RECOGNIZING PERSONAL LEARNING STYLES AND USING LEARNING STRATEGIES WHILE LEARNING ENGLISH IN AN ELECTRONIC ENVIRONMENT

This paper describes the development of language skills among academics of VSB-Technical University of Ostrava in an LMS Moodle e-learning environment with regard to individual learning styles and strategies while learning a foreign language. A student’s individual learning style plays an essential role in effective foreign language acquisition, therefore recognizing their own learning style and using the right strategies to reinforce their particular curriculum can lead to effective learning. The Department of Languages at the VSB-Technical University of Ostrava has decided to implement e-learning forms of education into English Language Teaching (ELT) in the form of optimized adaptive e-courses. The paper describes the objective of providing an optimized adaptive e-learning environment respecting preferred learning styles with a narrower focus on the perceptual preferences (VAK) of the presented curriculum and with regard to recommended learning strategies to be used while learning. This e-learning environment is being developed in accordance with the Common European Framework of References for Languages and its key language competences divided into two main categories: receptive skills and productive skills

Predictive User Modeling with Actionable Attributes

Different machine learning techniques have been proposed and used for modeling individual and group user needs, interests and preferences. In the traditional predictive modeling instances are described by observable variables, called attributes. The goal is to learn a model for predicting the target variable for unseen instances. For example, for marketing purposes a company consider profiling a new user based on her observed web browsing behavior, referral keywords or other relevant information. In many real world applications the values of some attributes are not only observable, but can be actively decided by a decision maker. Furthermore, in some of such applications the decision maker is interested not only to generate accurate predictions, but to maximize the probability of the desired outcome. For example, a direct marketing manager can choose which type of a special offer to send to a client (actionable attribute), hoping that the right choice will result in a positive response with a higher probability. We study how to learn to choose the value of an actionable attribute in order to maximize the probability of a desired outcome in predictive modeling. We emphasize that not all instances are equally sensitive to changes in actions. Accurate choice of an action is critical for those instances, which are on the borderline (e.g. users who do not have a strong opinion one way or the other). We formulate three supervised learning approaches for learning to select the value of an actionable attribute at an instance level. We also introduce a focused training procedure which puts more emphasis on the situations where varying the action is the most likely to take the effect. The proof of concept experimental validation on two real-world case studies in web analytics and e-learning domains highlights the potential of the proposed approaches

A Blended Learning Course Design in Clinical Pharmacology for Post-graduate Dental Students

Postgraduate courses in clinical pharmacology are important for dentists to be updated on drug therapy and information related to their clinical practice, as well as knowledge of relevant adverse effects and interactions. A traditional approach with classroom delivery as the only method to teaching and learning has shortcomings regarding flexibility, individual learning preferences, and problem based learning (PBL) activities compared to online environments. This study examines a five week postgraduate course in clinical pharmacology with 15 hours of lectures and online learning activities, i.e. blended course design. Six postgraduate dental students participated and at the end of the course they were interviewed. Our findings emphasize that a blended learning course design can be successfully used in postgraduate dental education. Key matters for discussion were time flexibility and location convenience, change in teacher’s role, rein-forced learning strategies towards professional needs, scarcity in online communication, and proposed future utilization of e-learning components.publishedVersio

ABORDAGEM DE REAPROPRIAÇÃO DE RECURSOS: MELHORANDO O ENVOLVIMENTO DOS ESTUDANTES E RESULTADOS DE APRENDIZAGEM POR MEIO DE CONTEÚDO PERSONALIZADO

The resource reappropriation approach, as examined in this study, has shown positive effects on student engagement and learning outcomes. By reusing existing resources and tailoring them to meet individual student preferences and interests, educators can create more engaging and relevant learning experiences. The traditional "one size fits all" approach often struggles to adapt to the diverse needs and interests of students, resulting in limited achievement and a lack of engagement. The resource reappropriation approach addresses this issue by providing a personalized learning experience for each student. The study employed a mixed-methods research design, combining a literature review with surveys and questionnaires administered to both educators and students. The literature review helped gather existing knowledge and theoretical frameworks related to personalized learning and content reappropriation, providing a foundation for the study. Surveys and questionnaires were then used to collect educators and students’ perspectives and experiences with the resource reappropriation approach. The findings of the study indicated that the resource reappropriation approach had a positive impact on student engagement and learning outcomes. By tailoring learning materials to students’ preferences and interests, educators were able to create more meaningful and relevant content, resulting in increased student engagement. Additionally, the personalized nature of the approach contributed to improved learning outcomes, as students were more motivated to actively participate in their education. The resource reappropriation approach offers a promising method for improving student engagement and learning outcomes. By acknowledging and catering to students' individual needs and interests, educators can create a more personalized and effective learning environment.A abordagem de reapropriação de recursos, como examinada neste estudo, demonstrou efeitos positivos no envolvimento dos estudantes e nos resultados de aprendizagem. Ao reutilizar recursos existentes e adaptá-los para atender às preferências e interesses individuais dos estudantes, os educadores podem criar experiências de aprendizagem mais envolventes e relevantes. A abordagem tradicional de "tamanho único para todos" muitas vezes luta para se adaptar às diversas necessidades e interesses dos estudantes, resultando em realizações limitadas e falta de envolvimento. A abordagem de reapropriação de recursos aborda esse problema, fornecendo uma experiência de aprendizagem personalizada para cada estudante. O estudo empregou um design de pesquisa de métodos mistos, combinando uma revisão de literatura com pesquisas e questionários administrados tanto a educadores quanto a estudantes. A revisão de literatura ajudou a reunir conhecimentos e estruturas teóricas existentes relacionadas à aprendizagem personalizada e reapropriação de conteúdo, fornecendo uma base para o estudo. As pesquisas e questionários foram então usados para coletar perspectivas e experiências de educadores e estudantes com a abordagem de reapropriação de recursos. Os resultados do estudo indicaram que a abordagem de reapropriação de recursos teve um impacto positivo no envolvimento dos estudantes e nos resultados de aprendizagem. Ao adaptar materiais de aprendizagem às preferências e interesses dos estudantes, os educadores foram capazes de criar conteúdo mais significativo e relevante, resultando em maior envolvimento dos estudantes. Além disso, a natureza personalizada da abordagem contribuiu para a melhoria dos resultados de aprendizagem, uma vez que os estudantes estavam mais motivados a participar ativamente de sua educação. A abordagem de reapropriação de recursos oferece um método promissor para melhorar o envolvimento dos estudantes e os resultados de aprendizagem. Ao reconhecer e atender às necessidades e interesses individuais dos estudantes, os educadores podem criar um ambiente de aprendizagem mais personalizado e eficaz