6 research outputs found
A model of an adaptive system for recommending learning objects in a constructivist learning environment
Computer-based multimedia learning environments support the idea that people learn better and more deeply when appropriate pictures (i.e., animations, video, static graphics) are added to text or narration. There are many adaptive learning systems that adapt learning materials to student properties, preferences, and activities. Adaptive learning environments mostly support only traditional concepts of learning. There is a need to design and develop an e-learning system that embodies principles of constructivist learning approach. The solution is in recommenders systems, which suggest items of interest to users based on their preferences (i.e. previous ratings). If there are no ratings for a certain user or item/object, there is a situation called a cold start problem, which leads to unreliable recommendations. Researchers mostly avoid tackling the absolute cold start in recommender systems.
The topic of presented dissertation is designing a recommender system with a novel approach to avoid cold start problem. Approaches for solving the new user cold start problem can be divided into two main groups: the first group performs additional inquiries to gather more information about the users; and the second group uses dedicated algorithms for users in the cold start state.
The first group of approaches aims at performing additional inquiries about the user. According to this approach, we relate combinations of different learning styles (taking into account four different learning styles models) to preferred multimedia types. We explore a decision model aimed at proposing learning material of an appropriate multimedia type. The study includes 272 student participants. The resulting decision model shows that students prefer well-structured learning texts with colour discrimination, and that the hemispheric learning style model is the most important criterion in deciding student preferences for different multimedia learning materials. To provide a more accurate and reliable model for recommending different multimedia types more learning style models must be combined. Kolb’s classification and the VAK classification allow us to learn if students prefer an active role in the learning process, and what multimedia type they prefer. The results also shows that there is an obvious need to combine learning styles model in order to get a wider view of the student’s characteristics: an approach to problem solving problems, cognitive modes, way of thinking, and a dominant mode of perceiving information. On another hand, model recommends same multimedia material regardless of the learning topic.
In the second part of our research, we have designed and developed a novel approach for alleviating the cold start problem by imputing missing values into the input matrix, thereby improving recommendation performance. Our approach has three steps: 1) finding similar users to given user in cold start state; 2) selecting relevant attributes for the imputation process; 3) aggregate ratings to input matrix for a user in the cold start state. We separate our approach for solving cold start problem into solving absolute cold start problem and solving partial cold start problem. According to the results of our experiments (solving absolute cold start problem), the results indicate that all our proposed methods improve recommending for non-negative matrix factorization with stochastic gradient descent (NG). For semi-non-negative matrix factorization with missing data (SN), combinations FR-ME (imputing attribute's mean value into the attributes that have the highest frequency of the most frequent values) and SD-MF (imputing attribute’s most frequent value into attributes that have the lowest standard deviation) improve recommendations for users in the absolute cold start state. For non-negative matrix factorization with alternating least squares (NS) and matrix factorization by data fusion (DF), none of variations of proposed parameters (methods) improves recommending in absolute cold start state. In the next stage of our research, we evaluated our approach for solving partial cold start problem.
Statistical analysis of experimental evaluation of our approach on the artificial domain showed that each parameter significantly improved recommending of matrix factorization methods. The methods that yield improvements in recommendation accuracy compared with the raw matrix factorization are methods that consider 25 % of similar users (-*-*-*), select an attribute according to the frequency (*-FR-*-*) or RReliefF (*-RR-*-*), and impute a value aggregated by mean value (ME) or predicted by using regression trees (RT). For further investigation we chose two method combinations (25-FR-ME-* and 25-RR-RT-*), which were expected to work well, and compared them with other strategies on real domains. Among all approaches evaluated on the artificial domain, we chose the best performing method with the highest average rank – a method that considers 50 % of similar users, selects an attribute for imputation according to the RReliefF, and imputes a value predicted by linear regression (50-RR-LR-*). All three combinations of the selected methods were evaluated on two real domains: Jester in PEFbase. An evaluation showed that method 25-FR-ME-* combined with matrix factorization NG performed statistically better than the raw matrix factorization algorithms (DF, NG, NS in SN) on real domains for users in the partial cold-start state. The results demonstrated the advantage of using imputation approaches in terms of better recommendation accuracy. At the same time, the results have shown that imputing of missing values has no negative impact for recommending to the users, which are not in the cold start state
A model of an adaptive system for recommending learning objects in a constructivist learning environment
Computer-based multimedia learning environments support the idea that people learn better and more deeply when appropriate pictures (i.e., animations, video, static graphics) are added to text or narration. There are many adaptive learning systems that adapt learning materials to student properties, preferences, and activities. Adaptive learning environments mostly support only traditional concepts of learning. There is a need to design and develop an e-learning system that embodies principles of constructivist learning approach. The solution is in recommenders systems, which suggest items of interest to users based on their preferences (i.e. previous ratings). If there are no ratings for a certain user or item/object, there is a situation called a cold start problem, which leads to unreliable recommendations. Researchers mostly avoid tackling the absolute cold start in recommender systems.
