Ontology-based content organization and retrieval for SCORM-compliant teaching materials in data grids

[[abstract]]With the rapid growth of e-Learning, a tremendous amount of learning content has been developed by numerous providers. Recently, the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) has been widely accepted as a standard of e-Learning for users to share and reuse various teaching materials. Data grids, characterized by their goal to manage large-scale dataset, are promising platforms to support sharing of geographically dispersed learning content. However, current data grid standards have not provided complete solutions to content-based information retrieval. To increase the precision of content retrieval on data grids, our idea is to propose an ontology-based approach to organize and retrieve learning content in geographically dispersed repositories. We designed a layered architecture to enable learning content organization and retrieval on data grids, implemented in a metropolitan-scale grid environment. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can precisely retrieve SCORM-compliant learning content. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Ontology-based content organization and retrieval for SCORM-compliant teaching materials in data grids

[[abstract]]With the rapid growth of e-Learning, a tremendous amount of learning content has been developed by numerous providers. Recently, the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) has been widely accepted as a standard of e-Learning for users to share and reuse various teaching materials. Data grids, characterized by their goal to manage large-scale dataset, are promising platforms to support sharing of geographically dispersed learning content. However, current data grid standards have not provided complete solutions to content-based information retrieval. To increase the precision of content retrieval oil data grids, our idea is to propose an ontology-based approach to organize and retrieve learning content in geographically dispersed repositories. We designed a layered architecture to enable learning content organization and retrieval on data grids, implemented in a metropolitan-scale grid environment. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can precisely retrieve SCORM-compliant learning content. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Modelo para la generación de cursos virtuales usando tecnologías de la web semántica para sistemas de gestión de aprendizaje

La oferta de educación virtual crece rápidamente y a su vez el uso de entornos virtuales de aprendizaje (VLE). La mayoría de docentes explotan muy limitadamente los VLEs, debido a su conocimiento limitado de pedagogías y de las teorías de diseño instruccional. La revisión de la literatura analizada, dio como resultado que pocos modelos de diseño instruccional han incluido el uso de las tecnologías de la web semántica para sus soluciones educativas. Sin embargo, aquellos trabajos que toman en cuenta dichas tecnologías, se enfocan más en el contenido específico del diseño de curso y otros trabajos asumen que el docente debería conocer acerca de diseño instruccional. Esto permitió notar, que no se toma en cuenta aspectos como: el enfoque pedagógico, es decir las teorías de aprendizaje y/o de diseño instruccional, el contexto del curso y la secuencia de actividades. Adicionalmente, ninguno de los trabajos considera la integración a un VLE. Se identifica los factores que influyen en el modelado del proceso de creación de contenido educativo en cursos online para entornos LMS tradicionales, y se propone un Modelo para el proceso de construcción de cursos virtuales utilizando tecnologías de le web semántica como RDF, OWL, SWRL, SPARQL para sistemas de gestión de aprendizaje. Este modelo permite producir en forma estructurada, organizada y pedagógicamente asistida, las plantillas de cursos virtuales. Para plasmar el modelo se plantea una arquitectura que permite desarrollar módulos de creación de plantillas de cursos en el sistema de gestión de aprendizaje Moodle. Se acompaña de la descripción del desarrollo de los diferentes módulos de creación de cursos virtuales mediante la metodología SCRUM. Para validar el modelo propuesto se plantean dos estudios: el primero aplicado en docentes universitarios respecto a cuatro aspectos analizados: facilidad de uso, soporte pedagógico, satisfacción y tiempo; se observó que existe una diferencia significativa a favor de la construcción de cursos virtuales en un LMS en donde se incorpora el modelo propuesto. En el segundo estudio, aplicado en estudiantes universitarios, se observó que, en el aspecto de la facilidad de uso, sí existe una diferencia significativa a favor del uso del aula virtual usada por los estudiantes y que fue creada por un docente con el módulo que incorpora el modelo propuesto. Se afirma entonces que el modelo planteado ofrece mejoras con respecto al proceso de creación de aulas virtuales tradicional que se incorpora en un LMS.Abstract: The virtual education offer grows rapidly and, in turn, the use of virtual environment of learning (VLE). Most teachers exploit in a very limited way the VLEs due to the limited knowledge of the of pedagogy and instructional design theories. The analyzed systematic review of literature resulted in the fact that few models of instructional design have included the use of semantic web technologies for their educational solutions. However, those works that take into account such technologies focus more on the specific content of course design and other works assume that the teacher should know about the instructional design. This permitted to note that aspects such as the pedagogic focus (i.e., the learning theories and instructional design theories), the course context and the activity sequence are not considered. Additionally, no work considers the integration to a VLE. Factors influencing on the modelling of the creation process of educational content in online courses for traditional LMS environment are identified, and a Model for the construction process of virtual courses is proposed, using semantic web technologies such as RDF, OWL, SWRL, and SPARQL for learning management systems. This model can produce in a structured, organized and pedagogically-assisted way, the designs of virtual courses templates. To put into practice the model, an architecture allowing to develop modules of design creation of courses in the Moodle learning management system is stated. Included there is the description of the development of the different virtual course creation modules through SCRUM methodology. To validate the proposed model, two studies are stated: the first one is applied to university teachers as to four analyzed aspects: usability, pedagogic support, satisfaction and time. It is observed that there is a significant difference in favor of the construction of virtual courses in a LMS where the proposed model is incorporated. In the second study is applied to university students, it was observed that in the aspect of usability, there is a significant difference in favor of the use of the virtual classroom used by students, which was created by a teacher with a module incorporating the proposed model. It is, therefore, affirmed that the proposed model offers improvements as to the traditional creation process of virtual classrooms incorporated into an LMS.Doctorad