Managing evolution and change in web-based teaching and learning environments

The state of the art in information technology and educational technologies is evolving constantly. Courses taught are subject to constant change from organisational and subject-specific reasons. Evolution and change affect educators and developers of computer-based teaching and learning environments alike – both often being unprepared to respond effectively. A large number of educational systems are designed and developed without change and evolution in mind. We will present our approach to the design and maintenance of these systems in rapidly evolving environments and illustrate the consequences of evolution and change for these systems and for the educators and developers responsible for their implementation and deployment. We discuss various factors of change, illustrated by a Web-based virtual course, with the objective of raising an awareness of this issue of evolution and change in computer-supported teaching and learning environments. This discussion leads towards the establishment of a development and management framework for teaching and learning systems

Educational innovation, learning technologies and Virtual culture potential’

Learning technologies are regularly associated with innovative teaching but will they contribute to profound innovations in education itself? This paper addresses the question by building upon Merlin Donald's co‐evolutionary theory of mind, cognition and culture. He claimed that the invention of technologies for storing and sharing external symbol systems, such as writing, gave rise to a ‘theoretic culture’ with rich symbolic representations and a resultant need for formal education. More recently, Shaffer and Kaput have claimed that the development of external and shared symbol‐processing technologies is giving rise to an emerging ‘virtual culture’. They argue that mathematics curricula are grounded in theoretic culture and should change to meet the novel demands of ‘virtual culture’ for symbol‐processing and representational fluency. The generic character of their cultural claim is noted in this paper and it is suggested that equivalent pedagogic arguments are applicable across the educational spectrum. Hence, four general characteristics of virtual culture are proposed, against which applications of learning technologies can be evaluated for their innovative potential. Two illustrative uses of learning technologies are evaluated in terms of their ‘virtual culture potential’ and some anticipated questions about this approach are discussed towards the end of the paper

A distributed networked approach for fault detection of large-scale systems

Networked systems present some key new challenges in the development of fault diagnosis architectures. This paper proposes a novel distributed networked fault detection methodology for large-scale interconnected systems. The proposed formulation incorporates a synchronization methodology with a filtering approach in order to reduce the effect of measurement noise and time delays on the fault detection performance. The proposed approach allows the monitoring of multi-rate systems, where asynchronous and delayed measurements are available. This is achieved through the development of a virtual sensor scheme with a model-based re-synchronization algorithm and a delay compensation strategy for distributed fault diagnostic units. The monitoring architecture exploits an adaptive approximator with learning capabilities for handling uncertainties in the interconnection dynamics. A consensus-based estimator with timevarying weights is introduced, for improving fault detectability in the case of variables shared among more than one subsystem. Furthermore, time-varying threshold functions are designed to prevent false-positive alarms. Analytical fault detectability sufficient conditions are derived and extensive simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the distributed fault detection technique

The seamless integration of Web3D technologies with university curricula to engage the changing student cohort

The increasing tendency of many university students to study at least some courses at a distance limits their opportunities for the interactions fundamental to learning. Online learning can assist but relies heavily on text, which is limiting for some students. The popularity of computer games, especially among the younger students, and the emergence of networked games and game-like virtual worlds offers opportunities for enhanced interaction in educational applications. For virtual worlds to be widely adopted in higher education it is desirable to have approaches to design and development that are responsive to needs and limited in their resource requirements. Ideally it should be possible for academics without technical expertise to adapt virtual worlds to support their teaching needs. This project identified Web3D, a technology that is based on the X3D standards and which presents 3D virtual worlds within common web browsers, as an approach worth exploring for educational application. The broad goals of the project were to produce exemplars of Web3D for educational use, together with development tools and associated resources to support non-technical academic adopters, and to promote an Australian community of practice to support broader adoption of Web3D in education. During the first year of the project exemplar applications were developed and tested. The Web3D technology was found to be still in a relatively early stage of development in which the application of standards did not ensure reliable operation in different environments. Moreover, ab initio development of virtual worlds and associated tools proved to be more demanding of resources than anticipated and was judged unlikely in the near future to result in systems that non-technical academics could use with confidence. In the second year the emphasis moved to assisting academics to plan and implement teaching in existing virtual worlds that provided relatively easy to use tools for customizing an environment. A project officer worked with participating academics to support the teaching of significant elements of courses within Second LifeTM. This approach was more successful in producing examples of good practice that could be shared with and emulated by other academics. Trials were also conducted with ExitRealityTM, a new Australian technology that presents virtual worlds in a web browser. Critical factors in the success of the project included providing secure access to networked computers with the necessary capability; negotiating the complexity of working across education, design of virtual worlds, and technical requirements; and supporting participants with professional development in the technology and appropriate pedagogy for the new environments. Major challenges encountered included working with experimental technologies that are evolving rapidly and deploying new networked applications on secure university networks. The project has prepared the way for future expansion in the use of virtual worlds for teaching at USQ and has contributed to the emergence of a national network of tertiary educators interested in the educational applications of virtual worlds

Training of PDCA cycle using a catapult in a virtual learning environment

The sustainable teaching of quality methods in the sense of Lean Management and Six Sigma through assistance systems, such as virtual reality goggles, represents a new and growing aspect of continuing education programs. The development and usage of virtual learning environments offers the chance to deepen the theoretical prior knowledge through interactive learning possibilities. In this way, existing learning concepts are supplemented with virtual teaching content. Complex or difficult to present learning settings can be mapped virtually without high material consumption or costs. This paper presents the state of the art with respect to teaching quality methods with VR. An integrationin the created Assisted Reality Implementation Model is made. Subsequently, the requirements for a virtual learning environment based on a real business game are determined. The approach and implementation are explained using the example of the PDCA quality method. First results of the exploration tests from the questionnaires are presented. Based on this, improvements are derived and the next steps are defined

The virtual design studio: developing new tools for learning, practice and research in design.

