The Knowledge Graph is a structured semantic knowledge base, a concept proposed in 2012, and is an important branch of artificial intelligence. In a knowledge graph, “nodes” represent knowledge units and points, connected by “relations” to form a graph network. The course knowledge graph belongs to the specialized field knowledge graph, constructed through a professional knowledge system, forming a hierarchical nesting and networked knowledge organization structure of knowledge domains, units, and points, which can provide comprehensive support for talent cultivation and teaching activities, serving as an important tool for promoting educational digitization.The virtual research office for the organic chemistry course consists of universities such as Dalian University of Technology, Tianjin University, East China University of Science and Technology, South China University of Technology, Central South University, Ocean University of China, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, China University of Petroleum (East China), Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Yunnan University, Inner Mongolia University, Northwest University, etc. (the order of member units is not ranked). It basically covers the central, eastern, and western regions of China and was approved as one of the first pilot virtual research offices by the Ministry of Education in early 2022, currently having over 100 front-line organic chemistry teachers from 33 universities. The main tasks of the pilot construction include innovating research forms, strengthening teaching research, co-building quality resources, and conducting teacher training, with the construction of the knowledge graph being one of the important tasks of the virtual research office, relying on the DingTalk platform for collaboration among members to explore the construction of the organic chemistry course knowledge graph.
1. “Nodes” – Knowledge Units and Points
Organic chemistry is a natural science course that studies the structure, properties, preparation, and applications of organic compounds, elucidating the relationship between the structure of functional groups and properties of organic compounds. As an important branch of chemistry, organic chemistry has always occupied a central position among core foundational courses and is a core course for relevant majors such as applied chemistry, pharmaceutical engineering, chemical engineering and technology, and environmental engineering in higher education institutions. Based on the knowledge system of the national-level planning textbook “Organic Chemistry (Third Edition)” edited by Gao Zuanxian from Dalian University of Technology, we are constructing a hierarchy of knowledge units and points. The chapters, sections, and subsections in the textbook correspond to the relationship between the whole and parts from knowledge units to points. For example, in Chapter 9, “Alcohols, Phenols, Ethers”, each type of compound can be introduced according to classification, structure, physical properties, and chemical properties, where “physical properties” as a knowledge unit includes boiling point, density, spectrum, etc. A larger or more important knowledge unit may contain secondary knowledge units, such as “chemical properties of alcohols” which includes several categories of reactions like substitution reactions and dehydration reactions. The “dehydration reaction” can further be divided into three important knowledge points: “intermolecular dehydration of alcohols”, “intramolecular dehydration of alcohols”, and “dehydration and rearrangement of allyl alcohol” (Figure 1). Knowledge points are the core nodes in the knowledge graph, and subsequent “relations” construction and resource binding are centered around them. The construction of “nodes” in the knowledge graph helps to clarify the hierarchy of knowledge, providing a clear understanding of each part’s content, serving as a part of the training for young teachers in the research office.
Figure 1 Hierarchical Structure of Organic Chemistry Knowledge GraphThe organic chemistry course at Dalian University of Technology is one of the first national quality courses, national bilingual demonstration courses, national quality resource sharing courses, and one of the first national-level online first-class courses, with rich course resources. The organic chemistry courses in both Chinese and English have been launched on platforms such as China University MOOC and Xuexi Qiangguo, with nearly 170,000 course selections. Other member units of the virtual research office, including Beijing University of Chemical Technology and China University of Petroleum (East China), have their own characteristics and advantages in organic chemistry first-class courses. In the construction of the knowledge graph, we will link the relevant content of the online courses (including teaching videos, mechanism animations, example analyses, chapter exercises, etc.) with the “description” and knowledge units and points as “nodes”, which helps teachers prepare lessons and aids students in further understanding the knowledge content during their learning process. For example, the teaching video link for “Organic Chemistry (Part 2)” on the China University MOOC platform can be embedded in the description of “chemical properties of alcohols” – “substitution reaction of hydroxyl”, allowing direct access for online learning. In the future, we will continue to enrich and improve the knowledge graph by combining high-quality online resources from other member universities, selecting the best among the best.
2. “Relations” – Connections Between Nodes
The teaching of course content follows a sequence, and the “nodes” of knowledge units and points not only have hierarchical relationships but also have connections between different knowledge units and points under different knowledge units. Through the “associations” or “subsequent” relationships in the knowledge graph, a network structure is formed between the “nodes”, tightly linking the course content before and after. Chemical reactions are the most important part of organic chemistry; through chemical reactions, conversions between different functional group compounds can be completed, thus making chemical reactions the bond connecting previous and subsequent knowledge units and points in organic chemistry learning, presented in the knowledge graph as “relations” between “nodes” (Figure 2). For example, in the “Alcohols, Phenols, Ethers” section, the intermolecular dehydration reaction of alcohols generates ethers, while the cleavage of ether bonds produces alcohols; the intramolecular dehydration reaction of alcohols generates alkenes, while the addition reaction of alkenes with water is difficult to occur. These associations and distinctions are the key points and difficulties in organic chemistry, which can be clearly displayed in the knowledge graph, making it easy to understand. The knowledge graph can help students familiarize themselves with these “relations” in organic chemistry learning; the “nodes” are no longer isolated but become visualized, leading to a more coherent and comprehensive understanding of the knowledge. During lesson preparation, teachers can also fully grasp the connections between knowledge points and prepare teaching content based on course requirements and the audience.
Figure 2 Network Structure of Organic Chemistry Knowledge GraphThe physical properties and spectral characteristics of compounds are indispensable in the teaching process, and whether these contents are introduced in various chapters or summarized together, the effectiveness will be somewhat lacking. Associating relevant knowledge points of different functional group compounds in the knowledge graph helps students continuously relate and compare during their learning process, enhancing understanding.
3. Binding of Teaching Resources in the Virtual Research Office
Co-constructing and sharing quality resources is an important task in the construction of the organic chemistry course virtual research office. The core members, 25 in total, are divided into three groups to carry out research work, including: the organic chemistry content and teaching methods research group; the curriculum ideological and political case construction and application research group; and the first-class course resource construction group including teaching outlines and teaching design cases. After more than a year of joint efforts, the resource library of the research office has over 200 teaching resources, including teaching slides, teaching designs, good question sharing, demonstration animations, curriculum ideological and political cases, and materials (Figure 3). Once the framework of the knowledge graph is completed, these quality resources will be bound to the knowledge “nodes” one by one and continuously supplemented and updated, enabling the knowledge graph to provide comprehensive support for the teaching activities of the organic chemistry course.
Figure 3 Teaching Resources of the Organic Chemistry Course Virtual Research Office
Conclusion
The construction of the knowledge graph is an important component of the pilot construction of the virtual research office. Compared to previous hierarchical structures such as knowledge trees, the knowledge graph is more three-dimensional and comprehensive. The process of building the knowledge graph relying on the virtual research office platform can integrate various resources, promote comprehensive discussions and research among members regarding teaching content and methods, and enhance teachers’ teaching abilities. Integrating the completed knowledge graph into course teaching and transplanting it to other smart teaching software can provide rich materials for teachers’ lesson preparation and abundant resources for students’ learning. Utilizing the knowledge graph can allow for more accurate analysis of learning conditions, achieving personalized teaching and self-learning objectives, supporting talent cultivation and teaching activities, and contributing to professional development and course construction.
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