Design and Development of an E-Learning Management System

The trend of e-learning technologies is expanding fast. Web-based learning environments are becoming very common in the higher education institutions. Nowadays e-learning management systems are very popular. Many universities throughout the world deliver educational programs via the Internet. Developments of e-learning systems are generating great impact in the field of education services to improve the teaching and learning process, and overcome geographical displace. In recent years, various kinds of Internet technologies have become available for developers to implement such e-learning system that provide an e-learning gateway on the Internet. The rapid advancements in information and communication technologies, especially the networking and multimedia, have led to the development of many advanced e-learning systems these days. A user-friendly interface and a sophisticated data model are the essential design consideration to make the e-learning system easy-to-use for the instructors and learners. The need for such architecture is critical for designing the system and standards development. The system is developed under Computer Supported Cooperative Work framework and web portal technology. The system integrates all the critical and valuable communication tools that effectively improve the collaboration in an e-learning environment

Canonical explorations of 'Tel' environments for computer programming

This paper applies a novel technique of canonical gradient analysis, pioneered in ecological sciences, with the aim of exploring student performance and behaviours (such as communication and collaboration) while undertaking formative and summative tasks in technology enhanced learning (TEL) environments for computer programming. The research emphasis is, therefore, on revealing complex patterns, trends, tacit communications and technology interactions associated with a particular type of learning environment, rather than the testing of discrete hypotheses. The study is based on observations of first year programming modules in BSc Computing and closely related joint-honours with software engineering, web and game development courses. This research extends earlier work, and evaluates the suitability of canonical approaches for exploring complex dimensional gradients represented by multivariate and technology-enhanced learning environments. The advancements represented here are: (1) an extended context, beyond the use of the ‘Ceebot’ learning platform, to include learning-achievement following advanced instruction using an industrystandard integrated development environment, or IDE, for engineering software; and (2) longitudinal comparison of consistency of findings across cohort years. Direct findings (from analyses based on code tests, module assessment and questionnaire surveys) reveal overall engagement with and high acceptance of collaborative working and of the TEL environments used, but an inconsistent relationship between deeply learned programming skills and module performance. The paper also discusses research findings in the contexts of established and emerging teaching practices for computer programming, as well as government policies and commercial requirements for improved capacity in computer-science related industries

Competences for collaboration and knowledge sharing in digital society - a case study with an erasmus intensive programme

With the advent of social and collaborative environments, students became more active and participative - they not only have access to contents but also create and share them, becoming proactive. Communication has evolved, and with this evolution came the new media and the possibility of live conferencing, video sharing, social networking, collaborative tools, allowing the student to create, work collaboratively and communicate in a more direct way with their peers and their teachers. Instead of merely searching for information, applications such as bookmarking, feeds, tweeter and pinboards, digital portfolios, etc., along with the possibility of creating your own personal webpage, today’s Web gives students also the chance to create a PLE - A Personal Learning Environment. A PLE “recognizes that learning is continuing and seeks to provide tools to support that learning” (Attwell, 2007). The Individuals are responsible for the management of their own learning environment and for the selection of tools and contexts where learning will take place. Students need to acquire certain skills and competences, specific of a digital and connected society, in order to “effectively benefit from e-government, e-learning and e-health services, and participate actively in the knowledge society as co-creators, and not simply consumers, as highlighted by the European e-skills strategy” (McCormack, 2010). To only possess hard skills (that comes with experience and formal education) may not be enough to get someone a job. Besides e-skills and e-literacy competences, soft and social skills are also required. These can be practiced and enhanced in virtual environments. Digital literacy, and therefore e-skills, are transversal competences needed to every citizen. In this paper we will present the results of a case study carried out with attendees of an Erasmus Intensive Programme, which has promoted the development of digital literacies among participants. The Programme took place during 2013 summer and involved students and teachers (of teacher education and social service fields) from 3 different countries. The classes covered different tools and 12 tutors were involved. The main objectives were to provide students with information and communication technologies (ICT) skills for a digital society, namely: • Identification of students’ competencies in ICT; • Present students with different available collaboration tools by exploring the web 2.0; • Selection of specific tools to create students' personal learning environment (PLE); • Acquire necessary knowledge to master the selected tools; • Work collaboratively with the web 2.0 tools; • Establish methods for instruction and course design based on Web 2.0 (teacher education) with the goal to integrate technology enhanced learning and individual knowledge management in educational processes. At the end attendees were able to: • Master the different tools & services; • Be capable to use and select the most adequate web 2.0 tools & services; • Create and manage their PLE; • Share and to work collaboratively; • Be digitally skilled.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Learning networks and communication skills

