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This article presents systems that use speech technology, to emulate the one-on-one interaction a student can get from a virtual instructor. A web-based learning tool, the Learn IN Context (LINC+) system, designed and used in a real mixed-mode learning context for a computer (C++ language) programming course taught at the Université de Moncton (Canada) is described here. It integrates an Internet Voice Searching and Navigating (IVSN) system that helps learners to search and navigate both the web and their desktop environment through voice commands and dictation. LINC+ also incorporates an Automatic User Profile Building and Training (AUPB&T) module that allows users to increase speech recognition performance without having to go through the long and fastidious manual training process. The findings show that the majority of learners seem to be satisfied with this new media, and confirm that it does not negatively affect their cognitive load.

In this chapter, we try to bridge the gap between e-learning, knowledge management (KM), and the Semantic Web (SW) by identifying the principle properties and techniques that characterize each domain. We first note that although there is a major difference in the knowledge nature of each domain, however, there is a knowledge evolution and an interrelation throughout the three domains. Consequently, we should research methods of combining the strong techniques applied within each of them in order to satisfy the need of a particular work. In this perspective, we examine the similarities and differences, from a theoretical point of view, between the knowledge management systems (KMS) and the intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). We specifically focus on the knowledge transfer techniques in both systems such as the knowledge analysis needed to determine the knowledge content for both cases, the pedagogical planning for ITS, and the teaching model for KMS. Later, we examine the common task of ontology construction in the KM and SW domains and our recommendations. Next, we tackle the experimental issues by presenting our dynamic knowledge network system (DKNS), a general purpose KMS tool that is also used as self-learning software in several projects. This system is an appropriate tool for teaching procedural knowledge. Its functionality and simple implementation make it a user-friendly tool for both the lesson designer and the learner. We shall discuss and illustrate the didactic approach of DKNS in e-learning. Our goal is to teach laboratory users how to use the available equipment and software to create new-media artwork. Finally, we highlight some emerging trends in the three above-mentioned domains.

Web-based learning is rapidly becoming the preferred way to quickly, efficiently, and economically create and deliver training or educational content through various communication media. This chapter presents systems that use speech technology to emulate the one-on-one interaction a student can get from a virtual instructor. A Web-based learning tool, the Learn IN Context (LINC+) system, designed and used in a real mixed-mode learning context for a computer (C++ language) programming course taught at the Université de Moncton (Canada) is described here. It integrates an Internet Voice Searching and Navigating (IVSN) system that helps learners to search and navigate both the web and their desktop environment through voice commands and dictation. LINC+ also incorporates an Automatic User Profile Building and Training (AUPB&T) module that allows users to increase speech recognition performance without having to go through the long and fastidious manual training process. New Automated Service Agents based on the Artificial Intelligence Markup Language (AIML) are used to provide naturalness to the dialogs between users and machines. The portability of the e-learning system across a mobile platform is also investigated. The findings show that when the learning material is delivered in the form of a collaborative and voice-enabled presentation, the majority of learners seem to be satisfied with this new media, and confirm that it does not negatively affect their cognitive load.

The development of e-government enhances not only the publicagency relation but also inter-organizational cooperation between governmental agencies. In this context the promotion of knowledge distribution favors the application of existing techniques and approaches in Knowledge Management Systems. Especially, to exchange "knowledge in evolution" from different disciplines, one needs some groupware knowledge management tools to support knowledge worker communities via the Internet. To be effective, these tools should have visual features for several presentation issues like distributed tasks, evolution trace keeping, ontological discussion and action demonstration. In this paper, we provide an overview of our groupware tool, called Collaborative e-Authoring Tool for Knowledge Assets (CATKA) allowing to create, visualize, exploit and interchange two kinds of knowledge: declarative and procedural knowledge. We also detail the knowledge base updating technical issues for knowledge exchange process between knowledge workers to carry out an e-authoring project step by step, from the beginning to the final phase.