OVERVIEWS

CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEWS 1.1 SCENARIO Information technology is becoming increasingly clear that the growth of computing and communications technology is exceeding our understanding of its economic and social impacts. Information technology is being used by organizations in a wide variety of settings and ways and that information technology is critical for the smooth operation of many organizations. Further, its usage is positively correlated with organizational productivity and efficiency. Change driven by information technology is having a significant impact on every aspect of life and is an increasingly critical issue for education. Information technology is able to improve the delivery of education and enhance student achievement. They are not only make teaching, learning, study more convenient and easy but also ensure desired efficiency and scientific methods. Because of the following rationales that government attempts encouraging the use of information technology in education. The education system can prepare for students to participate fully in an advanced information society in which they live (a social rationale). Environments equipped with computers and network accessing are extremely useful for providing a foundation for learning, promoting independent learning, and creating better environment. In order to help universities that disclose information using the Internet (websites) is an extremely useful tool for sharing information on what goes on in universities and classrooms and for establishing a new level of exchange with caregivers and the community. It also provides the potential to deepen and expand the understanding on students across the entire student curriculum (a learning effectiveness rationale). And it helps them to overcome problems of distance and isolation (an efficiency rationale). Each of these there rationales supports each other. The Internet has penetrated rapidly and extensively into U.S. public universities. A U.S. Department of Education survey found that as of fall 1996, 65 percent of universities had access to the Internet; penetration had increased by 15 percentage points in each of the prior 2 years. The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) estimated that in 2000, U.S. universities had 7.4 million computers for use in instruction. But in Viet Nam, instead of being fully aware of that, we failed to apply it successfully. So what are the reasons? Inadequate facilities, lack of qualified manpower, limitation on development of technology and the deficiency of infrastructure when referring to this problem. In fact, the impact on the bulk of teaching and learning has been minimal. Developments in paper/printing technologies have had far more influence, with the consequence that face-to-face discussion and paper resources still dominate public education. As the matter of fact, there is a communication gap between lectures and students only in classrooms because of the passive way of learning. In an attempt to handle the knowledge, students have no choice except for the traditional means such as coming to libraries to read printed materials. Needless to say, the application of information technology is an access road to mine of knowledge. Therefore, applying the information technology in the field of education becomes more and more important and pressing. And it gives us the reason to hope that the quality of education and training in Viet Nam will be so much improved. 1.2 BACKGROUND What is a Web-based Knowledge Base System? A web-based Knowledge Base System is an online Knowledge resource on the net. Knowledge Base System creates a huge archive of information on a website that help people gain knowledge. Knowledge Base System also is a communication tool that helps people share knowledge quickly and easily. Objectives of Web-based Knowledge Base System Web-based Knowledge Base System changes significantly the roles of traditional lecturer and student. Students assume increasing responsibility for their learning while lecturers become resources, facilitators and evaluators, guiding students in their problem-solving efforts. For you as a learner, the ability to concentrate and to use your time well is the key to succeed. Since the dawn of the Internet age, the online Knowledge Base System was supposed to let great lecturers reach any student, any subject, any time, and anywhere. Online teaching/learning are not fixed in time or space. Many students find the flexibility of online learning a practical alternative to sitting in a campus classroom for hours on end. Students can interact with the lecturer and their classmates at any time from anywhere to seek clarification for issues they encounter in their homework assignment, to discuss topics in the course contents, or to initiate new discussions on related topics. A successful online discussion has the same synergistic effect as group or in-class discussion, in which students build on one another's perspectives to gain a deeper understanding of the materials form different perspectives. Online Knowledge Base System engages and empowers students, increase their enjoyment and encourage them to share and participate in their learning process. In an effective collaborative learning environment a group of students comes together to share and learn from one another. You are held together by a common interest in a body of knowledge and are driven by desire and need to share problems, experiences, insights, templates, tools, and best practices. Active participation in collaborative learning deepens your knowledge by interacting on a daily basis. It is a channel for knowledge to flow and is a means to strengthen the social fabric in online learning environment. Facilitating creative dialogues between lecturers and students is the Internet's greatest contribution to enhancing education, much more important than just putting lecture notes online. Most face-to-face courses involve a low-level of collaboration among students and lecturers. A Web-based environment is where the students can think and experience a sequential flow of learning allowing "teach-yourself" by way of thinking for yourself. Subsequently, it must allow the students interacting freely with the lecturer whenever they need to. Unlike face-to-face setting, where the responsibilities are ranked with emphasis on teaching then learning, for the online learning the emphasis is on learning then teaching. From the experience in both settings, we have realized that for online Knowledge Base System students and lecturers are partners in the learning process. Partnership makes the success faster, less expensive, and easier to achieve. There is great opportunity in putting this concept into the hands of lecturers and supporting their change in thinking with exposure to excellent mentoring. Therefore web-based system is for both students and lecturers as a team without any separation. Students today no longer spend all their time in a noisy lecture room or the deadly silence in the huge reading room of a university library. These components of learning environment still exist but their functionality has changed. Web-based system delivery is the beginning of a new wave of technology development in higher education. Freeing student work from paper and making it organized and transportable opens enormous possibilities for re- thinking whole curricula: the evaluation of faculty, assessment of programs. Besides the required textbook a collection of online resources replacing the traditional printed materials in the libraries must be provided. The impact of class size is of concern to all parties involved on Web-based learning/teaching. It takes 2 or 3 times as much time to teach an on-line course as a face-to- face course for both students and the Lecturers. A subject that works for 15 or 20 students now may be possible with 100 students. Online Knowledge Base System allows knowledge to spread near-instantly, and makes it accessible to everyone, i.e., breaking down the walls of education. Given the ease and speed at which information travels. Strategy using online Knowledge Base System could prove successful not only economically, but could exploit also human resources that would foster innovation and strengthen the democratic foundation of a knowledge-based society. 