Task-oriented approach to information handling

supportwithin web-based

education Lora M. Aroyo

15 November 2001

The “WWW invasion” in education

Growing amount of informationLack of adequate support Missing link between the students and instructorsFinding and validating relevant educational information

Looking for a solution

methods to support both students and instructorsinformation handling tasks:

searching for relevant information on a certain topicsapplying information for course tasksvisualization, organizing, structuring and maintainingvalidating information

Aims of the research

investigate the problems related to user-oriented and context-based information handling within Web-based education propose an approach for efficiently managing course-related information resourcesincreasing personal satisfaction and performance of students and instructors in their course-related tasks

Support areas for information handling within web-based

education Mapping toolsKBSIRSVisualisation tools

Support areas for information handling within web-based

education

From the aims to AIMS

AIMS – Agent-based Information Management System AIMS method – indirectly guiding and assisting both students and instructors in performing their course related activitiesAIMS tool – facilitating students and instructors with techniques to apply AIMS method and this way to achieve higher course performance

AIMS Metaphor

Proposed approach

interactive user-oriented system task-based search conceptual visualisation flexible agent-based architecture

Software Agents

Information Visualization

Mapping Approaches

Information Retrieval

Constructivist Theory

Information Processing

Theory

Experiential Learning

Lateral Thinking

Informational Education Support

Proposed approach (2)

A three dimensional scheme is constructed in order to link all the aspects of the proposed solution for information handling support within the context of web-based education - ATP Model (Approach-Technology-Process):

Visualisation techniques Semantic information modelling Intelligent support for cognitive processes

3A

3T

3P

AIMS problem domain

AIMS Global Information Model

AIMS Global Information Model

Domain model - defines the subject-domain ontology by means of a concept map (CM) of domain concepts with links between them

– domain concepts - linked to documents with weight indicating the relevance – domain concept - component of the user model as an overlay on the domain CM

Library model - provides means for maintaining a collection of information items related to different courses and domains - course materials and domain-related documents together with their characteristics

– library documents - domain terms, course tasks and topics – document - component of the user model as an overlay on the library documents

Course model - defines the structure of a course: course topics and tasks– task is represented in terms of domain concepts: includes task description,

prerequisites, and task status

Learner model - represented in terms of course tasks, domain concepts, and library documents: an overlay on the subject domain CM and course and library models; open model, built jointly by the user and the system

AIMS agent hierarchy

AIMS distributed architecture

Client-Server view on AIMS communication

stack

AIMS student environment

AIMS instructor domain environment

AIMS instructor library environment

AIMS instructor course environment

AIMS admin environment

AIMS Experiments

Preliminary studies - visualisation

Concept mapping study Pilot user interface and main

functionality experiments Main experiment – learning

outcomes, user interface and functionality