The emergence of new networked technologies such as virtual learning environments (VLEs) and digital libraries are providing opportunities for the development of new virtual tools to assist the design researcher in exploring ideas with the aid of visualising and mapping tools and to provide interfaces that support interdisciplinary collaboration between design teams. In 1998 a research project was initiated to evaluate the potential of computer assisted learning within Art and Design. This resulted in the development of a virtual learning environment designed to support Art and Design students and staff (www.studio-space.net). This paper describes the design process used to develop this VLE and the underlying principles based on a constructivist approach to experiential learning. The on-going research uses the metaphor of the design studio to explore a range of technologies that provide generative tools for the representation of design practice and related research, including the development and evaluation of an online Personal Development Planning tool (PDP) and other information management systems. The paper explores some of the ways in which tools such as; information retrieval applications, white-boards, visual mapping and digital archives can be combined to provide a virtual online design research studio. A further extension to the metaphor provides opportunities for developing new facilities, for example the portfolio, drawing board, bookcase, modelmaking area. The virtual design studio has two potential uses: first, to provide a tool box for the design researcher/educator to undertake collaborative design practice using CAD/CAM applications; second, to provide systems that help to externalise design methodologies, thus making it possible to gain an insight into the design process itself. This latter outcome can be achieved through the use of meta data (such as author, date/time created, version number - i.e. design iteration, note pad) and the representation of critical decision paths and reflection points

Ten-Competence:Life-Long Competence Development and Learning

Koper, R., & Specht, M. (2008). Ten-Competence: Life-Long Competence Development and Learning. In M-A. Cicilia (Ed.), Competencies in Organizational e-learning: concepts and tools (pp. 234-252). Hershey: IGI-Global.In most solutions for supporting learning today, one single approach is leading the selection, installation, and usage of information technology (IT)-based tools. Either content-based approaches lead to the creation of a content-based infrastructure with course management systems and content repositories, or a collaboration background leads to the usage of virtual classrooms and collaborative learning environments. The TEN-Competence project aims forward for integration of the different tools, perspectives, and learning environments in a common open source infrastructure based on today’s standards on the level of knowledge resources, learning activities, competence development programs, and learning networks. TEN-Competence will integrate tools in a service-oriented architecture (SOA) and evaluate the approach in a variety of pilot applications for lifelong competence development.This work has been sponsored by the EU project TENCompetenc

Virtual International Learning Experience in Formal Higher Education – A Case Study from Jordan

Purpose – International experience is important to prepare university students for successful career in the globalized knowledge economy. However, learners in developing countries have limited access to international educational experiences due to travel costs and constrains, political instability that prohibit academic visits from foreign students and instructors, societal restrictions on certain groups like female students, or old educational systems that resist didactical and organizational changes. The emergence of Social Media enabled the development of interactive learnercentered virtual learning environments that enable collaborative knowledge building in online social communities.This empirical study aims to explore how to provide Jordanian university students with international academic experience during their regular study programs without travelling abroad. Virtual Collaborative Learning has been introduced and examined in this specific context due to its reported high potential for developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – Following an educational design based approach, a Virtual Collaborative Learning arrangement has been re-designed to involve Jordanian students in a formal masters’ course with German students at the Technische Universität Dresden. Factors that affect participated Jordanian students’ perception of this experience have been examined using deep interviews and qualitative content analyses methods. Originality/value – The value of this study lays in the innovative approach to provide Jordanian university students with international learning experience by integrating them in a virtual community with peers from Germany using Social Media application. Practical implications – This study delivers empirical evidence on the potential of welldesigned Virtual Collaborative Learning arrangements to provide students with enjoyable, high-impact, immersive international learning experience at their home university. This helps universities, especially in Arab and developing countries, to grant their students a new learning experience using affordable easy-to-use Social Media solutions

Developing a Mobile Learning Environment: An Axiomatic Approach

A new mobile environment for learning has been designed via an axiomatic approach. And by simultaneously designing both tools (software) and processes (pedagogy), the resulting environment matches the functional requirements of the instructional program. This paper describes the axioms established for mobile learning as well as development of the mobile computing environment. The paper discusses the developmental evolution and system architecture as well as the requirements of the portable training programs being offered via this new system. Apps are designed to connect learners, instructors and practitioners as well as to facilitate collaborative learning from a variety of mobile devices, anywhere in the World. Future content, apps and systems development will connect the physical and virtual environments, in order to truly enhance the mobile learning experience for people on the move

Requirements for Generating Learning Environments for Autonomous Systems Behavior in a Digital Continuum

Autonomous systems in material handling are increasingly prevalent in logistics, offering benefits such as flexibility, adaptability, robustness, and sustainability. To fully harness these advantages, a novel paradigm, the Digital Continuum, is proposed for the development and operation of such systems. A critical component of the Digital Continuum is a deeply integrated digital system model, which serves as a simulation, training, and test environment for virtual agents corresponding to physical robots. To ensure robust performance in learned behavior, a large number of learning environments is needed, thus highlighting the importance of an automated generation process. This process can significantly reduce modeling effort and is yet to be developed. This paper presents the derivation of requirements for an automated learning environment generation approach, unifying elements from Digital Continua, intralogistics, and robotics domains. Furthermore, the paper briefly discusses the research gap in the context of existing procedural content generation and domain randomization approaches. By addressing these requirements and bridging the research gap, a generation approach has the potential to profoundly facilitate the development and operation of autonomous systems in logistics