1.3 INFRASTRUCTURE The faculty has an Information Center with more than 300 networked PCs that connect directly to the Internet. A broadband will be implemented in a near future. The faculty also has a server running MS Windows 2000 Server, IIS Web server and MS SQL Server 2000. 1.4 ORGANISATION CHART The faculty of Informatics and Economic - National Economic University National Economic University (NEU) is known to be the top Universities in Vietnam. NEU has approximately 700 personnel including 2 People’s teachers, 29 meritorious teachers, 13 Processors, 32 Prof. Doctors, 149 Doctors, 120 Masters, 145 official lecturers, 260 lecturers. NEU is not only famous of its qualified staffs but also the quality of training. NEU is rewarded many medals and certificate of merit from the government. NEU’s training scale is about 27,000 students. Figure 1.4.1 - Organization chart of National Economic University The Faculty of Informatics and Economic equips the students with knowledge of business management and administration. On top of it, students have chance to know more about computing and software technology which help them be able to apply the latest achievements in information technology. The Faculty of Informatics and Economic includes two subjects and one information technology center: Figure 1.4.2 –The organization chart of The Faculty of Informatics and Economic The faculty trains 16 subjects: • Informatics Foundation • Applied Informatics • Computer Architecture • Operating Systems • Programming Technique 1 • Programming Technique 2 • Object Oriented Programming • Data Structure and Algorithm • Database 1 • Database 2 • MIS • Computer Aided- Accounting • Software Engineering • Computer Networking • Internet and E-Commercial • Applied Information in Human Resource Management Besides learning in the classroom, the students of faculty always have to depend on traditional approach such as reference from libraries, direct exchange of ideas among students, along with lectures’ help to search for books and support materials. And this approach is not be efficient and still has a lot of limitation in space and time. Meanwhile, an infrastructure with 300 personal computers connected to Internet – a support tool to apply in information technology is not used efficiently in knowledge supporting and sharing. By using MS Internet Information Service (MS IIS) combined with MS SQL Server 2000 on the platform of Windows 2000 Server, National Economics University created a website with the address of www.neu.edu.vn. However, the information available in system is general problems such as organization of NEU, history and activities instead of supporting lecturers and students. That is why, at right time, the Online Knowledge Base System becomes more pressing and necessary. And it is not overstated to say that this system is a necessary addition to the improvement of teaching quality. System can categorize and manage huge information resources. Its function is as knowledge link between student and lecture. It is also a mine of knowledge to both lectures and students. Lectures can exchange experience as well as provide the information, knowledge and material for students. Through efficient ways of research, students can avail themselves of opportunity to be in contact with the ocean of knowledge classified. As a matter of course, students are also received swiftly and efficient support from lectures and easily share knowledge and experience together. 1.5 SCOPE 1.5.1 Scope of application Knowledge Base System can be applied for many fields like education: in universities, institutes; to create supporting system for communities in exchanging knowledge and information, so on. In other words, the system helps narrowing spatial gap, searching information conveniently and becoming an efficient supporting tool for studying and teaching. In addition, the system can be used for customer support services. 1.5.2 Target user Typical objects of the system are described in the following figure: Figure 1.5.2 – Mechanism of Knowledge Base System The Knowledge Base System supports three main user classes: Lectures, Students and Administrators. The system also will provide three basic blocks of functions, which are  Categorized information browsing  Information searching  Online Supporting In the new system, information will be categorized into specific categories. Information also will be divided into specific types of information (e.g. articles, materials, e-books). Lectures will play an important role in the system that provide useful information for the community and also control the information flow. Lectures will have many tools such as  Post articles, materials or resources  Answer questions asked by students  Edit, Update and Delete existing information  Search information from the system Students are information seeking users can browse through categorized information and have the support from lectures. Some facilities that students will have are  Browse through categorized information  Post comments or suggestions on articles  Edit or Delete their own articles  Ask questions that will be answered by lectures  Search information from the system Administrators can benefit from easy-to-use system utilities to maintain the system in an efficient fashion. Some utilities are  User management, which provide tools for managing user information  Content management, which provide tools for categorize information and control the information resource structure.  System utilities, which provide many tools for managing the system, such as system statistics, traffic counter, system backup and restore. All the information can be exported to pre-designed reports that can be printed. 1.5.3 Software Requirement  Windows 2000 Server (Server Packet 3 or higher)  SQL 2000 Server Enterprise Edition (Server Packet 1)  Internet Explorer 5X (optional) 1.5.4 Hardware Requirement The optimal hardware configuration is designed to meet the demands of maintenance in the next 3 years. Components Minimum +MS SQL Server Optimum CPU Pentium 133Mhz Pentium 166Mhz Xeon 2.4Ghz Disk Capacity 671MB 270MB 32GB SCSI/RAID5 RAM 128MB 256MB 1 GB Monitor 640x480 800x600 800x600 CD-ROM 12x 52x Optional Mouse/Compatible pointing device . CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEWS 1.1 SCENARIO Information technology is becoming increasingly clear