Josep Prieto

Providing Information Security to MOOC: Towards Effective Student Authentication

Despite the vertiginous growth and fast development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) over the last two years, there exist still relevant drawbacks that impede MOOCs to prove their actual potential for education. Among these drawbacks, we investigate the lack of provision of Information Security to MOOC, with regards to anomalous user authentication, which cannot verify the actual students identity to meet grading requirements as well as satisfy accrediting institutions. In order to overcome this issue, we propose a global user authentication model called MOOC-SIA.

Exploiting the Semantic Web to Represent Information from On-line Collaborative Learning

Abstract In this paper we propose a framework for modeling, representing populating and enriching information from online collaborative sessions within Web forums. The main piece of the framework is an ontology called Collaborative Session Conceptual Schema (CS2) that allows for specifying collaborative sessions. The paper describes the information this ontology needs to know, the alignment of the ontology with the ontologies of relevant specifications, how the ontology can be automatically populated from the data existent in forums, and how to model such data about what is happening during the collaboration by using a dialogue-based model. This model is based on primitive exchange moves found in any forum posts, which are then categorized at different description levels with the aim to effectively collect and classify the type and intention of the forum posts. An experiment has been conducted to assess the validity and usefulness of the presented approach. The research reported in this paper is currently...

Information Security in Support for Mobile Collaborative Learning

This paper presents a study on information security considerations in mobile collaborative learning and how security plays a significant role in the design and implementation processes of e-Learning in general and collaborative learning in particular. Recent mobile technological advances offer further opportunities for these educational paradigms to be greatly exploited. In this context, over the last years, there has been an increasing attention and demand of new requirements related to information security, becoming a key requirement in e-Learning systems. However, the development of mobile supported collaborative learning guided by security as a key and transverse factor has been, to the best of our knowledge, little investigated. In order to improve collaborative learning security when adopting mobile learning models, we have investigated new security approaches, which may be applied in this context. To reach this goal, this paper provides firstly an overview of secure learning management systems, inspecting which are the most relevant factors to consider, and connecting this approach to specific aspects for mobile collaborative learning. Then, we report on real-life experience in security attacks in m-Learning showing a practical perspective of the learning management system vulnerabilities. From this experience and considerations, finally, the main guidelines for the design of security solutions applied to improve mobile collaborative learning are proposed.

Providing Security to Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: An Overview

Over the last two decades, a great variety of forms of e-Learning has been widely adopted and intensively exploited in most of educational institutions. As a result, e-Learning needs have been evolving accordingly with more and more demanding pedagogical and technological requirements. Given the added pedagogical value of group work, Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning has become one of the most influencing educational paradigms devoted to improve teaching and learning by the use of modern ICT. On the other hand, recently, there has been an increasing attention and demand of new requirements related to information security, with the aim to enhance the learning efficacy by adopting a secure perspective for each and every learning process and resource, as well as the information transmitted and shared. However, the development of CSCL systems guided by security as a key and transversal requirement has been, to the best of our knowledge, little investigated. In order to fill this gap, this paper provides firstly an overview of the current developments of CSCL systems from the security perspective. Then, the paper discusses on the problems caused in collaborative learning processes by the lack of security. Finally, the main guidelines for the design of secure CSCL systems are proposed to guide developers to incorporate security as an essential requirement into the collaborative learning process.

Security in online web learning assessment

This paper proposes a trustworthiness model for the design of secure learning assessment in on-line web collaborative learning groups. Although computer supported collaborative learning has been widely adopted in many educational institutions over the last decade, there exist still drawbacks which limit their potential in collaborative learning activities. Among these limitations, we investigate information security requirements in on-line assessment, (e-assessment), which can be developed in collaborative learning contexts. Despite information security enhancements have been developed in recent years, to the best of our knowledge, integrated and holistic security models have not been completely carried out yet. Even when security advanced methodologies and technologies are deployed in learning management systems, too many types of vulnerabilities still remain opened and unsolved. Therefore, new models such as trustworthiness approaches can overcome these lacks and support e-assessment requirements for e-Learning. To this end, a holistic security model is designed, implemented and evaluated in a real context of e-Learning. Implications of this study are remarked for secure assessment in on-line collaborative learning through effective trustworthiness approaches.

