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JOURNAL OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS, VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2, MAY 2010

147

2010 JOThttp://sites.google.com/site/journaloftelecommunications/

Mechanism for Learning Object retrievalsupporting adaptivity

Sonal Chawla and R.K. Singla

Abstract --In todays world designing adaptable course material requires new technical knowledge which involves a need for a uniformprotocol that allows organizing resources with emphasis on quality and Learning. This can be achieved by bundling the resources in aknown and prescribed fashion called Learning objects. Learning Objects are composed of two aspects namely Learning and Object.The Learning aspect of Learning objects refers to Education. Since Education is a process so the primary aim of learning objects tendsto be facilitating acquisition, assessment and conversion of content into Learning objects while fostering the assimilation of theseLearning objects into learning modules and instruction. The Object part of Learning objects relates to the Digital Electronic format of theresources i.e. to say that it deals with the physical resource that forms the Learning objects. The objects in LOs are analogous toobjects used in object-oriented modeling (OOM). The analogy helps visualize how LOs will be packaged, processed and transportedacross the digital library as well as utilized in course building. OOM concepts such as encapsulation, classification, polymorphism,inheritance and reuse can be borrowed to describe the operations on LOs in the digital l ibrary. Thus, the aim of this paper i s threefolds.Firstly, to discuss the background of this research and the concept of Learning Objects. Secondly, to provide a framework for adaptivemechanism for the retrieval of Learning Objects and thirdly to highlight the benefits that this new proposed framework shall bring.

KeyWords:Learning Objects, Adaptive retrieval, Xerte, Moodle.1 Introduction

Digital resources are widely used in todayseducation and their pace of growth is considerablyfast. There has been consistent leaps forward in themethods to group, share, retrieve and reusecurricular information through softwareapplications. These initiatives give support toemergent educational paradigm where conceptslike learning, knowledge, skills, competencies,learning outcomes make-up the core of the current

educational perspectives. [1] All these componentscan work independently and yet support learningand testing of its students. This can be achievedthrough the concept of Virtual University LearningEnvironment. [2]

But creating this environment involves the creationof effective E-learning resources which can betransferred for use on other platforms. This iscalled Interoperability. The challenge of makingresources interoperable across different systemsthus becomes a major task. [9]

The primary response to these problems is a majorarea of research with numerous international workdirected at developing small reusable chunks ofeducational material in the form of LearningObjects. In this context, this study describesspecific efforts to increase and diversify learnersaccess to E-learning applications. The strategies tooffer the necessary physical and technologicalinfrastructure to allow the designing and

implementation of digital resources in the form ofLearning Objects are discussed in this paper. Thestudy also looks at pedagogical methodologies andresearch, evolvement and innovation in teachingand learning tools based on E-learning standards.More precisely, the study investigates specificways in which digital resources are designed andstored and automatically delivered to learners.This work is centered in methodological actionsaimed to design, produce and distribute learningobjects using instructional schemas and theirperformance in Virtual education environment

built following instructional engineeringapproaches. The study identifies the componentsto design and produce these digital contents to beexploited in adaptive virtual environments. Theapplied research based on postulates andprototypes aims to consolidate the existentlearning experiences using ICT to enhance theteaching and learning processes, promote thedidactic innovation and add value to the research

Sonal Chawla is with the Dept of computer Science &Appl, Panjab University, Chandigarh. India. R.K. Singla is with the the Dept of computer Science &Appl, Panjab University, Chandigarh. India.

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initiatives. The transformation from traditional todigital curricula is accomplished considering thefunctional analysis model adapted to supportacademic program requirements. The BloomsCognitive Domain and the Felder learning stylemodel premises are combined to allow in thecurricular planning, the definition of instructional

strategies and media needs that should guide thedesign and digital content production in the form ofLearning Objects, focused to achieve meaningfuland personalized learning in this emergingeducational paradigm. [4]

The research provides an effective approach to theprocess of Learning Object Design andConstruction. The Learning Object design andconstruction for this study was done using theAuthoring software Xerte, launched recently byUniversity of Nottingham and the dissemination ofresources was done using Moodle. The Learning

Objects were stored using MySQL database. Theaim of this research then was to propose anadaptive mechanism to deliver the LearningObjects from the database suiting the learning styleand the Learning preference of the learner. For thisa framework has been proposed in the next sectionconsidering various learning styles and learningpreferences of the learners. [6] The drivers for theintroduction of Learning Objects is an identificationto the changing needs of the students andresource redundancies involved with the traditionalcourse development processes. This approach,however, is not about replacing the humandimension of teaching and learning experience, but

about enhancing the face-to-face time spentbetween students and instructors. This researchapparently enhances the quality of humaninteraction due to the fact that the time whenstudents and teachers interact is not wasted bytransmitting information which could be moreeffectively transmitted by other means. Thisresearch blends the four basic principles ofLearning Objects: reusability, interoperability,durability and accessibility.