The project work presented in this paper is funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) January‐December 1999. Our task has been to identify effective communicative practices for different technologies, in relation to the contexts in which they occur, and to feed back information about such practices to the educational community in a context‐sensitive way. The technologies at issue are: video conferencing (one‐to‐one, one‐to‐many, many‐to‐many); text‐based communication (email, bulletin boards, conferencing,) and audio conferencing (telephone tutoring, shared workspace plus audio link). The teaching and learning sites that agreed to take part in this research project provide courses to a variety of learners ‐ undergraduate, postgraduate, professional, full‐ and part‐time — in a spread of subject disciplines. The breadth and range of learning environments represented should maximize the chances of teachers in further and higher education recognizing issues and circumstances that are similar to their own and provide a rich comparative framework. The lecturers from the various teaching sites are regarded as collaborators in this research, identifying their own issues and learning needs, and providing feedback to authenticate the interpretative process. This study approach bridges the practice‐theory gap. We have completed the field work and are midway through analysing and interpreting the data in collaboration with teachers and students involved in the study. This will lead to the production of a flexible resource for individual lecturing staff which can also underpin staff development courses in good practice within networked learning environments. Further details and progress updates can be gleaned from our project web site at http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/tls/ JISC/index.html

Development and Validation of an Instrument for Assessing Distance Education Learning Environments in Higher Education: The Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES)

Globally, as distance education has become firmly embedded as a part of the higher education landscape, governments and institutions are calling for meaningful research on distance education. This study involved designing, developing and validating a learning environment survey instrument for use in distance education-delivered courses in post-secondary education. Specifically it involved merging two distinctive areas of study: psychosocial learning environments research and distance education research. The unique social structure of asynchronous distance education learning environments requires a unique and economical instrument for measuring the perceptions of distance education course participants. The research followed a three-stage instrument-development process of identifying salient scales, developing survey items, and field testing and analysing data using item analysis and validation procedures. This was followed by an investigation into the associations between the psychosocial learning environment and students enjoyment of distance education. The results yielded a new six-scale, 34-item Web-based learning environment instrument suitable for use in a number of asynchronous post-secondary distance education environments. The new instrument, the Distance Education Learning Environment Survey (DELES) assesses Instructor Support, Student Interaction and Collaboration, Personal Relevance, Authentic Learning, Active Learning, and Student Autonomy. Analyses of data obtained from 680 subjects supported the factorial validity and internal consistency reliability. The results also indicated statistically significant associations between the distance education learning environment and student enjoyment of distance education

Presentation

This monograph is presented as a response to an indisputable fact: The use of the social web as a means of communication and a framework of relationship and coexistence between students and teachers. We want to point out the need for a framework of pedagogical model and instructional design for the use of the social web.We also raise the need for an analysis of the necessary conditions for the validation of their uses.Finally, we propose to disseminate the analyses based on particular experiences, given the insufficiency of institutional policies that contemplate integration modalities and their consequences.We see necessary and accept proposals for indicators on quality in social learning environments. As results processed and conclusions obtained from research and experiences.On the other hand, we are accustomed to a literature that emphasizes the possibilities of intelligent education, and of big data combined with response algorithms to create unique and unprecedented opportunities for academic organizations. Opportunities that promise training with higher standards and innovative approaches.This issue tries to see what theoretical approaches, practices and experiences are present and available about(1) learning and teaching strategies: intelligent pedagogy,(2) highly technological and singular services based on environments of this type, both for local students, on campus, and for remote students, online,(3) innovative smart classroom configurations with easy local / remote student interaction with teachers and centers. And also for local / remote collaboration between students,(4) design and development of multimedia-enriched content based on the Web, with interactive presentations, videoconferences, questionnaires and interactive web-based tests that allow instant and intelligent knowledge evaluation(5) other affordances and managed environments with technology and intelligent response software.In this monograph we want to accommodate the results of research projects and ongoing experiences.We will also give space to works that aim to create a taxonomy of intelligent university education and identify its main characteristics and components.Pierre Lévy and Miguel Zapata-Ro

B-learning in an EFL college class : creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.

