Anna Pierri

A New Model for Storytelling Complex Learning Objects

This paper focuses the attention on a particular complex learning resource, namely storytelling that is characterized by its capability to support high-level learning processes thanks to a remediation of languages, strategies and roles. In the traditional forms of storytelling, a story is told to learners in a predefined way (also known as plot). This approach is called plot-based. An alternative approach is known as character-based. The plot-based approach fails to model the dynamic behaviors of virtual characters. On the other hand, the character-based approach focuses on designing the specific behaviors or actions of the virtual characters. In this work a Storytelling Design Model is defined in order to provide pedagogy-based guidelines to the design of Storytelling Complex Learning Objects taking care of both the plot-based and character-based approaches.

Improving Role Taking in CSCL Script Using SNA and Semantic Web

Designing effective CSCL processes is a complex task that can be supported by existing good practices formulated as pedagogical patterns or script. Over the past years the TEE research has shown that CSCL script acts as Mediating Artifacts (MA) designing educational scenarios and structuring and prescribing roles and activities. This work proposes an approach, based on Social Network Analysis and Semantic Web, in order to improve definition and instantiation phases of IMS-LD scripts.

Emotion-based digital storytelling for risk education: empirical evidences from the ALICE project

Getting citizens prepared to emergencies, and especially children, is an essential issue which requires special attention in the educational process. Many evidences show that misconceptions about natural disaster and incorrect beliefs are often the basis for misguided actions that can lead to inefficient behaviours in case of dangerous events. Then school has a major role in the development of ‘disaster-aware’ citizens, since it is asked to design appropriate resources and select suitable methods able to guarantee retention and progression of the learning process. Teaching emergency preparedness involves studying several complex topics and more than some studies have shown that storytelling can be an effective method for teaching subjects that are intricate in nature. The educational technology considers research on construction of digital storytelling as an educational challenge. Digital narratives even gain noticeable importance when users’ emotions are taken into account. Basing on these considerations, we propose in this work an adaptive, dynamic and narrative-based digital artefact in which emotions are used to rebalance the learners’ status. We experimented this learning resource to teach earthquake preparedness in Italian secondary schools.

Adaptive Peer Grading and Formative Assessment

Peer grading is a process whereby students are required to grade some of their peers’ assignments as part of their own assignment. Peer grading is capable of improving students’ learning outcomes, metacognition and critical thinking and, at the same time, it can support formative assessment, saving teacher’s time and providing fast feedback, especially for large classes. In this paper we report the results of an experiment where a technology supported peer grading exercise has been assigned to students within a University course on calculus and linear algebra. To improve the reliability of students’ grades, several approaches have been experimented and the obtained results have been compared to grades coming from the teacher. Moreover, we attempted to understand how the peer grading task has contributed to reinforce the development of student’s explanation and argumentation processes

Enhancing Educational Experiences with Remediation Theory: The Case of the FIBAC Project

The paper reports the results related to the application of the FIBAC cultural re-mediation model for the development of an interactive educational experience. The FIBAC model remediates a cultural resource not only with regard to media and the ICT but mainly with regard to its meaning and associated knowledge generating, thus, knowledge paths able to add new meaning to a cultural resource. To contextualize this model for educational and scientific museums, we frame the re-mediation in a didactic model based on the Kolb learning cycle and Brousseau theory of didactic situations, namely the Virtual Scientific Experiment. We evaluated our results with a Proof-of-Concept based on a physic experiment exposed in a real Italian scientific museum.

Ontology-Based System for Enterprise 2.0

Enterprise 2.0 is mainly focused on answering to people needs and to stimulate flexibility, adaptability and innovation. Ontologies define a common vocabulary to share domain information and are used to state the meaning of terms used in data produced, shared and consumed within the context of Semantic Web applications. In this paper we propose a conceptual architecture where ontologies are used to support the social, open and adaptive views of Enterprise 2.0. We also show how the main elements of the architecture can be exploit in an organizational e-learning scenario.

Competence Management in e-Learning Systems: a possible approach

The need expressed by the single individual in a lifelong learning context is to have a personalized training able to facilitate the reaching of specifc competences, to take into account not only the knowledge but also the sector-based skills. This explication has led the Polo di Eccellenza L&K research group to defne an innovative Competence management model. This model has been obtained from an extension of the Knowledge Model used by the e-learning platform Intelligent Web Teacher. It is, in fact, the result of the combination of the Domain ontology, underlying the IWT Knowledge Model, with an Application ontology according to the meaning used by Paquette (2007) in his vision.

Personalized Learning in Mathematics

This work shows an innovative solution in order to enable the predisposition to the mathematics, by using auto-regulation of learning objectives, personalization for obtaining, in such a way, a learning path more compliant to the learners needs. For addressing these objectives, the learning platform IWT has been integrated with the Wolfram Mathematica environment and new and interactive Learning Objects that show the potentiality of the symbolic calculus.

Semantically connected learning resources fostering intuitive guided learning

If on the one hand the individualised teaching approaches try to find the best sequence of learning resources capable of satisfying individual goals, preferences and contexts, the intuitive guided learning approaches, on the other hand, envisages a non-linear learning experience where each learner can chose a personal path across the material according to his/her interests and preferences. In this paper we present a model, a methodology and a software prototype that is able to combine the advantages of both approaches by introducing the concept of ‘compound learning resource’: complex didactic artefacts where content is organised in pages and navigation among pages is user-driven. The pages are linked through semantic connections that have a two-fold function: they guide the learners’ navigation, and allow the dynamic adaptation of the resource according to learners’ needs and preferences (individualisation). Experimental results with real users in a university context are also presented as well as a comparison with similar systems.

An Innovative Approach to Improve the Performances of the Research Community

This proposal adopts an approach based on a synergy between collaborative learning theories, semantic technologies and soft computing techniques to improve the performances of a research community. It is proposed a model of Virtual Organization based on three interconnected layers that can facilitate in-time retrieval of geo-located competences and skills, the recall of ad hoc services for setting a collaborative-oriented workspace and the access to geo-referenced resource repositories. This model proposes an experimental use of the Semantic Web (Domain Ontologies, Taxonomies, Upper Ontologies, etc...) and we will explain the added value it can bring to the Knowledge Communities research field.