What is wrong with conventional Web search engines?
Conventional Web search engines (e.g., Google) are fairly used in finding Web resource for a closed questions (e.g., where is a capital city of the state Illinois?), but they are not suitable in finding useful Web resources for an open-ended question (e.g., describe how computer can enhance teaching and learning.) because it is very difficult to choose a good Web search query for an open-ended question. In addition, research has reported drawbacks of conventional Web search engines:
- Difficult in extending and modifying Web search sessions
- High cognitive load in maintaining multiple tasks
- Less use of Web searching contexts
- Difficulty of sharing Web search results with other Web searchers