4,207 research outputs found
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Navigation in hypermedia learning systems: Experts vs. novices
With the advancement of Web technology, hypermedia learning systems are becoming more widespread in educational settings. Hypermedia learning systems present course content with non-sequential formats, so students are required to develop learning paths by themselves. Yet, empirical evidence indicates that not all students can benefit from hypermedia learning. Research into individual differences suggests that prior knowledge has significant effects on student learning in hypermedia systems, with experts and novices showing different preferences to the use of hypermedia learning systems and requiring different levels of navigation support. It is therefore essential to develop a mechanism to help designers understand the needs of experts and novices. To address this issue, this paper presents a framework to illustrate the needs of students with different levels of prior knowledge by analyzing the findings of previous research. The overall aim of this framework is to integrate studentsâ prior knowledge into the design of hypermedia learning systems. Finally, implications for the design of hypermedia learning systems are discussed
Personalised trails and learner profiling within e-learning environments
This deliverable focuses on personalisation and personalised trails. We begin by introducing and defining the concepts of personalisation and personalised trails. Personalisation requires that a user profile be stored, and so we assess currently available standard profile schemas and discuss the requirements for a profile to support personalised learning. We then review techniques for providing personalisation and some systems that implement these techniques, and discuss some of the issues around evaluating personalisation systems. We look especially at the use of learning and cognitive styles to support personalised learning, and also consider personalisation in the field of mobile learning, which has a slightly different take on the subject, and in commercially available systems, where personalisation support is found to currently be only at quite a low level. We conclude with a summary of the lessons to be learned from our review of personalisation and personalised trails
The guiding process in discovery hypertext learning environments for the Internet
Hypertext is the dominant method to navigate the Internet, providing user freedom
and control over navigational behaviour. There has been an increase in converting
existing educational material into Internet web pages but weaknesses have been
identified in current WWW learning systems. There is a lack of conceptual support
for learning from hypertext, navigational disorientation and cognitive overload. This
implies the need for an established pedagogical approach to developing the web as a
teaching and learning medium.
Guided Discovery Learning is proposed as an educational pedagogy suitable for
supporting WWW learning. The hypothesis is that a guided discovery environment
will produce greater gains in learning and satisfaction, than a non-adaptive hypertext
environment. A second hypothesis is that combining concept maps with this specific
educational paradigm will provide cognitive support. The third hypothesis is that
student learning styles will not influence learning outcome or user satisfaction. Thus,
providing evidence that the guided discovery learning paradigm can be used for many
types of learning styles.
This was investigated by the building of a guided discovery system and a framework
devised for assessing teaching styles. The system provided varying discovery steps,
guided advice, individualistic system instruction and navigational control. An 84
subject experiment compared a Guided discovery condition, a Map-only condition
and an Unguided condition. Subjects were subdivided according to learning styles,
with measures for learning outcome and user satisfaction. The results indicate that
providing guidance will result in a significant increase in level of learning. Guided
discovery condition subjects, regardless of learning styles, experienced levels of
satisfaction comparable to those in the other conditions. The concept mapping tool
did not appear to affect learning outcome or user satisfaction.
