An Ontological Model for Representing Pragmatic Aspects of Collaborative Problem Solving

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Abstract
User interactions in Web-based collaborative problem solving generate a huge amount of messages. Such messages can be a source of knowledge to solve future problems, as well as be used for analytical purposes, e.g., for understanding the development of a discussion or for evaluating how a system supports different types of conversations. These possibilities depend on a proper classification of the messages regarding semantic and pragmatic aspects. The construction of a knowledge representation model that considers the pragmatic aspects of the messages is still an open challenge. In this work we argue that such a model must include the association of semantics with illocutionary aspects of the users' communication. This paper proposes a model using Semantic Web standards to associate messages to illocutions and ontology terms, as an integrated representation. This model is grounded in the Pragmatic Web perspective including Semiotics and Speech Act Theory. Two case studies illustrate practical issues and implications.