The topic of presented dissertation is designing a recommender system with a novel approach to avoid cold start problem. Approaches for solving the new user cold start problem can be divided into two main groups: the first group performs additional inquiries to gather more information about the users; and the second group uses dedicated algorithms for users in the cold start state.
The first group of approaches aims at performing additional inquiries about the user. According to this approach, we relate combinations of different learning styles (taking into account four different learning styles models) to preferred multimedia types. We explore a decision model aimed at proposing learning material of an appropriate multimedia type. The study includes 272 student participants. The resulting decision model shows that students prefer well-structured learning texts with colour discrimination, and that the hemispheric learning style model is the most important criterion in deciding student preferences for different multimedia learning materials. To provide a more accurate and reliable model for recommending different multimedia types more learning style models must be combined. Kolb’s classification and the VAK classification allow us to learn if students prefer an active role in the learning process, and what multimedia type they prefer. The results also shows that there is an obvious need to combine learning styles model in order to get a wider view of the student’s characteristics: an approach to problem solving problems, cognitive modes, way of thinking, and a dominant mode of perceiving information. On another hand, model recommends same multimedia material regardless of the learning topic.
In the second part of our research, we have designed and developed a novel approach for alleviating the cold start problem by imputing missing values into the input matrix, thereby improving recommendation performance. Our approach has three steps: 1) finding similar users to given user in cold start state; 2) selecting relevant attributes for the imputation process; 3) aggregate ratings to input matrix for a user in the cold start state. We separate our approach for solving cold start problem into solving absolute cold start problem and solving partial cold start problem. According to the results of our experiments (solving absolute cold start problem), the results indicate that all our proposed methods improve recommending for non-negative matrix factorization with stochastic gradient descent (NG). For semi-non-negative matrix factorization with missing data (SN), combinations FR-ME (imputing attribute's mean value into the attributes that have the highest frequency of the most frequent values) and SD-MF (imputing attribute’s most frequent value into attributes that have the lowest standard deviation) improve recommendations for users in the absolute cold start state. For non-negative matrix factorization with alternating least squares (NS) and matrix factorization by data fusion (DF), none of variations of proposed parameters (methods) improves recommending in absolute cold start state. In the next stage of our research, we evaluated our approach for solving partial cold start problem.
