Supporting decision making process with "Ideal" software agents: what do business executives want?

According to Simon’s (1977) decision making theory, intelligence is the first and most important phase in the decision making process. With the escalation of information resources available to business executives, it is becoming imperative to explore the potential and challenges of using agent-based systems to support the intelligence phase of decision-making. This research examines UK executives’ perceptions of using agent-based support systems and the criteria for design and development of their “ideal” intelligent software agents. The study adopted an inductive approach using focus groups to generate a preliminary set of design criteria of “ideal” agents. It then followed a deductive approach using semi-structured interviews to validate and enhance the criteria. This qualitative research has generated unique insights into executives’ perceptions of the design and use of agent-based support systems. The systematic content analysis of qualitative data led to the proposal and validation of design criteria at three levels. The findings revealed the most desirable criteria for agent based support systems from the end users’ point view. The design criteria can be used not only to guide intelligent agent system design but also system evaluation

Combining Social- and Information-based Approaches for Personalised Recommendation on Sequencing Learning Activities

Lifelong learners who assign learning activities (from multiple sources) to attain certain learning goals throughout their lives need to know which learning activities are (most) suitable and in which sequence these should be performed. Learners need support in this way finding process (selection and sequencing), and we argue this could be provided by using personalised recommender systems. To enable personalisation, collaborative filtering could use information about learners and learning activities, since their alignment contributes to learning efficiency. A model for way finding has been developed that presents personalised recommendations in relation to information about learning goals, learning activities and learners. A personalised recommender system has been developed accordingly, and recommends learners on the best next learning activities. Both model and system combine social-based (i.e., completion data from other learners) and information-based (i.e., metadata from learner profiles and learning activities) approaches to recommend the best next learning activity to be completed

Combining Social- and Information-based Approaches for Personalised Recommendation on Sequencing Learning Activities

Hummel, H. G. K., Van den Berg, E. J., Berlanga, A. J., Drachsler, H., Janssen, J., Nadolski, R.J., & Koper, E.J.R. (2007). Combining social- and information-based approaches for personalised recommendation on sequencing learning activities. International Journal of Learning Technology, 3(2), 152-168.Lifelong learners who assign learning activities (from multiple sources) to attain certain learning goals throughout their lives need to know which learning activities are (most) suitable and in which sequence these should be performed. Learners need support in this way finding process (selection and sequencing), and we argue this could be provided by using personalised recommender systems. To enable personalisation, collaborative filtering could use information about learners and learning activities, since their alignment contributes to learning efficiency. A model for way finding has been developed that presents personalised recommendations in relation to information about learning goals, learning activities and learners. A personalised recommender system has been developed accordingly, and recommends learners on the best next learning activities. Both model and system combine social-based (i.e., completion data from other learners) and information-based (i.e., metadata from learner profiles and learning activities) approaches to recommend the best next learning activity to be completed.This work has been sponsored by the EU project TENCompetenc

Exploiting the conceptual space in hybrid recommender systems: a semantic-based approach

Tesis doctoral inédita. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Escuela Politécnica Superior, octubre de 200

Third international workshop on Authoring of adaptive and adaptable educational hypermedia (A3EH), Amsterdam, 18-22 July, 2005

The A3EH follows a successful series of workshops on Adaptive and Adaptable Educational Hypermedia. This workshop focuses on models, design and authoring of AEH, on assessment of AEH, conversion between AEH and evaluation of AEH. The workshop has paper presentations, poster session and panel discussions

Integrated Web Accessibility Guidelines for Users on the Autism Spectrum - from Specification to Implementation

This research presented a compendium of web interface design guidelines and their implementation on a transport-planning website based on the needs and preferences of users on the autism spectrum. Results highlighted the importance of having simple navigation and meaningful headings, icons, labels and text to facilitate understanding and readability; these findings offer guidelines for the design of web user interfaces to continue improving the web experience of autistic users, and therefore of the whole community

Learning dispositions and transferable competencies: pedagogy, modelling and learning analytics

