zBento / UW KnowledgeWorks

The purpose of this project is to develop, through research-informed design, a user-friendly, versatile, web-based information system that provides unique teaching and learning opportunities.

At its core, zBento is a flexible and customizable content creation, organization, and maintenance system.

Due to its flexibility, zBento has the potential to be of service to many information domains on campus and abroad, in a multitude of ways. For example, zBento can serve as a web-based information resource for students, fellow researchers, or the public; an intranet server for a department or a program; a document publishing system; a content management system for an individual's research; or a groupware tool for collaboration between geographically dispersed teachers, learners and researchers.

• LawForWA: Law and iSchool students researched and evaluated existing web-based content and organized this information in a "Legal Gateway" for the Washington state public. Citizens can log on to the gateway for information about state and federal law.
  
  
• UW BaSiC Initiative: Using instructor-designed templates, students in Architecture and Engineering document their research and field work on sustainable building practices and technologies. Provides a resource through which students communicate with the professional community.
  
  
• Digital Tools for Study and Research Abroad: Allows instructors and students new ways to communicate with "the folks back home" by providing a forum for presenting and sharing the study abroad experience.
  
  
• The Arthritis Source/eMedicine: Allows individuals outside the UW to provide medical data so that they can be matched with a specialist consultant; individuals interact securely and asynchronously with the scheduling process (and potentially with the consultant) and retain access to and authority over their personal information.
  

Examples of work

• The Arthritis Source
• Rome Program Database
• LawForWA

Collaborators

• UW Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine
• Department of English
• School of Law
• Department of Architecture
• University Honors Program

Research

1. Learners on the Back end: Students Contributing to Web-based Information Systems

   Proceedings of CHI '03, Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
   Fort Lauderdale, Florida
   by Gina Cherry, William Washington, Janice Fournier and Kristen Shuyler
   April 5-10, 2003
   
   Read: Short paper (PDF; 2 pages)
   Read: Poster text (PDF; 4 pages)



2. A Case Study: Knowledge Management Systems to Enhance a Nursing Curriculum

   by Kimberly Gustafson and Kristen Shuyler
   Accepted to Western Institute of Nursing Research Conference Proceedings
   April 2003
   
   Read: Abstract (PDF; 1 page)
   Read: Poster text (PDF; 7 pages)
   



3. Using Faceted Classification To Provide Structure For Information Architecture

   Proceedings of ASIS&T 2003 Information Architecture Summit
   Portland, Oregon
   by Aaron Louie, Eric Maddox and William Washington
   March 21-23, 2003
   
   Read: Short paper (PDF; 6 pages)
   Read: Poster (PDF; 1 page)