Orchestrating Technology for Web-based Education

In this paper we present AulaNet, an environment for creating, updating and attending Web-based courses. Here, we illustrate some dynamics of three experiments of course development and delivery with AulaNet, pointing out their features, discussing how easy and how difficult is to orchestrate technology for educational purposes

Communication, Coordination and Cooperation in Distance Education

The main driving factor for Web-based training is the necessity to find methods of bringing training directly to the desktop in a continuous just-in-time way. We need to understand how established instruction systems (eg: classrooms) can migrate to a more open organization, in which part of the lecture could perhaps be given according to the “dynamic community model for apprenticeship”

CLEW a Cooperative Learning Environment for the Web

Abstract: This paper outlines CLEW a collaborative learning environment for the Web. The project combines MUD, workflow, VRML and educational concepts like Constructivism in a learning environment, where students actively participate in the learning process. The MUD shapes the environment structure. The workflow system allows the execution and coordination of the course activities. The VRML establishes the presentation format of the courses' virtual worlds. Finally, the educational concepts influence the way the didactic material is published

An Aspect-Oriented Modeling Framework for Designing Multi-Agent Systems

Abstract. A number of concerns in multi-agent system (MAS) design have a crosscutting impact on agent-oriented models. These concerns inherently affect several system agents and their internal modeling elements, such as actions and goals. Examples of crosscutting concerns in MAS design encompass both internal and systemic properties, such as learning, mobility, error handling, and security. Without an explicit modeling of such MAS properties, designers can not properly communicate and reason about them and their broadly-scoped effects. This paper presents a meta-modeling framework for supporting the modular representation of crosscutting concerns in agent-oriented design. The framework is centered on the notion of aspects to describe these concerns. It also defines new composition operators to enable the specification on how aspects affect the agent goals and actions. The proposed framework is a result of our previous experience in both using aspect-oriented techniques for MAS design and implementation, and integrating aspect-oriented abstractions in an agent-oriented modeling language, called ANote.

Supporting Regulatory Dynamics in Open MAS

International audienceAn open multi-agent system should enable regulatory dynamics easily in order to provide updated information about the system enforcement for its law-aware agents. This work presents a case study where agents can dynamically adapt their behaviors according to current enforcements of contextual laws. The case study uses a flexible solution for contextual regulations, which includes a top-down contextual modeling of laws, a normative ontology to formalize the defined regulatory contexts and a rule support for law retrieval

Using a Group Support System to Meet Educational Objectives

This paper presents a WWW-based Group Support System (GSS) to facilitate the teaching/learning process. This paper also describes our experiences over four successive editions of a pilot course offered using the GSS. We show the methodologies used and draw some results, experiences and impressions from this experience. We further describe planned future research, including discussion of the possibility of using this method to support distance education