Research in educational technology is relatively new and the literature on the topic offers a variety of approaches. One of the most recent research trends aims at exploring and analyzing the phenomena that accompany the use of computers in the classroom. The focus of this trend is not only to shed light on meaningful and pedagogically innovative applications of ICT in various school and college settings, but also to develop more solid theoretical foundations for Web-based pedagogy (Area Moreira, 2005). In the field of foreign language pedagogy, socioconstructivist theories of learning have been highly influential, especially in the design and implementation of WBLL (Web-based Language Learning) environments (Levy & Stockwell, 2006). Within this framework, this paper analyses how WBLL was integrated in an EFL university class through the use of forums and blogs in a blended learning project. This project formed part of a larger research endeavor which was carried out in an EFL class, which is a compulsory course of an undergraduate Teacher Training and Translation program. The main objective of this paper is to present a threefold classification of knowledge development in an EFL online learning task, based on the analysis of the blog entries. The three main patterns that emergedfrom the study and which are included in this classification are creativity in the use of resources, L2 learning awareness, and collaboration through reflection and evaluation. The findings showed how ICT could be critically and meaningfully used in the language class and how collaboration networks can be built among college students. In general terms, what was observed in the learners' textual productions in this study instantiates the constructivist view that ICT can be used to develop critical thinking skills through collaborative learning and that the World Wide Web should be used asa medium for social interaction in EFL learning settings. This paper concludes with the limitations of the study and suggestions for further research in this area.http://www.acpi.org.ar/selected-papers/Fil: Anglada, Liliana Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Lenguas; Argentina.Fil: Gava, Ileana Yamina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Lenguas; Argentina.Lingüístic

B-learning in an EFL college class : creativity, critical thinking and collaboration

Research in educational technology is relatively new and the literature on the topic offers a variety of approaches. One of the most recent research trends aims at exploring and analyzing the phenomena that accompany the use of computers in the classroom. The focus of this trend is not only to shed light on meaningful and pedagogically innovative applications of ICT in various school and college settings, but also to develop more solid theoretical foundations for Web-based pedagogy (Area Moreira, 2005). In the field of foreign language pedagogy, socioconstructivist theories of learning have been highly influential, especially in the design and implementation of WBLL (Web-based Language Learning) environments (Levy & Stockwell, 2006). Within this framework, this paper analyses how WBLL was integrated in an EFL university class through the use of forums and blogs in a blended learning project. This project formed part of a larger research study which was carried out in an EFL class, which is a compulsory course of an undergraduate Teacher Training and Translation program. The main objective of this paper is to present a threefold classification of knowledge development in an EFL online learning task, based on the analysis of the blog entries. The three main patterns that emerged from the study and which are included in this classification are creativity in the use of resources, L2 learning awareness, and collaboration through reflection and evaluation. The findings showed how ICT could be critically and meaningfully used in the language class and how collaboration networks can be built among college students. In general terms, what was observed in the learners' textual productions in this study instantiates the constructivist view that ICT can be used to develop critical thinking skills through collaborative learning and that the World Wide Web should be used as a medium for social interaction in EFL learning settings. This paper concludes with the limitations of the study and suggestions for further research in this area.http://www.faapi.org.ar/downloads/FAAPI2015.pdfFil: Gava, Ileana Yamina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina.Fil: Anglada, Liliana Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Lenguas; Argentina.Lingüístic

A FRAMEWORK FOR INTELLIGENT VOICE-ENABLED E-EDUCATION SYSTEMS

Although the Internet has received significant attention in recent years, voice is still the most convenient and natural way of communicating between human to human or human to computer. In voice applications, users may have different needs which will require the ability of the system to reason, make decisions, be flexible and adapt to requests during interaction. These needs have placed new requirements in voice application development such as use of advanced models, techniques and methodologies which take into account the needs of different users and environments. The ability of a system to behave close to human reasoning is often mentioned as one of the major requirements for the development of voice applications. In this paper, we present a framework for an intelligent voice-enabled e-Education application and an adaptation of the framework for the development of a prototype Course Registration and Examination (CourseRegExamOnline) module. This study is a preliminary report of an ongoing e-Education project containing the following modules: enrollment, course registration and examination, enquiries/information, messaging/collaboration, e-Learning and library. The CourseRegExamOnline module was developed using VoiceXML for the voice user interface(VUI), PHP for the web user interface (WUI), Apache as the middle-ware and MySQL database as back-end. The system would offer dual access modes using the VUI and WUI. The framework would serve as a reference model for developing voice-based e-Education applications. The e-Education system when fully developed would meet the needs of students who are normal users and those with certain forms of disabilities such as visual impairment, repetitive strain injury (RSI), etc, that make reading and writing difficult

Global Teamwork: A Study of Design Learning in Collaborative Virtual Environments

With the recent developments in communication and information technologies, using Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) in design activity has experienced a remarkable increase. In this paper we present a collaborative learning activity between the University of Sydney (USYD), and the Istanbul Technical University (ITU). This paper shares our teaching experience and discusses the principles of collaborative design learning in virtual environments. Followed by a study on students’ perception on the courses and collaborative learning in both universities, this paper also suggests future refinements on the course structure and the main areas of collaborative design learning. Keywords: Collaborative Design; Collaborative Virtual Environments; Design Teaching And Learning</p