Towards automatic construction of adaptable courseware storyboards

In last twenty years, researchers have conducted intensive research in the area of principal models, software architectures and practical system development of adaptive e-learning platforms. Brains are fascinated by great opportunities for radical improvement of the teaching process by means of applying adaptability at different levels. There are two general issues of adaptive e-learning – enabling different educational content delivered to different individuals or groups and, as well, differently formed sequencing and presentation of that content delivery. This paper presents two approaches for creating and delivering training courses adaptable to learners with different learning styles. The first one is implemented within a platform for building edutainment (education plus entertainment) services called ADOPTA (ADaptive technOlogy-enhanced Platform for eduTAinment). By means of ADOPTA, e-learning courses can be created manually by an instructor as directed storyboard graphs. Another feasible approach is to generate them automatically on-the-fly by the adaptive engine. The article discusses advantages and drawbacks of these two approaches for adaptive e-learning course constructio

Customisable e-training programmes based on trainees profiles

Dissertation presented at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia of Universidade Nova de Lisboa to obtain the Master degree in Electrical and Computer EngineeringOnline training (e-training) is a major driver to promote the development of competencies and knowledge in enterprises. A lack of customizable e-training programmes based on trainees‟ profiles and of continuous maintenance of the training materials prevents the sustainability of industrial training deployment. This dissertation presents a training strategy and a methodology for building training courses with the purpose to provide a trainee oriented industrial training development. The training strategy intends to facilitate the management of all the training components and tasks to be able to build a training structure focused in a specific planned objective. The methodology for building e-training courses proposes to create customizable training materials in an easier way, enabling various organizations to participate actively on its production. Additionally a customisable training programme framework is presented. It is supported by a compliant ontology-based model able to support adaptable training contents, orchestration service, facilitating the efficiency and acceptance of the e-training programmes delivery

Integrating a software engineering approach and instructional factors in instructional software development--illustrated by a prototype in theoretical computer science

This dissertation is a multi-disciplinary study, which integrates a software engineering approach with instructional factors in the decision-making, analysis, design and development processes of instructional software. Software engineering models, tools and representations are used in the process of software construction. With reference to the fundamental characteristics of the software product, several disciplines and factors, from both instructional and computing perspectives are considered, and the most appropriate approach/es selected. Software engineering, instructional design and instructional theory are considered as pillars of courseware engineering. The object-oriented design paradigm and a prototyping life-cycle model are found to be most suitable for development of computer-aided instruction. The conceptual study is illustrated by prototype development of a component-based multi-activity practice environment in theoretical Computer Science. It offers perusal or practice, in various instructional modes, according to the user's preferred learning style or need.ComputingM. Sc. (Information Systems

Developing scaffolded virtual learning environments for people with autism

Virtual Environments offer the potential for users to explore social situations and experience different behaviour responses for a variety of simulated social interactions. One of the challenges for the VE developer is how to construct the VE to allow freedom of exploration and flexibility in interactive behaviour, without the risk of users deliberately or inadvertently missing important learning goals. The program has to be structured to guide the user in their learning and to take into account different levels of ability. This embedded ‘scaffolding’ within the VE software can aid the user’s learning in different contexts, such as individual, tutored or group learning situations. This thesis looks at the design and implementation of desktop VEs in a classroom for teaching social skills to people with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). The first part of the thesis looks at work carried out as part of the AS Interactive project, a multidisciplinary research project using User Centred Design principles. VEs developed with the help of teachers and users were constantly refined in an iterative design process with evaluations and observations of the use of the VEs in the classroom to assess the effectiveness of elements used to scaffold the VEs. The last part of the thesis looks at work continued by the author after the end of the AS Interactive project after recommendations in that project for the VEs to fit the needs of the individual. Individualisation is researched with a number of demonstration and prototype VEs developed to help obtain information from autism experts and teachers on how best to individualise a learning VE for people with autism. The outcomes of this thesis include an exploration of the role of the programmer within a multi-disciplinary research group and the iterative development of VEs. A number of recommendations on how to scaffold VEs and make them usable in the classroom are then made. Finally recommendations are made on features and scenarios that could be useful in individualised learning VEs for people with autism and which require further evaluation in a classroom

