Sabrina Ziebarth

Analysis of dynamic resource access patterns in a blended learning course

This paper presents an analysis of resource access patterns in a recently conducted master level university course. The specialty of the course was that it followed a new teaching approach by providing additional learning resources such as wikis, self-tests and videos. To gain deeper insights into the usage of the provided learning material we have built dynamic bipartite student -- resource networks based on event logs of resource access. These networks are analysed using methods adapted from social network analysis. In particular we uncover bipartite clusters of students and resources in those networks and propose a method to identify patterns and traces of their evolution over time.

A Framework to Support Monitoring and Moderation of e-Discussions with Heterogeneous Discussion Tools

This paper presents an integration architecture and a technical framework for moderation of e-discussions, a specific type of scenario for collaborative learning. The approach for monitoring and moderating discussions is supported at a generic level and defines interfaces to integrate diverse discussion environments smoothly into the generic framework. The usage of the developed monitoring and moderation system has been tested practically with two different stand-alone discussion environments and first empirical results of the moderation approach have been collected. We conclude with future work on the framework system and additional discussion tools to be integrated into the architecture.

Integrated Representation and Visualisation of the Dynamics in Computer-mediated Social Networks

In this paper we will demonstrate the potential of processing and visualising the dynamics of computer-mediated communities by means of Social Network Analysis. According to the fact that computer-mediated community systems are manifested also as structured data, we use data structures like e-mail, discussion boards, and bibliography sources for an automatic transformation into social network data formats. Currently our developed converter DMD (Data Multiplexer Demultiplexer) supports GraphML, UCINET, and Pajek formats besides our own data formats which are used for real-time analysis of CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) activities. In the case of communication data our converters utilize conversation graphs reflecting aspects of speech act and conversational theory to produce directed graphs in the cases where one-mode person networks are desired. The paper will demonstrate a 3-dimensional visualisation of an author community based on Bibtex bibliography data converted into GraphML. Based on this dataset we visualise publications network with a tool called Weaver, which is developed in our research group. According to Lothar Krempel’s algorithm, Weaver uses the first two dimensions to embed the network structure within a common solution space. The third dimension is used for representing the time axis and thus the dynamics of co-authorship relations.Concluding we aim to discuss potential issues and problems of our approach and the possibilities especially concerning the appropriate visualisation and segmentation of long term communications, such as mailing lists.

Resource Access Patterns in Exam Preparation Activities

In this paper we investigate patterns of resource usage for exam preparation based on a resource intensive blended learning course. To this end, we analyzed a blended learning, online course facilitated by Moodle. During the course, the students had to work individually and in teams. Furthermore, they were given access to a broad spectrum of learning resources such as videos, slides, wiki articles and quizzes. The logfiles obtained from Moodle were further processed and analyzed. Our analysis approach is based on association rule as well as sequential pattern mining. The results indicate that students’ activity with respect to resource usage follows common patterns during exam preparation either on the individual or the group level. These patterns also relate to the performance of students and to reflect their prior collaborative experience.

Visualisation of the Dynamics for Longitudinal Analysis of Computer-mediated Social Networks-concept and Exemplary Cases

In this paper we will demonstrate the potential of processing and visualising the dynamics of computer-mediated communities by means of Social Network Analysis. According to the fact that computer-mediated community systems are manifested also as structured data, we use data structures like e-mail, discussion boards, and bibliography sources for an automatic transformation into social network data formats. The paper will demonstrate a 3-dimensional visualisation of two cases: the first presents an author community based on bibliography data converted into GraphML. Based on this dataset we visualise publications networks with a tool called Weaver, which is developed in our research group. According to Lothar Krempel’s algorithm, Weaver uses the first two dimensions to embed the network structure within a common solution space. The third dimension is used for representing the time axis and thus the dynamics of co-authorship relations. The second case describes recent research in open source communities and highlights how our visualization approach can be used as a complement to more traditional approaches, such as content analysis and statistics based on specific SNA indices.

Supporting reflection in an immersive 3D learning environment based on role-play

This paper presents a framework for creating and conducting serious games. It focuses on role-playing game based learning scenarios in 3D environments. The feasibility of the presented approach is demonstrated by a training scenario for apprenticeship job interviews. Based on the assumption that reflection phases as an important part of successful learning processes are to be adequately supported, we show how phases of immersion during the role-play are connected to separate phases of reflection.

A Serious Game for Training Patient-Centered Medical Interviews

This paper presents a web based serious game for medical students, which supports the training of patient-centered medical interviews. Phases of immersion (role playing) and reflection are differentiated to facilitate change of perspectives that is considered to be conducive for learning. Reflection is supported by the recording of the role play, which is enhanced by automated analysis results regarding the communication behavior of the player based on models of doctor-patient communication as well as general communication. The playability of this game was evaluated in a study with medical students.

Training conflict management in a collaborative virtual environment

In this paper we present a collaborative serious game for conflict management training in a role-playing scenario. The game ColCoMa (Collaborative Conflict Management) engages two players to participate in a conversation lead by an AIML chat bot mediator in a 2D virtual environment. Learning how to behave in conflict solving talks is supported by the separation of the game into a conversation phase and a reflection phase, causing players to change their perspective. Additionally, the learning process is emphasized by means of adaptive feedback based on individual analyses. Due to a multi-agent architecture approach, our implementation can be used as an easily adaptable framework for related collaborative learning scenarios.

Enriching (Learning) Community Platforms with Learning Analytics Components

In this paper we present a generic and extensible analytics workbench and show how it can be integrated with learning environments in order to analyze the learners’ activities. As the analytics workbench already supports a wide range of analysis types including network analysis, statistical analysis, and analysis of activity logs, the main effort needed for embedding learning analytics features into a learning platform lies in data exchange for input and output of analysis processes between the learning platform and the workbench. However the analytics workbench is also designed for extensibility so that more specific analysis capabilities can be added to it easily if desired. We report three case studies of such integrations and show the benefits for different target groups.

3D DynNetVis: A 3D Visualization Technique for Dynamic Networks

In this demo paper we present a new visualization technique for dynamic networks. It displays the time slices of the dynamic network using two dimensional graph layouting algorithms and stacks these in the third dimension to show the development over time. The visualization ensures that the same node always has the same position in each time slice so that it is easy to follow its development. It also allows filtering data and influencing node appearance based on properties. Additionally we offer a two dimensional comparison view for two time slices which highlights changes in graph structure and (if available) in measures of nodes. The presented visualization technique is implemented using Web technology and is available in a Web-based analytics workbench. We demonstrate the benefits of these techniques by an analysis of a data set from a learning community.