Design and development of meta-model for knowledge management in higher education domain

Abstract

Knowledge is Power. Doing a job, with good knowledge about it, will result in productivity. There are two main types of knowledge- explicit and implicit. Everyone has explicit and implicit knowledge. Explicit knowledge is described in formal language. Implicit knowledge is automatic, resembles intuition and is oral. Without education, usage, invention and advancements in different fields will not be possible. Higher education plays a vital role in creating a knowledgeable society. Our aim is to make the Universities perform well in the future, using Knowledge portals. In this thesis, the focus first and foremost, is on the identification of the implicit knowledge sources available in connection with the Universities. Once the sources of the implicit knowledge are found then it will be easier for Knowledge creation. Implicit knowledge is extracted from the sources identified by using different methodologies. The knowledge extracted is now explicit. This may be converted into different forms based on the need. The converted knowledge is shared and enriched. It is organized in a way to be retrieved as and when it is needed. The available explicit knowledge from text books and other sources is combined to form a combined knowledge. This combined knowledge can also be stored in the Knowledge Portal and can be retrieved. This knowledge portal is now ready to for use. From the Knowledge Portal it is possible to design effective Knowledge Management systems, which can improve the quality of the teaching-learning process. This research finally concludes that the Universities must concern themselves with the development of human capital, through the supply of new professionals that have universalistic skills which provide a better identification of social and economic responsibilities. The results reveal that the creation of Knowledge Portals will make the universities play a strategic role in the economic and social development of the country and of the regions where they are located.