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Topics & Knowledge Organization

The Topics system in SkillShop Client enables you to create sophisticated knowledge hierarchies that organize educational content using multiple categorization approaches including concepts, people, events, and academic domains.

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Topic Categories

SkillShop organizes knowledge into five distinct category types:

Concepts

Abstract ideas, theories, and principles that form the foundation of academic understanding.

People

Individuals of historical, cultural, or academic significance who have contributed to various fields of knowledge.

Events

Historical occurrences, milestones, and significant happenings that shape understanding of time and causation.

Academic Domains

Major fields of study and broad disciplinary areas that encompass related knowledge areas.

Subdomains

Specialized areas within broader academic domains that focus on specific aspects of a field.

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Creating Topic Hierarchies

1

Access Topics Section

Navigate to Topics in the main menu to access the topic management interface.
2

Create Parent Topics

Start with broad, high-level topics:
Create major subject areas:
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • History
  • Literature
  • Arts
3

Build Hierarchical Structure

Create child topics under parent categories:
📚 Mathematics (Domain)
  📐 Geometry (Subdomain)
    🔺 Triangles (Concept)
      📐 Pythagorean Theorem (Concept)
      📐 Triangle Inequality (Concept)
    ⭕ Circles (Concept)
      📐 Circumference (Concept)
      📐 Area Formulas (Concept)
4

Add Cross-References

Create connections between related topics across different hierarchies to build a comprehensive knowledge network.

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Topic Management Interface

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Topic Creation Form

  • Name: Clear, descriptive topic title
  • Category: Select from Concept, Person, Event, Domain, or Subdomain
  • Description: Detailed explanation of the topic’s scope and significance
  • Parent Topic: Select hierarchical relationship (optional)
  • Aliases: Alternative names or terms for the topic
  • Prerequisites: Topics that should be understood first
  • Related Topics: Connected concepts, people, or events
  • Subtopics: Child topics within this area
  • Cross-References: Links to topics in other hierarchies
  • Difficulty Level: Complexity rating for the topic
  • Grade Level: Appropriate educational level
  • Subject Areas: Associated academic disciplines
  • Keywords: Search terms and tags for discoverability

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Visual Topic Trees

The Topic Trees interface provides a visual representation of your knowledge hierarchy, making it easy to understand relationships and identify gaps in your organizational structure.
Tree View Features:
  • Expandable Nodes: Click to expand or collapse topic branches
  • Drag-and-Drop: Reorganize topics by dragging them to new positions
  • Color Coding: Different colors for each topic category type
  • Search and Filter: Find specific topics within large hierarchies
  • Zoom Controls: Adjust view level for large topic trees

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Topic Category Examples

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Concepts

Abstract ideas and principles that form the foundation of understanding:
  • Photosynthesis: Process by which plants convert light energy
  • Evolution: Change in heritable traits over successive generations
  • Gravity: Fundamental force of attraction between masses
  • Atomic Structure: Organization of protons, neutrons, and electrons

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People

Individuals who have made significant contributions to knowledge and society:
  • Marie Curie: Pioneer in radioactivity research
  • Albert Einstein: Developer of theory of relativity
  • Charles Darwin: Formulator of evolutionary theory
  • Nikola Tesla: Inventor and electrical engineer
  • George Washington: First President of the United States
  • Cleopatra: Last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt
  • Mahatma Gandhi: Leader of Indian independence movement
  • Nelson Mandela: Anti-apartheid activist and South African president
  • Leonardo da Vinci: Renaissance artist and inventor
  • William Shakespeare: English playwright and poet
  • Frida Kahlo: Mexican painter and cultural icon
  • Maya Angelou: American poet and civil rights activist

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Events

Significant occurrences that have shaped history and understanding:

Historical Events

  • American Revolution: Colonial independence from Britain
  • Industrial Revolution: Transformation to mechanized production
  • World War II: Global conflict from 1939-1945
  • Moon Landing: First human steps on lunar surface

Scientific Discoveries

  • Discovery of DNA Structure: Watson and Crick’s double helix
  • Penicillin Discovery: Fleming’s antibiotic breakthrough
  • Theory of Relativity: Einstein’s revolutionary physics
  • Human Genome Project: Complete mapping of human DNA

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Advanced Topic Features

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Topic Relationships

Carefully consider topic relationships to avoid circular dependencies and ensure logical learning progressions.
Relationship Types:
  • Hierarchical: Parent-child relationships within the same category
  • Sequential: Topics that build upon each other in a specific order
  • Associative: Related topics that enhance understanding when studied together
  • Comparative: Topics that are best understood through comparison and contrast

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Content Association

Link educational content to topics for improved organization:
1

Automatic Association

AI analyzes content and suggests relevant topic assignments based on:
  • Text analysis and keyword extraction
  • Subject matter identification
  • Conceptual similarity matching
  • Historical and contextual relevance
2

Manual Curation

Educators can:
  • Review and modify AI suggestions
  • Add additional topic associations
  • Create custom topic mappings
  • Establish content-topic quality standards
3

Validation

System validates topic associations to ensure:
  • Logical consistency with topic hierarchy
  • Appropriate difficulty level alignment
  • Comprehensive coverage of topic areas
  • Quality and relevance of associations

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Topic Analytics

Monitor topic usage and effectiveness:
  • Content Coverage: Number of content items associated with each topic
  • Learning Activity: Frequency of topic access by students
  • Assessment Performance: Student success rates on topic-related assessments
  • Engagement Patterns: Time spent on topic-related content
  • Content Gaps: Topics with insufficient supporting materials
  • Difficulty Imbalances: Topics lacking appropriate level progression
  • Relationship Gaps: Missing connections between related topics
  • Coverage Analysis: Comprehensive review of topic representation

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Best Practices

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Hierarchy Design

Start with broad categories and progressively add detail. It’s easier to split topics that become too broad than to merge topics that are too narrow.
Effective Hierarchy Principles:
  • Logical Grouping: Group related concepts under common parent topics
  • Consistent Depth: Maintain similar levels of detail across parallel branches
  • Clear Boundaries: Ensure topics have distinct, non-overlapping scopes
  • Scalable Structure: Design hierarchies that can grow with additional content

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Naming Conventions

  • Descriptive Names: Use clear, unambiguous topic names
  • Consistent Terminology: Maintain consistent language across related topics
  • Searchable Keywords: Include terms that users are likely to search for
  • Avoid Jargon: Use accessible language appropriate for your audience

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Next Steps

Skill Mapping

Learn to connect topics to skill competencies and learning objectives

Content Integration

Associate educational content with your topic hierarchy

Assessment Alignment

Create assessments that evaluate topic-specific knowledge

Learning Paths

Build learning experiences around your topic structure
Ready to build comprehensive assessments? Continue to Assessment Creation to learn about evaluation and testing tools.