Transcript aLFanet Dissemination (1st Review)

alfanet.ia.uned.es
Issues in developing adaptive learning
management systems for higher education
institutions
Jesus G. Boticario, Olga C. Santos
aDeNu Research Group
{jgb, ocsantos}@dia.uned.es
http://adenu.ia.uned.es/
ADALE’06 Dublin
June 20, 2006
Overview
• EHEA
– Challenges
– Requirements
• aLFaNET (IST-2001-33288)
– Approach
– Features
– Components
– Evaluation & Lessons Learned
• Conclusions
ADALE’06 Dublin
June 20, 2006
EHEA Challenges
Reports and European Programmes
=> (Dearing, Bricall, E-Learning, eLearning Programme…)
Student-centred learning
DFEE-UK 1998
We recommend that, … HE give high priority to … implementing learning and
teaching strategies which focus on the promotion of students’ learning
eLearning (EU) (2001-04; 2004-06)
help “the learner to match his or her own needs for personal development”
provide “facilities for LLL to upgrade the skills of people with disabilities”
User-centred learning = eLearning ?
eLearning Programme 2004-06
“e-learning takes into account individual needs
and learning-styles, …
not based on a "one size fits all" philosophy”
ADALE’06 Dublin
June 20, 2006
EHEA Requirements
Question
How to construct LMS that support HE user-centered scenarios?
Students 
Courses
concrete scenarios where each user satisfies a particular set of learning goals
Focus on learners
their needs, backgrounds, learning styles and observed behavior when facing
alternative learning situations become relevant
 learning situations have to be explicitly managed throughout different courses
Adaptation
is about creating a learner experience that purposely adjusts to various
conditions (personal characteristics, pedagogical knowledge, the learner
interactions, the outcome of the actual learning processes) over a period of
time with the intention to increase pre-defined success criteria (effectiveness
of e-learning: score, time, economical costs, user satisfaction) [aLFanet, 2004]
ADALE’06 Dublin
June 20, 2006
European R&D
alfanet.ia.uned.es
ADALE’06 Dublin
June 20, 2006
 aLFaNET (IST-2001-33288)

Contributions
Combination of design-time and run-time adaptation
 Covering the full life-cycle of eLearning
 Adaptive course delivery standard-based
IMS-LD, IMS-CP, IEEE-LOM, IMS-LIP, IMS-QTI
 Providing open source components (GPL)
LD and QTI Authoring Tools, LD engine Coppercore, Adaptive
and interaction packages

Participants
SAGE, UNED, OUNL, KLETT, EDP, ACE-BNET
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June 20, 2006
Full life cycle in LMS
LMS
Administration
Learner
LMS
Usage
Authoring /
Design
LMS Auditing
Tutor
Author
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Administrator
June 20, 2006
Full life cycle in aLFaNET
User Manager
Course Manager
Config UI and Recom
LD + QTI
Design
Publication
Learner
Audit
LMS
Auditing
ADALE’06 Dublin
Presentation
Instructional Design
Interactive Services
QTI Interpreter
Adaptation Module
Use
June 20, 2006
Authoring focused on LD
IMS-LD
Pedagogical models
templates:
Learning Style
Property value?
- Create dynamic & adaptive tests based
Inductive/visual
• Concept learning
• …………………
Inductive
presentation (guidelines)
· Inductive presentation requires presenting
• ………………..
first a number of possible examples and then
on QTI test items and their metadata
Practice
QTI test
- Create the course (example of a tree
No
view of a course in the authoring tool)
Mastered QTI test?
giving a definition of the concept.
·
- The examples should be as diverse as
possible to allow learner to generalize. They
should represent the full range of cases that
the learner will encounter after the instruction.
·
- Begin with easy examples so learners
can master the activity and build confidence.
- End with ………………………..
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Deductive/verbal
June 20, 2006
Yes
Remediation
QTI re-test
Mastered
Re-test?
Yes
No
Contact Tutor
Design
aLFanet – a full life cycle
Course and
material design
Publication
Publication
Examples of adaptation:
LD (pre-designed adaptations and provides the
hooks and the information upon
which thelayer:
- Presentation
Personalised interface
runtime adaptation bases)
IM (interactive adaptations- based
on adaptive
analysis assessment:
Dynamic
selection from the relevant item banks
of the actual user interactions Rule
leadbased
to the
recommendations and adaptive
dynamic tests)
- Pedagogical
model: inductive – deductive
if "KnowledgeLevel" = Beginner
&
Alfanet
LMS:
"StudentLearningStyle" = Inductive
Then Show ……….
Auditing
Auditing feedback
feedback
Auditing
ADALE’06 Dublin
-
• Presentation Layer
• LD-engine (CopperCore)
Adaptation module: advice
for remediation
• Adaptation
agents
• Dynamic
“John, taking into account your
profile adaptive
and
your past interactions ………………..”
assessments (QTI)
June 20, 2006
Use
aLFanet LMS
Guided and
Personalized
Learning
Recommendations
Learning
Tasks and
Activities
ADALE’06 Dublin
June 20, 2006
Evaluation Results  aLFaNET
4 different pilot sites: “Spanish course for German Learners” (KLETT),
“Environment and Electrical Distribution” (EDP), “How to teach through the
Internet“ (UNED) and “Communication technology” (OUNL)
111 users: 22 at KLETT, 28 at EDP, 40 at UNED and 21 at OUNL
Strengths (users)
 dynamic adaptation and recommendations supplied
 flexibility of task order
 residing on the internet (i.e. all information is available)
 variety of different exercises and assessments
 good guidance and feedback by the use of tests
 course material is adapted to each personal learning profile
Weak points (authors)
» improvement and integration of the authoring tools
» more documentation on how to implement different adaptive scenarios
ADALE’06 Dublin
June 20, 2006
Lessons Learned  aLFaNET
Evaluation outcomes
– effectiveness of the LMS is rated positive
– efficiency is rated less positive (performance problems)
– usability and navigation using the current interfaces was low rated
Lessons learned
 the design phase is experienced as a complex task (templates)
 defining adaptations within a course still needs technical knowledge
 experiencing adaptation
 diversity in learning materials and open learning paths
 user characteristics considered (cognitive modality, learning style, interest,
knowledge level, level of activity and similarity between learners)
 useful to provide an adapted responses
ADALE’06 Dublin
June 20, 2006
Conclusions
 EHEA is challenging HE institutions to provide personalized ICT services
 management of individual and group profiles, contents, devices,
interaction modes, and their relationships with each ICT service
aLFanet (eLearning + R&D)
 aLFanet is aLMS based on a pervasive use of educational standards
(IMS-LD, IMS-CP, IEEE-LOM/IMS-MD, IMS-LIP, IMS-QTI), which
combines predefined rules with dynamic responses on runtime
 From aLFanet experience follows

inter-service user models based on standards are needed (ALL)

users’ needs and preferences evolve over time (dynamic adaptation)

developing extensive specifications present serious difficulties
 templates and interactive assistance tools

monitoring and tracking facilities should focus on providing qualitative features

personalized feedback to users
 users’ needs and preferences, service and environment features
ADALE’06 Dublin
June 20, 2006
aLFanet architecture
CopperCore
JADE
•IMS-LIP
•IEEE-LOM
•IMS-CP
dotLRN
•IMS-QTI
•IMS-LD
ADALE’06 Dublin
June 20, 2006