Expert Examination of Electronic Educational Resources Using PN-Method

The article focuses on the problem of expert examination of electronic educational resources (EER), which present complex information and pedagogical systems as they are, from a viewpoint of searching and resolving inconsistencies between their components. To look for contradictions we propose the PN-method as a tool, which originates in the theory of solving inventive problems and is a further systemic development of its most famous part regarding a deal with inconsistency in innovative solutions. The choice of the PN-method is made due to its logical rigor and great potential for solving creative problems. These factors qualitatively distinguish the method from previously known approaches applied to similar problem situations that are based on other methods of identifying and resolving a narrow circle of inconsistency. The adaptation of the terms “contradiction in space” and “a contradiction in time” to expert examination of EER is explained. We also describe algorithms of searching for inconsistencies based on the PN-method in information and pedagogical systems, consider inconsistencies in the complete didactic cycle of mastering learning material presented in the EER, taking into account all the significant components of the teaching process and cause-effect relationships between them. The article exhibits tools for resolving inconsistency using methods based on the counterargument procedure and the technology of training on precedents, as well as examples of their use in practice.