Summary
Information modelling in archaeology has produced important advances in ontologies or methodologies which, have led to progress in archaeological information conceptualization, processing, integration and reuse. To perform these tasks, specific skills are required, as recognition of archaeological entities and their relationships. Despite the vital importance of information modelling skills in archaeology, we find that these aspects are undertreated in most university courses, either because there are no specific courses, or because existing ones are commonly instrumentalized towards specific software solutions, lacking a comprehensive approach to teach information modelling skills regardless of information scope, its capture method, or its final goal.In order to identify useful paradigms to be taught in archaeological information modelling postgraduate courses, we have conducted an empirical study within the yearly ?Archaeological Information Modelling? course that we teach at the University of Santiago de Compostela. Students were asked to answer comprehension questions and create information models from two archaeological case studies, using one of the modelling paradigms (mind maps and object-orientation) for evaluating each case study. Thus, we analyzed intuitions and basic modelling skills, attempting to identify potential problems emerged regarding the assimilation of the more structured paradigm (OO) versus the less structured one (mind maps). We present the empirical study design just as the quantitative and qualitative results obtained over two courses. The results give us initial responses about students? intuitions in archaeological information modelling and the existing learning curve of both paradigms, and the need for such approaches in course plans for future archaeologists training.
Keywords
Mind maps. Teaching experiences. Archaeological Information Modelling. Conceptual Modelling.