E-Learning and Intelligent Planning: Improving Content Personalization

Combining learning objects is a challenging topic because of its direct application to curriculum generation, tailored to the students' profiles and preferences. Intelligent planning allows us to adapt learning routes (i.e. sequences of learning objects), thus highly improving the personalization of contents, the pedagogical requirements and specific necessities of each student. This paper presents a general and effective approach to extract metadata information from the e-learning contents, a form of reusable learning objects, to generate a planning domain in a simple, automated way. Such a domain is used by an intelligent planner that provides an integrated recommendation system, which adapts, stores and reuses the best learning routes according to the students' profiles and course objectives. If any inconsistency happens during the route execution, e.g. the student fails to pass an assessment test which prevents him/her from continuing the natural course of the route, the systeGarrido, A.; Morales, L. (2014). E-Learning and Intelligent Planning: Improving Content Personalization. IEEE Revista Iberoamericana de Tecnologías del Aprendizaje. 9(1):1-7. doi:10.1109/RITA.2014.2301886S179

On the Necessity of Time and Resource Issues to Support Collaboration in E-learning Standards

In this paper we motivate the necessity of time+resource metadata in current e-learning standards to support collaborative activities. Learning Objects (LOs) are currently defined in a very independent way from each other, which makes it difficult to use them in a real scenario where students interact and have their own constraints. We present some challenging features that, at least, should be discussed when elaborating new e-learning standards.Garrido Tejero, A.; Morales, L.; Serina, I. (2011). On the Necessity of Time and Resource Issues to Support Collaboration in E-learning Standards. IEEE Learning Technology Newsletter. 13:39-41. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/35041S39411

