technologies improve the way we work with information, in ways that current IT architectures and methodologies cannot. Semantic Power creates value by linking knowledge. Aduna applies semantic technology to the following areas: * Search & Discovery * eCommerce * Targeted Advertising Read more...

At the ACM Hypertext Conference a panel discussed "The Next Big Thing Inc." in the area of hypertext and hypermedia. The Web has been the "Big Thing" during the past 10 years, but its success has also made it very difficult to find the appropriate information in an ocean of over 3 billion pages. Whereas search engines achieve incredible precision, they suffer from the same "one size fits all" approach that characterizes the Web sites they index. The paper defends the position that personalization, and in particular automatic personalization or adaptation, is the key to reach the goal of offering each individual user (or user group) the information they need. During the panel discussion there was debate about whether the user should always have access and control over the entire (hypertextual) information space. There were different views on whether the "right" to all the information is best guaranteed by offering tools that reduce the information space the user perceives so that the user can actually find and reach the information, or by offering unfiltered access to an ocean of information in which everything is available but in which perhaps nothing can be found. We argue in favor of adaptation but at the same time point out flaws in the way adaptive hypermedia has been used until now. The paper then proposes a new, modular adaptive hypermedia architecture that should lead to adaptive Web-based systems as the "Next Big Thing" indeed.

eLearning is fast, relevant and just-in-time learning grown from the learningrequirements of the new, dynamically changing, distributed business world. The term „Semantic Web" encompasses efforts to build a new WWW architecture that supports content with formal semantics, which enables better possibilities for searching and navigating through the cyberspace. As such, the Semantic Web represents a promising technology for realizing eLearning requirements. This paper presents an approach for implementing the eLearning scenario using Semantic Web technologies. It is primarily based on ontology-based descriptions of content, context and structure of the learning materials and benefits the providing of and accessing to the learning materials.

TopQuadrant assists customers in planning, designing and deploying semantic solutions that enable systems and people to quickly fuse relevant information from diverse sources, put knowledge into context, collaborate effectively, and make better decisions. We provide structured solution packages that combine: * Open architecture platform built specifically to implement W3C semantic web standards * Integration with the best of breed third party components * Training and mentoring on the applications of Semantic Web technology * Proven methodology fine tuned to the implementation needs of the semantic solutions * Planning, modeling and implementation services

"Many languages are in serious danger of being lost and if nothing is done to prevent it, half of the world's approximately 6,500 languages will disappear in the next 100 years. Language data are central to the research of a large social science community, including linguists, anthropologists, archeologists, historians, sociologists, and political scientists interested in the culture of indigenous people. The death of a language entails the loss of a community's traditional culture, for the language is a unique vehicle for its traditions and culture. In this paper, we describe the effort undertaken at Wayne State University to preserve endangered languages using the state-of-the-art information technologies. We discuss the issues involved in such an effort, and present the architecture of a distributed digital library which will contain various data of endangered languages in the forms of text, image, video and audio files and include advanced tools for intelligent cataloguing, indexing, searching and browsing information on languages and language analysis. Various Semantic Web technologies such as XML, OLAC, and ontologies are used so that the digital library is developed as a useful linguistic resource on the Semantic Web."