The conclusion was that using a particular approach to guidance would result in a
more supportive environment for learning. This research contributes to the need for a
better understanding of the pedagogic design that should be incorporated into WWW
learning environments, with a recommendation for a guided discovery approach to
alleviate major hypertext and WWW issues for distance learning
Systematising Learning and Research Information
This paper considers the ways in which information of relevance to the learning and research communities is organised and used. It contends that there is considerable overlap between the different types of online resources and information currently available within education. It describes some of the structured environments and data stores that have emerged in recent years, along with standards which are attempting to define the properties of discrete learning objects, through the specification of Learning Object Metadata (LOM). The paper contends that current developments of structured learning environments such as Managed and Virtual Learning Environments (MLEs and VLEs) are occurring on the whole in parallel to resource data stores, such as information gateways and portals. This discrepancy has arisen in part because these developments have occurred independently of one another and in part because there has to date been no rigorous definition of the underlying theoretical models. Furthermore, it argues that these predefined structured environments are unlikely to be sufficient to meet the information needs of users in different contexts. The paper goes on to describe an information toolkit, which provides a way of systematising information handling in learning and research, which helps users articulate information plans within specific contexts. The paper concludes with a description of two case studies which illustrate how this toolkit can be used
Semantic browsing of digital collections
Visiting museums is an increasingly popular pastime. Studies have shown that visitors can draw on their museum experience, long after their visit, to learn new things in practical situations. Rather than viewing a visit as a
single learning event, we are interested in ways of extending the experience to allow visitors to access online resources tailored to their interests. Museums
typically have extensive archives that can be made available online, the challenge is to match these resources to the visitorâs interests and present them in a manner that facilitates exploration and engages the visitor. We propose the use of knowledge level resource descriptions to identify relevant resources and create structured presentations. A system that embodies this approach, which is in use in a UK museum, is presented and the applicability of the approach to the broader semantic web is discussed
Online learning for design students
This paper describes the development of a Webâbased learning resource for Design students at De Montfort University, and presents the results of a study to investigate the effectiveness of this system. Some issues regarding further improvements to the online resource are also discussed
Semantic web technology to support learning about the semantic web
This paper describes ASPL, an Advanced Semantic Platform for Learning, designed using the Magpie framework with an aim to support students learning about the Semantic Web research area. We describe the evolution of ASPL and illustrate how we used the results from a formal evaluation of the initial system to re-design the user functionalities. The second version of ASPL semantically interprets the results provided by a non-semantic web mining tool and uses them to support various forms of semantics-assisted exploration, based on pedagogical strategies such as performing later reasoning steps and problem space filtering
What is the problem to which interactive multimedia is the solution?
This is something of an unusual paper. It serves as both the reason for and the result of a small number of leading academics in the field, coming together to focus on the question that serves as the title to this paper: What is the problem to which interactive multimedia is the solution? Each of the authors addresses this question from their own viewpoint, offering informed insights into the development, implementation and evaluation of multimedia. The result of their collective work was also the focus of a Western Australian Institute of Educational Research seminar, convened at Edith Cowan University on 18 October, 1994.
The question posed is deliberately rhetorical - it is asked to allow those represented here to consider what they think are the significant issues in the fast-growing field of multimedia. More directly, the question is also asked here because nobody else has considered it worth asking: for many multimedia is done because it is technically possible, not because it offers anything that is of value or provides the solution to a particular problem.
The question, then, is answered in various ways by each of the authors involved and each, in their own way, consider a range of fundamental issues concerning the nature, place and use of multimedia - both in education and in society generally. By way of an introduction, the following provides a unifying context for the various contributions made here
A model-based approach to hypermedia design.
This paper introduces the MESH approach to hypermedia design, which combines established entity-relationship and object-oriented abstractions with proprietary concepts into a formal hypermedia data model. Uniform layout and link typing specifications can be attributed and inherited in a static node typing hierarchy, whereas both nodes and links can be submitted dynamically to multiple complementary classifications. In addition, the data model's support for a context-based navigation paradigm, as well as a platform-independent implementation framework, are briefly discussed.Data; Model; Specifications; Classification;
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Designing for change: mash-up personal learning environments
Institutions for formal education and most work places are equipped today with at least some kind of tools that bring together people and content artefacts in learning activities to support them in constructing and processing information and knowledge. For almost half a century, science and practice have been discussing models on how to bring personalisation through digital means to these environments. Learning environments and their construction as well as maintenance makes up the most crucial part of the learning process and the desired learning outcomes and theories should take this into account. Instruction itself as the predominant paradigm has to step down.
The learning environment is an (if not 'theĂŻÂżÂœ) important outcome of a learning process, not just a stage to perform a 'learning play'. For these good reasons, we therefore consider instructional design theories to be flawed.
In this article we first clarify key concepts and assumptions for personalised learning environments. Afterwards, we summarise our critique on the contemporary models for personalised adaptive learning. Subsequently, we propose our alternative, i.e. the concept of a mash-up personal learning environment that provides adaptation mechanisms for learning environment construction and maintenance. The web application mash-up solution allows learners to reuse existing (web-based) tools plus services.
Our alternative, LISL is a design language model for creating, managing, maintaining, and learning about learning environment design; it is complemented by a proof of concept, the MUPPLE platform. We demonstrate this approach with a prototypical implementation and a â we think â comprehensible example. Finally, we round up the article with a discussion on possible extensions of this new model and open problems
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