A methodological approach for trustworthiness assessment and prediction in mobile online collaborative learning

Trustworthiness and technological security solutions are closely related to online collaborative learning and they can be combined with the aim of reaching information security requirements for e-Learning participants and designers. Moreover, mobile collaborative learning is an emerging educational model devoted to providing the learner with the ability to assimilate learning any time and anywhere. In this paper, we justify the need of trustworthiness models as a functional requirement devoted to improving information security. To this end, we propose a methodological approach to modelling trustworthiness in online collaborative learning. Our proposal sets out to build a theoretical approach with the aim to provide e-Learning designers and managers with guidelines for incorporating security into mobile online collaborative activities through trustworthiness assessment and prediction. Methodology to modelling trustworthiness in mobile online collaborative learningGuidelines for incorporating security into mobile online collaborative activitiesProvide trustworthiness assessment methodsTrustworthiness prediction based on a neuronal network approachEvaluation of trustworthiness prediction and methodology on real online courses

Towards a Normalized Trustworthiness Approach to Enhance Security in On-Line Assessment

This paper proposes an approach to enhance information security in on-line assessment based on a normalized trustworthiness model. Among collaborative e-Learning drawbacks which are not completely solved, we have investigated information security requirements in on-line assessment (e-assessment). To the best of our knowledge, security requirements cannot be reached with technology alone, therefore, new models such as trustworthiness approaches can complete technological solutions and support e-assessment requirements for e-Learning. Although trustworthiness models can be defined and included as a service in e-assessment security frameworks, there are multiple factors related to trustworthiness which cannot be managed without normalization. Among these factors we discuss trustworthiness multiple sources, different data source formats, measure techniques and other trustworthiness factors such as rules, evolution or context. Hence, in this paper, we justify why trustworthiness normalization is needed and a normalized trustworthiness model is proposed by reviewing existing normalization procedures for trustworthy values applied to e-assessments. Eventually, we examine the potential of our normalized trustworthiness model in a real online collaborative learning course.

A Methodological Approach to Modelling Trustworthiness in Online Collaborative Learning

Trustworthiness and technological security solutions are closely related to online collaborative learning as they can be combined with the aim of reaching information security requirements for e-Learning participants and designers. In this paper, we justify the need of trustworthiness models as a functional requirement devoted to improve information security. To this end, we propose a methodological approach to modelling trustworthiness in online collaborative learning. Our proposal sets out to build a theoretical approach with the aim to provide e-Learning designers and managers with guidelines for incorporating security into online collaborative activities through trustworthiness assessment and prediction.

Predicting Trustworthiness Behavior to Enhance Security in On-line Assessment

Over the last decade, information security has been considered a key issue in e-Learning design. Although security requirements can be met with advanced technological approaches and these solutions offer feasible methods in many e-Learning scenarios, on-line assessment activities usually show specific issues that cannot be solved with technology alone. In addition, security vulnerabilities in on-line assessment impede the development of an overall model devoted to manage secure on-line assessment. In this paper, we propose an innovative approach to enhance technological security solutions with trustworthiness. To this end, we endow previous trustworthiness models with prediction features by composing trustworthiness modeling and assessment, normalization methods, history sequences, and neural network-based approaches. In order to validate our approach, we present a peer-to-peer on-line assessment model carried out in a real online course.

Towards the Representation of Emotional Information from On-Line Collaborative Learning Sessions

There have been great efforts in the semantic web community so far in order to provide specifications, standards and ontologies to facilitate semantic processes in the web. Our aim is to take advantage of these works as much as possible for the purpose of modelling and representing information and knowledge of collaborative learning in the context of online web forums. To this end, an ontological framework that allows for representing information about collaborative activities realized using online web forums has been created and used to support the virtualization of collaborative sessions, creating animated storyboards that reproduce collaborative sessions from the web forums of virtual classrooms. Even though the information from the framework has proven to be enough to create animated storyboards, we realized that certain emotional information about the opinion (or the sentiment) of each user would be very useful in improving the final representation of the information. This paper presents an extension of a previous ontological framework to include emotional information about the sentiment and opinion of students when collaborating. The research reported in this paper is currently undertaken within a FP7 European project called ALICE.