Clouds: A module for automatic learning of concept maps

Abstract

There are currently several interesting works on interactive concept map construction. This simple representation of knowledge - the concept maps - is widely accepted as a promising device for helping in complex tasks such as planning and learning. Moreover, several psychologists (mainly from the constructivist stream) argue that the use of concept maps in teaching can bring relevant improvements in students. Nevertheless, as far as we know, these tools for interactive construction of concept map diagrams have a passive role in the sense that their main concerns rely upon interface and generality. If a Machine Learning based module was added to such frameworks, the computer could have an active role in participating in the concept map construction. This paper presents Clouds, a module that uses Inductive Learning methods to help a user build her own concept maps. It uses each new entry on the map as an input for the learning algorithms, which can be used later for suggesting new concepts and relations.