Operationalization of an ontology based sociocultural adaptation approach and its application to CSCL

Collaborative learning environments bring together learners from different cultures and social contexts, around a common task. These learners interact both with each other and with computers. Hence, a dual problem arises: how to model and integrate socio-cultural factors that characterize these learners? How to design and develop culture-aware collaborative learning environments? This paper addresses both issues by describing an ontology based socio-cultural adaptation approach and its operationalization leading to the implementation of a culture-aware-web-based collaborative system. The adaptation of the collaborative learning environment is performed according to the socio-cultural profile of each learner.