On the automatic compilation of e-learning models to planning

[EN] This paper presents a general approach to automatically compile e-learning models to planning, allowing us to easily generate plans, in the form of learning designs, by using existing domain-independent planners. The idea is to compile, first, a course defined in a standard e-learning language into a planning domain, and, second, a file containing students learning information into a planning problem. We provide a common compilation and extend it to three particular approaches that cover a full spectrum of planning paradigms, which increases the possibilities of using current planners: (i) hierarchical, (ii) including PDDL (Planning Domain Definition Language) actions with conditional effects and (iii) including PDDL durative actions. The learning designs are automatically generated from the plans and can be uploaded, and subsequently executed, by learning management platforms. We also provide an extensive analysis of the e-learning metadata specification required for planning, and the pros and cons on the knowledge engineering procedures used in each of the three compilations. Finally, we include some qualitative and quantitative experimentation of the compilations in several domain-independent planners to measure its scalability and applicability.This work has been supported by the Spanish MICINN under projects TIN2008-06701-C03 and Consolider Ingenio 2010 CSD2007-00022, by the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology and the regional projects CCG08-UC3M/TIC-4141 and Prometeo GVA 2008/051.Garrido Tejero, A.; Fernandez, S.; Onaindia De La Rivaherrera, E.; Morales, L.; Borrajo, D.; Castillo, L. (2013). On the automatic compilation of e-learning models to planning. Knowledge Engineering Review. 28(2):121-136. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0269888912000380S121136282Garrido A. , Onaindía E. 2010. On the application of planning and scheduling techniques to E-learning. In Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Industrial, Engineering & Other Applications of Applied Intelligent Systems (IEA-AIE 2010)—Lecture Notes in Computer Science 6096, 244–253. Springer.Ullrich C 2008. Pedagogically founded courseware generation for web-based learning, No. 5260, Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence 5260, Springer.Sicilia M.A. , Sánchez-Alonso S. , García-Barriocanal E. 2006. On supporting the process of learning design through planners. CEUR Workshop Proceedings: Virtual Campus 2006 Post-Proceedings. Barcelona, Spain, 186(1), 81–89.IMSLD 2003. IMS Learning Design Specification. Version 1.0 (February, 2003). Retrieved December, 2012, from http://www.imsglobal.org/learningdesign.Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) 2004. Retrieved December, 2012, from http://scorm.com.Garrido A. , Onaindia E. , Morales L. , Castillo L. , Fernandez S. , Borrajo D. 2009. Modeling E-learning activities in automated planning. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Competition on Knowledge Engineering for Planning and Scheduling (ICKEPS-2009), Thessaloniki, Greece, 18–27.Essalmi, F., Ayed, L. J. B., Jemni, M., Kinshuk, & Graf, S. (2010). A fully personalization strategy of E-learning scenarios. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(4), 581-591. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2009.12.010Camacho D. , R-Moreno M.D. , Obieta U. 2007. CAMOU: a simple integrated e-learning and planning techniques tool. In 4th International Workshop on Constraints and Language Processing, Roskilde University, Denmark, 1–11.Fox, M., & Long, D. (2003). PDDL2.1: An Extension to PDDL for Expressing Temporal Planning Domains. Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research, 20, 61-124. doi:10.1613/jair.1129KONTOPOULOS, E., VRAKAS, D., KOKKORAS, F., BASSILIADES, N., & VLAHAVAS, I. (2008). An ontology-based planning system for e-course generation. Expert Systems with Applications, 35(1-2), 398-406. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2007.07.034Fuentetaja R. , Borrajo D. , Linares López C. 2009. A look-ahead B&B search for cost-based planning. In Proceedings of CAEPIA'09, Murcia, Spain, 105–114.Limongelli C. , Sciarrone F. , Vaste G. 2008. LS-plan: an effective combination of dynamic courseware generation and learning styles in web-based education. In Adaptive Hypermedia and Adaptive Web-Based Systems, 5th International Conference, AH 2008, Nejdl, W., Kay, J., Pu, P. & Herder, E. (eds.)., 133–142. Springer.Castillo L. , Fdez.-Olivares J. , García-Perez O. Palao F. 2006. Efficiently handling temporal knowledge in an HTN planner. In Proceedings of 16th International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling (ICAPS 2006), Borrajo, D. & McCluskey, L. (eds.). AAAI, 63–72.Castillo, L., Morales, L., González-Ferrer, A., Fdez-Olivares, J., Borrajo, D., & Onaindía, E. (2009). Automatic generation of temporal planning domains for e-learning problems. Journal of Scheduling, 13(4), 347-362. doi:10.1007/s10951-009-0140-xUllrich, C., & Melis, E. (2009). Pedagogically founded courseware generation based on HTN-planning. Expert Systems with Applications, 36(5), 9319-9332. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2008.12.043Boticario J. , Santos O. 2007. A dynamic assistance approach to support the development and modelling of adaptive learning scenarion based on educational standards. In Proceedings of Workshop on Authoring of Adaptive and Adaptable Hypermedia, International Conference on User Modelling, Corfu, Greece, 1–8.IMSMD 2003. IMS Learning Resource Meta-data Specification. Version 1.3 (August, 2006). Retrieved December, 2012, from http://www.imsglobal.org/metadata.Mohan P. , Greer J. , McCalla G. 2003. Instructional planning with learning objects. In IJCAI-03 Workshop Knowledge Representation and Automated Reasoning for E-Learning Systems, Acapulco, Mexico, 52–58.Alonso C. , Honey P. 2002. Honey-alonso Learning Style Theoretical Basis (in Spanish). Retrieved December 2012, from http://www.estilosdeaprendizaje.es/menuprinc2.htm

Aislados de Bacillus provenientes de la rizósfera de cactus incrementan la germinación y la floración en Mammillaria spp. (Cactaceae)

