Scaling up Learning for Sustained Impact

To make sense of MOOCs and understand the evolution of online learning in higher education we must go back to times long before the Internet was invented. Only in this way can we understand the gradual evolution of open, distance and online learning in higher education. We shall look first at the evolution of methods for teaching at a distance and then at how the choice of the content of learning has increased.

MOOCs have been a disruptive educational trend in the last months. Some MOOCs just replicate traditional teaching pedagogies, adding multimedia elements like video lectures. Others go beyond, trying to engage the massive number of participants by promoting discussions and relying on their contributions to the course. MOOC platforms usually provide some built-in social tools for this purpose, although instructors or participants may suggest others to foster discussions and crowdsourcing. This paper analyses the impact of two built-in (Q&A and forum) and three external social tools (Facebook, Twitter and MentorMob) in a MOOC on educational technologies. Most of the participants agreed on the importance of social tools to be in touch with their partners and share information related to the course, the forum being the one preferred. Furthermore, the lessons learned from the enactment of this MOOC employing social tools are summarized so that others may benefit from them.

Over the past decade there has been an increasing attempt to explore the potential of computer games in order to engage students’ towards foreign language learning. However, literature review has shown that there are still few attempts to provide empiric evidence of the educational potential of computer games, whereas the present study aims to address this lack. The purpose of our paper is to explore the possibilities of using a highly interactive 3D online game, we previously designed according to our student needs, in order to reinforce their foreign language acquisition and communicative competence. The target groups are students of a German foreign language course from the A1 level (CEFR). For our project we designed a 3D online-game that is based on a role-play, in which students need to cooperate in order to complete the game successfully. The game is built upon the OpenSim platform, and cooperation is conducted through game chats. Game chat interactions are being registered in a log file that is later processed. Furthermore, by analyzing different indicators we are able to obtain initial evidences to assess students’ proficiency regarding their communicative competence in the target language. We include some examples from a pilot study we did with students of a German foreign language course (A1).

In this paper we analyse children’s talk with a view to understand how a technology enhanced inquiry learning toolkit played a part in enriching collaboration during a fieldtrip and facilitating social interaction. The participants in the study were 15 year-old students carrying out their geography GCSE (General Certificate in Secondary Education) work in a secondary school in the UK. During the fieldtrip, we provided students with nQuire, an inquiry learning toolkit to orchestrate their learning, on an ultra-mobile Asus Eee PC with a wireless connection to the coursework web site. Students collected data from twelve points in two towns with very different layout and land use. The learning environment created with the nQuire toolkit, ultra mobile PCs, personalised inquiry task and the use of scientific sensors to collect data offers possibilities for collaboration and effective interaction. In this study we analyse to what extent this environment supported learning collaboratively and to what extent students interacted with each other and with the technology to construct knowledge during the fieldtrip.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is highly effective for teaching subjects with autism. We discuss the design and development of a free open-source customizable software to support ABA intervention in low-functioning children with autism. The software automates the trial setting while enabling the gathering of the children’s performance data to monitor learning. The software relies on a Web architecture: using a laptop, the tutor defines the exercises dynamically activated on the child’s tablet. Synchronization between these two devices occurs via an Internet connection, obtaining and inserting data through the database. A real-time summary of the actions performed by the child is available on the tutor’s device, simplifying decisions about the intervention. In order to make the trial accessible to any child, the software adapts the visual prompt to the child’s abilities, i.e., receptive/verbal, using labels in addition to images. A pilot test with several children confirmed the usability of the software.

This paper reports about pervasive interventions at a university campus to increase the pro-environmental awareness, consciousness, and learning of employees. Based on an assessment of the research gaps in this problem area we present results and design implications from three intervention iterations. While in the first intervention the focus was on increasing awareness through information distribution with ambient learning displays on the campus, the second iteration provided personalised feedback to employees with the help of a sensor network and different client applications. The third iteration then implemented a game-based learning concept. Results reveal that these approaches are effective on different levels and that a combination of these elements can lead to increased pro-environmental consciousness, learning and hopefully a sustained behaviour change of employees.

Early years education is an important aspect for the future success of children in the education system. From this perspective, this paper describes the results of a study with preschool children using an interactive learning application on tablets. The project is arranged according to a three-phase process to promote the development of: (1) emergent literacy, (2) digital access for early years learners and (3) basic concepts in knowledge of the environment. The study was conducted with six classes of 87 students aged between 3 years to 6 years, over a 6-week period. During this period, the students were introduced to and engaged in the knowledge of the human skeleton and five senses by using a 3D interactive application on tablets. The quasi-experimental design was based on a nonequivalent groups pretest and posttest design. The interactive learning application was designed around three distinct interaction modes: presentation, exploration, manipulation and evaluation. These phases provided scaffolding for the students to engage with the technology and for the class teacher to develop her own skills. The results on the normalization tests for both control/experimental groups before the experiment were similar. The results after the experiment indicate that students who worked with tablets showed a slight improvement in results of learning outcomes.

In this paper, we present an application that can be used for assessing the participants’ contributions to multiple chat conversations that debate the same topics according to different criteria (involvement, knowledge and innovation), along with the ranking of the conversations considering a list of important concepts to be debated. As several factors have been used for determining each participant’s score, we needed to determine their quality for providing an answer that correlates well with the judgment of human evaluators for the same conversations. Thus, we also propose a methodology for testing the values of different factors that may be used for assessing participants in collaborative conversations in order to identify which of them are better or worse suited for providing automatic assessment. Our analysis showed that the heuristics used to assess participants’ innovation and involvement were the best correlated with the human judgment, while at the opposite end was the heuristic used for assessing participants’ knowledge.

This work summarizes key findings of current research in the CSCL domain as a contribution to the construction of a consistent theoretical framework that encapsulates the multifaceted aspects of scripted collaboration (proposed as a “script theory of guidance”). Based on field research evidence, four principles are suggested and discussed, namely “Script Appropriation”, “Role as Script Configuration Cue”, “Coercion on Explicitness” and “Task to foster Transactivity” principles. The key conceptualization set forth by these principles is that: (a) learners’ implementation of a script is a socially negotiated process; (b) a role assigned to a student may also affect other partners’ internal script induction/configuration; (c) teachers’ interventions to coerce students on being explicit and implement ‘transactivity fostering’ tasks may have a significant impact on learning outcomes. These conclusions are also discussed from the perspective of system designer as guidelines toward developing researchinformed efficient technology tools for scripted collaboration.

In this paper, we propose an environment to support collaborative modding, as a new way to learn a subject. Modding can be defined as the activity to modify an existing game with dedicated tools. In a constructivist approach, we base our work on the assumption that modding a learning game can help learners to acquire the concepts of the subject concerned. We also think that modding in collaborative settings can help learners both to learn the subject and to learn to collaborate. We first propose a framework to support collaborative modding activities based on four components: the game, the Game Development Kit (GDK), contextual discussions and a knowledge map. We then propose an architecture that integrates these components on a unique platform. We finally present the results of a first exploratory study that demonstrates the feasibility and the interest of this approach for learning and the need for integrating collaborative tools in a unique environment.

