An OWL-based ontology for modeling vocational school structures in educational systems

Aims: The aim of this study was to develop an OWL-based ontology that accurately represents the structure of a university vocational school at the individual level, with semantic depth and logical coherence. Methods: In this study, an OWL-based ontology representing the institutional structure of a vocational school affiliated with a university was developed. First, a domain analysis was conducted; core entities such as courses, programs, academic and administrative staff, and students, as well as their relationships, were identified. Then, this conceptual structure was formalized in OWL using the Protégé 5.6.6 editor. Object properties (such as teaches, learns) and data properties (such as studentNumber, department) were defined to model inter-individual relationships and attributes. By adding individuals that represent real-world scenarios, the instance-level applicability of the ontology was ensured. Logical consistency was validated with the FaCT++ 1.6.5 reasoner. This approach supported both the conceptual integrity of the ontology and its potential for integration into educational management systems. Results: The developed ontology effectively modeled the components of the vocational school, such as courses, personnel, programs, and learning environments, at the class, property, and individual levels. In the validation conducted with the FaCT++ 1.6.5 reasoner, logical consistency was ensured, and the potential for integration with real-world applications was indicated through individuals defined at the instance level. The ontology provides a robust foundation for semantic querying and information extraction. Conclusion: The developed ontology provides semantic consistency and real-world applicability in educational systems