Statistical analysis of experimental evaluation of our approach on the artificial domain showed that each parameter significantly improved recommending of matrix factorization methods. The methods that yield improvements in recommendation accuracy compared with the raw matrix factorization are methods that consider 25 % of similar users (-*-*-*), select an attribute according to the frequency (*-FR-*-*) or RReliefF (*-RR-*-*), and impute a value aggregated by mean value (ME) or predicted by using regression trees (RT). For further investigation we chose two method combinations (25-FR-ME-* and 25-RR-RT-*), which were expected to work well, and compared them with other strategies on real domains. Among all approaches evaluated on the artificial domain, we chose the best performing method with the highest average rank – a method that considers 50 % of similar users, selects an attribute for imputation according to the RReliefF, and imputes a value predicted by linear regression (50-RR-LR-*). All three combinations of the selected methods were evaluated on two real domains: Jester in PEFbase. An evaluation showed that method 25-FR-ME-* combined with matrix factorization NG performed statistically better than the raw matrix factorization algorithms (DF, NG, NS in SN) on real domains for users in the partial cold-start state. The results demonstrated the advantage of using imputation approaches in terms of better recommendation accuracy. At the same time, the results have shown that imputing of missing values has no negative impact for recommending to the users, which are not in the cold start state
Prilagodljivi računalniški sistem za priporočanje učnih objektov v konstruktivističnem učnem okolju – ALECA
Today there are increasingly more learning environments which support active learning, taking into account student characteristics, preferences and activities. In this paper, we present a concept of a learning recommender system, which combines knowledge from pedagogy and recommending systems. We analyse the influence of combining different learning styles models on preferred types of multimedia materials. The results reveal that students prefer well-structured learning texts with color discrimination, and that the hemispheric learning style model is the most important criterion in determining student preferences for different multimedia learning materials. In the second part of our research, we describe an approach to alleviating the new user problem in terms of better recommendation accuracy of the system for recommending learning materials in environments where the system has no prior information about learners. Our findings present the concept of an adaptive learning system, with an analysis of its possible effects in learning practice.Dandanes se pojavlja vse več učnih sistemov, ki podpirajo aktivno učenje in upoštevajo učenčeve učne lastnosti, značilnosti in aktivnosti. V prispevku predstavljamo zasnovo učnega priporočilnega sistema, ki združuje znanja pedagogike in računalniških priporočilnih algoritmov. Proučujemo, kako združevanje modelov učnih stilov vpliva na izbiro različnih tipov večpredstavnih učnih gradiv. Rezultati kažejo, da študentje za učenje najpogosteje uporabljajo dobro strukturirana učna gradiva, ki vsebujejo barvno diskriminacijo, in da je hemisferični model učnih stilov najpomembnejši odločitveni kriterij. V nadaljevanju opisujemo postopek za reševanje t. i. problema hladnega zagona, s katerim je mogoče izboljšati točnost sistema za priporočanje učnih gradiv v okoljih, kjer o učencih nimamo predhodnih podatkov. Namen prispevka je predstaviti idejno zasnovo prilagodljivega učnega sistema z analizo njegovih predvidenih učinkov na učno prakso
A model of an adaptive system for recommending learning objects in a constructivist learning environment
Smernice sodobnega učenja kažejo na razvoj prilagodljivih spletnih učnih okolij, ki prilagajajo učno vsebino učenčevim lastnostim in potrebam. Priporočilni sistemi lahko predstavljajo takšne sisteme, saj temeljijo na priporočanju ustreznih učnih objektov glede na uporabnikove lastnosti, kot so: učne karakteristike, predhodna ocenjevanja objektov in demografske lastnosti. Če za uporabnika nimamo začetnih ocen, pravimo, da je uporabnik v stanju hladnega zagona.
Tema disertacije je oblikovanje koncepta priporočilnega sistema, ki vsebuje nov pristop k reševanju problema hladnega zagona. Na splošno se pristopi za reševanje tega problema delijo na dve skupini: pristope, ki temeljijo na začetnem poizvedovanju o uporabnikovih lastnostih, in pristope, ki uporabljajo specifične algoritme za uporabnike, ki so v stanju hladnega zagona. Najprej smo oblikovali pristop, ki sodi v prvo skupino pristopov – začetno poizvedovanje. Z namenom, da bi učencem priporočili čim bolj ustrezna multimedijska gradiva, smo povezali različne učne stile s posameznimi multimedijskimi tipi. Povezali smo Kolbov model učnih stilov, Rancourtov model, hemisferični model in model učnih stilov VAK (vizualni, slušni in kinestetični stil). Zgradili in analizirali smo odločitveni model za priporočanje multimedijskega gradiva. Zgrajeni model je pokazal, da je hemisferični model učnih stilov najpomembnejši odločitveni atribut, Kolbov model in model VAK pa sta druga najpomembnejša odločitvena atributa. Raziskava je pokazala, da študentje za učenje najpogosteje uporabljajo besedila, ki so dobro strukturirana in imajo barvno diskriminacijo. Poleg besedil študentje pogosto uporabljajo animacije in videoposnetke. Z zgrajenim odločitvenim modelom smo tudi potrdili, da je za ustreznejšo izbiro in priporočanje različnih tipov multimedijskih gradiv smiselno kombinirati različne modele učnih stilov. Po drugi strani pa je model statičen, kar pomeni, da v vsaki situaciji priporoča enak multimedijski tip. To ni ustrezno, ker ni nujno, da je neki multimedijski tip ustrezen za vse učne teme.