The reuse of digital learning material has been acontinuing issue. First there were a number ofinitiatives promoting the reuse of educational

software. However, their success in practice waslimited. The most substantial problems wereincompatibilities in language, culture, curriculum,computer-use practices, and pedagogicalapproaches of the potential learners and their instructors . Although David Wiley compared theidea of building educational content from smallerbuilding blocks with object oriented programming[5] yet there is no generally agreed developmentand reuse concept in areas like software

engineering. It has been argued by the researchersthat design principles such as encapsulation,cohesion, and decoupling allow educators todevelop and maintain objects independently ofeach other. Boyle was the first who attempted totransfer certain software engineering principles likecohesion and decoupling to Learning Objects to

encourage the production of reusable LearningObjects. Cohesion among different components ofa Learning Object in Boyles[3] approach isachieved by the fact that all components arefocused on a single learning objective.

2.0 Mechanism for adaptivedelivery

However, the delivery of learning objects needs anAdaptive Learning System model that is based onconstructivism and adaptive learning. Thus, theremust be a mechanism that gathers informationabout the learners and matches it with digital

resources from the Learning Object Repositorythereby generating content, context andinformation that the learners need. Thismechanism depicting the collaboration of digitalresources with learner profiles has been shown inFigure 1This part needs instructional designers and subjectmatter experts to collaborate using artificialintelligence principles, ontology, techniques, rulesetc to develop a matching topology. Using thismechanism, adaptive or individualized learningobjects can be retrieved from the repositoryfollowing the aggregated data emerging fromlearner profiles, learning context and learning

objectives. [8]Adaptive Learning Objects have been discussedfrom various viewpoints with regards to learnersadaptation through interoperability issues. Recentresearches on Learning Objects are contributingfor the search of patterns for instructional contentdevelopment, in order to make them adaptive,generic, portable and scalable enough to improvetheir potential for reusability.

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Figure 1: Mechanism for Adaptive Matching ofLearning Objects in VULE

3.0 Architecture Proposal for Learning

Objects supporting interactivity

Although after gathering the learning objects fromthe repository, they can be delivered byassembling into the course unit with context andpresented to the learners using the Learning

Management System yet the great challengestill remains as to how adaptive a learning objectcould be. The Figure 2 presents an architecturalproposal for the learning objects supportinginteroperability and adaptation.This architecture for repositories proposed allowsLearning Objects to be retrieved in an adaptive

way as per the learners historical background, their learning styles and the learning objectives.

Thus, this model improves the knowledgebuilding process by strengthening the relevanceand significance of Learning Objects in the widerlearning context.

manner. This architecture is a six-layeredarchitecture with the first tier as the LearnerProfile tier. This tier holds responsibility forkeeping track of students historical information,each learners individual profile repository,information about individual learningexpectances and their learning goals. All these

pieces of information are extremely important toprovide adaptation in the historical, pre-requisite-based way. Several levels ofadaptation can be established relating to thewide range of different aspects on teaching-learning processes. [10] These could rangefrom keeping track of students evolution onbuilding some desired knowledge matching thelearning styles picked up from

Generate Learners Profile

Retrieve

Matched

LOs

Learner

Profile

Database

LearnerProfile Engine

Repository of

LO with

adaptive and

context

attributes

Mechanism for

Adaptive

Matching

Context or

course delivery

mechanism

VULE

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Figure 2 : Six Layered Architecture for adaptiveLearning Objects

the historical data as well as heuristic-basedprocesses.Second tier is the Learning Styles tier whichsprawls in multi-dimensional measure and isinfluenced by a range of factors like environment,inter-relational issues and psychological aspects

conveying how the student deals with knowledge tobe constructed or skill to be developed. This workdraws on research from Kolb, Felder and Gardnerdwelling upon the classification of Learning styles.Students profiles pass through the learning stylesmentioned by these researchers to create theLearning style-dependent profile. It is pertinent tomention here that the Learning styles are notdependent only on students historical profile butalso of knowledges nature. This makes them

difficult to be represented computationally since

these styles are not static or immutable.The third tier is the Learning Object resource tier

which is built as an aggregation of finer grainedresources. This tier identifies the learningobjectives so that each course has the definition ofexpected skills and abilities. This tier employsinstructional design strategy for selection andsequencing of Learning Objects based onlearning objectives. Since, here, learning stylesbased adaptation is to be considered so adaptiveheuristics must decide which objects are to beshown to certain students in some learning context.

