Yongwu Miao

CSCL scripts: modelling features and potential use

The design of collaboration scripts is a new focus of research within the CSCL community. In order to support the design, communication, analysis, simulation and even execution of collaboration scripts, a general specification language to describe collaboration scripts is needed. In this paper, we analyse the suitability and limitations of IMS LD for modelling collaborative learning processes. Based on the analysis, we propose a CSCL scripting language. This paper presents the conceptual framework of this modelling language and the underlying design ideas. Furthermore, two developed CSCL script authoring tools are briefly described. Finally, we discuss potential types of usage and system support possibilities of CSCL scripts.

Modeling CSCL Scripts — a Reflection on Learning Design Approaches

The design of collaboration scripts is a new focus of research within the CSCL research community. In order to support the design, communication, analysis, simulation and also the execution of collaboration scripts, a general specification language to describe collaboration scripts is needed. In this chapter, we analyze the suitability and limitations of IMS LD for modeling collaborative learning processes. Based on the analysis, we propose an approach to designing a CSCL scripting language. This chapter presents the conceptual framework of this modeling language and the solutions to the identified problems of IMS LD for formalizing collaboration scripts. Especially, we compare the two approaches through modeling the same collaboration script by using IMS LD and our own CSCL scripting language.

Facilitating teachers in developing online PBL courses

Developing a sound online problem-based learning (PBL) course plan is difficult because teachers need comprehensive PBL and technical knowledge. This paper proposes a model-driven approach to develop a PBL authoring tool that helps teachers create and customize online PBL course plans in a cost-effective and flexible manner. A pilot study was conducted to assess teacher acceptance of the tool. The results reveal that after a short training session, teachers understood the authoring tool and thought the tool was easy to use to develop online PBL course plans.

Towards Pedagogy-Driven Learning Design: A Case Study of Problem-Based Learning Design

Existing learning design languages are pedagogy-neutral. They provide insufficient support to explicitly represent pedagogy-specific approaches such as problem-based learning (PBL). As the first step towards pedagogy-driven learning design, we developed a PBL design language and an associated authoring tool by adopting a domain-specific language (DSL) approach. The language and the tool provide means for teachers to think and represent their own PBL designs in vocabularies that the teacher daily uses to describe their PBL approaches. This paper presents a case study to investigate whether the language and the tool can facilitate the design of a PBL course plan. Although participants had minimal knowledge of PBL and were not skilled in process modeling, after a short training they were able to prepare their own PBL course plans using the PBL authoring tool. They reported that the vocabularies in the PBL design language were easy to understand. Some thought that the tool provides flexibility and others did not think so. Nevertheless, some found the process somewhat difficult to represent the narrative into a course plan. In addition, most participants found that the tool is user-friendly and easy to learn.

Support peer assessment processes in online problem-based learning.

Problem Based Learning (PBL) is proposed as one of the most well-known alternatives to traditional lectures in modeling engineering graduates to become independent workers, critical thinkers, problem solver, lifelong learners, and team worker. In the past decades much has been reported about how to support online PBL, but much less attention has been given to support assessment in an online PBL. Recently, the authors of this paper have developed a domain-specific modeling language approach and an associated web-based PBL application to support the development and delivery of online PBL modules in a cost-effective and flexible manner. In this paper, the authors emphasize to support peer assessment in an online PBL. Through using a peer assessment example, the authors present how to support teachers, who may not have a comprehensive technical knowledge, to specify a peer assessment process as a segment of a PBL script, a graphical representation of a PBL strategy. Then the PBL application can transform a PBL script that including the peer assessment into a formal model represented in an international e-learning technical standard IMS-Learning Design (IMS-LD). Finally, such a formal model can be executed in any IMS-LD compatible run-time environment. We have demonstrated the technical feasibility of this approach through specifying and transforming the example peer assessment script.

A Domain-Specific Modeling Language Approach to Support Various Forms of Online PBL

Problem-based learning (PBL) can be organized and conducted in a variety of forms. By adopting a Domain-Specific Modeling Language (DSML) approach we have developed a PBL scripting language, which provides natural concepts that teachers can understand and use in practical PBL. Based on this PBL scripting language, a web-based PBL authoring tool has been developed, which enables teachers to develop their own PBL strategies as PBL scripts.

Applying learning design to work‐based learning

Learning design is currently slanted to reflect a course‐based approach to learning. This article explores whether the concept of learning design could be applied to support the informal aspects of work‐based learning (WBL). It also discusses the characteristics of WBL and presents a WBL‐specific learning design that highlights the key features and requirements of the learning design according to a business process structure. A technical analysis of IMS Learning Design (IMS‐LD) against the identified requirements is presented, which reveals that while IMS‐LD meets most of the requirements, some changes in the specification and tools are necessary for supporting WBL‐specific learning design.

Using agents to create learning opportunities in a collaborative learning environment

In order to foster situated learning in a virtual community of practice, we developed a multi-user, real-time, 3D car-driving simulation environment. In such a situation-based learning environment, the availability of enough appropriate learning situations is crucial for success. However, we experienced that often a collaborative usage of the system does not result in a large number of these critical situations. This paper introduces the idea of situation creators, intelligent agents who intentionally create specific situations for learners, into our 3D real-time simulation environment. These created situations challenge a learner much more and force him to react in order to master the driving knowledge.

Towards a Web-Based Adaptive Problem-Based Learning Application

Problem-based learning (PBL) can be organized and conducted in a number of ways. Building a PBL application to support various PBL forms directly is difficult because the scope of variability cannot be completely known and there is a high cost in terms of time and efforts incurred. Existing PBL applications are developed usually to support a specific form of PBL. In this paper we propose a model-driven approach (MDA) to the development of an adaptive PBL application. We apply model-driven principles to enable the teacher to represent a PBL script in a PBL scripting language as a formal model and then use the model at run-time for managing the executions of the adaptation at a high level. As a consequence, the functions and the user interfaces of the PBL application can be adjusted according to the role of the users, the phases and the activities of a PBL process. The users of the PBL application, especially those who have no comprehensive knowledge about PBL, can be guided and constrained to do right thing at right time following a well-known PBL model or a best practice.

PLATE Workbench: A PBL Authoring Tool

For most practitioners it is problematic to design an online or blended problem-based learning (PBL) unit within an increasingly complex learning context. This paper presents the development and application of a PBL authoring tool. It was based on a PBL-specific modeling language that offers expressive power through appropriate notations and abstractions focused on and restricted to PBL. In comparison with IMS-LD authoring tools, it provides more specific support for the design of online or blended PBL units.