Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

Bayesian networks are commonly used in cognitive student modeling and assessment. They typically represent the item-concepts relationships, where items are observable responses to questions or exercises and concepts represent latent traits and skills. Bayesian networks can also represent concepts-concepts and concepts-misconceptions relationships. We explore their use for modeling item-item relationships, in accordance with the theory of . We compare two Bayesian frameworks for that purpose, a standard Bayesian network approach and a more constrained framework that relies on a local independence assumption. Their performance is compared over their respective ability to predict item outcome and through simulations over two data sets. The simulation results show that both approaches can effectively perform accurate predictions, but the constrained approach shows higher predictive power than a Bayesian Network. We discuss the applications of item to item structure for cognitive modeling within different contexts.

The libre software development model has shown how combining collective intelligence can lead to revolutionary methods that underpin major software advancements. This paper argues that the time is ripe to examine the application of this model to the development of educational materials where not only teachers but also students can become actively involved in the creation of educational content. The paper describes a novel, platform, developed within the Edukalibre project, to support the creation of collaboratively constructed educational materials. The paper presents the Edukalibre collaborative editing system that provides easy access to core technologies composed of a document repository with version control management and conversion tools to produce several formats for each document. Two different collaborative editing interfaces – COLLAB and ConDOR – have been implemented. Based on evaluation studies with COLLAB and ConDOR, we discuss several pedagogical and technological issues related to the deployment of community-driven development of educational content.

This article describes a study of distance collaborative activities that have been conducted in a cross-national setting between a Greek and a German university. We discuss issues related to organization, technology, and curricula considerations. In addition, we analyze the modes of cooperation that have been chosen in the students’ work on creative problem solving tasks and conclude that for complex learning scenarios successful collaboration and peer tutoring in advanced learning support environments is possible, but requires careful preparation and planning. Further we draw conclusions on possible wider implications for such approaches in the emerging common European Area of Higher Education in the frame of the Bologna process.

Enhancement of learning with technology has been accelerating thanks to the advancement of information technology (IT) and the development of IT standards for learning. The purpose of this study is to build a still more advanced engineering infrastructure of utilization of instructional and learning theories for practitioners in line with such development. This paper discusses a modeling framework for instructional and learning theories based on ontological engineering and the compliance of IMS LD to theoretical knowledge.

Chat is used in many learning scenarios and platforms for synchronous communication support. Up to now evaluation of chat communication requires time consuming manual coding and analysis of the chat transcript. In this paper we present a method that combines manual and automatic steps: (1) chat transcripts are manually referenced, i.e. for each chat contribution it is determined to which previous contribution it refers to. (2) the referenced chat transcripts are structurally analysed by calculating different measures. The results of this structure analysis help to evaluate the learning chat and indicate where further (manual) analyses might be helpful. In addition, the ability of chat to support a certain type of learning scenario can be evaluated. We then discuss how chat can be improved by providing functionality for explicit referencing to the participants during the chat. The evaluation of a university seminar in the winter term 2004/2005 that used the tool KOLUMBUS Chat shows that references are used to different extents and not continuously. We analyse the reasons for (not) using explicit references. The results provide hints about the technical and organisational design for learning chats using references.

We propose a mediator architecture that allows a learning system to retrieve learning objects from heterogeneous repositories. A mediating component accepts queries formulated in a uniform query language, translates them into repository specific queries and passes them to each connected repository. For the translation of queries, a novel ontology-based query-rewriting method has been developed. The architecture has been realized in the Web-based, user-adaptive and interactive e-learning environment . Currently, it enables the ’s course planner to access four heterogeneous learning object repositories.

School education today aims at improving the integration of school and professional life. A popular way to provide first hand experiences to students are guided factory tours. Companies are highly interested in establishing contacts to school classes, but guided tours to factories are subject to constraints on both sides. For schools, they require organizational effort, are not easy to integrate into educational routine, and are limited to the factories within reach. For companies, guided tours for school classes are restricted because of safety issues and because they disturb the working processes. Considering these restrictions, interactive guided factory tours are a valuable opportunity, as they enable school classes to actively take part in guided factory tours via internet. This paper discusses the technical, organizational, and pedagogical requirements of guided and interactive factory tours, presenting an interaction model, a role set, a technical solution, and best practices.

The study’s aim was to develop effective ICT based teaching strategies through a series of trials using theoretically grounded ICT task designs targeted at specific adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL learning objectives. Both the development of literacy skills through the use of ICT and the acquisition and development of ICT skills were examined. Working with a group of nine practitioners who agreed to participate both as teachers and as action researchers, we developed nine teaching interventions based on schemes of work that embedded ICT literacy within adult Literacy, Language and Numeracy classes as well as introducing new pedagogical techniques. Seven of these projects were taken into an intervention phase were the approaches and strategies employed were evaluated. Involvement of tutors was a key element of this process, both in deciding on the development of the ICT interventions and in the research process through reflection on their developing practice using ICT.  Participants were, interviewed, observed, and the learners were assessed at the start and end of their 8 week course for attainment in reading and listening skills in English, as well as background, attitude and attainment in ICT literacy through bespoke questionnaires and assessment materials matched to the Skills for Life ICT curriculum. Findings support hypotheses that use of ICT boosts adult learners’ confidence in learning as well as rapidly gain ICT skills and double the value of study time by acquiring two sets of skills.

Mobile technology enhanced learning pertains to the delivery of multimedia learning resource onto mobile end devices such as cell phones and PDAs. It also aims at supporting personalized adaptive learning in a community context. This paper presents a novel approach to supporting both aspects. The community aware content adaptation employs the MPEG-7 and MPEG-21 multimedia metadata standards to present the best possible information to mobile end devices. Meanwhile, interest patterns are derived from a community aware context analysis. We designed and developed a technology enhanced learning platform supporting architecture professionals’ study at city excursions and other mobile tasks.

It is extremely challenging to get an overview of the state-of-the-art in technology enhanced learning in Europe. Rapid technological and pedagogical innovations, constantly changing markets, a vivid number of small and medium enterprises, complex policy processes, ongoing political and societal debates on the pros and cons of technology enhanced leaning, combined with many languages and different cultures, make it almost impossible for people to be informed. We want to introduce the media base and the measure tools for pattern-based cross media social network analysis, created by the PROLEARN network of excellence in professional learning. The main goal of this endeavour is the reduction of complexity for actors in digital social networks by applying ideas from social software and already successful methods for complexity reduction, such as information visualization, social network analysis and pattern languages.