Successfully Composing Personalised eLearning: Adaptive Learning Design Technologies and Implementation

Declan Dagger, Trinity College, IE
Vincent Wade, Trinity College, IE

Designing Personalised eLearning involves the unique combination of adaptive technologies, knowledge modelling and pedagogic design. This unique tutorial provides an overview of key personalisation technologies and modelling approaches to support dynamic adaptive eLearning. These techniques and technologies are presented within a framework of best practice in active learning strategies. The tutorial not only describes a comprehensive development approach to adaptive eLearning (capable of being used with a wide range of adaptive learning technologies and standards) but also provides a hands-on opportunity to develop adaptive eLearning experiences with a leading Personalised eLearning Development Environment (ACCT), compliant with the latest IMS LD Standards.

At the end of this tutorial, you will be able to:

Identify key insights into adaptive eLearning design
Develop a range of knowledge models – from domain and content modelling to learning activity, personalisation and pedagogic models
Gain insights into the emerging standards in adaptive eLearning
Gain experience in designing and realizing your own adaptive eLearning experience

About the Presenters

Vincent Wade is the Director for the Knowledge and Data Engineering Group in Trinity College Dublin and a senior academic in the Department of Computer Science, Trinity College Dublin. He was awarded Fellowship of Trinity College for his contribution to research in 2002. He is the founder of the Centre for Learning Technology in TCD and is currently Director of that Centre. Vincent is a visiting scientist at IBM’s Centre for Advanced Studies in Dublin Ireland. He is author of over one hundred scientific papers in peer reviewed research journals and international conference and has received six ‘best paper’ awards for his publications in IEEE, IFIP and AACE Conferences in the last seven years. Vincent has chaired and organized many international conferences, workshops, panels and round table events at many international conferences. Most recently he is Programme Chair of Ah2006 and was Programme Chair for the International Conference on ‘Managing Ubiquitous Communications Services’ MUCS 2004, hosted in TCD. Vincent regularly participates on the scientific programme committee for W3C’s WWW Conference Series, IEEE’s DSOM, IM and NOMS Conferences series, AACE’s EdMedia and ELearn Conference series for nearly ten years and is a reviewer for many ACM and IEEE journals including IEEE Communication, IEEE Network.

For more details see homepage of Vicent Wade.

Declan Dagger is a research associate in the Knowledge and Data Engineering Group (KDEG) in the Department of Computer Science, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Ireland. His core research topics are the modelling of pedagogical and instructional design strategies and processes, adaptivity mechanisms, learning activities, subject matter domains (domain ontologies) and the processes and strategies involved with adaptive course composition. Research carried out by Declan has lead to the creation of a toolkit for composing, customising, testing, deploying, collaborating on, and reusing educational resources to produce personalised eLearning experiences, called the Adaptive Course Construction Toolkit (ACCT).

For more details see homepage of Declan Dagger.

Tutorial Content

Key steps in Designing adaptive eLearning
Knowledge for Adaptive Learning Technologies:
- Architecture, Adaptive Knowledge Models (Learner, Subject (domain), Pedagogy, Learning Activities, Content, Adaptive Axes & Properties)
- Standards for adaptive eLearning: IMS LD & Simple Sequencing
Adaptive Technologies: Rule based adaptive Inferencing engines, Knowledge representation techniques (Semantic web techniques)
Composition tools – state of the art survey & identification of key features for composition tools
ACCT Methodology for Designing successful adaptive eLearning
Designing Personalised eLearning (interactive session using state of the art adaptive eLearning toolsets)

Schedule

40 Minutes: Discussion and Demonstrations

This involves a series of discussions and demonstrations of:

Key steps in Designing adaptive eLearning
Knowledge for Adaptive Learning Technologies:
- Architecture, Adaptive Knowledge Models (Learner, Subject (domain), Pedagogy, Learning Activities, Content, Adaptive Axes & Properties).
- Standards for adaptive eLearning: IMS LD & Simple Sequencing
Adaptive Technologies: Rule based adaptive Inference engines, Knowledge representation techniques (Semantic web techniques)
Composition tools – state of the art survey & identification of key features for composition tools
ACCT Methodology for Designing successful adaptive eLearning

75 Minutes: Designing Personalised eLearning with the ACCT

This section of the tutorial contains a series of activities to engage the participants (either using the ACCT or paper based). The activities include;

Selection and the customisation of pedagogical strategies (Narrative Structures).
Selection of Activities
Modification and selection of subject matter concepts (Subject Matter Concept Space)
Search and Selection of Learning Resource Candidates
Addition of Personalisation to your eLearning design
Evaluating the personalisation affects of the personalised eLearning experience developed using the ACCT

15 Minutes: Break

30 Minutes: Testing and Deploying Personalised eLearning

This section of the tutorial contains a further series of activities to engage the participants. The activities include;

Publishing personalised eLearning designs to a generic personalised eLearning service
1. Building a Learner Model
2. Executing the personalised eLearning based on the created Learner Model
3. Publishing personalised eLearning as an IMS Learning Design Package

20 Minutes: Evaluation, Feedback and Discussion

The participants are asked to complete a detailed questionnaire regarding the activities of the tutorial, the organisation of the tutorial and the benefits it gave them (in an effort to improve future tutorials).

Target Audience

Researchers in the area of adaptive systems, adaptive eLearning composition tools and standards for personalisation
Researchers in eLearning innovations
Practitioners in personalisation and eLearning development

Prerequisite Knowledge and Preparation

An awareness of eLearning technologies and adaptive hypermedia would be beneficial to the participants of this tutorial.

Expected Results

The expected results of this tutorial are to provide the participants with the ability to;

Identify key insights into adaptive eLearning design
Develop a range of knowledge models – from domain and content modelling to learning activity, personalisation and pedagogic models
Gain insights into the emerging standards in adaptive eLearning
Gain experience in designing and realizing your own adaptive eLearning experience

Tutorial 2