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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2009.10.002 Byline: Alexander Mikroyannidis, Babis Theodoulidis Keywords: Information management; Business intelligence; Ontology; Ontology management; Ontology evolution Abstract: The amount of heterogeneous data that is available to organizations nowadays has made information management a seriously complicated task, yet crucial since this data can be a valuable asset for business intelligence. Ontologies can act as a semantically rich knowledge base in systems that specialize in information management. The present work investigates the potential of ontologies in supporting the information lifecycle within a corporate environment for business intelligence. The paper demonstrates the use of Heraclitus II, a framework that employs ontology management and evolution in the context of information management systems. The capabilities of the framework in facilitating information management and business intelligence are evaluated through a real-life case study from the life sciences industry. Author Affiliation: Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9SS, UK

The study explores the effects of three different types of non-adaptive, metacognitive scaffolding on social, constructive metacognitive activity and reflection in groups of non-formal learners. Six triads of non-formal learners were assigned randomly to one of the three scaffolding conditions: structuring, problematising or epistemological. The triads were then asked to collaboratively resolve an ill-structured problem and record their deliberations. Evidence from think-aloud protocols was analysed using conversational and discourse analysis. Findings indicate that epistemological scaffolds produced more social, constructive metacognitive activity than either of the two other scaffolding conditions in all metacognitive activities except for task orientation, as well as higher quality interactions during evaluation and reflection phases. However, participants appeared to be less aware of their activities as forming a strategic, self-regulatory response to the problem. This may indicate that for learning transfer, it may be necessary to employ an adaptive, facilitated reflection on learners' activities.

Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) help students manage and take control of their own learning. As such, the PLE promotes self-regulation in learning and allows learners to aggregate, manipulate and share digital artefacts within a flexible and versatile online space. This paper presents a case study in Greece, concerning an investigation about the penetration of PLEs in typical education. In particular, this case study aims at investigating the perceptions of educators about PLEs and their challenges in incorporating PLEs in their teaching practices. The findings are commented on the pros and cons of PLEs and the opportunities that they offer to the modern classroom. According to the results of the present research, most respondents are generally aware of the PLE concept and its advantages.

Self–Regulated Learning (SRL) is a term that can be used to describe an individual's ability to develop a skill set allowing him or her to learn in a number of different ways. SRL can also relate to new pedagogical theories that encourage teachers in formal education to motivate and support their students into achieving a high level of self–regulation. This paper reports on the findings of a number of surveys conducted with a wide variety of teachers in different countries, regarding their perceptions of SRL. The results and analysis of these surveys help inform not only the perceptions of SRL amongst teachers but also examine the challenges and opportunities that arise from taking this approach.

Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) have emerged as a solution to the need of learners for open and easily customisable learning environments. PLEs essentially hand complete control over the learning process to the learner. However, this learning model is not fully compatible with learning in the workplace, which is influenced by certain business factors. These factors are being investigated in this paper, through an exploratory study within a variety of private organisations in the UK. Based on the results of this study, 10 key factors affecting the adoption of PLEs in the workplace have been identified. The authors propose a framework for the adoption and diffusion of PLEs, aiming at informing decision makers within commercial organisations about the successful introduction of novel learning methodologies in their respective organisations.

Preservation of Interactive Multimedia Performances (IMPs) is becoming important, as they are getting more and more popular in the performing arts communities. Preservation requires keeping not only all the necessary components for the production of a performance but also the knowledge about these components so that the original production process can be repeated at any given time. Ontologies provide the means for semantic processing, cataloguing and querying on preserved digital objects. In this paper, a framework for digital preservation of IMPs is introduced. The framework is based on the use of ontologies for describing the complex relationships among different components of a performance to support its preservation.