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1991 Volume 6
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RESEARCH ARTICLE   Open Access    

Case research on knowledge acquisition: observations and lessons

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  • Abstract: Expert systems are being built despite the widely acknowledged problem of acquiring knowledge from experts. This study attempts to understand how knowledge acquisition is conducted in practice by investigating three expert system development projects. A CASE research methodology is adopted, and data is collected through unobtrusive observation, from taped protocols of knowledge acquisition sessions, retrospective interviews with the participants involved, and deliverables produced. The variables examined include the problem domain, the domain expert, the knowledge engineer, the knowledge acquisition process, the expert system construction process, potential users, organizational setting, and the expert system itself. The knowledge acquisition processes for three expert systems in the domains of law of negligence, telephone line fault diagnosis, and wastewater treatment have been examined. By juxtaposing the observations drawn with findings from the relevant literature, the study makes prescriptive suggestions on considerations and techniques for future acquisition efforts, and provides data for hypothesis generation in further research.
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  • Cite this article

    Christine Chan, Izak Benbasat. 1991. Case research on knowledge acquisition: observations and lessons. The Knowledge Engineering Review. 6:5634 doi: 10.1017/S0269888900005634
    Christine Chan, Izak Benbasat. 1991. Case research on knowledge acquisition: observations and lessons. The Knowledge Engineering Review. 6:5634 doi: 10.1017/S0269888900005634

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RESEARCH ARTICLE   Open Access    

Case research on knowledge acquisition: observations and lessons

The Knowledge Engineering Review  6 Article number: 10.1017/S0269888900005634  (1991)  |  Cite this article

Abstract: Abstract: Expert systems are being built despite the widely acknowledged problem of acquiring knowledge from experts. This study attempts to understand how knowledge acquisition is conducted in practice by investigating three expert system development projects. A CASE research methodology is adopted, and data is collected through unobtrusive observation, from taped protocols of knowledge acquisition sessions, retrospective interviews with the participants involved, and deliverables produced. The variables examined include the problem domain, the domain expert, the knowledge engineer, the knowledge acquisition process, the expert system construction process, potential users, organizational setting, and the expert system itself. The knowledge acquisition processes for three expert systems in the domains of law of negligence, telephone line fault diagnosis, and wastewater treatment have been examined. By juxtaposing the observations drawn with findings from the relevant literature, the study makes prescriptive suggestions on considerations and techniques for future acquisition efforts, and provides data for hypothesis generation in further research.

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    Cite this article
    Christine Chan, Izak Benbasat. 1991. Case research on knowledge acquisition: observations and lessons. The Knowledge Engineering Review. 6:5634 doi: 10.1017/S0269888900005634
    Christine Chan, Izak Benbasat. 1991. Case research on knowledge acquisition: observations and lessons. The Knowledge Engineering Review. 6:5634 doi: 10.1017/S0269888900005634
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