The Web-revolution in publishing and reading is rapidly increasing the volume of online textbooks. Nowadays, for most of the subjects, a selection of online textbooks is available. Such an abundance leads to an interesting opportunity: if a student does not like how a primary textbook presents a particular topic s/he can always access its alternative (e.g. more detailed or advanced) presentation elsewhere. Modern e-learning environments could better support access to different versions of instructional material by generating intelligent links between the textbooks sections that present similar topics and concepts. This paper reports an attempt to investigate the problem of fine-grained intelligent linking of online textbooks based on the probabilistic topic modeling technology. Using collections of textbooks in two domains (Elementary Algebra and Information Retrieval), we have demonstrated that intelligent linking based on probabilistic topic models produces a much better modeling quality than traditional term-based approaches.

Collaboration in complex learning scenarios does not succeed automatically without structuring the learning process. In the literature there have been several means proposed to support collaborative learning: scaffolds, scripts, activity structures and reflection prompts are among these approaches. Scenarios that prompt and support reflection during the learning process proved to be effective for collaborative learning. In the Metafora project our approach is to support students in the process of learning to learn together (L2L2) by means of dedicated tools for planning and reflection. These tools allow students to organize their learning process in a self-regulated way. In this paper we will present the pedagogical background, the supporting tools and underlying design, and the research methodology used in Metafora to gain insights on how collaborative planning, learning, and reflecting interact. An extended example of qualitative analysis is given to illustrate our approach.

Reflective learning is a mechanism to turn experience into learning. As a mechanism for self-directed learning, it has been found to be critical for success at work. This is true for individual employees, teams and whole organizations. However, most work on reflection can be found in educational contexts, and there is only little work regarding the connection of reflection on individual, group and organization levels. In this paper, we propose a model that can describe cases of reflective learning at work (CSRL). The model represents reflective learning processes as intertwined learning cycles. In contrast to other models of reflective learning, the CSRL model can describe both

individual and collaborative learning

and

learning that impacts larger parts of an organization

. It provides terminology to describe and discuss

motivations

for reflective learning, including

triggers

,

objectives

for and

objects

of reflective learning. The paper illustrates how the model helps to

analyse

and differentiate cases of reflective learning at work and to

design

tool support for such settings.

This paper presents rhythm reading, one of the elementary ear training exercises, as a pedagogical software application of PWGL. We use different kinds of stochastic and mathematical models to generate a rhythmic database. The database is divided into several categories, including, binary or ternary, euclidian, afro-cuban, corpus-based, and contemporary. Our musical constraints systems is used to define a rule set, which, in turn, can be used to automatically generate graded rhythm reading exercises. The user is then presented with a musical score, and he or she can perform a reading with any percussive instrument or voice and a microphone connected to a computer. Our novel signal processing system is utilized to analyze the reading. Finally, visual feedback and statistics are displayed directly as a part of the exercise. In this paper we present our rhythm reading application, and discuss the details of its implementation.

Predicting knowledge levels from user’s implicit interactions with an adaptive system is a difficult task, particularly in learning systems that are used in the context of daily work tasks. We have collected interactions of six persons working with the adaptive work-integrated learning system APOSDLE over a period of two months to find out whether naturally occurring interactions with the system can be used to predict their level of expertise. One set of interactions is based on the tasks they performed, the other on a number of additional Knowledge Indicating Events (KIE). We find that the addition of KIE significantly improves the prediction as compared to using tasks only. Both approaches are superior to a model that uses only the frequencies of events.

In this paper we present our findings from the FoodWeb2.0 project about success indicators and restraints while implementing Web2.0 based learning processes. We conducted two courses with the same content with two different target groups from the German food industry: one with regular employees and one with teachers of dedicated education facilities. Comparing the performance of the two courses by triangulating methods from Social Network Analysis and quantitative and qualitative surveys, we identified indicators for the successful implementation and differences in the motivation of learners and teachers. These findings illustrate the need for strategies involving and motivating teachers when introducing modern learning methods and tools within the food industry and other related branches.

In this paper we show how the deployment of a lightweight note sharing system can restore the antique social vocation of annotations in the classroom. The system was designed for the classroom context and evaluated through a longitudinal study lasting for an academic semester and involving 20 participants, enrolled in a Master-level course in computer science. Three key findings emerged. First, the tool spontaneously became an integral part of the classroom learning practices. Students took and shared annotations during the lectures and used them as complementary preparation material for the exam. Second, a correlation was observed between the annotation browsing time and the final exam grade. Third, a social bias emerged in favor of accessing one’s own and friends’ annotations. Based on the results, we discuss potential design implications for the system.

Research areas and academic disciplines are not static: they change over time with new strands emerging and old ones disappearing. Technology-enhanced learning is a relatively young field of academic activity, getting more broad in scope as it matures. In this paper we seek to assess the state of interdisciplinarity in this academic community, presenting the findings of a quantitative study on mutual engagement, shared practices and methodologies, and sense of joint enterprise via a European research network in between learning and technology disciplines. An exploratory cluster analysis is used to identify different stakeholder groups in technology-enhanced learning research and a social network analysis shows how these are connected to each other. Statistical analysis suggests that a multidisciplinary workplace and study background of researchers are major influencing factors for the choice of border-crossing methodology and terminology. Additionally, results from a supplementary survey on the interdisciplinary cohesion between the fields of technology-enhanced learning and educational development support the view that pedagogical and technological sub-disciplines highly intersect in this field.

Recently we are urged to transform education into an evidence based profession, and promote scientific standards or practice. These calls are not new – they seem to emerge every few years. We do not argue with their goal, but we contend that the suitable frame of reference is the paradigm of design science, rather than the common metaphor of medical research. This paper proposes Design Inquiry of Learning as a projection of educational design science into a professional domain, and offers the Learning Design Studio as a pedagogical manifestation of this approach. The learning design studio is a collaborative, blended, project based framework for training educators in effective and evidence-based use of educational technology. We present its theoretical underpinnings, note its fundamental principles and structures, and review three independent cases where it has been trialed. The results show that this model is effective in developing learners’ theoretical knowledge as well as their practical skills, and allows them to link the two. However, it requires a considerable commitment of both learners and tutors, and may not be applicable in more casual settings.

In this paper, we introduce a new way of detecting semantic similarities between learning objects by analysing their usage in web portals. Our approach does not rely on the content of the learning objects or on the relations between users and learning objects but on the usage-based relations between the objects themselves. We take this new semantic similarity measure to enhance existing recommendation approaches for use in technology enhanced learning.

This paper discusses the ontology-based competence management in the context of curriculum development. The data was collected through two participatory design experiments, which were conducted to develop and formatively evaluate the designs and scenarios for computer-supported curriculum development in higher education context. These experiments involved the use of prototypes of software tools developed in two different research projects: Intelleo and ePoAbi. As a result, the paper proposes ontology-based design principles to computer-supported curriculum development, course development and curriculum evaluation.