Drugi del raziskovanja je bil namenjen oblikovanju in razvoju inovativnega pristopa, ki izboljša priporočanje uporabnikom v hladnem zagonu, in sicer tako, da uporabnikom vstavi samo nekaj ocen za izbrane objekte in nato nad celotno matriko izvede matrično faktorizacijo. Naš pristop je sestavljen iz treh korakov: 1) iskanje podobnih uporabnikov2) izbor ciljnih atributov3) agregacija pridobljene vrednosti v izbrane ciljne atribute. Reševanje hladnega zagona smo razdelili na reševanje problema absolutnega in delnega hladnega zagona. Glede na rezultate eksperimenta (reševanje problema absolutnega hladnega zagona) so rezultati pokazali, da predlagane metode v povprečju izboljšajo nenegativno matrično faktorizacijo s stohastičnim gradientnim spustom (NG)}. Pri polnenegativni matrični faktorizaciji z manjkajočimi vrednostmi (SN) pa kombinaciji FR-ME (v atribut, ki smo ga izbrali glede na frekvenco najpogostejše vrednosti, vstavimo povprečno vrednost vseh ocen v atributu) in SD-MF (v atribut, ki smo ga izbrali glede na vrednost standardnega odklona, vstavimo najpogostejšo vrednost atributa) bistveno izboljšata priporočanje. Pri preostalih dveh matričnih faktorizacijah (matrična faktorizacija z zlivanjem podatkovnih virov (DF) in nenegativna matrična faktorizacija z izmenjujočimi se najmanjšimi kvadrati (NS)) predlagane kombinacije ne izboljšajo priporočanja. V nadaljevanju smo naš pristop testirali za reševanje delnega hladnega zagona.
Statistična analiza eksperimentalnega dela (testiranja našega pristopa) na umetni množici je pokazala, da vsak posamezen parameter statistično značilno izboljša priporočanje metod matričnih faktorizacij. Najboljše delovanje so pokazale metode, pri katerih upoštevamo 25 % najbližjih sosedov (-*-*-*), uporabljamo frekvenco (*-FR-*-*) ali RReliefF (*-RR-*-*) za izbiro atributov in vstavljamo vrednosti s povprečenjem (*-*-ME-*) ali z uporabo regresijskega drevesa (*-*-RT-*). V nadaljevanju smo izbrali varianti metod, za kateri smo pričakovali, da bosta dajali dobre rezultate: 25-FR-ME-* in 25-RR-RT-*. Izbranima variantama metod smo dodali še kombinacijo, pri kateri upoštevamo 50 % najbližjih sosedov, za izbor atributov uporabimo RReliefF in vstavljamo vrednosti z uporabo linearne regresije (-RR-LR-*) – kombinacija je bila glede na povprečni rang najboljša. Vse tri izbrane variante metod smo testirali na dveh realnih množicah: Jester in PEFbase. Evalvacija je pokazala, da vstavljanje manjkajočih vrednosti s predlagano metodo 25-FR-ME-* in uporabo matrične faktorizacije NG značilno izboljša priporočanje objektov v primerjavi z golimi metodami matrične faktorizacije (DF, NG, NS in SN), in sicer za uporabnike v stanju delnega hladnega zagona. Preverili smo tudi vpliv vstavljanja manjkajočih ocen na druge uporabnike. Ugotovili smo, da naše spremembe ne povzročajo značilnih sprememb pri priporočanju drugim uporabnikom, ki so zunaj stanja delnega hladnega zagona.Computer-based multimedia learning environments support the idea that people learn better and more deeply when appropriate pictures (i.e., animations, video, static graphics) are added to text or narration. There are many adaptive learning systems that adapt learning materials to student properties, preferences, and activities. Adaptive learning environments mostly support only traditional concepts of learning. There is a need to design and develop an e-learning system that embodies principles of constructivist learning approach. The solution is in recommenders systems, which suggest items of interest to users based on their preferences (i.e. previous ratings). If there are no ratings for a certain user or item/object, there is a situation called a cold start problem, which leads to unreliable recommendations. Researchers mostly avoid tackling the absolute cold start in recommender systems.
