Multimedia-learning in a life science workflow environment

Abstract

The Taverna workbench allows constructing highly complex analyses over life sciences data and computational resources. It provides access over 1000 of bioinformatic services, e.g., analysis algorithms for comparing genome sequences, and facilitates the construction of bioinformatic workflows. These workflows make tacit procedural bioinformatics explicit and as such lend themselves for being used in bioinformatics education. However, until now, no Taverna e-learning service exists. In this paper, we describe how Taverna can be used for learning and the services that need to be integrated in Taverna for that purpose. This includes a digital library of multimedia resources since multimedia, especially visualization, plays an important role in bioinformatics. Equally important is an intelligent educational service that automatically assembles learning activities and resources into a pedagogically coherent whole. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.