Even though several studies have examined peer feedback through synchronous and asynchronous communication within the context of distance learning, few have addressed its contribution in higher education face-to-face settings. This proposal addresses this gap by examining peer feedback mediated through synchronous and asynchronous communication in the context of a face-to-face university course. Thirty-five undergraduate students participated in this study to provide feedback to each other’s work through synchronous (chat) or asynchronous collaboration (in-context commenting). A variety of data were collected and included pre- and post-course surveys, videos and student interviews. The analysis of the results showed that students take advantage of the feedback they receive from their peers. As findings showed, peer feedback through asynchronous communication helped students learn, while peer feedback, mediated through synchronous tools, was important for interpersonal communication. Even when the feedback was not used to improve course work, students took it into serious consideration.

Virtual labs for science experiments are a multimedia technology innovation. A possible growth pattern of the perceived critical mass for virtual labs adoption is modeled using (N=240) potential-adopter teachers based on Roger’s theory of diffusion and of perceived attributes. Results indicate that perceived critical mass influences behavior intention to adopt a technology innovation like Virtual Labs and is affected by innovation characteristics like relative advantage, ease of use and compatibility. The work presented here models the potential-adopter teacher’s perceptions and identifies the relative importance of specific factors that influence critical mass attainment for an innovation such as Virtual Labs.

This paper presents and discusses in detail the results obtained by an evaluation of an adaptive course served by the GALE system developed in the EU FP7 project GRAPPLE. The main goal of that evaluation is to understand the influence of adaptation on students’ learning in an adaptive hypertext course. We analyzed the students’ logs, the performed tests and assignment grade as part of the quantitative method. The qualitative method consists of the analysis of a questionnaire, where students answered questions about their first experience in an adaptive course. Through the questionnaire, usage log, tests performed and assignment grades, we show that the students follow, in most of the cases, the adaptive structure of the course. We also present results about how the students felt about the adaptive course. At the end we discuss future work, and in particular suggest changes to the setup and adaptation in the course based on the observed student behavior as well as the student feedback.

This paper reports on our ongoing research around learning analytics. We focus on how learning analytics can be used to increase student motivation and the use of badges as a way to aggregate learning activity being a representation of their goals and progress along the course. The context of this work is an open learning environment, based on wikis, blogs, twitter, an activity stream mash-up and an open badges system. Our evaluation analyses perceived usefulness and usability of the system, as well as the impact on student motivation. Our results indicate that badges are useful to motivate students while activity streams have the potential to activate students.

Mobile devices are increasingly being used in lifelong learning. However, while older learners are active members of the lifelong learning system, little research has been aimed at understanding how m-learning can provide them with successful learning experiences. In this paper we address the question if m-learning can foster the acceptance and uptake of mobile technologies among a group of older people unfamiliar with ICT. Following a participatory design approach, 20 participants who were enrolled in a literature course created routes of geolocated questions about a fiction book they were reading and answered them in the real location using the

QuesTInSitu

application. Results indicate that their m-learning acceptance improved as their anxiety around use of technologies diminished. These findings question previous research in which use of mobile technologies tended to increase older users’ anxiety and reduced their acceptance of technology. Participants described the experience as playful, enjoyable and useful.

Within the last few years mobile learning has become very popular. Many projects and case studies explore its usefulness in the educational sector, i.e. at schools and universities. Few, however, deal with work place learning. LogiAssist is an educational assistance and learning platform for truck drivers. This paper first explores how eager truck drivers are to engage in online learning and the usage of an assistance system. This is juxtaposed with first results of the actual usage of LogiAssist. In a second step, we explore how the system was used and how the usage can be interpreted from a learning analytics point of view.

Despite research in mobile learning games has intensified over the last decade, there is relatively little research about how individual game mechanisms influence or change behaviour. This article aims at understanding the influence of the game mechanism role-playing and investigates how it can be used to alter behavioural intention. In order to do so, we designed a mobile learning game to train Basic Life Support (BLS) and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). With the game we aim at improving laymen’s willingness to help in case of emergency. First, we illuminate the strand of research related to role-playing in the context of BLS and bystander CPR. Second, we describe the pedagogical framework of the mobile learning game that was designed to train BLS and introduce the game engine this development is based on. Third, we present the results from a first prototype testing, which we carried out with medical professionals as well as laymen in order to test game-play usability and interface. This article concludes by outlining the experimental setting of an upcoming study, which will use the mobile learning game to evaluate the influence of the game mechanism role-playing on the willingness to provide bystander CPR in case of emergency.

“Internetworking with TCP/IP” is a Massive Open Online Course, held in German at openHPI end of 2012, that attracted a large audience that has not been in contact with higher education before. The course followed the xMOOC model based on a well-defined sequence of learning content, mainly video lectures and interactive self-tests, and with heavy reliance on social collaboration features. From 2726 active participants, 38% have participated in a survey at the end of the course. This paper presents an analysis of the survey responses with respect to the following questions: 1) How can a MOOC accommodate different learning styles and 2) What recommendations for the design and organization of a MOOC can be concluded from the responses? We finally give an outlook on challenges for the further development of openHPI. Those challenges are based on didactical and technical affordances for a better support of the different learning styles. We propose an evolution of the xMOOC, that bridges the gap to the cMOOC model by developing tools that allow users to create diverging paths through the learning material, involve the user personally in the problem domain with (group) hands-on exercises and reward user contributions by means of gamification.

Citizen inquiry is an innovative way for non-professionals to engage in practical scientific activities, in which they take the role of self-regulated scientists in informal learning contexts. This type of activity has similarities to inquiry-based learning and to citizen science, but also important differences. To understand the challenges of supporting citizen inquiry, a prototype system and activity has been developed: the

Moon Rock Explorer

. Based on the

nQuire

Toolkit, this offers people without geology expertise an open investigation into authentic specimens of Moon rock, using a

Virtual Microscope

. The

Moon Rock Explorer

inquiry has been evaluated in an informal learning context with PhD students from the Open University. Results of the evaluation raise issues related to motivation and interaction between inquiry participants. They also provide evidence that the integration of scientific tools was successful and that the

nQuire

Toolkit is suitable to deploy and enact citizen inquiries.

The ImREAL project is researching how to meaningfully augment and extend existing experiential training simulators. The services developed support self-regulated, goal-, and application-oriented learning in adult training. We present results from a study evaluating a medical interview training simulator that has been augmented by an affective metacognitive scaffolding service and by user modelling exploiting social digital traces. Data from 152 medical students participating in this user trial were compared to the results of a prior trial on an earlier technology version. Findings show that students perceived the learning simulator positively and that the enhanced simulator led to increased feelings of success, less frustration, higher technical flow, and more reflection on learning. Interestingly, this cohort of users proved reluctant to provide their open social IDs to enrich their user models.

