Using a Grid Platform for Enabling Real Time User Modeling in On-line Campus
User modelling in on-line distance learning is an important research field focusing on two important aspects: describing and predicting studentsÂ’ actions and intentions as well as adapting the learning process to studentsÂ’ features, habits, preferences, and so on. The aim is to greatly stimulate and improve the learning experience. Indeed, on the one hand, studentsÂ’ intentions may change during the realization of learning activities and thus their actions evolve accordingly as the learning pr
A Grid-Based Approach for Processing Group Activity Log Files
The information collected regarding group activity in a collaborative
learning environment requires classifying, structuring and processing. The aim
is to process this information in order to extract, reveal and provide students
and tutors with valuable knowledge, awareness and feedback in order to successfully
perform the collaborative learning activity. However, the large
amount of information generated during online group activity may be timeconsuming
to process and, hence, can hinder the rea
A Grid-aware Implementation for Providing Effective Feedback to On-line Learning Groups
Constantly providing feedback to on-line learning teams is a challenging yet one of the latest and most attractive issues to influence learning experience in a positive manner. The possibility to enhance learning groupÂ’s participation by means of providing appropriate feedback is rapidly gaining popularity due to its great impact on group performance and outcomes. Indeed, by storing parameters of interaction such as participation behaviour and giving constant feedback of these parameters to the
Improvement of JXTA protocols for supporting reliable distributed applications in P2P systems
In any distributed application, the communication between the distributed processes/nodes of the distributed systems is essential for both reliability and efficiency matters. In this work we address this issue for distributed applications based on JXTA protocols. After a careful examination of the current version of JXTA protocols, we observed the need for improving the original JXTA protocols, such as pipe services, to ensure reliable communication between peer nodes and the discovery and prese
A Service-oriented Platform for the Enhancement and Effectiveness of the Collaborative Learning Proc
Modern on-line collaborative learning environments are to enable and scale the involvement of an increasing large number of single/group participants who can geographically be widely distributed, and who need to transparently share a huge variety of both software and hardware distributed learning resources. As a result, collaborative learning applications are to overcome important non-functional requirements arisen in distributed environments, such as scalability, flexibility, availability, inte
Contextualizing Discussions in Distance Learning Systems
In distance learning systems, communication tools are rarely integrated into learning activities, which does not encourage their use. The main goal of our work is to mitigate this lack of integration. Our aim is to bring the discussion activities closer to the learning activities, i.e. to situations to which the discussions must ideally relate to in order to promote learning between students. Thus, we suggest two models of forum which are contextual and based on a structuring of discussions resp
Improving database design teaching in secondary education: action research implementation for docume
Database design and use has educational interest for utilitarian and learning reasons. Database technology has significant economic impact and the demand for database design can not be covered by the existent educated experts. Furthermore the database management systems available at schools could be used for the design and implementation of high quality learning activities. Databases are general
purpose modeling environments that enable problem solving using conceptual frameworks closer to the s
Shared conceptualisations in weblogs
In this paper we investigate how conceptualisations can be identified in weblogs using language technology (automated text analysis). We focus on getting a handle on both the concepts bloggers use and the way they think these concepts are related. The analysis of these conceptualisations can then be applied to a single weblog, resulting in a visualisation of potential conceptualisations the blogger wants to share with the outside world. Another type of analysis is to determine the overlap, or sh
Investigating human computer interaction issues in designing efficient virtual learning environments
Today, when an enormous number of computer-based systems exist, the human activities are being computer mediated. Usually, in designing the interface to those systems, the human-computer interaction is left behind without consideration. In this paper, a literature in human-computer interaction is to be reviewed and the technology aspect of human computer interaction is to be analyzed. Also, general design principles are to be reviewed. According to all these issues, recommendations to designing
Towards educational data mining: Using data mining methods for automated chat analysis to understand
In this paper we investigate the application of data mining methods to provide learners with real-time adaptive feedback on the nature and patterns of their on-line communication while learning collaboratively.We derived two models
for classifying chat messages using data mining techniques and tested these on an actual data set [16]. The reliability of the classification of chat messages is established by comparing the models performance to that of humans. Results indicate that the classificatio
