Nov 13, 2023; Workshop
P. Reimann: A Zoom-Workshop on Research Synthesis with Knowledge Graphs: The Case of Educational Technology Design Principles
University of Sydney
Professor in the Sydney School of Education and Social Work & Co-director of the Centre for Research on Learning and Innovation (CRLI)
Abstract
Systematic reviews (syntheses, surveys) of past research play an essential role in the organisation and advancement of scholarly knowledge. While the production of research syntheses is by now a methodologically sophisticated undertaking with ample software tools available, their dissemination is still tied to the concept of the (review) paper. That paper is now digital (PDF, HTML) has not changed the fact that knowledge is communicated in unstructured form and tied to a lengthy publication process. What can be done to move beyond the pseudo-digitisation of research knowledge and overcome the correlated disadvantages--that dissemination is delayed (compared to when the knowledge is produced), static, lacks coverage, lacks collaboration, and computer assistance remains limited?
In this workshop, I will share my experiences using Knowledge Graphs to synthesise research knowledge. Knowledge Graphs are part of the infrastructure for the next generation of communicating scholarly knowledge. They store interlinked descriptions of entities—objects, events, locations, or abstract concepts—while also encoding the meaning of the terminology used in the descriptions and links. I will introduce Knowledge Graphs from a user perspective: that of a (learning) researcher surveying and synthesising design principles for developing educational games, including simulations and VR experiences. Design principles are a form of knowledge relevant in design sciences such as architecture, product/service design, software design, and instructional design.
The workshop has three main parts: In the first part, I provide a brief overview of the bigger picture, including the moves to open science, reproducible research, and new forms of 'publishing' research. I then recapitulate what has been identified as problems with disseminating (research) knowledge as unstructured text and the alternatives developed in the library and information sciences: semantic publishing and Open Research Knowledge Graphs. In the second part, we'll look at how individual design principles can be conceptualised to be stored in digital formats optimised for use by designers and design researchers. We will also discuss how knowledge concerning the research-based evaluation of design principles can be modelled and stored digitally. This part builds on work in Design Science Research, a sub-discipline of Information Sciences. The third part will be devoted to formalising these conceptualisations into ontologies and their digitisation in the form of Knowledge Graphs, which can be stored in and queried on databases. It ends with identifying a typical (open source) tool stack for employing the methodology as an individual researcher (e.g., a PhD student) and stack for deployment on the level of a university department, research network, etc.
The workshop is introductory and, therefore, does not require any particular technical knowledge or programming skills. It is primarily designed for researchers planning to produce a substantive literature review/research synthesis but might also be of interest to people charged with knowledge management and research curation tasks or with an interest in translational research.