In this paper the focus is on the construction, use, pedagogical potential, and long-term sustainability of certain web-based tools designed for teaching logic. A series of web-based tools have been implemented as a two-part system, and the tools have been tested and evaluated in a number of practical experiments. The first part of the system is a student-facing Java-Applet running in the student’s browser, implemented using the Prolog programming language as embodied in a Java implementation called Prolog+CG. The second part is a teacher-oriented, server-based backend for logging the progress of students. In the paper, we provide a presentation of the pedagogical and technical ideas of construction that underpin the tools which have been made so far. It is explained how the tools can be developed as web applications using gamified quizzing. We then provide an evaluation of the potential of log data as learning analytics offered by these tools in the context of university courses introducing basic logic and formal aspects of argumentation. We also describe how we have used and evaluated the tools in a real learning context, using both quantitative, log-based data and qualitative interview. The evaluation also includes a discussion of the ethical aspects concerning the logging of student data. We also provide some insights on how the tools can and have been made sustainable.

One-to-one (1:1) computing has recently been scaled up and integrated into learning strategies, but there have been rather few studies about it so far. This explorative observation and interview study aims to gain increased understanding about the student role in the 1:1 computing classroom in upper secondary school. The results demonstrate a media-rich classroom based on four categories of affordances: students’ note-taking; searching the Internet; social media; and laptops for duplication. The four categories of affordances delineate how teachers’ behaviour is influencing students and their use of laptops in the designed learning activities. The designs of the 1:1 classrooms are based on technology-enhanced consumption of media as opposed to designs for technology-enhanced learning. It is concluded that the student role is diverse and stretched between principles of both teacher-centred learning and student-centred learning.

University lecturers are usually experts within a specific context domain of knowledge, however they are seldom expert teachers or educational technology wizards. Facilitating professional development for lecturers to engage with innovation in teaching and learning utilizing new technologies is no simple process. However, we have found that structuring lecturer professional development around a sustained community of practice can result in a journey of conceptual and pedagogical transformation [1]. The increasing ubiquity of mobile devices and social media provides a platform for enabling pedagogical change. Thus we established a MOBile Community Of Practice (MOBCOP) of lecturers interested in researching the potential of mobile social media in education interested in exploring the concept of the pedagogy-andragogy-heutagogy continuum [2], and how mobile learning can be utilized as a catalyst [3] to move towards student-directed heutagogy. We argue that the MOPCOP framework is potentially applicable to a variety of higher education contexts.

Smartphones are increasingly being used on field trips to support students in exploring the natural world. In this paper we present a design and analysis of an inquiry-based learning field trip for primary school students. One problem for design is how to make use of smartphones to support, rather than distract, students in interacting with the physical environment. We approach this problem by comparing two alternative designs, where students use smartphones for identifying tree species either by using an identification instrument or by reading a text description. The results show that students made use of the instrument for identification, QR codes, for identifying tree species and made use of the text descriptions for searching for tree species. In this sense, QR codes, connecting contextual information on smartphones to the physical environment, work as a learning tool that may be used for orienting students in their interaction with the physical environment.

The Semantic Web offers many opportunities for reusing datasets and domain models in the field of education and assessment in particular. We have conducted research to generate test questions from Semantic resources. The reuse of semantic resources raises however challenges, since all data and models have not been conceived to be directly used for educational purposes. We have therefore analysed existing domain models created specifically for educational contexts to identify structures and relations of the model that can help deem the relevance of a particular domain model for automatic item generation. We present an initial set of conditions which can help identifying a relevant domain model to be used in an educational context. We also suggest a mechanism to relate them to levels of knowledge to be assessed in generated items.

Learning design research focuses on how educators can act as designers of technology-supported learning activities according to their specific educational needs and objectives. To foster and sustain the adoption of Learning design, the METIS project is working towards the implementation of an Integrated Learning Design Environment (ILDE). This paper presents the vision for the ILDE and how user requirements from three educational institutions in vocational training, higher and adult education justify the need for this vision. The paper discusses the data collected in questionnaires, on-line interviews and face-to-face group work with the end-users, as a first phase in the design-based research methodology applied in the project. The results support a vision towards an ILDE that enables teachers to choose among multiple learning design authoring tools, (co-)produce, explore, share, evaluate and implement learning designs in Virtual Learning Environments. The paper also outlines a roadmap to achieve this vision.

Serious games combine motivational aspects of games with pedagogical approaches to enhance their players’ learning performance. A major challenge in serious game development is the proper alignment of concepts coming from the two domains, game development and pedagogy. As a consequence, creating successful serious games is difficult for single individuals only well versed in one domain, but not knowing about the other. Existing approaches focus on formalizing learning processes within individual games, but are incapable of making the instructor’s knowledge reusable in other serious games. To address this issue, we present a modeling language to capture pedagogical knowledge in reusable learning processes that enable game developers to create serious games that support imparting educational objectives. As a result, our language helps game developers to integrate educational approaches into serious games. The paper illustrates the model and structure of the language.

Motivational and affective aspects have long been neglected in research and development of technology enhanced learning (TEL) solutions, but it is now increasingly recognized that they are key to acceptance and sustainable success. However, the consideration of these aspects still suffers from fragmented research activities that are in between established disciplines. We summarize the results from three editions of the EC-TEL workshop series MATEL, which has established a forum for interdisciplinary conversations and joint research activities. This includes an overview and systematization of current research and its findings as well as prioritized research challenges. The paper concludes with a research agenda that advances the inclusion of motivational and affective aspects into TEL from art to an engineering approach.

This paper is concerned with the exploration of an educational tabletop application designed to facilitate collaboration amongst young learners while they learn about the “Plants of Cyprus”. The application was used by 28 third-graders during a scheduled visit at the Cyprus Center of Environmental Research and Education. We report empirical findings concerning the participants’ interactions around the table as well as their attitudes regarding the activity. Findings demonstrated that the students collaborated intensively in completing the task and they were overwhelmingly positive about the experience. The paper discusses issues of orientation of the on-display learning artifacts, which encouraged learners to move at a new location around the table to “correct” the orientation. Also, the study raises concerns regarding asymmetrical forms of collaboration, where peers dominated the activity despite the equal access on the tabletop surface.

In a recent study the crossdisciplinarity of the field of Technology-Enhanced Learning was analysed with science-overlay-maps and diversity measures. Results reveal that the crossdisciplinarity of the field has constantly increased over the last 10 years. Only in 2004, a significant decrease of interdisciplinary research could be identified. In this paper we take a closer look at the publications of this year and test our hypotheses for the decrease of crossdisciplinarity.

By combining existing methodological approaches from Persuasive Design and Learning, this paper presents the initial version of a general guide for creating persuasive learning designs. The notion of persuasive learning designs is based on the acknowledgement that there must be an appropriate balance between context and learning technology, and that reflections regarding the context must be included throughout the design process. The 6 step guide to persuasive learning springs from research conducted in the EuroPLOT project, however the approach aims to be generally applicable.

While several technological advances have been suggested to scale learning at the workplace, none has been successful to scale informal learning. We review three theoretical discourses and suggest an integrated systems model of scaffolding informal workplace learning that has been created to tackle this challenge. We derive research questions that emerge from this model and illustrate these with an in-depth analysis of two workplace learning domains.

