A local indexing for learning resources on WWW

Abstract

AbstractLearning with existing Web‐based resources has become popular and important, particularly as the realization of lifelong and distance learning. However, many resources do not usually have a clear description of what kind of learners should use them, what kind of learning goal can be achieved, and so forth, which makes it difficult for learners to select appropriate Web‐based resources. We have accordingly proposed a framework for reorganizing existing Web‐based learning resources with indexes representing their characteristics, which consist of “How To Learn” indexes in addition to conventional “What To Learn” indexes, in order to build a learning resource database. This framework supports a new approach called local indexing, which allows instructors to assess indexes of the resources from their own points of view. This paper also describes a support for the local indexing and its preliminary evaluation. The results of this evaluation suggest that the local indexing support enables instructors to simply and consistently find out how learning resources should be learned. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 34(3): 1–9, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10231