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Interactive Learning Environments

Ambjörn Naeve (Senior Researcher)Mikael Nilsson (PhD student)

Matthias Palmér (PhD student)Fredrik Paulsson (PhD student)

Centre for user oriented IT design

http://cid.nada.kth.se/il

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Overview

● Problem domain & research questions

● PhD projects

● External projects

● Prototypes and demos

● Vision & future directions

● Evaluation & Testbeds

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Motivation

● Fundamental problems observed in the educational system:– lack of student interest.

– life long teaching instead of life long learning.

– lack of ambition to know why.

– motion away from natural science.

● e-Learning not a solution, but:– enables non-traditional communication forms

– can support global content sharing

– allows the formation of distributed learning communities

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ILE Problem domain

● Exploring new kinds of e-learning architectures– Designing for global scope and outreach – decentralization and re-

composition of content

– Developing standards for distributed technologies

– Using next-generation web technologies – Semantic Web

– Supporting conceptual information landscapes

– Designing open educational architectures: accessible, learner-centric, non-linear

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ILE Research questions

● ICT Design for a global learner-centric e-learning infrastructure– How do we handle information overload?

– Can we support reuse of content by using learning objects?

– Can we increase availability through open source and open standards?

● Design of technology to help break learner passivity– Can we support interest-driven learning?

● Effects of learner-centric technologies on educational architectures

– Do we need new knowledge roles?

– Can we support different methodologies?

● Subject focus: Mathematics

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Global Infrastructures for ICT-enhanced Math.Ed.Mikael Nilsson

● Subject: Mathematics + didactics

● Since Sept. 2001

● Financed by a national research school in mathematics education. Cooperation with SU, math dept.

● Research Questions:– Are there structural effects of introducing open architectures in math.

ed.?

– Can traditional institutions handle demand for flexible learning?

● Methods:– Study results of experimental class-room projects. Examine new

kinds of user needs.

PhD project

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Exploring and searching in e-learning systemsMatthias Palmér

● Subject: Computer Science

● Since Jan. 2001

● Cooperation with Uppsala Learning Lab

● Research Questions:– How to design interfaces to bridge the gap between human

semantics and machine semantics?

– How to use Semantic Web technology to support human-to-human communication?

● Methods:– Prototypes of visual tools for non-experts. Integrating requirements

from industrial partners.

PhD project

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Learning Component TechnologyFredrik Paulsson

● Subject: Computer Science

● Since Dec. 2000

● Financed by National Agency for School Development (as partner contribution)

● Research Questions:– Does component based (modularized) technology lead to more

flexible ILE:s and content?

– Is learning technology standards enough to meet the demands of modularized content and ILE:s?

● Methods:– Implementation of prototypes and evaluation of technical- and

pedagogical tests.

PhD project

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Collaborative Projects

● SCAM (Standardized Content Archive Management)– National Agency for School Development (SUM),

– National Centre for Flexible Learning (CFL),

– Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company (UR),

– Umeå University (IML: Interactive Media and Learning),

– Uppsala University● ILU: Teacher Education

● Uppsala Learning Lab (ULL)

● SHAME (Standardized Hyper-Adaptable Metadata Editor)– UR,

– CFL,

– SUM

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Collaborative Projects

● VWE (Virtual Workspace Environment)– Umeå University (IML: Interactive Media and Learning),

– SUM

● Public e-Learning Platform – UR,

– SUM,

– CFL,

– Swedish NetUniversity

● UR’s new digital media library (built on SCAM & SHAME)– UR

– Datadoktorn

– Ateles

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Collaborative Projects (cont.)● Personalized Access to Distributed Learning Resources

(Funded by the Wallenberg Global Learning Network)

– Edutella (KBS/Hannover, DBL/Stanford, UDBL/Uppsala)

– Evaluating Learning Management Systems (Uppsala Learning Lab)

● Personal Learning Portfolios - Folio Thinking (WGLN)– Media Technology programme/KTH

● MathViz– Presently: DSV/KTH, CL/KTH

– Upcoming: Lillehammer College/Norway, Norwegian National Concerts

● Workflow Management– UR

– Lentus

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Standards

● The only way to make infrastructures work globally

● We work actively within– IEEE (P1484.12: LTSC LOM)

– Dublin Core

– ISO (JTC1 SC36)

– IMS

– CEN/ISSS (EC)

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Some Publications

● Report to Swedish Net University: A public e-learning platform built on open source and open standards

● Three papers at WBLE 2001

● Two papers at WWW2002. Responses:

“Edutella is the most exciting project in the world”

Shirley Alexander, