Adaptive Information Visualization for Personalized Access to Educational Digital Libraries

Personalization is one of the emerging ways to increase the power of modern Digital Libraries. The Knowledge Sea II system presented in this paper explores social navigation support, an approach for providing personalized guidance within the open corpus of educational resources. Following the concepts of social navigation we have attempted to organize a personalized navigation support that is based on past learners’ interaction with the system. The study indicates that Knowledge Sea II became the students' primary tool for accessing the open corpus documents used in a programming course. The social navigation support implemented in this system was considered useful by students participating in the study of Knowledge Sea II. At the same time, some user comments indicated the need to provide more powerful navigational support, such as the ability to rank the usefulness of a page

Social Navigation for Semantic Web Applications Using Space Maps

In this paper we deal with personalized navigation in an open information space. Our aim is to support effective orientation in increasing amount of information accessible through the Web. We present a method for personalized navigation based on social navigation where the information space is represented by an ontology. Navigational information is obtained by following user footsteps. It is attached to information fragment mapped to the user goal and to description of this goal using an ontology. This information is used later to show the way to similar goals. We use ontology representation of the information space that supports the effective navigation and the navigational ability to deal with frequent changes of information content in open environments. We demonstrate the proposed method in the context of developed software tool PENA for personalized navigation support in labor supply domain

PENGUJIAN USABILITY USER INTERFACE DAN USER EXPERIENCE APLIKASI E-READER SKRIPSI BERBASIS HYPERTEXT

[Id]Membaca dokumen hypertext yang berbentuk web lebih menyulitkan jika dibandingkan dengan dokumen teks linier seperti PDF. Selain itu, membaca dokumen hypertext sebagai representasi sebuah buku atau skripsi elektronik memiliki kelemahan dari sisi user interface dan user experience. Padahal website telah menjadi media elektronik yang jamak digunakan para pembaca untuk mengakses dan membaca berbagai macam informasi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengukur tingkat usability desain aplikasi eReader skripsi berbasis hypertext. Penelitian ini menggunakan paket pengujian SUS (System Usability Scale) untuk mengukur usability desain aplikasi dan SEQ (Single Ease Question) untuk mengukur tingkat kemudahan setiap fungsi desain aplikasi yang dikembangkan. Komparasi dilakukan antara sistem eReader yang saat ini digunakan yaitu Digilib UAD dengan desain aplikasi eReader skripsi hypertext. Hasil komparasi ini untuk mengetahui tingkat perbedaan usability antara keduanya. Penelitian ini melibatkan sebanyak tiga puluh responden yang dipilih secara acak yang dikelompokkan ke dalam dua kondisi. Sebanyak lima belas responden yang menggunakan eReader skripsi Digilib UAD dan lima belas responden yang menggunakan desain aplikasi eReader berbasis hypertext. Hasil pengujian menunjukkan bahwa skor SUS desain aplikasi eReader skripsi hypertext adalah sebesar 82.2 yang berarti bahwa desain aplikasi eReader skripsi yang dikembangkan memiliki usability yang excellent menurut para responden, sehingga bisa diterima dengan baik nantinya oleh para pengguna. Hasil komparasi menunjukkan bahwa tingkat usability desain aplikasi yang dikembangkan lebih tinggi dan berbeda secara signifikan dibandingkan dengan usability aplikasi Digilib UAD yang sebesar 63.8. Hasil komparasi menunjukkan bahwa para pengguna lebih menerima dan puas dengan desain aplikasi eReader skripsi hypertext dibanding dengan eReader skripsi Digilib UAD.Kata kunci :Usability, eReader skripsi, SUS, hypertext[En]Reading hypertext documents is more difficult than reading traditional linear text. Reading hypertext document as a representation of electronic book or thesis has lack the user interface and user experience. Website is widely used by readers as an electronic media to access and read the various information. This study aims to measure usability level of eReader thesis based hypertext. This study uses a SUS (System Usability Scale) questionnaire package to measure the usability of the application design and SEQ (Single Ease Question) to determine the level of convenience of each function of the applications proposed. Comparison is conducted between eReader system that is currently used in Digilib UAD and hypertext based eReader system to determine which one is more usable. The study involved thirty participants were selected randomly into two conditions. Fifteen participants use Digilib UAD eReader and another fifteen participants use hypertext-based eReader system. The results showed SUS score for hypertext based eReader system 82.2, which means that the proposed eReader application has excellent usability according to the participants, so it will be well received by the users. Furthermore, the comparison showed that the usability level of proposed system is higher and significantly different compared with the usability of Digilib UAD by 63.8. Thus, it means the user is received and satisfied with the proposed eReader system compared with the Digilib UAD eReader system.Keywords :Usability, eReader skripsi, SUS, hypertex

