Miguel Ángel Conde González

Adapting LMS Architecture to the SOA: An Architectural Approach

Service oriented approaches (SOA) are currently used to develop new software-as-a-service applications, but they can also be used in the reengineering of existing legacy systems, such as Learning Management Systems (LMS). The introduction of a SOA to reengineer current LMS can provide LMS with the ability to deliver internal functions as services as well as the ability to integrate external applications as services. This paper presents an architectural approach to adapt the Moodle LMS to the SOA and some important issues involved in the adaptation are analyzed. Taking into account interoperability specifications, all SOA to LMS adaptation drawbacks are solved by the application of the new architecture.

Interoperability for LMS: the missing piece to become the common place for e-learning innovation

This paper speculates about the future of LMSs considering the upcoming new learning applications and technologies, and the different attitudes of learners and teachers, given their technological background described using the digital natives and immigrants metaphor. Interoperability is not just a nice feature to have, but a must have feature for LMS if these systems are going to be the common place where the ICT empowered learning innovation happens. After analysing some standards and initiatives related to interoperability on LMS, the authors present an overview of the architecture for interoperability they propose. This architecture is being implemented for the well known open source LMS Moodle.

SOA Initiatives for eLearning: A Moodle Case

Mobile learning applications introduce a new degree of ubiquitousness in the learning process. There is a new generation of ICT-powered mobile learning experiences that exist in isolated contexts: experiences limited to small learning communities. These rising mobile learning experiences appear while web-based learning, specially Learning Management Systems (LMS), are consolidated and widely adopted by learning institutions, teachers and learners. The innovation techniques breeding in the experimental world of mobile learning need to be translated into the mainstream echosystems. Mobile learning is not intended to replace e-learning or web based learning, but to extend it. So, mobile learning applications need to be integrated somehow in the web-based LMS. To do so is needed to address interoperability issues on both ends: the LMS and the mobile application. Web Services and Service Oriented Architecture offer a standarized and effective way to achieve interoperability between systems. This paper presents an architecture that allows a two-way interoperability between LMS and Mobile Applications: access LMS contents from the mobile device, and to be able to embed part of the mobile applications inside the LMS framework. This architecture incorporates elements from famous interoperability standards (IMS LTI and OKI) and has been validated with two projects related to the Open Source LMS Moodle.

Visualisation of student learning model in serious games

Game-based learning environment requires concrete real-time analytical tool.We propose a new tool for visualisation of student learning model during gameplay session.Tool can be used by educators and by students to track the game progress.Evaluation of the proposed approach was done through an empirical study.Initial quantitative results and recorded opinions of the participants speak in favour of the proposed approach. Application of serious games in distance learning can raise quality of education and student satisfaction on a higher level. However, when student learns through game, his focus is moved from learning domain to different context of the game. This actually enables to achieve fun and learn at the same time. But this approach also makes harder for educators to track and analyse students learning progress during game session, which is crucial in order to provide immediate feedback and to help students reach established learning goals. Such a specific learning environment requires concrete real-time analytical tool that will adequately match the dynamic game environment. This paper proposes a new tool for visualisation of student learning model during gameplay session. Tool can be used by educators and by students to track the game progress. Using this tool educators are provided with real-time tracking of students learning and it enables them to react and influence the overall learning process. Evaluation of the proposed approach was done through an empirical study, conducted on educators group monitoring an educational game session, using the combination of traditional analytic tool and the newly proposed visualisation approach. Initial quantitative results and recorded opinions of the participants speak in favour of the proposed approach and justify further investment in development of this specific learning analytics method.

Clustering Projects for eLearning Interoperability

Since the beginning of the discipline, eLearning has been about innovation. New software, systems, contents and tools are being created and experimented with and in constant evolution. But when systems, contents and tools become successful and part of the regular infrastructure of educational institutions, interoperability becomes an issue. Systems that are consolidated and regularly used need to be able to interoperate with new ones. And the new tendencies need to fit within the current infrastructure. This paper states how several research and development projects with heterogeneous funding sources and locations worldwide, gathered together to find a solution to this common problem, providing open specifications and standards, plus Free/Libre, Open Source reference implementations.

Interoperability for LMS: The Missing Piece to Become the Common Place for Elearning Innovation

This paper speculates about the future of LMSs considering the upcoming new learning applications and technologies, and the different attitudes of learners and teachers, given their technological background described using the digital natives and immigrants metaphor. Interoperability is not just a nice to have feature, but a must have features for LMS if these systems are going to be the common place where the ICT empowered learning innovation happens. After analyzing some standards and initiatives related to interoperability on LMS, the authors present an overview of the architecture for interoperability they propose. This architecture is being implemented for the well known Open Source LMS Moodle.

Towards mobile personal learning environments (MPLE) in higher education

The popularization of mobile devices worldwide and their constant improvement in communicability, portability, navigation and content creation, opens up many possibilities for integration in the learning process. On the other hand the new educational approaches that focus on the student, promoted through the Personal Learning Environments (PLE) show evidence that it can be done successfully in most cases studied. However, these educational innovations have not yet been implemented in some Latin American countries, so the present research searches to introduce the PLE approach in Ecuadorian university, taking advantage of the functionalities offered by mobile devices not only for leisure but for learning activities in informal environments and which are recognized and valued in the academy. Similarly it is intended that students identify with these new Mobile Personal Learning Environments as ecosystems of lifelong learning.

Integration of Google Docs as a Collaborative Activity within the LMS Using IMS BasicLTI

Google Docs is a well-known suite of online collaborative tools for document processing, spreadsheets, online presentations, drawing and even quizzes. Google Docs has the potential to become a powerful tool within and LMS course, primarily due to its collaborative qualities. This paper presents an integration that using the IMS BLTI standard turns Google Docs into an engine that powers collaborative learning activities within the Moodle LMS platform.

A student-centered learning model applied in an introductory Software Engineering course

European convergence towards European Higher Education Area demands an important innovation process in the academic assessment system. In this sense, a model based of learning-centered on student, along the same lines as continuous assessment, presents some advantages which are exposed in this paper thanks to the introduction of an additional assessment in the subject of Software Engineering.

Promoting quality during learning-object management through experts and users

Like any digital resource, learning objects are managed in different stages: design, creation, delivery and evaluation. However, it is not very clear how their quality can be strengthened to obtain optimum functionality. This means that there is no clear definition as to the stages in which learning objects need to be evaluated and neither are there any specific models that can help in the design of learning objects to meet different kinds of targets and tools for their evaluation. This paper presents a proposal for learning objects design and evaluation during their management in the four stages proposed by the context, input, process, and product (CIPP) model.