Assessing the Usability of a Visual Tool for the definition of E-learning Processes

In this paper, we present a usability study aiming at assessing a visual language-based tool for developing adaptive e-learning processes. The tool implements the adaptive self-consistent learning object SET (ASCLO-S) visual language, a special case of flow diagrams, to be used by instructional designers to define classes of learners through stereotypes and to specify the more suited adaptive learning process for each class of learners. The usability study is based on the combined use of two techniques: a questionnaire-based survey and an empirical analysis. The survey has been used to achieve feedbacks from the subjects' point of view. In particular, it has been useful to capture the perceived usability of the subjects. The outcomes show that both the proposed visual notation and the system prototype are suitable for instructional designers with or without experience on the computer usage and on tools for defining e-learning processes. This result is further confirmed by the empirical analysis we carried out by analysing the correlation between the effort to develop adaptive e-learning processes and some measures suitable defined for those processes. Indeed, the empirical analysis revealed that the effort required to model e-learning processes is not influenced by the experience of the instructional designer with the use of e-learning tools, but it only depends on the size of the developed process

The Usability of E-learning Platforms in Higher Education: A Systematic Mapping Study

The use of e-learning in higher education has increased significantly in recent years, which has led to several studies being conducted to investigate the usability of the platforms that support it. A variety of different usability evaluation methods and attributes have been used, and it has therefore become important to start reviewing this work in a systematic way to determine how the field has developed in the last 15 years. This paper describes a systematic mapping study that performed searches on five electronic libraries to identify usability issues and methods that have been used to evaluate e-learning platforms. Sixty-one papers were selected and analysed, with the majority of studies using a simple research design reliant on questionnaires. The usability attributes measured were mostly related to effectiveness, satisfaction, efficiency, and perceived ease of use. Furthermore, several research gaps have been identified and recommendations have been made for further work in the area of the usability of online learning

A Parsing Methodology for the Implementation of Visual Systems

The Visual Language Compiler-Compiler (VLCC) is a grammar-based graphical system for the automatic generation of visual programming environments. In this paper the theoretical and algorithmic issues of VLCC are discussed in detail. The parsing methodology we present is based on the “positional grammar” model. Positional grammars naturally extend context-free grammars by considering new relations in addition to string concatenation. Thanks to this, most of the results from LR parsing can be extended to the positional grammars inheriting the well known LR technique efficiency. In particular, we provide algorithms to implement a YACC-like tool embedded in the VLCC system for automatic compiler generation of visual languages described by positional grammars

Automatic Generation of Visual Programming Environments

We have developed the visual language compiler-compiler (VLCC) system to automatically generate visual programming environments. VLCC is a grammar based system that can support implementation of any visual language by assisting the language designer in defining the language's graphical objects, syntax, and semantics. The final result of the generation process includes an integrated environment with a visual editor and a compiler for the defined visual language. In VLCC, graphical tools define visual languages to create both graphical objects and composition rules. Visual editors enable language designers to directly and visually manipulate the syntax of these languages. To capture the widest range of visual languages, the VLCC system can be configured for a specific language class. Different language classes can be characterized depending on their graphical objects' structure and on the way they can be composed. Also, box and arrow diagrams are defined for primitive objects with attaching points and for composition rules to join boxes and arrows at those attaching points. After choosing the visual language type to create, the designer can concentrate on language definition details. VLCC uses the positional grammar model as its underlying grammar formalism

A Classification Framework to Support the Design of Visual Languages

An important step in the design of visuallanguages is the specification of the graphical objects and the composition rules for constructing feasible visual sentences. The presence of different typologies of visuallanguages, each with specific graphical and structural characteristics, yields the need to have models and tools that unify the design steps for different types of visuallanguages. To this aim, in this paper we present a formal framework of visuallanguage classes. Each class characterizes a family of visuallanguages based upon the nature of their graphical objects and composition rules. The framework has been embedded in the VisualLanguage Compiler–Compiler (VLCC), a graphical system for the automatic generation of visual programming environments

E-World: A Platform for Managing and Tracing Adaptive E-learning Processes

In this paper we propose E-World an e-learning platform, which is able to manage and trace adaptive didactic contents designed and created by a visual language based tool, named ASCLO-S (Adaptive Self consistent Learning Object SET) editor. We also propose a case study aimed at assessing the usability of the presented e-learning platform and students’ performances on two teaching approaches. The usability was assessed through a questionnaire, while students’ performances were analyzed using the information traced by E-World. Finally, we analyze and discuss the achieved results to identify dependences among usability, learning performances and students’ welfare

Visual Languages for Non Expert Instructional Designers: A Usability Study

In this paper we propose a usability study on a visual language based tool for the definition of adaptive learning processes. To this aim, we recruited a group of seven teachers with different teaching experiences to evaluate the usability of the proposed tool and as well as to assess the value of visual languages in the definition of learning processes. Interesting results in terms of satisfaction and performance have been achieved on the recruited teachers without computer science background

Adaptive Learning Processes in Pure and Blended Teaching Approaches

Demand for e-learning is being driven by a need for flexibility according to the student satisfaction. The satisfaction degree conditions the performance and the way students learn. In this work a case study aimed at assessing the performance and satisfaction of students enjoying adaptive learning processes in blended and pure teaching scenarios is presented. In particular, two groups of students attending the Web Development Technologies course of the Bachelor program in Computer Science at the University of Salerno have been selected to evaluate the benefits of adaptive learning processes, as well as to compare the results achieved from the experimentation of both blended and pure teaching approaches