4.1.2 Databases
A second frequently emphasized function across courseware projects was the
capability of representing an extensive knowledge base of content.
This entailed the use of databases to provide for storage and access of information.
This was a major concern for three of the five courseware projects studied
(ESCAPE, Context32,
and PGT). In ESCAPE, a series of six databases
of content have been created. The databases include "cards" containing general
information about engineering careers, major publications and organizations
in the field of engineering, plans of study and courses offered through
Purdue's Schools of Engineering, and sample problems. In Context32 there
were a corpus of 1350 documents and 2600 links created.
The PGT project contains an electronic book
consisting of 250 short text documents and 500 photographic images
that describe geologic feature relevant to an introductory course for
civil engineering students. A text description of features is provided
which is supplemented in most cases by a number of sketches and photos.