ResumenLas cactáceas son la vegetación característica de las zonas áridas en México, donde las lluvias son escasas, la evapotranspiración es elevada y la fertilidad de los suelos es baja. Las plantas han desarrollado estrategias fisiológicas como la asociación con microorganismos en la zona de la rizósfera para incrementar la captación de nutrientes. En el presente trabajo se obtuvieron 4 aislados bacterianos de la rizósfera de Mammillaria magnimamma y Coryphantha radians, los que fueron nombrados como QAP3, QAP19, QAP22 y QAP24 e identificados genéticamente como pertenecientes al género Bacillus. Estos aislados exhibieron in vitro propiedades bioquímicas como solubilización de fosfatos, producción de ácido indolacético y actividad ACC deaminasa, que se relacionan con la promoción del crecimiento de las plantas. Dicha promoción fue ensayada inoculando semillas de M. magnimamma y evaluando luego algunos parámetros. Se encontró que todos los aislados incrementaron la germinación desde un 17% hasta un 34,3% (con respecto a las semillas testigo sin inocular); el aislado QAP24 fue el que presentó el mayor efecto en este sentido y permitió la germinación de todas las semillas viables (84,7%) 3 días antes que en el testigo. La inoculación de este aislado en plantas de Mammillaria zeilmanniana mostró un efecto positivo sobre la floración: en 2 meses dentro del período de un año se detectó un incremento en el número de plantas en floración con respecto a las plantas testigo, de hasta el 31,0% en uno de ellos. Se concluye que los aislados de Bacillus spp. caracterizados poseen potencial para ser empleados en programas de conservación de especies vegetales de zonas áridas.AbstractCacti are the most representative vegetation of arid zones in Mexico where rainfall is scarce, evapotranspiration is high and soil fertility is low. Plants have developed physiological strategies such as the association with microorganisms in the rhizosphere zone to increase nutrient uptake. In the present work, four bacterial isolates from the rhizosphere of Mammillaria magnimamma and Coryphantha radians were obtained and named as QAP3, QAP19, QAP22 and QAP24, and were genetically identified as belonging to the genus Bacillus, exhibiting in vitro biochemical properties such as phosphate solubilization, indoleacetic acid production and ACC deaminase activity related to plant growth promotion, which was tested by inoculating M. magnimamma seeds. It was found that all isolates increased germination from 17 to 34.3% with respect to the uninoculated control seeds, being QAP24 the one having the greatest effect, accomplishing the germination of viable seeds (84.7%) three days before the control seeds. Subsequently, the inoculation of Mammillari zeilmanniana plants with this isolate showed a positive effect on bloom, registering during two months from a one year period, an increase of up to 31.0% in the number of flowering plants compared to control plants. The characterized Bacillus spp. isolates have potential to be used in conservation programs of plant species from arid zones

Comparación de la percepción de calidad de vida relacionado con la salud en hombres y mujeres adultos mayores

Introduction: The quality of life related to health is understood as the functional and emotional effect that a disease produces in a person, including treatment and how this process is perceived by the person, which may be influenced by gender.Objective: To determine the perception of quality of life related to health among men and older women in the Comarca Lagunera of Coahuila.Method: Quantitative and descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample was 100 old adults selected at convenience in the Nursing School, U.T. from the Autonomous University of Coahuila and a public hospital in the town. Data were analyzed in the SPSS v22 program for Mac, descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test were used.Results: The analysis between gender and health-related quality of life perception did not observe a significant difference (U=922.00, p=.178); However, when analyzing the quality of life by dimensions, there is a significant difference in three components that are physical mobility (U= 812.00, p< .05), pain (U= 816.00, p< .05) and energy (U= 807.50, p< .05).Conclusions: In the present investigation, it can be observed that older men and women perceive the quality of life related to health in a very similar way, however, a difference was found in some components that from the point of view of the authors, they are closely linked to the social role played by a woman or an older adult man.Introducción: La calidad de vida relacionada con la salud se entiende como el efecto funcional y anímico que una enfermedad produce en una persona, incluyendo el tratamiento y cómo este proceso es percibido por la persona, el cual puede estar influido por el género.Objetivo: Determinar la percepción de la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud entre hombre y mujeres adultos mayores en la Comarca Lagunera de Coahuila.Método: Estudio cuantitativo y descriptivo de corte transversal. La muestra estuvo conformada por 100 adultos mayores seleccionados a conveniencia en la escuela de Lic. en Enfermería, U.T. de la Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila y un hospital público de la localidad. Los datos se analizaron en el programa SPSS v22 para Mac, se utilizó estadística descriptiva y la prueba U de Mann-Withney.Resultados: El análisis entre el género y la percepción de calidad de vida relacionada con la salud no observó diferencia significativa (U= 922.00, p=.178); sin embargo, al analizar la calidad de vida por dimensiones, existe diferencia significativa en tres componentes que son movilidad física (U= 812.00, p>.05), dolor (U= 816.00, p>.05) y energía (U= 807.50, p>.05).Conclusiones: En la presente investigación, se puede observar que los hombres y mujeres adultos mayores perciben la calidad de vida relacionada a la salud de una forma muy parecida, sin embargo, se encontró diferencia en algunos componentes que desde el punto de vista de los autores están muy ligados al rol social que cumple una mujer o un hombre adulto mayor. &nbsp

