e-Vocabularies and e-Learning

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2016) | Viewed by 39946

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Facultad de Filología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Séneca, 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: e-learning; artificial intelligence; educational technology; computational linguistics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Facultad de Informática, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Séneca, 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: natural language processing; web technologies; semantic web; ontologies; linguistic linked open data; eVocabularies; eLearning; mobile assisted language learning; computer assisted language learning; standardization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

You are cordially invited to participate in our monograph, which will address, for the first time, different experiences and theories developed in the recent years on the construction and use of electronic vocabularies (eVocabularies) with web-mediated educational purposes (eLearning). A vocabulary is a linguistic resource that helps manage, query, and retrieve information and/or knowledge via words (Boguraev, 1996). Some examples of vocabularies are (1) term lists; (2) glossaries; (3) classifications and taxonomies; (4) thesauri; (5) ontologies; (6) dictionaries; and (7) lexicons and lexical databases (CEN/CWA 14871:2003). All of them have been used somehow, thus far, in order to structure knowledge in a flexible way for a number of tasks (e.g., natural language processing, conceptualization, document classification, indexing and information retrieval).

Most possibly, education is one of the areas where vocabularies have proven to be more useful and, specifically, in the subarea of e-learning. In this particular field, vocabularies (electronic vocabularies, in this case) help teachers and students, for instance, (1) comprehend and relate the concepts and the objects of a given knowledge domain; (2) understand and learn languages, be they specialized or not; and (3) identify, describe and query knowledge and digital educational resources.

However, it is also in this field where vocabularies seem to be less systematically developed, known, studied, analyzed, compared and/or linked. For this reason, we think it is high time to collect and present in a dedicated volume the main theoretical approaches to the field and the most relevant experiences about the construction, use and evaluation of digital vocabularies relating e-learning. This is quite an ambitious challenge, but it clearly addresses the needs of a most interesting, useful, promising, multidisciplinary area of research and development, involving computational lexicography, lexicology, terminology, terminography and e-learning.

Therefore, the Guest Editors of this Special Issue welcome the submission of papers presenting original research in this multidisciplinary area which (1) include a comprehensive and critical review of any of the proposed topics (see below); or (2) discusses the construction, application and/or evaluation of some electronic vocabulary for or within education and/or learning (preferably e-learning).

Topics relevant to this Special Issue include (but are not limited to):

  • the construction of electronic vocabularies (electronic dictionaries, thesaurus, taxonomies, lexical databases, ontologies) of the education domain and/or for educational purposes;
  • the use of electronic vocabularies (learners' dictionaries, thesaurus, taxonomies, lexical databases and ontologies) for learning (language, linguistic and/or terminology learning, domain knowledge representation and learning);
  • experiences on the use of virtual education for lexicography/terminology learning;
  • the use of educational (pedagogical) criteria for lexicography and/or terminology;
  • experiences on terminology planning in and/or for education;
  • the construction and/or use of electronic vocabularies to index, classify and describe learning resources;
  • quality of lexical and/or terminological resources;
  • standardization in the areas of lexicography and terminology; standardization of lexical and/or terminological resources;
  • reviews on computational lexicography and/or terminography;
  • experiences on lexicography/terminology learning and/or teaching in e-learning scenarios;
  • reviews on applications of computational lexicography and/or terminology to e-learning.

Please, note that if this Special Issue eventually includes more than 10 papers, it will be made available in printed book format (with an ISBN). An example can be found at http://books.mdpi.com/.

Important dates:

  • 30 September 2015: Submission of invited proposals (500-words abstracts) deadline
  • 5 October 2015: Notifications sent to authors of invited proposals
  • 15 November 2015: All papers (invited and regular) submission deadline
  • 18 December 2015: Notifications sent to all authors
  • 15 January 2016: Final version of papers submitted

Even though it is not required, we encourage authors willing to submit a regular paper to send an abstract to the Guest Editors as soon as possible, in order to receive some feedback about their chances to be included in this Special Issue and/or how it could be adapted to better fit into it and avoid any overlaps.

For invited papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website, and manuscripts could be prepared following the “Instructions for Authors” at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/education/instructions.

Dr. Ana-María Fernández-Pampillón
Dr. Antonio Pareja-Lora
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.


References:

-          Boguraev, 1996, “Building a Lexicon: The Contribution of Computers”. International Journal of Lexicography, vol. 4 no. 3. Pp.227-260

-          Comité Européen de Normalisation (CEN). 2003. Controlled vocabularies for learning object metadata. Typology, impact analysis, guidelines and a web based vocabularies registry  (CEN/CWA 14871:2003).

