Multi-criteria searching

Any user of the repository can use a multi-criteria search facility. The search tool is always available in the repository as one of the most important feature of the software. Because of the fact, that the content owners decide what content components will be visible in the search engine of the system (by setting the Search permission), the search results can vary from one repository to another.

Searching repository is available in two modes:

• simple search,
• advanced search.

Simple search

Simple search is a method of searching the content repository resources for a given word or expression. The string entered by a user is searched in the metadata storing text values. The retrieved data are presented in the Browse Repository view.

In simple search mode, the entered word or expression is searched in the following properties and metadata:

• Repository properties:
  • Title – the name of the content component,
  • File name – the name of the file containing the component,
• Learning Object Metadata:
  • General title – metadata element providing title of the component
  • Description, Educational description – summary of the content,
  • Keyword – keywords describing the content element,
  • Coverage – time, culture, geography or region to which the component applies,
  • Classification Description – classification, such as discipline, idea, skill level, educational objectives, etc.
  • Author – the author name.

Advanced search

In advance search mode a user can perform a search in three ways:

• word,
• tag search,
• metadata search.

The retrieved data are presented in the Browse Repository view.

Word search

The word search works exactly in the same way as in the simple mode. The user can choose what properties and metadata should be searched for an introduced word or expression.

Tag search

The Tag search is a method of searching for tags attributed to the content by authors to describe the subject matter. Technically, the General/Keyword metadata is searched for. If a Content Repository tool is integrated with a wordnet based ontology organizing words and expressions as an ontology of concepts linguistically motivated (Marciniak, 2014b), the hierarchy of the ontology is presented in the Tags tab. This hierarchical organization of tags can help the person searching the repository to formulate best queries taking into account domain conceptualizations.

Metadata search

The metadata search is a method of searching a content for repository properties and Learning Object Metadata used by authors to express various aspects of the resource. Technically, the internal properties of the data stored in the repository, as well as all Learning Object Metadata (approx. 100 elements), are searched by the system.