Supporting students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) is an important topic in the learning sciences. Two critical processes involved in SRL are self-assessment and study choice. Intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) have been shown to be effective in supporting students’ domain-level learning through guided problem-solving practice, but it is an open question how they can support SRL processes effectively, while maintaining or even enhancing their effectiveness at the domain level. We used a combination of user-centered design techniques and experimental classroom research to redesign and evaluate an ITS for linear equation solving so it supports self-assessment and study choice. We added three features to the tutor’ Open Learner Model (OLM) that may scaffold students’ self-assessment (self-assessment prompts, delaying the update of students’ progress bars, and providing progress information on the problem type level). We also designed a problem selection screen with shared student/system control and game-like features. We went through two iterations of design and conducted two controlled experiments with 160 local middle school students to evaluate the effectiveness of the new features. The evaluations reveal that the new OLM with self-assessment support facilitates students’ learning processes, and enhances their learning outcomes significantly. However, we did not find significant learning gains due to the problem selection feature. This work informs the design of future ITS that supports SRL.

Learning is a level-progressing process. In any field of study, one must master basic concepts to understand more complex ones. Thus, it is important that during the learning process learners are presented and challenged with knowledge which they are able to comprehend (not a level below, not a level too high). In this work we focus on language learners. By gradually improving (complicating) texts, readers are challenged to learn new vocabulary. To achieve such goals, in this paper we propose and evaluate the ‘complicator’ that translates given sentences to a chosen level of higher degree of difficulty. The ‘complicator’ is based on natural language processing and information retrieval approaches that perform lexical replacements. 30 native English speakers participated in a user study evaluating our methods on an expert-tailored dataset of children books. Results show that our tool can be of great utility for language learners who are willing to improve their vocabulary.

The world in which medicine and healthcare institutions are managed is rapidly changing in complex and unpredictable ways. In periods of rapid change, highly adaptive organizations have competitive advantage. Therefore, training a modern, adaptive and high performing team is one of the keys to success. There is a growing body of evidence that Game-Based Learning can be highly successful in driving business results, and a variety of drivers are making it harder and harder to ignore as a candidate medium where deep and immersive learning needs to be delivered as is the case of healthcare management. In this paper we describe the Serious Game ImPROVE for training medical workers on the impacts of patient care quality and costs of different configurations of Emergency Department (ED) business processes.

This paper arises from work ongoing in the GALA (Games and Learning Alliance – Network of Excellence for Serious Games). An exploratory set of case studies were carried out to understand the benefits, barriers and enablers of adopting serious games in companies and non-educational organizations. Serious games are games that educate, train and inform. It could therefore be expected that serious games would play an important role within corporate training, but this seems not to be the case. Five exploratory case studies of SG adoption were collected. There was use of serious games for training (three cases) and for corporate change interventions (two cases). Most of the organizations commissioned the SG from an external party and only in one case did the organization itself develop the serious game. The key finding was that senior management support was critical for serious game adoption in every case. SG adoption was typically limited to a single department or branch/subsidiary of the company.

In order to successfully give a lecture or do a presentation in a conference, presenters need certain skills as well as previous preparation. In such scenarios, reflective learning offers a great potential to improve professional skills and presenter’s performance by relying on data captured during the presentation. For this purpose, we developed the Live Interest Meter (LIM App) which allows capturing, aggregating and visualizing live feedback from the audience. After developing the first prototype, testing it and conducting a user study, we developed the second prototype presented in this paper. This further development made emphasis on the recalling and revisiting of past experiences by exploring the collected data. We conducted the evaluation of the LIM App with three university lectures. Our evaluation showed positive results regarding the capturing and sharing of feedback to improve presentation skills. Whilst the LIM App guided the lecturers to reflect and to remember their presentations better, some time and advice to get accustomed to using it is still needed so that it is optimally integrated in their presentations.

Researching the sharing of learning designs is a well-established domain within the technology-enhanced learning research community. However, until now tools supporting educational modelling languages such as IMS Learning Design have reached a wide adoption in today’s school practice. Following a design science research methodology we report on the design, implementation, and evaluation of a novel tool referred to as "Composer". The Composer supports the design of learning activities and has been developed according to design principles such as (a) interoperability between design-time and run-time systems based on the W3C Widget Standard, (b) inclusion of artefact types beyond content such as tools, people and events, (c) a user-friendly authoring environment. A first evaluation of the proof-of-concept implementation suggests that the tool is easy-to-use and provides added value for teachers when it comes to reflecting about the design of learning activities.

Online help seeking is a common form of informal learning, and it has been studied extensively in a number of different settings. In an attempt to better understand how help is provided in online help seeking for a physical work environment, we have performed an in-depth qualitative study on questions and answers found in the largest Estonian online forum for construction field. Our intention is to understand the types of learning problems identified in the help-seeking process in the online forum and how problem-oriented scaffolding is provided and received in a networked setting. We used Jonassen’s typology for categorizing the similar patterns in problem-based learning that takes place in the forum. Data was analysed from two perspectives: first the problem definitions identified in forum threads were analysed based on the Jonassen’s typology, along with corresponding solution paths and solutions. The same discussion threads were then analysed also from the perspective of scaffolding patterns – how people support each other and how the help is being acknowledged. The results of our analysis point out that the human supporters provide certain scaffolding patterns for supporting help-seekers to solve problems.

This paper draws on visualisation approaches in learning analytics, considering how classroom visualisations can come together in practice. We suggest an open learner model in situations where many tools and activity visualisations produce more visual information than can be readily interpreted.

The paper presents and outlines the demonstration of an open source mobile application platform for designing, supporting, and evaluating mobile learning scenarios that make use of media artefacts in a specific context. The platform contains a web-based authoring environment, cross-platform mobile applications to run the scenarios, as well as tools to monitor progress and results. Besides exploring the pedagogical background, the paper describes the conceptual implementation as well as the technical infrastructure and lists the requirements for demonstrating the platform and all its components.

The IMS Learning Design (LD) specification enables the formal definition of teaching and learning flows. Several IMS LD authoring tools have been developed, most of them desktop based. There are few authoring tools that are deployed in a browser based environment, and some have built-in support for asynchronous collaboration during authoring via shared repositories. However, there are currently no tools available that enable synchronous, collaborative authoring in real-time. This demonstration presents SynC-LD, a novel widget-based tool that closes this gap. It supports browser-based, collaborative visual modeling of activity flows and the definition of IMS LD elements and their attributes. Multiple users can collaborate synchronously on the same learning design, which is achieved through inter-widget communication technology. Initial end-user trials show that the SynC-LD tool is usable and that IMS LD authors see potential in real-time IMS LD authoring.

TERENCE is an adaptive learning system for reasoning about stories with children having deep text comprehension problems. It develops reading interventions in the form of smart games for stimulating the text comprehension of such children. In order to ensure the pedagogical effectiveness and the usability of the smart games, and of the system in general, TERENCE was designed combining the user centred and the evidence based design. In this paper, we illustrate how such methodologies were used in the design of the TERENCE smart games.

