Impact of context-awareness on the architecture of learning support systems

Recently, the situatedness of learning has come to the center of attention in both research and practice, also a result of the insight that traditional learning methods in the form of large decontextualized courses lead to inert knowledge; i.e., knowledge that can be reproduced, but not applied to real-world problem solving. In order to avoid the inertness, pedagogy tries to set up authentic learning settings, an approach increasingly shared in e-learning domain. If we consider professional training, it is the immediacy of purpose and context that makes it largely different to learning in schools or academic education. This immediacy has the benefit that we actually have an authentic context that we need to preserve. The majority of current e-learning approaches, however, ignores this context and provides decontextualized forms of learning as a multimedia copy of traditional presence seminars. We show how making learning solutions aware of the context actually affects their architecture and present a showcase solution in the form of the Learning in Process service-oriented architecture.

E-learning systems reengineering

In this chapter we propose functional specifications and a component-based architecture for designing e-learning platforms. An important feature is that the proposed specifications and architecture are based on the experience gained in an e-learning company and result from a reengineering process. To guide the reengineering process, we used two reference models, which are the e-learning global process and the e-learning global cycle. The functional specifications are described according to the e-learning global cycle phases and they are used to propose a software component based architecture. The proposed kernel of components was completed with services to allow interoperability and standard compliance between several e-learning platforms. We hope that this case-study exemplifies e-learning platform suppliers’ needs and available pragmatic solutions. We conclude on foreseeable evolutions of e-learning actors needs and practices and on new platform features for fulfilling such needs.

Architectures of Existing and Conceptual Applications of Podcasting in E-learning Systems

Podcasting has quickly emerged as a leading technology in the new field of mobile learning. Tracing this new technology’s history over the past two years reveals just how broadly the use of digital audio files may become in the fields of education and training. The ease of use, low cost of creation and hosting, and most importantly pervasiveness of user access to compatible hardware combine to make podcasting a major force in both traditional and distance education. This chapter explores the history, technology, and application of podcasting as an instructional tool.

From e Learning to m Learning

The term e learning indicates products that differ very much both in services supplied and in design. E learning platforms do not necessarily involve networking as a fundamental component. However, networking is important both to ease access to course material and to support interaction among users. Networking should be exploited to allow remote access to students who cannot be present at lessons, to allow asynchronous learning whenever students have time, to supply users with tools for cooperative learning regardless of their physical location. The spread of wireless networking technologies and their standardization will lead to innovations in all three of these aspects. This chapter focuses on the services whose deployment computer networks make possible in order to boost interactivity, cooperation and involvement in learning, with specific attention to ubiquitous learning and for the impact of wireless technologies on the general framework.

An Adaptive e-learning Platform for Personalized Course Generation

In this chapter we show the technical and methodological aspects of an e-learning platform for automatic course personalization built during the European funded project Diogene. The system we propose is composed of different knowledge modules and some inference tools. The knowledge modules represent the system’s information about both the domain-specific didactic material and the student model. By exploiting such information the system automatically builds courses whose didactic material is customized to meet the current student’s degree of knowledge and her/his learning preferences. Concerning the latter, we have adopted the Felder and Silverman’s pedagogical approach in order to match the student’s learning styles with the system Learning Objects’ types. Finally, we take care to describe the system’s didactic material by means of some present standards for e-learning in order to allow knowledge sharing with other e-learning platforms and knowledge searching by means of possible Semantic Web information retrieval facilities.

Accessibility, Digital Libraries and Semantic Web Standards in an E-Learning Architecture

As people have come to realize that the use of technology can improve the learning process, so e-learning has increased in importance. However e-learning tools are not usually developed to interoperate with each other, making the creation of a fully functional environment a difficult task. Aware of this problem, organizations such as IMS Global Learning Consortium, Advanced Distributed Learning and IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee are working to develop technical standards, recommended best practices and guides for learning technology. There are also proposals for e-learning architectures which try to structure and describe the fundamental components to be included in this kind of environment. The main aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of existing standards and e-learning architectures, discussing their evolution and presenting the most significant results and initiatives. In addition, accessibility, digital libraries and semantic web technologies are discussed within this context.

Collaborative E-Learning System and E-Pedagogy

This chapter describes collaborative e-Learning system and e-Pedagogy with Learning Resource Infrastructure for distributed knowledge sharing. In background section, we start to discuss the design of e-Learning environment, collaborative learning and pedagogical framework, and pedagogical considerations of collaborative learning. Next, we introduce RAPSODY-EX that is a collaborative learning and knowledge management system, with meaning of RAPSODY-EX in Learning Resource Infrastructure system, and knowledge market. Then the schema of RAPSODY-EX is described with these topics, agent’s roles in Learning Resource Infrastructure, schema and functions of learning resource, collaborative memory, and function of RAPSODY-EX. In addition, we give examples of knowledge management in RAPSODY-EX. Finally, it is portrayed the standardization of collaborative technology in WG2, ISO/IEC-JTC/SC36, as a future trend.

Moving Towards a Generic, Service-based Architecture for Flexible Teaching and Learning Activities

Modern, computer-supported learning must go far beyond simply delivering learning content in a one-fit-for-all approach to students. It instead should include a variety of didactic aspects and cognitive characteristics. Furthermore, diverse systems and information must be taken into account for individualized learning processes. In light of this information, the objective of this chapter is to delineate an open, distributed, and service-based architecture for flexible teaching and learning activities. Backed by relevant research strands in this context, an architecture for an enhanced e-learning system developed within the AdeLE research project shall be depicted and experiences gained so far will be discussed. Based on this, a proposal is given for a generic and flexible architecture for adaptive e-learning towards the end of this chapter.

From Learning Objects to Adaptive Content Services for E-Learning

This paper argues that a new generation of powerful E-learning systems could start on the crossroads of two emerging fields: courseware re-use and adaptive educational systems. We argue for a new distributed architecture for E-learning systems based on the idea of adaptive reusable content services. This paper discusses problems that have to be solved on the way to the new organization of E-learning and reviews existing approaches and tools that are paving the way to next generation E-learning systems. It also presents two pioneer systems - APeLS and KnowledgeTree that have attempted to develop a new service-based architecture for adaptive E-learning.

Design and Evaluation of Web-based Learning Environments using Information Foraging Models

In this chapter methods and tools for effective design and evaluation of web-based learning environments are presented. The main aspect addressed by this proposal is that of increasing findability of information in large web sites of learning information content by applying methods and tools based on the information foraging model. It is argued that through this approach, issues of learning content structure and usability may be also addressed. In particular, we propose four different ways to have information foraging theory informing the design. Directives, to ensure proper learning content structuring and cues with strong scent, tools based on LSA to automate the design and evaluation process, methods to construct archetypal learner’s profiles from user data and added functions to realise collaborative information filtering and personal information patch creation, thus allowing learners to organize their reference materials in a meaningful and constructive way.