SBIR Phase I: Semantically Intelligent Knowledge Hub for Course Authoring

This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop a system to significantly improve organization and curation of on-line learning content. Majority of educational material used within institutions is stuck in learning management systems and textbooks. However, many of the latest advances are captured in forums outside of these repositories. As a result, many higher-ed courses are obsolete and static. There are no authoring tools available to instructors to leverage existing open and shared learning content. Internet search engines focus on discovery and flat indexing of information based on keywords. However, higher-ed is built around knowledge streams of inter-related concepts that lead from fundamental core concepts to practical applications. This project proposes to develop new technology to semantically organize learning content extracted from various sources including LMS databases and OER sites. The semantically parsed learning units are modularized and categorized across multiple learning dimensions via intelligent meta-data enrichment that enhances existing meta-tagging standards. The semantic engine is packaged behind a simple cloud-based intuitive course authoring UI that teachers can use to put together visually rich digital experiences for courseware. The authoring UI captures teacher curation and student relevance, which further enhance the effectiveness of the semantic engine. The broader commercial impact of the technology is multifold and outlined below. It will significantly lower the cost of online course authoring and makes course content relevant and aligned with current job competencies/skills. The technology provides mechanism to share courseware developed independently across various departments and institutions, thus significantly simplifying the authoring process for teachers. A meta-tagged topic-based interconnected hub of all institutional courseware simplifies tracking of learning objectives and outcomes in colleges, which enables identification of inefficiencies in curriculum while lowering the cost of accreditation compliance. The project's technology also allows a simple mechanism for granularity of existing textbooks to be broken down and woven into custom/cutting edge courseware developed by professors. This creates a new (institutional) market place for premium learning content (in more flexible/small form factors to augment legacy textbooks) that is woven into a course workflow (potentially obsoleting archaic college bookstores over time). The marketplace also enables institutions to monetize proprietary, value-added course-packs. The cloud-based solution will be licensed for institution wide or individual teachers/instructor usage. Tools are available to help with course delivery, but none to help with content discovery, creation and curation.