Lexical competence, the writer ability to use properly vocabulary, becomes a basic issue of a writing instructor when reviewing drafts. Here, we present the basic part of a web-based intelligent tutoring system to provide student guidance and evaluation in structuring research proposals. We elaborate a network-based model to follow the progress of each student in the development of the project, supply assignments and personalized feedback on each evaluation. This tutor includes for now a module for assessing the lexical richness, in terms of three measures: variety, density, and sophistication, that are described. We also explain the methodology for pilot testing with undergraduate students, whose results were encouraging, indicating that the tutor indeed helps students.

People do not learn only in formal educational institutions, but also throughout their lives, from their experiences, conversations, observations of others, exploration of the Internet, meetings and conferences, and chance encounters etc. However this informal and non-formal learning can easily remain largely invisible, making it hard for peers and employers to recognize or act upon it. The TRAILER project aims to make this learning visible so that it can benefit both the individual and the organization. The proposed demonstration will show a software solution that (i) helps the learners to capture, organize and classify a wide range of ’informal’ learning taking place in their lives, and (ii) assists the organization in recognizing this learning and use it to help managing human resources (benefiting both parts). This software tool has recently been used in two phases of pilot studies, which have run in four different European countries.

While the technology-rich classroom makes it comparatively easy to gather, store and access data on students’ activities, turning those into information on learning that can inform pedagogical decision-making is still hard to achieve. In the NEXT-TELL project, we build on concepts from educational assessment design and on modeling concepts from computer science as a basis for generating quality data on students’ learning. We describe a set of inter-related methods and software components that can be used to turn assessments into support mechanisms for learning, and to make use and sense of data for improving teaching and learning.

This demonstration paper is focused on the Signal Orchestration System (SOS), a system that helps teachers in the implementation of dynamic collaborative learning flows in physical spaces, such as the classroom. It is based on the use of color, haptic and sound signals to communicate changing orchestration indications of collaborative learning flows such group formation and distribution of activities, roles, collaboration areas, resources, etc. The system is composed of personal devices (worn by students), located devices (in specific physical areas), and a manager (installed in the teacher’s computer to define and send the signals). Experimental results indicate that the SOS enables flexible orchestration of collaborative flows, facilitates orchestration awareness, decreases the time devoted to orchestration tasks and favors teachers’ and students’ attention to the learning task. The demonstration outline includes the on-the-fly configuration of the manager and the participation of attendees who, wearing the personal devices, are asked to react to the orchestration signals received in their personal devices, other attendees’ devices and located devices in the room.

Ubiquitous and mobile learning scenarios define activities happening within and beyond the walls of a classroom. However, the orchestration of authentic learning situations involving both physical and virtual spaces is still a significant challenge for teachers. Several proposals recently reported in the literature try to reduce teachers’ orchestration burden by means of authoring tools, and usage of Augmented Reality technologies for connecting physical and virtual spaces. However, these proposals are restricted to specific technologies, pedagogies, or to a very limited range of activities. We present GLUEPSAR, a system to aid teachers in the orchestration of across-spaces learning situations. With GLUEPS-AR, learning designs defined with multiple authoring tools can be deployed and managed at run-time throughout ubiquitous learning environments composed by different VLEs, Web 2.0 tools and AR applications. Thus, GLUEPS-AR allows multiple design and enactment technologies, and a wide range of learning activities, not restricted to a single pedagogy.

While 3D virtual worlds, simulations, and serious games have been used for military training for a long time, there is a lack of research-based methods for using and creating such systems. In addition, the development process has traditionally been very resource consuming. The project Cultural Awareness in Military Operations seeks to address these challenges. The goal of the project has been to create and evaluate a low-cost, off the shelf, game-based simulation for training cultural awareness among military personnel in the Norwegian Armed Forces preparing for international operations. The project has also aimed at creating methodological guidelines and tools for developing 3D educational simulations for both military and civilian use.

etiquetAR is an authoring tool for supporting the design and enactment of mobile context-based learning experiences based on QR tags. etiquetAR enables creating, managing, and sharing personalized QR tags attachable to any object or physical geographical location. Tags are digital layers of contextualized information that transforms any physical space into a digitally augmented learning environment. This demonstration paper presents etiquetAR first working prototype of this application. In particular, the paper details: (1) how etiquetAR web-based application can be used to edit a tag, associate different resources to it, and relate resources information to a particular profile for adaptive learning experiences; and (2) how users can access and contribute to the information hidden in the tags using the mobile-based application. This demonstration will show the audience how etiquetAR is a simple tool designed to encourage practitioners to create their own tag-based learning experiences.

In this paper, we present a multi-agent system that has been developed to trace activities in a collaborative e-learning environment. These traces are necessary to help the teacher to monitor the learners’ activities and to allow the learners to identify their participation in the collective work. We also need traces to assist in the evaluation of the device. Indeed, knowing how the system has been really used facilitates its revision. The tracking system is implemented as a multi-agents system.

MentorChat is a CSCL system that utilizes a conversational pedagogical agent to engage students in fruitful collaboration. This conversational agent attempts to promote students’ productive dialogue by providing unsolicited prompts aimed to elicit explicit reasoning. Using MentorChat a teacher is able to design and deploy the phases and the tasks of a collaborative activity along with the support that the agent provides. In this paper, we present (a) the theoretical background MentorChat is based on, (b) the main technical features of the system and (c) some encouraging preliminary results.

We have developed a platform to support Citizen Inquiry activities, based on the nQuire Toolkit software which was originally designed to support inquiry-based learning activities for schools. Citizen Inquiry is an innovative way for learners to engage in practical scientific activities, in which they take the role of self-regulated scientists in informal learning contexts. nQuire is being integrated with the OpenScience Laboratory, allowing individuals or groups to create inquiries that rely on virtual scientific instruments for collecting scientifically reliable data. A demonstration inquiry has been created using the Open University Virtual Microscope that enables learners to conduct investigations of lunar geology by studying rare and authentic samples of Moon rock collected during the Apollo programme. This demonstration will show the nQuire authoring tools and the prototype inquiry, focusing on the integration of the scientific tool and features that facilitate collaboration in citizen inquiries.

We propose ideas for the development of TEL systems which allow for an automatic, dynamic and self-adapting recommendation of curricula from a wide set of available content for an individual user and with regard to a specific purpose. We argue that recommender systems in the prevalent occurrence cannot be used directly in TEL systems, but must be extended by process-related techniques for continuous optimization and adaptation of the generated curriculum.

The focus on assessment of learning experiences has shifted from knowledge to competences. Unfortunately, assessing certain competences is mainly a subjective task, being problematic for both the evaluators and the evaluated. Additionally, when the learning process is computer-supported and the number of students increases, traditional assessment procedures suffer from scalability problems. In this paper we propose a query language that supports grading learning competences according to students’ performance in an online course. Using it we automatically extract different objective indicators about students work in a Learning Management System (LMS). Evaluators can use this computer programming-like language to express a number of required indicators. Such indicators are automatically obtained from the activity logs generated by the LMS.