The guiding process in discovery hypertext learning environments for the Internet

Hypertext is the dominant method to navigate the Internet, providing user freedom and control over navigational behaviour. There has been an increase in converting existing educational material into Internet web pages but weaknesses have been identified in current WWW learning systems. There is a lack of conceptual support for learning from hypertext, navigational disorientation and cognitive overload. This implies the need for an established pedagogical approach to developing the web as a teaching and learning medium. Guided Discovery Learning is proposed as an educational pedagogy suitable for supporting WWW learning. The hypothesis is that a guided discovery environment will produce greater gains in learning and satisfaction, than a non-adaptive hypertext environment. A second hypothesis is that combining concept maps with this specific educational paradigm will provide cognitive support. The third hypothesis is that student learning styles will not influence learning outcome or user satisfaction. Thus, providing evidence that the guided discovery learning paradigm can be used for many types of learning styles. This was investigated by the building of a guided discovery system and a framework devised for assessing teaching styles. The system provided varying discovery steps, guided advice, individualistic system instruction and navigational control. An 84 subject experiment compared a Guided discovery condition, a Map-only condition and an Unguided condition. Subjects were subdivided according to learning styles, with measures for learning outcome and user satisfaction. The results indicate that providing guidance will result in a significant increase in level of learning. Guided discovery condition subjects, regardless of learning styles, experienced levels of satisfaction comparable to those in the other conditions. The concept mapping tool did not appear to affect learning outcome or user satisfaction. The conclusion was that using a particular approach to guidance would result in a more supportive environment for learning. This research contributes to the need for a better understanding of the pedagogic design that should be incorporated into WWW learning environments, with a recommendation for a guided discovery approach to alleviate major hypertext and WWW issues for distance learning