On the use of case-based planning for e-learning personalization

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Expert Systems with Applications. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Expert Systems with Applications, 60, 1-15, 2016. DOI:10.1016/j.eswa.2016.04.030In this paper we propose myPTutor, a general and effective approach which uses AI planning techniques to create fully tailored learning routes, as sequences of Learning Objects (LOs) that fit the pedagogical and students’ requirements. myPTutor has a potential applicability to support e-learning personalization by producing, and automatically solving, a planning model from (and to) e-learning standards in a vast number of real scenarios, from small to medium/large e-learning communities. Our experiments demonstrate that we can solve scenarios with large courses and a high number of students. Therefore, it is perfectly valid for schools, high schools and universities, especially if they already use Moodle, on top of which we have implemented myPTutor. It is also of practical significance for repairing unexpected discrepancies (while the students are executing their learning routes) by using a Case-Based Planning adaptation process that reduces the differences between the original and the new route, thus enhancing the learning process. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This work has been partially funded by the Consolider AT project CSD2007-0022 INGENIO 2010 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the MICINN project TIN2011-27652-C03-01, the MINECO and FEDER project TIN2014-55637-C2-2-R, the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology, the Valencian Prometeo project II/2013/019 and the BW5053 research project of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano.Garrido Tejero, A.; Morales, L.; Serina, I. (2016). On the use of case-based planning for e-learning personalization. Expert Systems with Applications. 60:1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2016.04.030S1156

Generación automática de diseños de aprendizaje: diferentes enfoques de planificación

Tesis Univ. Granada. Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación e Inteligencia Artificial. Leída el 31 de mayo de 201

Using AI planning to enhance e-learning processes

3siThis work describes an approach that automatically extracts standard metadata information from e-learning contents, combines it with the student preferences/goals and creates PDDL planning domains+problems. These PDDL problems can be solved by current planners, although we motivate the use and benefits of case-based planning techniques, to obtain fully tailored learning routes that significantly enhance the learning process. During the execution of a given route, a monitoring phase is used to detect discrepancies, i.e. flaws that prevent the student from continuing with the original plan. In such a situation, an adaptation mechanism becomes necessary to fix the flaws, while also trying to minimise the differences between the original and the new route. We have integrated this approach on top of Moodle and experimented with 100 benchmark problems to evaluate the quality, scalability and viability of the system. Copyright © 2012, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. All rights reserved.nonenoneA. Garrido; L. Morales; I. Serina.A., Garrido; L., Morales; Serina, Iva

E-learning and intelligent planning: improving content personalisation.

[EN] ¿ Combining learning objects is a challenging topic because of its direct application to curriculum generation, tailored to the students' profiles and preferences. Intelligent planning allows us to adapt learning routes (i.e. sequences of learning objects), thus highly improving the personalization of contents, the pedagogical requirements and specific necessities of each student. This paper presents a general and effective approach integrated in Moodle to extract metadata information from the e-learning contents, a form of reusable learning objects, to generate a planning domain in a simple, automated way. Such a domain is used by an intelligent planner that provides an integrated recommendation system, which adapts, stores and reuses the best learning routes according to the students' profiles and course objectives. If any inconsistency happens during the route execution, e.g. the student fails to pass an assessment test which prevents him/her from continuing the natural course of the route, the system adapts and/or repairs it to meet the new objectives.Este trabajo ha sido parcialmente financiado por el programa Consolider de Agreement Technologies, CSD2007-0022 INGENIO 2010, el proyecto del Ministerio Español de Ciencia e Innovación, MICINN TIN2011- 27652-C03-01 y el proyecto Prometeo 2008/051 de la Generalitat Valenciana.Garrido Tejero, A.; Morales, L. (2012). E-learning y Planificación Inteligente: Mejorando la Personalización de Contenidos. Rita -IEEE-. 7(4):213-219. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/31709S2132197