We present a learning analytic tool for analyzing data collected during didactic sessions performed by children with autism, via software. The tool is a web application that automatically extracts, aggregates and visualizes the children’s performance data collected when they perform technology-enhanced exercises during didactic activities. The aim is to provide teachers with easy real-time monitoring of learning progress or difficulties over time, thus enabling continuous and personalized tuning of the didactic intervention. Extracted data can be visualized through tables and graphics, allowing the user to further explore them in an interactive modality. Educators were involved in the design phase of the tool, in order to define the most important analysis parameters to extract from the huge amount of collected data. The educators were also involved in the test phases to improve the system’s usability.

This paper presents some of the initial steps taken towards digital mediation of the cultural heritage related to Danish author Kaj Munk and the impact these steps have had on the ongoing research on persuasive learning.

In this paper we propose a new method for identifying creativity that is based on analyzing a corpus of chat conversations on the same topic and extracting the new ideas expressed by participants. The application is a first step in supporting creativity in online group discussions by highlighting the novel concepts present in conversations (

new ideas

) and also by identifying topics that could have become important, if not forgotten during the debates (

lost ideas

).

The project IEEE-IST Academic is an initiative of the IEEE Student Branch at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) and since its beginnings (May 2012) counts with the collaboration of several professors of IST. Organized by course topics, the first Academic videos offer all undergraduate students at IST complementary materials to most of the Mathematics undergraduate courses, Computer Sciences Introductory Course, Chemistry and Electronics. The students technical team is responsible for the capture, processing and edition of the materials, and is also in charge of the design and back office of the IEEE-IST Academic portal. The videos are designed to be accessed from several platforms, such as: laptops, tablets, smartphones, and extensively make use of visualization and 3D graphics 3D. The Academic videos are designed to be more close to the courses syllabus at IST, but can easily be a future reference for other Portuguese, Brazilian and European schools of Engineering, Science and Technology.

The rapidly growing learning simulations market calls urgently for innovative ways to facilitate the simulation design process [1],[2]. Social spaces can provide an extensive source of reports on individuals’ experiences and their real-world contexts that may be exploited for the purpose of identifying relevant content and evaluating the quality of a simulation. To realise this potential, appropriate ways to make sense of user generated content (UGC) are needed. This work presents a novel approach, called

semantic social sensing

(SSS), which exploits ontologies and semantic augmentation combined with discourse analysis uncovering intentions behind the user comments. We have developed two SSS instruments enabling analysis of UGC – (a) a framework for automatic semantic analysis for capturing viewpoints (ViewS), which utilises ontologies and semantic tagging and enrichment and enables visual exploration of the conceptual spaces associated with UGC [3]; and (b) a schema for discourse analysis to identify intentions useful for simulator design [2] and inspired by research analysing communicative functions of user contributions in collaborative settings [4].

To reuse existing digital learning resources, a teacher has to perform a complex and creative in order to adapt them to the students’ needs and fit their cognitive abilities. Nevertheless, metadata do not generally describe the cognitive facets of a digital learning resource. We give here a partial account of a trace-based system in its current state of development to index digital learning resources according to the metadata describing their “cognitive features”. By “cognitive feature” we mean the cognitive activities (e.g., reading, listening, body interactions, etc.) associated with different message formats (e.g., text, audio, interactive animations, etc.).

This poster introduces the first version of an integrated model of three traditions of research in TEL: Teacher Inquiry into Student Learning (TISL) [1], Learning Design (LD) [2] and Learning Analytics (LA) [3]. The integrated model, is based on four existing models: TISL Heart Model [4], Design Inquiry Model [2], Scenario Design Process Model [5], and the Model for Integrating Design and Analytics in Scripting for CSCL (MIDAS4CSCL) [6]. The result is leading towards a new strand of inquiry, called

teacher-led design inquiry of learning.

By using phenomenography, the research aims to explore the different conceptions of reality that various actors (undergraduate and postgraduate students, teachers, trainers and managers in placement organizations) have in the context of two project-based learning, technology-supported courses in “Instructional design of online courses” at the University of Bucharest.

People spend large amount of time browsing the Web while fulfilling various needs, but they find it difficult to spare some time for education. We believe that the time spent by browsing can be used more efficiently. We proposed a method for web augmentation during casual web browsing, which facilitates foreign language vocabulary learning. Our method substitutes words on a web page for their foreign equivalents and exposes a user to unknown words. We conducted a small qualitative experiment to study how users perceive word substitution in web pages and how it affects their foreign language vocabulary. Results showed that web page augmentation improves user’s vocabulary size without negatively affecting his browsing experience.

Traditionally, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) “has been segregated from the normal teaching classroom” [12], e.g. in computer labs. This has been changed with the advent of smaller devices like iPads. There is a shift from separating ICT and education to co-located settings in which digital technology becomes part of the classroom

.

This paper presents the results from a study about exploring digital didactical designs using iPads applied by teachers in schools. Classroom observations and interviews in iPad-classrooms in Danish schools have been done with the aim to provide empirical evidence on the co-evolutionary design of both, didactical designs and iPads. The Danish community Odder has 7 schools where around 200 teachers and 2,000 students aged 6-16 use iPads in a 1:1 iPad-program. Three key aspects could be explored: The teachers’ digital didactical designs embrace a) new learning goals where more than one correct answer exists, b) focus on producing knowledge in informal-in-formal learning spaces, c) making learning visible in different products (text, comics, podcasts etc.). The results show the necessity of rethinking traditional

Didaktik

towards Digital Didactics.

A number of recommender systems (RS) have been or are being developed in the context of technology enhanced learning (TEL). However, there seems to be a lack of research focusing on the dual system of vocational education and training (VET). The knowledge transfer and sharing in a dual system has its own particularities and difficulties because of its inborn nature. Firstly, in the dual system, apprentices in-company practice training is at the workplace and their theoretical education is in the classroom in a vocational school. The transfer of know-how takes place in two different geo-location. Secondly, different stakeholders are involved in the dual system in the sense of knowledge transfer and sharing. We consider three roles for analyzing the knowledge transfer and sharing, i.e. trainee, trainer and teacher. This suggests, six flows of knowledge transfer and sharing may occur, i.e. flow: teacher ⇔ trainee, trainer ⇔ trainee, teacher ⇔ trainer, trainee ⇔ trainee, trainer ⇔ trainer, teacher ⇔ teacher. Knowledge transfer and sharing among trainee, teacher and trainer is not easy, if there is no fitting instrument to support this process. The project

expertAzubi

addresses these issues to develop an online teaching and learning community using Web 2.0 technologies. We propose a hybrid multi-recommender approach to (1) support knowledge transfer and sharing among trainees, teachers and trainers in a pro-active way, and (2) use particularly the user generated contents to generate personalized recommendations to motivate learners to initialize an active lifelong learning.

We present a model that refines current understanding of reflective learning in the workplace by relating emotion to the reflection process.

