Empirical evaluation of an adaptive e-learning system and the effects of knowledge, learning styles and multimedia mode on student achievement

This paper presents an empirical evaluation of an adaptive e-learning system (AES). The system was evaluated in an experimental research. During the 9 weeks of experimentation, the students studied the learning material in two randomly allocated groups, an experimental group using the AES and a control group using the non-AES. Research findings are described as follows. Students who learned using the AES performed better significantly than those who learned using the non-AES. The implementation of test repetition as a function of knowledge adaptation in the AES increased student achievement significantly. When the effect of test repetition was removed, the implementation of learning style and multimedia mode adaptation in the AES was still found to have significant effect upon student performance. Students whose learning style and multimedia preferences were matched with the system achieved better results

Swarm-based wayfinding support in open and distance learning

Please refer to the original source: Tattersall, C. Manderveld, J., Van den Berg, B., Van Es, R., Janssen, J., & Koper, R. (2005). Swarm-based wayfinding support in open and distance learning. In Alkhalifa, E.M. (Ed). Cognitively Informed Systems: Utilizing Practical Approaches to Enrich Information Presentation and Transfer. Information Science Publishing, USA. (pp. 166-183). [http://www.silvertair.com/CIS/Contents.htm] OR Tattersall, C. Manderveld, J., Van den Berg, B., Van Es, R., Janssen, J., & Koper, R. (2008). Swarm-based Wayfinding Support in Open and Distance Learning. In Sugumaran, V. (Ed). Intelligent Information Technologies: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. Information Science Reference, Hershey New York. (pp 846-857).Open and Distance Learning (ODL) gives learners freedom of time, place and pace of study, putting learner self-direction centre-stage. However, increased responsibility should not come at the price of over-burdening or abandonment of learners as they progress along their learning journey. This paper introduces an approach to wayfinding support for distance learners based on self-organisation theory. It describes an architecture which supports the recording, processing and presentation of collective learner behaviour designed to create a feedback loop informing learners of successful paths towards the attainment of learning goals. The approach is presented as an alternative to methods of achieving adaptation in hypermedia-based learning environments which involve learner modelling

Formative E-Assessment of Schema Acquisition in the Human Lexicon as a Tool in Adaptive Online Instruction

This chapter presents a comprehensive method of implementing e-assessment in adaptive e-instruction systems. Specifically, a neural net classifier capable of discerning whether a student has integrated new schema-related concepts from course content into her/his lexicon is used by an expert system with a database containing natural mental representations from course content obtained from students and teachers for adapting e-instruction. Mental representation modeling is used to improve student modeling. Implications for adaptive hypermedia systems and hypertext-based instructions are discussed. Furthermore, it is argued that the current research constitutes a new cognitive science empirical direction to evaluate knowledge acquisition based on meaning information

Sequence and Emphasis in Automated Domain-Independent Discourse Generation

For humans to gain comprehensive views of large amounts of repository contents, they need to have insight into the relations among information objects. It is a challenge to automatically generate presentations of repository contents, through, for example, search results, which reveal such relations to readers. Such presentations must reflect properties of information objects such that large sets of information objects appear as a coherent whole. An approach to this is generation of discourse structures that convey such properties of information objects in presentations. Semantic Web technology provides a conceptual basis for generation of discourse in Web-based information environments. This paper describes automatic generation of sequence and emphasis in presentations of information objects. It shows generation of object sequences and emphasis in accordance with a user input of relevance of information attributes in our Topia architecture. The resulting presentations allow users to encounter informati

Sequence and emphasis in automated domain-independent discourse generation

For humans to gain comprehensive views of large amounts of repository contents, they need to have insight into the relations among information objects. It is a challenge to automatically generate presentations of repository contents, through, for example, search results, which reveal such relations to readers. Such presentations must reflect properties of information objects such that large sets of information objects appear as a coherent whole. An approach to this is generation of discourse structures that convey such properties of information objects in presentations. Semantic Web technology provides a conceptual basis for generation of discourse in Web-based information environments. This paper describes automatic generation of sequence and emphasis in presentations of information objects. It shows generation of object sequences and emphasi

KnowledgePuzzle: a browsing tool to adapt the web navigation process to the learner's mental model

This article presents KnowledgePuzzle, a browsing tool for knowledge construction from the web. It aims to adapt the structure of web content to the learner’s information needs regardless of how the web content is originally delivered. Learners are provided with a meta-cognitive space (eg, a concept mapping tool) that enables them to plan navigation paths and visualize the semantic processing of knowledge in their minds. Once the learner’s viewpoint becomes visually represented, it will be transformed to a layer of informative hyperlinks and annotations over previously visited pages. The attached layer causes the web content to be explicitly structured to accommodate the learner’s interests by interlinking and annotating chunks of information that make up the learner’s knowledge. Finally, a hypertext version of the whole knowledge is generated to enable fast and easy reviewing. A discussion about the

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

Personalised trails and learner profiling in an e-learning environment

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

Adaptive model for web engineering methods to develop multi web applications in agile environment

Model Driven Web Engineering (MDWE) is an application of a model driven paradigm in the domain of web software development. MDWE is helpful because technologies and platforms of web applications constantly evolve into Web Engineering Methods (WEMs). The evolution of web applications has consequently introduced new features and challenges, therefore existing WEMs need to be improved. These WEMs have failed to develop modern web applications’ features. Furthermore, no single WEM is capable of covering the whole lifecycle phases. These issues decrease the usability. In addition, the Interaction Flow Modeling Language (IFML) as a recent method has also not been able to address them. This thesis developed a new WEM, Useable Adaptive Agile IFML (UAA-IFML) to solve these issues in several steps. In this research, mixed methods used were qualitative and quantitative methodologies. In the first step, a new adaptive model was defined for supporting the features of multi-web applications. The new model was developed via an adaptive model into the IFML metamodels known as Adaptive IFML (AIFML). In the second step, IFML was enriched through MockupDD for covering lifecycle, known as Agile IFML (A-IFML). This is because MockupDD provides an agile environment, hence agile lifecycle can solve the lifecycle issue. In the third step, a new adaptive model and agile process were combined as Adaptive Agile IFML (AAIFML). This integration increased the usability of the IFML method. In presenting the usability of AA-IFML, experimentation of the framework was extended to evaluate the usability of WEMs. Besides, feedbacks on the usability of AA-IFML were obtained from developers around the world using three instruments, namely performing tasks, answering questionnaires, and interviewing experts. Analysis on the feedback indicated a 20% improvement usability of the AA-IFML compared with current IFML. The findings have shown that the UAA-IFML is beneficial for developers, as they would only need to use one method to design modern web application features in the whole lifecycle phases