Matchmaking in Learning Networks: A System to Support Knowledge Sharing

In this paper we describe a system that matches learners with complementary content expertise as a reaction to a learner-request for knowledge sharing. It works through the formation of ad hoc, transient communities that exist for a limited period of time and stimulate learners to socially interact. The matchmaking system consists of a request module, a population module and a community module, all supported by a database that contains learning content, learner information and output of the system. The request module allows the learner to type in a request, the time span in which an answer should be provided and the content it is related to. The population module selects suitable learners to populate the community by determining their [1] content competency, [2] sharing competency, [3] eligibility and [4] availability. MOODLE is used to host the community. Experiments are planned to establish the feasibility of the overall design.