Expert Finding System in E-Learning: Using Concept Maps (Research Note)

Finding subject experts for problem solving is an important issue in e-learning environment. In e-learningenvironment there is no direct way to find the superior individuals. The current methods like analyzing the discussions or considering the learner actions need a lot of data or have some limitations. In this work, concept maps are utilized to define the experts in an e-learning environment. Concepts maps are graphical explanation of the meaningful relationship among the concepts. 35 M.Sc. and B.Sc. students participated in this work. The test design, implemented software, results and conclusions are described in detail in this article. The novelty of this work is the application of concept maps to find the experts, the combined presented models for concept map construction, and presenting a research methodology in this area.