Knowledge Engineering for Hypertext Instructional Systems

Abstract

Hypertext is increasingly being used in training and education to provide an alternative (non-linear) presentation format for both verbal and graphic information. While hypertext provides a very flexible format for structuring information, this flexibility itself can lead to information that is structured in a vague or inconsistent form. We suggest that hypertext system designers perform “knowledge engineering” just as AI system designers do. This includes acquiring some body of knowledge in a systematic fashion, determining the global structure to be imposed on the information, and then using explicit algorithms to structure the information into hypertext form. This paper contains two separate but complementary components that address the latter two processes. First, we describe certain features and issues specific to instructional applications of hypertext, and provide some suggestions for structuring the system to accomodate those features. We then present an algorithm for engineering hypertext information, the Cluster Coherence Algorithm. While the algorithm was developed specifically for instructional applications, it is also relevant and applicable to other types of hypertext and hypermedia systems.