The topic of presented dissertation is designing a recommender system with a novel approach to avoid cold start problem. Approaches for solving the new user cold start problem can be divided into two main groups: the first group performs additional inquiries to gather more information about the usersand the second group uses dedicated algorithms for users in the cold start state.
The first group of approaches aims at performing additional inquiries about the user. According to this approach, we relate combinations of different learning styles (taking into account four different learning styles models) to preferred multimedia types. We explore a decision model aimed at proposing learning material of an appropriate multimedia type. The study includes 272 student participants. The resulting decision model shows that students prefer well-structured learning texts with colour discrimination, and that the hemispheric learning style model is the most important criterion in deciding student preferences for different multimedia learning materials. To provide a more accurate and reliable model for recommending different multimedia types more learning style models must be combined. Kolb’s classification and the VAK classification allow us to learn if students prefer an active role in the learning process, and what multimedia type they prefer. The results also shows that there is an obvious need to combine learning styles model in order to get a wider view of the student’s characteristics: an approach to problem solving problems, cognitive modes, way of thinking, and a dominant mode of perceiving information. On another hand, model recommends same multimedia material regardless of the learning topic.
In the second part of our research, we have designed and developed a novel approach for alleviating the cold start problem by imputing missing values into the input matrix, thereby improving recommendation performance. Our approach has three steps: 1) finding similar users to given user in cold start state2) selecting relevant attributes for the imputation process3) aggregate ratings to input matrix for a user in the cold start state. We separate our approach for solving cold start problem into solving absolute cold start problem and solving partial cold start problem. According to the results of our experiments (solving absolute cold start problem), the results indicate that all our proposed methods improve recommending for non-negative matrix factorization with stochastic gradient descent (NG). For semi-non-negative matrix factorization with missing data (SN), combinations FR-ME (imputing attribute\u27s mean value into the attributes that have the highest frequency of the most frequent values) and SD-MF (imputing attribute’s most frequent value into attributes that have the lowest standard deviation) improve recommendations for users in the absolute cold start state. For non-negative matrix factorization with alternating least squares (NS) and matrix factorization by data fusion (DF), none of variations of proposed parameters (methods) improves recommending in absolute cold start state. In the next stage of our research, we evaluated our approach for solving partial cold start problem.
Statistical analysis of experimental evaluation of our approach on the artificial domain showed that each parameter significantly improved recommending of matrix factorization methods. The methods that yield improvements in recommendation accuracy compared with the raw matrix factorization are methods that consider 25 % of similar users (-*-*-*), select an attribute according to the frequency (*-FR-*-*) or RReliefF (*-RR-*-*), and impute a value aggregated by mean value (ME) or predicted by using regression trees (RT). For further investigation we chose two method combinations (25-FR-ME-* and 25-RR-RT-*), which were expected to work well, and compared them with other strategies on real domains. Among all approaches evaluated on the artificial domain, we chose the best performing method with the highest average rank – a method that considers 50 % of similar users, selects an attribute for imputation according to the RReliefF, and imputes a value predicted by linear regression (50-RR-LR-*). All three combinations of the selected methods were evaluated on two real domains: Jester in PEFbase. An evaluation showed that method 25-FR-ME-* combined with matrix factorization NG performed statistically better than the raw matrix factorization algorithms (DF, NG, NS in SN) on real domains for users in the partial cold-start state. The results demonstrated the advantage of using imputation approaches in terms of better recommendation accuracy. At the same time, the results have shown that imputing of missing values has no negative impact for recommending to the users, which are not in the cold start state