Discusses instructional design and describes the development of a support system for course design called AGD (French acronym for Didactic Engineering Workbench). Highlights include categories of computer tools that support course design, including computer-assisted instruction, instructional design expert systems, and job aids; knowledge modeling…

Examines four working steps from an empirical model where an expert abstractor discovers what a paper is about and drafts a topic sentence; a simulation system is developed using this model. Discusses knowledge processing activities of professional summarizing. Results indicate that a small simulation model of professional summarizing is feasible.…

Introduces characteristics of the sublanguage found in diagnostic messages about automotive equipment failures and discusses a system for minimizing jargon. Proposes using general knowledge sources and evaluates levels of communication accuracy, robustness and efficiency. (AEF)

Discussion of explanations and knowledge representation within knowledge-based systems focuses on the development of an expert system for purification of proteins in a Swedish laboratory. Topics include domain conceptualization; a multiple-explanation construction model; a study of laboratory staff that investigated construed explanations; and…

Describes Aran, a knowledge-based system designed to help users deal with problems related to Unix operation. Highlights include adaptation to the individual user; user modeling knowledge; stereotypes; content of the individual user model; instantiation, acquisition, and maintenance of the individual model; dynamic acquisition of objective and…

A consultation quality control model (CQCM) developed for an expert system (ES) integrated both ES performance measures and end-user judgment values. Simple decision theory concepts were used to design the CQCM. Results show end users belong to different categories characterized by utility functions and the weights they assign to ES consultation…

Considers the role of library and information science professionals as knowledge engineers. Highlights include knowledge acquisition, including personal experience, interviews, protocol analysis, observation, multidimensional sorting, printed sources, and machine learning; knowledge representation, including production rules and semantic nets;…

Describes a modelling language for representing teaching strategies, based in the context of the COCA intelligent tutoring system. Examines work on meta-reasoning in knowledge-based systems and describes COCA's architecture, giving details of the language used for representing teaching knowledge. Discusses implications for future work. (AEF)