Usability of virtual learning environment for learning java
It is widely stated that learning to program is very difficult in the traditional manner. To help novices learn object-oriented programming in Java more easily, we have developed the electronic Java virtual learning environment. In this paper, we discuss the usability of the learning environment and principles how to implement a usable learning environment. Considering the usability testing of the environment from the beginning stage of the development process, should improve the qualitative cha
Scripting argumentation in technology enhanced learning: a proposed system architecture
Argumentative knowledge construction is an important component of critical thinking. Learners who collaboratively argue about a subject can potentially develop domain knowledge and have the opportunity to use evidence critically in order to make sense of the subject under consideration. Moreover learners have to take into account claims and evidence of each other during argumentation and in this way they develop mental models for argument construction and sequence. However, research indicates th
The virtual training center: a support tool for teachers community
Communities of practice for teachers are emerging, where the issues of life long learning of in-service teacher is supported by a collective effort and by applying modern methodologies and tools. The paper describes how effective support to teachers communities is achieved by means of a Virtual Training Center, that is the virtual meeting place of the community, which was built during the I*Teach pilot project. Teachers who have similar goals, but few opportunities to physically meet each other
I*teach methodology in school practice
One of the assumptions of secondary education is that students are to acquire numerous ICT-related skills. The computer has become an essential element of live, both at school and outside it. Using ICT tools students can structure their knowledge, prepare images, create banks of data and analyze it, write reports and other text documents. Electronic mail, discussion lists, forums and other online applications facilitate communication and cooperation. World Wide Web gives an easy access to immens
Ontology development for computersupported collaborative learning scripts
This paper presents an ongoing effort to develop an ontology for Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) Scripts. Our work merges the field of collaborative learning with the field of semantic web and provides a framework for the formalization of collaboration scripts using the OWL language. Collaboration scripts are didactic scenarios that prescribe learnersÂ’ interactions in collaborative settings. A script comprises a number of phases and each phase specifies the activity that learne
Development of an electronic course based on the i*teach methodology with the use of the ims learnin
The paper is a demonstration of the use of active methods of learning and IMS Learning design (IMS LD) specification for the development of portable and reusable electronic course. It demonstrates how Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can enhance the process of teacher training, and how this can be used for Lifelong Competence Development of teachers. The paper shows how units of learning developed according to the IMS LD specification can integrate the contemporary active methods
The “Blakkat” Software for Tagging Online Language Learner Corpora: Issues in SLA Assessment and R
This paper aims at showing, through a case study, one possible application of Computer Learner Corpus (CLC) to Network Based Language Teaching (NBLT). Research has shown how CLC can be used both for Second Language Acquisiton (SLA) research and Foreign Language Teaching (FLT), especially if they are tagged, that is, if interpretative annotations are added to the corpus (e.g. error annotations). Online learning generally takes place inside virtual environments where learners exchange mainly writt
Learning a New Game: Usability, Gender and Education
This research study aims to investigate the usability issues of a computer game; regarding how people learn a new game. Because the user characteristic and the strategies they use while learning a new tool are important factors for usability, they were also taken into account in the study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the study. 16 participants played the computer game. They were also observed and their eye-movements were recorded by an eye tracking device. Results show
Mainstreaming AIED into Education?
What will Education look like in 2010, and what will be its problems? Will AIED have anything substantial to offer, and what can we do to maximise its contributions? We argue that Education is, for understandable reasons, the discipline of classroom teaching and learning, with some attention paid to learning by individuals but very little indeed to teaching that is effective in a one-to-one situation. Further, it is not strong in formulating precise theories of learning and teaching. It is there
Combining Knowledge Awareness and Information Filtering in an Open-ended Collaborative Learning Envi
Knowledge awareness (KA) has been proposed to increase collaboration opportunities in an open ended and collaborative learning environment. To encourage collaboration, an individual userâs agent called KA-Agent autonomously informs the learner about up-to-the-minute activities from other learners. For instance, a message might be ãsomeone is looking at the same knowledge that you are looking at.ä Although this message, called active KA, is very useful to create real-time collaboration, a larg
