On the representation of change according to different ontologies of learning

摘要

Recent work has reintroduced ontology as a research topic in learning theories, as a mean to make explicit the differences and links between existing approaches to the design of learning programmes. In the context of technology-supported information systems, ontologies can be represented in machine-understandable form to serve as a basis for automation and assessment. The notion of change is in some form part of every ontology of learning, but the interpretations attributed to the term differ between them both in scope and characterisation. Since change is central to the evolving behaviour of learning organisations, it is worth the effort of specifying it, especially for the sake of objective measurement and automation. This paper describes ontological structures for generic constructivist and socio-cultural learning frameworks, stating the differences in their overall concepts of change, and their implications for practice and assessment. The ontological definitions provided are intended to motivate further work in more specific approaches for learning technology-supported experiences.