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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177 KiB  
Editorial
e-Vocabulary and e-Learning
by Ana-María Fernández-Pampillón and Antonio Pareja-Lora
Educ. Sci. 2017, 7(1), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci7010034 - 1 Mar 2017
Viewed by 5215
Abstract
A vocabulary is a linguistic resource that helps manage, query and retrieve information and/or knowledge via words. If vocabularies are built and used in electronic format, they are referred as e-vocabularies. E-vocabularies have been used in Education to help teachers and students to, [...] Read more.
A vocabulary is a linguistic resource that helps manage, query and retrieve information and/or knowledge via words. If vocabularies are built and used in electronic format, they are referred as e-vocabularies. E-vocabularies have been used in Education to help teachers and students to, amongst many issues, (1) comprehend and relate the concepts and the objects of a given knowledge domain; (2) understand and learn languages, be they specialized or not; and (3) identify, describe and query knowledge and digital educational resources. Despite its utility, it is in this field where vocabularies seem to be less systematically developed, known, studied, analyzed, compared and/or linked. For this reason, we thought it was an opportunity to edit a dedicated volume with real experiences concerning the construction, use and evaluation of electronic vocabularies relating to education, and their application to the Internet and e-learning. The result is, finally, this Special Issue with five papers that represent part of the current state-of-the-art in the construction and use of e-vocabularies and education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue e-Vocabularies and e-Learning)

Research

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375 KiB  
Article
A Latin Functionalist Dictionary as a Self-Learning Language Device: Previous Experiences to Digitalization
by Manuel Márquez and Beatriz Chaves
Educ. Sci. 2016, 6(3), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci6030023 - 21 Jul 2016
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5414
Abstract
The application of a methodology based on S.C. Dik’s Functionalist Grammar linguistic principles, which is addressed to the teaching of Latin to secondary students, has resulted in a quantitative improvement in students’ acquisition process of knowledge. To do so, we have used a [...] Read more.
The application of a methodology based on S.C. Dik’s Functionalist Grammar linguistic principles, which is addressed to the teaching of Latin to secondary students, has resulted in a quantitative improvement in students’ acquisition process of knowledge. To do so, we have used a self-learning tool, an ad hoc dictionary, of which the use in different practices has made students understand, at a basic level, the functioning of this language. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue e-Vocabularies and e-Learning)
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618 KiB  
Article
DICONALE: A Novel German-Spanish Onomasiological Lexicographical Model Involving Paradigmatic and Syntagmatic Information
by Paloma Sánchez Hernández
Educ. Sci. 2016, 6(2), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci6020017 - 15 Jun 2016
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5608
Abstract
This contribution, based on the DICONALE ON LINE and COMBIDIGILEX (FFI2015-64476-P) research projects, aims to create an onomasiological bilingual dictionary with online access for German and Spanish verbal lexemes. The objective of this work is to present the most relevant contributions of the [...] Read more.
This contribution, based on the DICONALE ON LINE and COMBIDIGILEX (FFI2015-64476-P) research projects, aims to create an onomasiological bilingual dictionary with online access for German and Spanish verbal lexemes. The objective of this work is to present the most relevant contributions of the dictionary based on two lexemes from the COGNITION conceptual field, the LERNEN/APRENDER subfield. The DICONALE dictionary aims to fill the gap left by the current German–Spanish bilingual lexicography. The novelty is not only the electronic format, but also the inclusion of paradigmatic and syntagmatic information into one dictionary, and the contrastive aspects, subjects that until now have not been found in any onomasiological dictionaries in this area. In addition to the description of the paradigmatic and syntagmatic relationships, it also presents certain characteristics related to the contrastive analysis of the two lexemes. On the one hand, it aims to offer a panoramic view of the most relevant features of the dictionary while, on the other hand, attempting to demonstrate the relevance of said criteria in the contrasting German-Spanish lexicography. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue e-Vocabularies and e-Learning)
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210 KiB  
Article
Terminology Standardization in Education and the Construction of Resources: The Welsh Experience
by Tegau Andrews and Gruffudd Prys
Educ. Sci. 2016, 6(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci6010002 - 25 Jan 2016
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 6380
Abstract
This paper describes developments in Welsh-language terminology within the education system in Wales. Following an outline of historical terminology work, it concentrates on the consolidation of terminology standardization at the Language Technologies Unit, Bangor University, with particular reference to two projects, one concerned [...] Read more.
This paper describes developments in Welsh-language terminology within the education system in Wales. Following an outline of historical terminology work, it concentrates on the consolidation of terminology standardization at the Language Technologies Unit, Bangor University, with particular reference to two projects, one concerned with terminology for school-age and further education, the second concerned with higher education. The developments described include the adoption of international standards in terminology standardization and their incorporation in an online terminology standardization environment and dissemination platform that enable access to the centralized terminological dictionaries via a number of sophisticated websites, portals and mobile apps featuring rich dictionary entries. Some of the issues in managing large term collections are explored, and usage statistics are presented for the resources described. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue e-Vocabularies and e-Learning)
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Review