Traditionally conversational interfaces, such as chatbots, have been created in two distinct ways. Either by using natural language parsing methods or by creating conversational trees that utilise the natural Zipf curve distribution of conversations using a tool like AIML. This work describes a hybrid method where conversational trees are developed for specific types of conversations, and then through the use of a bespoke scripting language, called OwlLang, domain knowledge is extracted from semantic web ontologies. New knowledge obtained through the conversations can also be stored in the ontologies allowing an evolving knowledge base. The paper describes two case studies where this method has been used to evaluate TEL by surveying users, firstly about the experience of using a learning management system and secondly about students’ experiences of an intelligent tutor system within the I-TUTOR project.

A critical contextual modelling issue in context-aware recommender systems research has to do with developing domain and application specific models that offer no reuse and sharing capabilities. Developers and researchers struggle to design their own models without any guidance, often resulting in overspecialized, inefficient and incomplete context models. On the basis of a prior work, we have developed an online context modelling system and learning tool that is able to guide and teach CARS developers and researchers through the process of CARS context modelling, on how to build their own context models in a way that offers sharing and reuse, while at the same time it teaches them important modern concepts derived by CARS research, significantly advancing as a result their knowledge in the field.

We propose the notion of “learning buckets”: Configurable containers of positioned learning artifacts, that teachers may include in learning designs, and that are filled during the enactment by students or teachers.

Participation in communities of practice (CoPs) [1], either in face-to-face, or in technology-based environments, leads to the accumulation of experience, stimulates the social construction of knowledge and the development of expertise. An overview over the occurring complex long-term processes may provide means to foster collaboration and social knowledge construction in CoP. In technology-based environments, however, this requires valid and reliable automatic analysis procedures of the community dialogue. In previous work [2], social knowledge-building was analyzed as a cohesion-based collaboration assessment model applied to individual chats. This study extends the procedure after aggregating discussion threads from asynchronous discussion forums and performs a validation by comparison with the results of a manual content analysis based on a critical thinking framework [3]. The developed tool makes headway on applying learning analytics in field research on virtual CoPs.

etiquetAR

is a web-authoring application designed towards learning purposes to support practitioners in the design of activities based on QR codes. This poster illustrates how

etiquetAR

QR codes were used to augment a University Campus as a support for a gamified tag-based learning activity. The QR codes generated change its behavior depending on the profile of the student interacting with the tag. The results show the successful application of

etiquetAR

in a real educational context.

Chat conversations with multiple participants are widely used in solving a wide range of CSCL tasks. One of the reasons for their success is that they encourage multiple conversation threads to exist in parallel, thus allowing multiple topics and ideas to be debated at the same time. These threads may be detected more easily if we would be able to identify the links that exist between the utterances of a conversation. This paper tries to explain whether semantic similarity measures from Natural Language Processing (NLP) may be successfully used to detect the links between utterances in CSCL chat conversations.

E-Flashcards are an approach to support students for active learning and individual feedback – even in large scale university courses. This paper presents results of a pilot study for using e-flashcards in two courses. The study shows a wide usage and acceptance of the e-flashcards in combination with further incentives to enhance user activity.

The impact of the Internet on working practices has been profound, in terms of how people communicate, collaborate and network. In parallel, there has being increasing prominence given to interdisciplinarity as a means of addressing cross-disciplinary research challenges. This poster explores how interdisciplinary research can make better use of new technologies as a means of developing shared understanding. Interdisciplinary projects investigating Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) make a particularly relevant site for such research. We have found that a key means of support for the development of work on interdisciplinary projects is the development of mediating artefacts to support the articulation and process of discourse.

Along with the theoretical and practical research on introducing a social dimension to adaptive educational hypermedia, the evaluation of such systems becomes more important. Existing evaluation methods are mostly based on statistical and qualitative analysis, in which researcher bias is built in and unavoidable. Moreover, they adopt either a traditional “as a whole” approach making it difficult to evaluate a system from different perspectives, or a “goal specified” approach, which only covers a specific aspect. Therefore, this study proposes a

generic method for evaluating system functionality

.

In 2009 the authors of this paper published their proposal for a modular software architecture for computer aided assessments and automated marking. Since then, four more years of experience have passed. This paper reports on technical and organizational aspects of using the proposed architecture and the actual system in various scenarios.

The social web paradigm has modified the way people behave on the Web. Amongst the many consequences of this change the amount of online resources directly produced and shared by users has increased considerably. In this scenario the importance of methods to evaluate the educational relevance of the resources raises up. In this poster we propose an approach based on recent advancements of Linked Open Data.

Serendipity, the process of making fortunate discoveries for which someone was not looking for, can play a crucial role in leveraging creativity in learning [1]. Serendipity enables creative connections to develop while it can have a role in revealing hidden connections or “hidden analogies”, especially in a social context such as in most learning processes [2]. The results of a chance encounter can result in new ideas relevant to the learner’s previous knowledge [3]. In previous work, we have reviewed the related literature and identified five enabling factors for serendipity [4]:

diversity

,

unexpectedness

or

novelty

,

personalization

,

visualization

, and

social interaction

. The aim of this paper is to construct an architectural framework based on the aforementioned factors that can be used as a guide in the development of information seeking systems aiming to leverage serendipity in learning.

Driven by ever shorter cycles of innovation, organizations and individuals nowadays have to acquire, understand and apply new knowledge in shorter periods of time [1]. Much of this rapid learning appears to be achieved by workers learning on the job and from colleagues – informal learning rather than learning from traditional, curriculum-based training [2]. Mobile technology could potentially provide support to this informal learning as it can provide scalable and flexible learning tools that can be used at any time across a variety of locations: at home, on different work sites, during travel [3]. However, designing learning technology that can support such unstructured, creative and expertise-driven informal learning is challenging, especially as there are likely to be great variations across employees in terms of their perceptions, experiences and expectations regarding technology [4]. These expectations and experiences may also differ from those of the developers and designers. Yet it is the match between user requirements and functionalities that lies at the heart of a successful learning technology. In Learning Layers we are exploring how creating and using Personas may help to design scalable technology for supporting informal learning in healthcare.

Serious games are applications combining educational content with gameplay by integrating learning objectives into a game-like environment to keep up the player’s motivation to continue playing, and hence learning. This characteristic is highly sought after in educational contexts, making serious games a big asset for didactics [1]. Offering new learning contents through a game not only induces higher motivation, employing serious games can also yield higher learning success than presenting material in a classical, non-computer based, way [2]. Only few people having the proper didactical background to tailor the learning objectives to the students’ need also have the programming knowledge and game design skills allowing them to develop didactically and technically sound serious games [3, 4]. In this paper, we argue for an approach to enable didactical experts, i.e. educators, to develop serious games adapted to their own learning content. To address this problem we develop a tool allowing educators to visually design their serious games, which is based on model driven development techniques that allow the generation of software from visual models. We describe the first step towards this tool, the development of the underlying domain specific modeling language (DSML).

While many innovations in Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) have emerged over the last two decades, the uptake of these innovations has not always been very successful, particularly in schools. The transition from proof of concept to integration into learning activities has been recognized as a bottleneck for quite some time. This major problem, which is affecting many TEL stakeholders, is the focus of the four year iTEC project that is developing a comprehensive approach.