Developing scaffolded virtual learning environments for people with autism

Virtual Environments offer the potential for users to explore social situations and experience different behaviour responses for a variety of simulated social interactions. One of the challenges for the VE developer is how to construct the VE to allow freedom of exploration and flexibility in interactive behaviour, without the risk of users deliberately or inadvertently missing important learning goals. The program has to be structured to guide the user in their learning and to take into account different levels of ability. This embedded ‘scaffolding’ within the VE software can aid the user’s learning in different contexts, such as individual, tutored or group learning situations. This thesis looks at the design and implementation of desktop VEs in a classroom for teaching social skills to people with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). The first part of the thesis looks at work carried out as part of the AS Interactive project, a multidisciplinary research project using User Centred Design principles. VEs developed with the help of teachers and users were constantly refined in an iterative design process with evaluations and observations of the use of the VEs in the classroom to assess the effectiveness of elements used to scaffold the VEs. The last part of the thesis looks at work continued by the author after the end of the AS Interactive project after recommendations in that project for the VEs to fit the needs of the individual. Individualisation is researched with a number of demonstration and prototype VEs developed to help obtain information from autism experts and teachers on how best to individualise a learning VE for people with autism. The outcomes of this thesis include an exploration of the role of the programmer within a multi-disciplinary research group and the iterative development of VEs. A number of recommendations on how to scaffold VEs and make them usable in the classroom are then made. Finally recommendations are made on features and scenarios that could be useful in individualised learning VEs for people with autism and which require further evaluation in a classroom

Electronic Performance Support for E-Learning Analysis and Design

Corporate instructional designers often follow an instructional systems design (ISD) process to plan, create, and implement training programs. Increased demand for elearning as a replacement or addition to classroom training means that, in the current corporate environment, instructional designers are called upon to produce a wide variety of instructional formats and have to make more decisions during the ISD process. E-learning is evolving into a total performance improvement solution rather than simply as a means to delivering distance training and consequently, in an effort to achieve business goals, many corporations are turning to it as a cost effective way to deliver training and support to employees and customers. Corporate e-learning applications can incorporate knowledge management and electronic performance support as well as support for multiple formats of online learning, adding to the complexity of the instructional designer\u27s job and the ISD process. While the ISD process is well documented and numerous operational models exist, instructional designers often have difficulty in its application given the complexity of an e-learning application. The study analyzed the impact of an experimental electronic performance support system (EPSS) on the performance of e-learning instructional designers. An EPSS intended to provide assistance during the analysis and design stages of an e-learning project was created to aid corporate instructional designers make tradeoffs among time, cost, and quality of various analysis and design procedures and techniques. Formative reviews by instructional designers experienced in e-learning added to the validity of the contents of the EPSS. Summative evaluator’s pilot tested the EPSS by using it in conjunction with the analysis and design activities of three corporate e-learning projects. Evaluation results indicated that an instructional design EPSS can help designers sequence and prioritize tasks, allocate time and resources to task execution, and focus tasks on user performance and client goals

ICOPER Project - Deliverable 4.3 ISURE: Recommendations for extending effective reuse, embodied in the ICOPER CD&R

The purpose of this document is to capture the ideas and recommendations, within and beyond the ICOPER community, concerning the reuse of learning content, including appropriate methodologies as well as established strategies for remixing and repurposing reusable resources. The overall remit of this work focuses on describing the key issues that are related to extending effective reuse embodied in such materials. The objective of this investigation, is to support the reuse of learning content whilst considering how it could be originally created and then adapted with that ‘reuse’ in mind. In these circumstances a survey on effective reuse best practices can often provide an insight into the main challenges and benefits involved in the process of creating, remixing and repurposing what we are now designating as Reusable Learning Content (RLC). Several key issues are analysed in this report: Recommendations for extending effective reuse, building upon those described in the previous related deliverables 4.1 Content Development Methodologies and 4.2 Quality Control and Web 2.0 technologies. The findings of this current survey, however, provide further recommendations and strategies for using and developing this reusable learning content. In the spirit of ‘reuse’, this work also aims to serve as a foundation for the many different stakeholders and users within, and beyond, the ICOPER community who are interested in reusing learning resources. This report analyses a variety of information. Evidence has been gathered from a qualitative survey that has focused on the technical and pedagogical recommendations suggested by a Special Interest Group (SIG) on the most innovative practices with respect to new media content authors (for content authoring or modification) and course designers (for unit creation). This extended community includes a wider collection of OER specialists. This collected evidence, in the form of video and audio interviews, has also been represented as multimedia assets potentially helpful for learning and useful as learning content in the New Media Space (See section 4 for further details). Section 2 of this report introduces the concept of reusable learning content and reusability. Section 3 discusses an application created by the ICOPER community to enhance the opportunities for developing reusable content. Section 4 of this report provides an overview of the methodology used for the qualitative survey. Section 5 presents a summary of thematic findings. Section 6 highlights a list of recommendations for effective reuse of educational content, which were derived from thematic analysis described in Appendix A. Finally, section 7 summarises the key outcomes of this work

Enhancing curriculum design and delivery with OER

This paper reports on the key findings from the EVOL-OER project which aims to develop a deeper understanding of the reuse of open educational resources (OERs) by academics in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This paper builds on the JISC OER Impact study by exploring and expanding on the Ratified quadrant of the study’s landscape of reuse framework (White & Manton, 2011). This paper puts forward a different four-quadrant diagram called ‘OER-enhanced curriculum’ to illustrate different approaches adopted by academics to embedding OER into curriculum design and delivery. Key issues in relation to motivation and challenges in reusing OER are discussed