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Abstract

Ontologies are currently a buzzword in many communities, hailed as a mechanism for making better use of the Web. They offer a shared definition of a domain that can be understood by computers, enabling them to complete more meaningful tasks. Although ontologies of different descriptions have been in development and use for some time, it is their potential as a key technology in the Semantic Web which is responsible for the current wave of interest. Communities have different expectations of the Semantic Web and how it will be realised, but it is generally believed that ontologies will play a major role. In light of their potential in this new context, much current effort is focusing an developing languages and tools. OWL (Web Ontology Language) has recently become a standard, and builds an top of existing Web languages such as XML and RDF to offer a high degree of expressiveness. A variety of tools are emerging for creating, editing and managing ontologies in OWL. Ontologies have a range of potential benefits and applications in further and higher education, including the sharing of information across educational systems, providing frameworks for learning object reuse, and enabling intelligent and personalised student support. The difficulties inherent in creating a model of a domain are being tackled, and the communities involved in ontology development are working together to achieve their vision of the Semantic Web. This Technology and Standards Watch report discusses ontologies and their role in the Semantic Web, with a special focus an their implications for teaching and learning. This report will introduce ontologies to the further and higher education community, explaining why they are being developed, what they hope to achieve, and their potential benefits to the community. Current ontology tools and standards will be described, and the emphasis will be an introducing the technology to a new audience and exploring its risks and potential applications in teaching and learning. At a time when educational programmes based an ontologies are starting to be developed, the author hopes to increase understanding of the key issues in the wider community.