Semantic Highlighting on the WWW: Educational Implications

The main method of locating information on the World Wide Web is to use a search engine. Given a set of terms, a search engine will return a list of documents containing those terms. Often, though, this list of documents is extremely large. Unfortunately, there are currently no tools to assist the information seeker in determining whether these documents contain desired information or just submitted terms. Two types of search engine errors are possible: false positive errors result from the many connotations which words may convey, and false negative errors result from the many wordings that express similar meanings. To solve these difficulties, a technique called Semantic Highlighting was developed that focuses on meaning rather than terms. This technique enables experts and instructors to highlight the most pertinent portions of documents in a hierarchical manner, allowing students, colleagues, and other users to search more efficiently. It also allows for instructors and experts to assess and communicate directly their assessment of the importance of elements within the documents. Two examples of using Semantic Highlighting as a teaching tool at the University of Missouri-Columbia are included. Five figures present screens of the Semantic Highlighting enhanced search engine output, document visualization, and highlighted documents. (Author/AEF) **************************** ***** *********************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************************