Michael Derntl

Patterns for blended, Person-Centered learning: strategy, concepts, experiences, and evaluation

Within the last few years, e-learning has become a focal point in several universities and organizations. While much research has been devoted to producing e-content, describing it with metadata, and to constructing e-learning platforms, less attention has been paid to using technology to improve the learning process in terms of depth and scope. Our research is targeted at filling this gap by considering learning support from a technical as well as socio-psychological perspective. We investigate how these two worlds can be brought together to result in maximum cross-fertilization. In this paper we focus on conceptual modeling of successful blended learning processes, their semi-formal description as patterns, and on the use of patterns as sources for the derivation of web-based templates. We report on experiences and evaluations of employing patterns in the context of blended, Person-Centered learning in technical subjects. Our major conclusion is that blended learning has added value only if designed thoughtfully and accompanied by high interpersonal skills of instructors.

Modeling context-aware e-learning scenarios

In the last decade, e-learning has been introduced to a variety of blended learning scenarios, such as life-long learning, university lectures, and game-based learning. In all these scenarios the learners situation or context is an essential asset in designing the learning process. Recent research suggests aiding the design process through the use of visual modeling approaches. Pervasive computing environments particularly call for extending these approaches in terms of enhanced context-awareness. This paper addresses these needs by introducing a UML-based modeling extension for explicitly including relationships between context and learning activities in the learning design models. The feasibility and applicability of our approach is demonstrated by a laboratory lecture case study, and respectively by a context-aware learning prototype that was developed using RFID technology for sensing of nearby persons and physical resources.

The Conceptual Structure of IMS Learning Design Does Not Impede Its Use for Authoring

IMS Learning Design (LD) is the only available interoperability specification in the area of technology enhanced learning that allows the definition and orchestration of complex activity flows and resource environments in a multirole setting. IMS LD has been available since 2003, and yet it has not been widely adopted either by practitioners or by institutions. Much current IMS LD research seems to accept the assumption that a key barrier to adoption is the specifications conceptual complexity impeding the authoring process. This paper presents an empirical study to test this assumption. Study participants were asked to transform a given textual design description into an IMS LD unit of learning using 1) paper snippets representing IMS LD elements and 2) authoring software. The results show that teachers with little or no previous IMS LD knowledge were able to solve a design task that required the use of all IMS LD elements at levels A and B. An additional finding is that the authoring software did not facilitate people in producing better solutions than those who used paper snippets. This evidence suggests that conceptual complexity does not impede effective IMS LD authoring, so the barriers to adoption appear to lie elsewhere.

ILDE: Community Environment for Conceptualizing, Authoring and Deploying Learning Activities

This demonstration paper presents the Integrated Learning Design Environment (ILDE). ILDE is being developed in the METIS project, which aims at promoting the adoption of learning design by providing integrated support to teachers throughout the whole design and implementation process (or lifecycle). ILDE integrates existing free- and open-source tools that include: co-design support for teacher communities; learning design editors following different authoring and pedagogical approaches; interface for deployment of designs on mainstream Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). The integration is designed so that teachers experience a continuous flow while completing the tasks involved in the learning design lifecycle, even when the tasks are supported by different tools. ILDE uses the LdShake platform to provide social networking features and to manage the integrated access to designs and tooling including conceptualization tools (OULDI templates), editors (WebCollage, OpenGLM), and deployment into VLEs (e.g., Moodle) via GLUE!-PS.

Basics of research paper writing and publishing

Publishing research results is an integral part of a researchers professional life. However, writing is not every researchers favourite activity, and getting a paper published can be a very tedious and time-consuming process. Fortunately, many of the obstacles along the writing and publishing path can be avoided by following some simple guidelines and practices. This paper presents a synthesis of guidelines found in literature about structuring and writing scientific papers. The paper outlines the process of publishing research papers in journals and conference proceedings, aiming to provide early-stage researchers with a handy introduction to essential issues. The paper takes an interdisciplinary stance by giving examples from technology-enhanced learning research and borrowing from literature in social, natural and computing sciences.

Aligning assessment with learning outcomes in outcome-based education

In outcome based learning, learning outcomes (knowledge, skills and competences) to be achieved by learners are in the focal point of the learning process. All educational activities and resources need to be related to the intended learning outcomes of a learning module or course, in order to assist the learners in successfully achieving the intended learning outcomes at the end of the learning experience. Outcome based assessment means that the assessment process must be aligned with the learning outcomes. This means that it should support the learners in their progress (formative assessment) and validate the achievement of the intended learning outcomes at the end of the process (summative assessment). It also means that the assessment process should be adapted depending on the kind of outcomes that it is aimed to appraise. This paper presents an insight into the current state of outcome based learning within Europe and proposes a unified conceptual model for outcome based assessment, shaping a theoretical framework for the integration of learning outcomes, assessment and units of learning as key concepts. An application scenario is finally described to illustrate the application of the model.

Cognitive effectiveness of visual instructional design languages

The introduction of learning technologies into education is making the design of courses and instructional materials an increasingly complex task. Instructional design languages are identified as conceptual tools for achieving more standardized and, at the same time, more creative design solutions, as well as enhancing communication and transparency in the design process. In this article we discuss differences in cognitive aspects of three visual instructional design languages (E^2ML, PoEML, coUML), based on user evaluation. Cognitive aspects are of relevance for learning a design language, creating models with it, and understanding models created using it. The findings should enable language constructors to improve the usability of visual instructional design languages in the future. The paper concludes with directions with regard to how future research on visual instructional design languages could strengthen their value and enhance their actual use by educators and designers by synthesizing existing efforts into a unified modeling approach for VIDLs.

A Data Model for Describing and Exchanging Personal Achieved Learning Outcomes PALO

Employers seek people that match particular qualifications and graduates seek jobs that match their qualifications. This market is currently managed primarily using paper certificates and heterogeneous university management systems that capture achieved learning outcomes as well as corporate information systems that capture required qualifications. In light of trends toward increased student mobility, employability and lifelong learning, this situation is less than satisfactory. Therefore, in this paper, the authors propose a schema that facilitates interoperable storage and management of Personal Achieved Learning Outcomes PALO based on a common data model. This paper presents use case scenarios and implementations addressing these challenges and demonstrating the added value of using such a common model.

Web services for blended learning patterns

Web services currently draw the attention of learning technology researchers and practitioners to leverage the degree of interoperability and extensibility of current and future learning platform solutions. One very recent research thread in blended learning concentrates on capturing Web-based learning processes and their subsequent instantiation on learning technology in the form of reusable patterns. This paper presents CEWebS, an open Web-service-based learning technology architecture designed for supporting the implementation of these patterns with conceptual guidance by the layered blended learning systems structure (BLESS) model.

Propelling Standards-based Sharing and Reuse in Instructional Modeling Communities: The Open Graphical Learning Modeler (OpenGLM)

There are several standards and specifications to formally describe instructional models, e.g. IMS LD or SCORM. One promise of using standardized descriptions is to make produced artifacts interoperable. While this works in theory, there are few tools available that support practitioner communities in creating, sharing and reusing instructional models based on existing standards. As a contribution to the authoring perspective, we present in this paper the conceptual underpinning and the implementation of an IMS~LD authoring tool called Open GLM. This tool exploits existing web and learning technology standards to support practitioners in working with instructional models and related educational resources in the context of a large open repository. The paper demonstrates that the use cases relevant to an instructional modeling community-of-practice can be supported by integrating a set of complementary standards and technologies in an instructional modeling tool like Open GLM. The main future challenge to be tackled is to propel the adoption of these technologies.