1) The document discusses the MATURE project, which aims to support continuous social learning in knowledge networks through a bottom-up knowledge maturing process. 2) The knowledge maturing process model involves individuals developing new ideas that are then exchanged and discussed to develop a common terminology, which are then structured into documents and learning objects to disseminate knowledge more broadly. 3) The MATURE project seeks to reduce barriers to participation and knowledge sharing by providing tools and services in personal and organizational learning environments to support the collaborative and active knowledge maturing process.

1. MATURE: a dynamic perspective on ontologies
Simone Braun
FZI Research Center for
Information Technologies
http://mature-ip.eu OntoContent-QSI Workshop 2008
November 10, 2008

2. FP7 EU Integrated Project (04/08 – 03/12)
Coordinator Application Partners
Research & Technology Partners
MATURE - Continuous Social Learning in Knowledge Networks 2

3. Motivation
Agility of enterprises as a key success factor requires
• Leveraging the employees‘ creativity and hands-on experience
• Improving the sharing of knowledge within and across company
borders
• Support with a new form of organizational guidance
Instead of top-down approaches we need a balance of
top-down and bottom-up developments for learning
support
• Bring together the efficiency of organizations and the
engagement and user empowerment
MATURE - Continuous Social Learning in Knowledge Networks 3

4. Knowledge Maturing Process Model
MATURE - Continuous Social Based on Knowledge Networks and [Maier & Schmidt, 2007]
Learning in [Schmidt, 2005] 4

5. Knowledge Maturing Process Model
New ideas are developed by individuals
From personal experiences or in highly
informal discussions
MATURE - Continuous Social Learning in Knowledge Networks 5

6. Knowledge Maturing Process Model
Exchange of ideas & personal experiences
Development of common terminology; e.g.
in discussion forum entries or wikis
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7. Knowledge Maturing Process Model
Purpose-driven structured documents are
created
e.g. project reports or process models
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8. Knowledge Maturing Process Model
Pedagogical preparation of the material for
broader dissemination
e.g. service instructions or manuals
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9. Knowledge Maturing Process Model
Individual learning objects are put together
to cover broader subject area
Subject area becomes teachable to novices
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10. Different Types of Knowledge
process
maturing
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11. Approach
More participation!
• Knowledge maturing is an active & collaborative process
• Reduce motivational, conceptual & technical barriers
Management & guidance as
• „providing the environment & framework“
• „gardening“
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12. Example: Competence Ontology
Development
Employees annotate each other with any topic tag
new topic ideas emerge; e.g. describing recent/specific ones
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13. Example: Competence Ontology
Development
A common topic terminology evolves through the collaborative
(re-)usage of the topic tags
Topic tags are defined and refined, useless or incorrect ones are
rejected
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14. Example: Competence Ontology
Development
Special community members begin to organize the topic
terminology into competencies
Introduction of relations between topic tags
o OO-Programming <is superconcept of> Java-Programming
o Java-Programming <is related to> C#-Programming 14

15. Example: Competence Ontology
Development
Adding axioms for exploiting relationships for reasoning
especially precise generalisation & composition relationships
o Java Programming <is a> OO Programming
o {Java Programming Expert, AJAX Programming Beginner} <is part of> GWT-
Programming Intermediate 15

16. SOBOLEO
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17. Tools
Personal learning environments
• Bundling of loosely coupled tools & services into flexible tool
boxes that support individual learning
• Integration following the mashup paradigm
• „personal“ and „social“
Organizational learning environments
• Role of gardening
• Analysis & visualization
• Intervention
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18. The MATURE
Vision

19. Objectives
an analysis of real-world maturing practices
knowledge maturing & development of a reference
model
the methodical conception of tools supporting
learning
development of reusable technical services
the accompanying, early formative evaluation of
approaches (concepts, design studies, prototypes)
with endusers
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20. MATURE
More information on http://mature-ip.eu
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