Fourth tier is the Learning Object repository tier.Here the Learning Objects are organized in therepositories. They could be custom produced orretrieved from other interoperable repositories. Butthe gathered Learning Objects must beinteroperable relying on the three techniques ofInteroperability i.e. federated searches, LOharvesting through metadata and finally LOgathering. This becomes possible when therepositories, from where the data is being

Learners Profile Tier

Profile/History

Repository

Learning

ExpectancyLearning

Goal

Kolb

GardnerFelder

Learning Object Resource Tier

Course A

Contents

Skills

Abilities

Course B

Contents

Skills

Abilities

Learning Object Repository Tier

Interface Tier

Learning

Object

Model

Learner

Profile

Model

VULE

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retrieved, follows standards. These standards areextremely essential for categorization andclassification of Learning Objects in their discoveryand recovery process.Fifth tier is the Interface tier. This tier dynamicallygenerates the suitable visualization of the LearningObjects according to the Learners profile based on

the learning styles for a certain learning context.This tier is composed of Learning Object Moduleand the Learner Profile Module. The LearningObject Module describes all the Learning Objectsto be used in the learning context based on basicsequencing by Instructional Design. The LearnerProfile Module contains the learners historicalprofile and the learning styles. Both these modulesmatch the Learning Objects as per the learnersprofile using mechanism to display them throughthe Virtual University Learning Environment.Sixth tier is the Virtual University LearningEnvironment for disseminating the LearningObjects.

4.0 Results and Discussions

This new learning environment is expected tofacilitate:

Creation of learning objects during courseto facilitate personalised learning

Use of advance organisers to enhanceassimilation

Automated formative assessment toscaffold learning

Constructivist social learning to promoteteamwork

Inquiry-based and exploratory learning tosynthesize knowledge

The Model aims to provide a Virtual Universitydesign that connects its learners in an innovativelearning environment, providing them with accessto a wide range of formal and informal communitygroups, including discussion forums enablingstudents to interact, collaborate and support eachother, sharing their individual experiences as theyprogress through their studies. Besides others, itoffers benefits like:-

Faculty across departments canindependently create and produce onlinecontent, while maintaining the uniform lookand feel of Virtual Campus.

Improved departmental and collegeportals enhance student and facultyrecruiting, alumni relations anddevelopment efforts.

New workflow process and organization-wide shared content trims costs andboosts employee productivity by

minimizing the time and effort needed tocreate and manage online content.

Better online content, improvedorganization and consistent design helpsensure students have quick and easyaccess to the information they need.

REFERENCES:

[1] Downes, S. (2003). Design and reusability of learningobjects in an academic context: A new economy ofeducation? USDLA Journal: A Refereed Journal of theUnited States Distance Learning Association 17(1).http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/JAN03_Issue/article01.html[2] Aoki, Kumiko & Donna Pogroszewski. Virtual UniversityReference Model: A guide to Delivering Education andSupport Serviceto the Distance Learner. Online Journal ofDistance Learning Administration,1998.www.westga.edu/~distance/aoki13.html

[3] Bradley, C., & Boyle, T. (2004). The design, development,and use of multimedia learning objects. Journal ofEducational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(4), 371-389.

[4] Sommerville, I. (2000) Software engineering, 6th Ed.Addison-Wesley[5] Wiley, D. A. (2000). Connecting learning objects toinstructionaldesign theory: A definition, a metaphor, and a taxonomy. InD. A. Wiley (Ed.), The instructional use of learning objects:Online version.http://reusability.org/read/chapters/wiley.doc[6] M.D. Merrill and the ID2 Research Group, InstructionalTransaction Theory: An Instructional Design Model based

on Knowledge Objects, Educational Technology, 36(3),1996; 30-37;http://www.id2.usu.edu/Papers/IDTHRYK3.PDF

[7] Koper, R., & Manderveld, J. Educational ModellingLanguage:Modeling reusable, interoperable, rich and personalizedunits of learning. British Journal of EducationalTechnology, 35(5), 537-551[8] Baruque, L. B., & Melo, R. N. (2004). Learning theory andinstructional design using learning objects.Journal ofEducationalMultimedia and Hypermedia, 13(4), 343-370.

[9] Akpinar, Y., & Simsek, H. (2007). Should K-12 teachersdevelop learning objects? Evidence from the field with K-12students. International Journal of Instructional Technologyand Distance Learning, 4(3),31-44.www.itdl.org/Journal/Mar_07/Mar_07.pdf

[10] Kay, R., & Knaack, L. (2005). Developing learningobjects for secondary school students: A multicomponentmodel. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge andLearning Objects,1,229-254
http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/JAN03_Issue/article01.htmlhttp://www.usdla.org/html/journal/JAN03_Issue/article01.htmlhttp://www.usdla.org/html/journal/JAN03_Issue/article01.htmlhttp://www.westga.edu/~distance/aoki13.htmlhttp://reusability.org/read/chapters/wiley.dochttp://www.id2.usu.edu/Papers/IDTHRYK3.PDFhttp://www.itdl.org/Journal/Mar_07/Mar_07.pdfhttp://www.itdl.org/Journal/Mar_07/Mar_07.pdfhttp://www.id2.usu.edu/Papers/IDTHRYK3.PDFhttp://reusability.org/read/chapters/wiley.dochttp://www.westga.edu/~distance/aoki13.htmlhttp://www.usdla.org/html/journal/JAN03_Issue/article01.htmlhttp://www.usdla.org/html/journal/JAN03_Issue/article01.html

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http://www.ijklo.org/Volume1/v1p229-254Kay_Knaack.pdf
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