Development of a web application for management of learning styles

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) permit the innovation of teaching and learning processes. ICT allow teachers to create or select and adjust contents that take advantage of the digital environment and interaction between peers. Teaching methodologies and strategies should be adjusted to the learning styles of students, offering them, in turn, the possibility to reflect about the way in which they might learn better. This article introduces a work of creation and validation of a web-based application, which aims to enhance the Management of Learning Styles (MLS) on the part of students and teachers, based on Felder-Soloman's Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire (ILS) and Honey-Mumford's Learning Styles Questionnaire (LSQ). The prototype has been validated and the results suggest its applicability and the relevance of the information this tool is capable of obtaining - reports on the learning styles profiles by student, teacher and class - with the objective of supporting them in the selection of strategies to improve teaching and learning, developing at the same time skills which will allow them to learn throughout their lives

Expectations and use of feedback in first year university: improving student and educator outcomes with FRAMEwork

A common student perception of feedback in higher education is that it is often lacking in detail, usability, and timeliness; however, many staff members resent the lack of investment students place in engaging with, or even collecting, feedback on work. Despite increasing recognition of the role of feedback in student learning and course satisfaction, few studies have sought to contrast student and academic perspectives of feedback in a discipline to identify reasons why inconsistencies between student and staff perceptions occur. Similarly, few comprehensive feedback interventions have been devised to improve both staff and student engagement in the feedback process. The research reported in this thesis seeks to address these deficits, beginning with a comprehensive exploration of engagement with feedback at a tertiary level. Two exploratory studies were conducted initially to identify key similarities and differences in the conceptualization, use and preference for feedback observed amongst staff and students in the Discipline of Psychology at RMIT University, following a detailed survey of their feedback practices. Within this Discipline, 202 first year undergraduate students (Study 1) and 25 staff members (Study 2) were surveyed regarding their preferences and engagement with feedback in the tertiary setting. Results indicated that there were several key differences in the way students and staff conceptualize and utilize feedback, suggesting that these differences may account for dissatisfaction with the feedback process. In addition, an emphasis on summative feedback and an embedded perception of feedback as a passive linear process were discovered amongst staff and students. Following these studies, a semester-long intervention intended to improve student and staff engagement and satisfaction with feedback was devised and implemented. The basis for this intervention was the FRAMEwork manual (a comprehensive guide to shaping feedback as an interactive dialogue between staff and students) that was designed based on the observations and recommendations of Study 1 and Study 2. An experimental design was used to evaluate the FRAMEwork manual using 90 first year undergraduates enrolled in Psychology at RMIT University (Study 3). Preliminary analyses of the intervention outcomes were promising, particularly in regard to enhancing feedback utility and student academic performance; however, further modifications and replications are required. In particular, it is recommended that the FRAMEwork program be delivered across the length of a program rather than within a single course

Augmented Conversation and Cognitive Apprenticeship Metamodel Based Intelligent Learning Activity Builder System

This research focused on a formal (theory based) approach to designing Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) authoring tool involving two specific conventional pedagogical theories—Conversation Theory (CT) and Cognitive Apprenticeship (CA). The research conceptualised an Augmented Conversation and Cognitive Apprenticeship Metamodel (ACCAM) based on apriori theoretical knowledge and assumptions of its underlying theories. ACCAM was implemented in an Intelligent Learning Activity Builder System (ILABS)—an ITS authoring tool. ACCAM’s implementation aims to facilitate formally designed tutoring systems, hence, ILABS―the practical implementation of ACCAM― constructs metamodels for Intelligent Learning Activity Tools (ILATs) in a numerical problem-solving context (focusing on the construction of procedural knowledge in applied numerical disciplines). Also, an Intelligent Learning Activity Management System (ILAMS), although not the focus of this research, was developed as a launchpad for ILATs constructed and to administer learning activities. Hence, ACCAM and ILABS constitute the conceptual and practical contributions that respectively flow from this research. ACCAM’s implementation was tested through the evaluation of ILABS and ILATs within an applied numerical domain―the accounting domain. The evaluation focused on the key constructs of ACCAM―cognitive visibility and conversation, implemented through a tutoring strategy employing Process Monitoring (PM). PM augments conversation within a cognitive apprenticeship framework; it aims to improve the visibility of the cognitive process of a learner and infers intelligence in tutoring systems. PM was implemented via an interface that attempts to bring learner’s thought process to the surface. This approach contrasted with previous studies that adopted standard Artificial Intelligence (AI) based inference techniques. The interface-based PM extends the existing CT and CA work. The strategy (i.e. interface-based PM) makes available a new tutoring approach that aimed fine-grain (or step-wise) feedbacks, unlike the goal-oriented feedbacks of model-tracing. The impact of PM—as a preventive strategy (or intervention) and to aid diagnosis of learners’ cognitive process—was investigated in relation to other constructs from the literature (such as detection of misconception, feedback generation and perceived learning effectiveness). Thus, the conceptualisation and implementation of PM via an interface also contributes to knowledge and practice. The evaluation of the ACCAM-based design approach and investigation of the above mentioned constructs were undertaken through users’ reaction/perception to ILABS and ILAT. This involved, principally, quantitative approach. However, a qualitative approach was also utilised to gain deeper insight. Findings from the evaluation supports the formal (theory based) design approach—the design of ILABS through interaction with ACCAM. Empirical data revealed the presence of conversation and cognitive visibility constructs in ILATs, which were determined through its behaviour during the learning process. This research identified some other theoretical elements (e.g. motivation, reflection, remediation, evaluation, etc.) that possibly play out in a learning process. This clarifies key conceptual variables that should be considered when constructing tutoring systems for applied numerical disciplines (e.g. accounting, engineering). Also, the research revealed that PM enhances the detection of a learner’s misconception and feedback generation. Nevertheless, qualitative data revealed that frequent feedbacks due to the implementation of PM could be obstructive to thought process at advance stage of learning. Thus, PM implementations should also include delayed diagnosis, especially for advance learners who prefer to have it on request. Despite that, current implementation allows users to turn PM off, thereby using alternative learning route. Overall, the research revealed that the implementation of interface-based PM (i.e. conversation and cognitive visibility) improved the visibility of learner’s cognitive process, and this in turn enhanced learning—as perceived