End-user storytelling with a CIDOC CRM - based semantic wiki

This paper presents the current state of an experiment intended to use the CIDOC CRM as a knowledge representation language. STEM freshers freely constitute groups of 2 to 4 members and choose a theme; groups have to model, structure, write and present a story within a web-hosted semantic wiki. The main part of the CIDOC CRM is used as an ontological core where students are hanging up classes and properties of the domain related to the story. The hypothesis is made that once the entry ticket has been paid, the CRM guides the end-user in a fairly natural manner for reading and writing the story. The intermediary assessment of the wikis allowed us to detect confusion between immaterial work and (physical) realisation of the work; and difficulty in having event-centred modelling. Final assessment results are satisfactory but may be improved. Some groups did not acquire modelling abilities although this is a central issue in a semantic web course. Results also indicate that the scope of the course (semantic web) is somewhat too ambitious. This experience was performed in order to attract students to computer science studies but it did not produce the expected results. It did however succeed in arousing student interest, and it may contribute to the dissemination of ontologies and to making CIDOC CRM widespread.