Hypertext Semiotics in the Commercialized Internet

Die Hypertext Theorie verwendet die selbe Terminologie, welche seit Jahrzehnten in der semiotischen Forschung untersucht wird, wie z.B. Zeichen, Text, Kommunikation, Code, Metapher, Paradigma, Syntax, usw. Aufbauend auf jenen Ergebnissen, welche in der Anwendung semiotischer Prinzipien und Methoden auf die Informatik erfolgreich waren, wie etwa Computer Semiotics, Computational Semiotics und Semiotic Interface Engineering, legt diese Dissertation einen systematischen Ansatz für all jene Forscher dar, die bereit sind, Hypertext aus einer semiotischen Perspektive zu betrachten. Durch die Verknüpfung existierender Hypertext-Modelle mit den Resultaten aus der Semiotik auf allen Sinnesebenen der textuellen, auditiven, visuellen, taktilen und geruchlichen Wahrnehmung skizziert der Autor Prolegomena einer Hypertext-Semiotik-Theorie, anstatt ein völlig neues Hypertext-Modell zu präsentieren. Eine Einführung in die Geschichte der Hypertexte, von ihrer Vorgeschichte bis zum heutigen Entwicklungsstand und den gegenwärtigen Entwicklungen im kommerzialisierten World Wide Web bilden den Rahmen für diesen Ansatz, welcher als Fundierung des Brückenschlages zwischen Mediensemiotik und Computer-Semiotik angesehen werden darf. Während Computer-Semiotiker wissen, dass der Computer eine semiotische Maschine ist und Experten der künstlichen Intelligenz-Forschung die Rolle der Semiotik in der Entwicklung der nächsten Hypertext-Generation betonen, bedient sich diese Arbeit einer breiteren methodologischen Basis. Dementsprechend reichen die Teilgebiete von Hypertextanwendungen, -paradigmen, und -strukturen, über Navigation, Web Design und Web Augmentation zu einem interdisziplinären Spektrum detaillierter Analysen, z.B. des Zeigeinstrumentes der Web Browser, des Klammeraffen-Zeichens und der sogenannten Emoticons. Die Bezeichnung ''Icon'' wird als unpassender Name für jene Bildchen, welche von der graphischen Benutzeroberfläche her bekannt sind und in Hypertexten eingesetzt werden, zurückgewiesen und diese Bildchen durch eine neue Generation mächtiger Graphic Link Markers ersetzt. Diese Ergebnisse werden im Kontext der Kommerzialisierung des Internet betrachtet. Neben der Identifizierung der Hauptprobleme des eCommerce aus der Perspektive der Hypertext Semiotik, widmet sich der Autor den Informationsgütern und den derzeitigen Hindernissen für die New Economy, wie etwa der restriktiven Gesetzeslage in Sachen Copyright und Intellectual Property. Diese anachronistischen Beschränkungen basieren auf der problematischen Annahme, dass auch der Informationswert durch die Knappheit bestimmt wird. Eine semiotische Analyse der iMarketing Techniken, wie z.B. Banner Werbung, Keywords und Link Injektion, sowie Exkurse über den Browser Krieg und den Toywar runden die Dissertation ab

Generic adaptation framework for unifying adaptive web-based systems

The Generic Adaptation Framework (GAF) research project first and foremost creates a common formal framework for describing current and future adaptive hypermedia (AHS) and adaptive webbased systems in general. It provides a commonly agreed upon taxonomy and a reference model that encompasses the most general architectures of the present and future, including conventional AHS, and different types of personalization-enabling systems and applications such as recommender systems (RS) personalized web search, semantic web enabled applications used in personalized information delivery, adaptive e-Learning applications and many more. At the same time GAF is trying to bring together two (seemingly not intersecting) views on the adaptation: a classical pre-authored type, with conventional domain and overlay user models and data-driven adaptation which includes a set of data mining, machine learning and information retrieval tools. To bring these research fields together we conducted a number GAF compliance studies including RS, AHS, and other applications combining adaptation, recommendation and search. We also performed a number of real systems’ case-studies to prove the point and perform a detailed analysis and evaluation of the framework. Secondly it introduces a number of new ideas in the field of AH, such as the Generic Adaptation Process (GAP) which aligns with a layered (data-oriented) architecture and serves as a reference adaptation process. This also helps to understand the compliance features mentioned earlier. Besides that GAF deals with important and novel aspects of adaptation enabling and leveraging technologies such as provenance and versioning. The existence of such a reference basis should stimulate AHS research and enable researchers to demonstrate ideas for new adaptation methods much more quickly than if they had to start from scratch. GAF will thus help bootstrap any adaptive web-based system research, design, analysis and evaluation

Simple identification tools in FishBase

Simple identification tools for fish species were included in the FishBase information system from its inception. Early tools made use of the relational model and characters like fin ray meristics. Soon pictures and drawings were added as a further help, similar to a field guide. Later came the computerization of existing dichotomous keys, again in combination with pictures and other information, and the ability to restrict possible species by country, area, or taxonomic group. Today, www.FishBase.org offers four different ways to identify species. This paper describes these tools with their advantages and disadvantages, and suggests various options for further development. It explores the possibility of a holistic and integrated computeraided strategy