Theoretical and empirical evidence in the learning sciences substantiates the view that deep engagement in learning is a function of a complex combination of learners’ identities, dispositions, values, attitudes and skills. When these are fragile, learners struggle to achieve their potential in conventional assessments, and critically, are not prepared for the novelty and complexity of the challenges they will meet in the workplace, and the many other spheres of life which require personal qualities such as resilience, critical thinking and collaboration skills. To date, the learning analytics research and development communities have not addressed how these complex concepts can be modelled and analysed, and how more traditional social science data analysis can support and be enhanced by learning analytics. We report progress in the design and implementation of learning analytics based on a research validated multidimensional construct termed “learning power”. We describe, for the first time, a learning analytics infrastructure for gathering data at scale, managing stakeholder permissions, the range of analytics that it supports from real time summaries to exploratory research, and a particular visual analytic which has been shown to have demonstrable impact on learners. We conclude by summarising the ongoing research and development programme and identifying the challenges of integrating traditional social science research, with learning analytics and modelling

Revitalising executive information systems for supporting executive intelligence activities

A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Univeristy of BedfordshireWith the increasing amount, complexity and dynamism of operational and strategic information in electronic and distributed environment, executives are seeking assistance for continuous, self-reactive and self-adaptive activities or approaches of acquiring, synthesising and interpreting information for intelligence with a view to determining the course of action - executive intelligence activities. Executives Information Systems (EIS) were originally emerged as a computer-based tool to help senior executives to manage the search and process of information. EIS was popularised in 1990's but EIS study have not advanced to a great extent in either research or practice since its prevalence in the mid and late 1990's. Conventional EIS studies have established some views and guidelines for EIS design and development, but the guidelines underpinned by preceding research have failed to develop robust yet rational EIS for handling the current executive's information environment. The most common deficiency of traditional EIS is the static and inflexible function with predetermined information needs and processes designed for static performance monitoring and control. The current emergence of the intelligent software agent, as a concept and a technology, with applications, provides prospects and advanced solutions for supporting executive's information processing activities in a more integrated and distributed environment of the Internet. Although software agents offer the prospective to support information processing activities intelligently, executive's desires and perception of agent-based support must be elucidated in order to develop a system that is considered valuable for executives. This research attempts to identify executive criteria of an agent-based EIS for supporting executive intelligence activities. Firstly, four focus groups were conducted to explore and reveal the current state of executive's information environment and information processing behaviour in the light of Internet era, from which to examine the validity of the conventional views of EIS purpose, functions and design guidelines. Initial executive criteria for agent-based EIS design were also identified in the focus group study. Secondly, 25 senior managers were interviewed for deeper insights on value-added attributes and processes of executive criteria for building agent-based EIS. The findings suggest a "usability-adaptability-intelligence" trichotomy of agent-based EIS design model that comprises executive criteria of value-added attributes and processes for building a usable, adaptable and intelligent EIS

Share.TEC Final Project Report

This report provides an overview of Share.TEC, a three-year project co-funded by the EC that supports access to, exchange and re-use of digital resources and practitioner experiences within Teacher Education at European level. The document comprises a number of sections that can either be read consecutively, to gain the full picture of the project and its outcomes, or in combinations so as to grasp particular aspects, how these were approached and what results were achieved. Section 2 describes the project\u27s overall objectives in terms of both its technological ambitions and its wider mission as part of the overall educational landscape. Section 3 gives brief profiles of the partners who made up the Share.TEC consortium. In Section 4 the results and achievements of the project are reported. This includes a description of the portal and its features; the system architecture, tools and services; the models underpinning the Share.TEC system; and the approach taken to its multilingual dimension. Section 5 addresses the question of Share.TEC\u27s target users and their needs. It describes the strategies and means employed for incorporating the user perspective, and for ensuring that the project direction was in line with users\u27 concerns so that the resulting portal responds suitably to the actual requirements of the people it\u27s designed for. Section 6 examines the critical aspect of underlying content. In keeping with the Share.TEC mission, the focus is largely on aggregated metadata records that describe digital resources for TE and which are expressed in terms defined by the project for TE purposes. Section 7 reports the activities undertaken in the project and thus narrates the processes that unfolded through the project lifetime as the consortium pursued its objectives and generated its outcomes. Section 8 describes the effort to establish the Share.TEC portal within its natural ecosystem. It looks at the global strategy for maximising impact both at regional/national level and internationally, and analyses the conditions and prospects for continuity and growth. Readers interested in the technical/technological dimension of Share.TEC (the system, portal, models, metadata, etc.) are likely to find Sections 4, 5 and 6 to be the ones closest to their concerns. Conversely, those whose interests lie elsewhere could simply consult Section 4.1 to get an idea of the portal from the user\u27s viewpoint and go to Sections 2, 3, 7 and 8 for a vision of the project and how Share.TEC is positioned in the panorama of digital resources and Teacher Education