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11639 KiB  
Review
The Role of E-Vocabularies in the Description and Retrieval of Digital Educational Resources
by Ana M. Fernández-Pampillón
Educ. Sci. 2017, 7(1), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci7010033 - 1 Mar 2017
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 8994
Abstract
Vocabularies are linguistic resources that make it possible to access knowledge through words. They can constitute a mechanism to identify, describe, explore, and access all the digital resources with informational content pertaining to a specific knowledge domain. In this regard, they play a [...] Read more.
Vocabularies are linguistic resources that make it possible to access knowledge through words. They can constitute a mechanism to identify, describe, explore, and access all the digital resources with informational content pertaining to a specific knowledge domain. In this regard, they play a key role as systems for the representation and organization of knowledge in environments in which content is created and used in a collaborative and free manner, as is the case of social wikis and blogs on the Internet or educational content in e-learning environments. In e-learning environments, electronic vocabularies (e-vocabularies) constitute a mechanism for conceptual representation of digital educational resources. They enable human and software agents either to locate and interpret resource content in large digital repositories, including the web, or to use them (vocabularies) as an educational resource by itself to learn a discipline terminology. This review article describes what e-vocabularies are, what they are like, how they are used, how they work, and what they contribute to the retrieval of digital educational resources. The goal is to contribute to a clearer view of the concepts which we regard as crucial to understand e-vocabularies and their use in the field of e-learning to describe and retrieve digital educational resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue e-Vocabularies and e-Learning)
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Other

1385 KiB  
Concept Paper
Putting Order into Our Universe: The Concept of Blended Learning—A Methodology within the Concept-based Terminology Framework
by Joana Fernandes, Rute Costa and Paula Peres
Educ. Sci. 2016, 6(2), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci6020015 - 9 Jun 2016
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 7178
Abstract
This paper aims at discussing the advantages of a methodology design grounded on a concept-based approach to Terminology applied to the most prominent scenario of current Higher Education: blended learning. Terminology is a discipline that aims at representing, describing and defining specialized [...] Read more.
This paper aims at discussing the advantages of a methodology design grounded on a concept-based approach to Terminology applied to the most prominent scenario of current Higher Education: blended learning. Terminology is a discipline that aims at representing, describing and defining specialized knowledge through language, putting order into our universe (Nuopponen, 2011). Concepts, as elements of the structure of knowledge (Sager, 1990) emerge as a complex research object. Can they be found in language? A concept-based approach to Terminology implies a clear-cut view of the role of language in terminological work: though language is postulated as being a fundamental tool to grasp, describe and organize knowledge, an isomorphic relationship between language and knowledge cannot be taken for granted. In other words, the foundational premise of a concept-based approach is that there is no one-to-one correspondence between atomic elements of knowledge and atomic elements of linguistic expression. This is why a methodological approach to Terminology merely based upon specialized text research is regarded as biased (Costa, 2013). As a consequence, we argue that interactional strategies between terminologist and domain expert deserve particular research attention. To our mind, the key to concept-based terminological work is to carry out a concept analysis of data gathered from a specialised text corpora combined with an elicitation process of the tacit knowledge and concept-oriented discursive negotiation. Following such view, we put forward a methodology to answer the question: how is blended learning defined in the Post-Bologna scenario? Even though there are numerous high-quality models and practical descriptions for its implementation (similarly to other concepts related to distance learning), the need to understand, demarcate and harmonize the concept of blended learning against the current Higher Education background results from the premise that the theoretical reflection on this concept is still insufficient. Therefore, we believe it is vital to understand blended learning as the new normal in Higher Education (Norberg et al., 2011), or a negotiable third way (Peres, 2011; Norberg & Jahnke, 2014). Our methodological model is built in three phases: (1) exploratory phase in the area/ object of the study; (2) conceptual analysis phase of discourse and textual documents; (3) modeling and result validation phase. We support the thesis that the experimental nature of this approach discloses productivity in a cyclical sequence between the discursive and textual analysis with conceptual objectives, collaborative interaction and introspection. In other words, even though the nature of this study does not allow for a generalization (apart from a dual relation in the mediation between the terminologist and the specialist), we advocate the relevance of an action-reflection procedure, both introspective and collaborative, one in which the terminologist will become a conceptualizer, a decision-maker and an interventionist. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue e-Vocabularies and e-Learning)
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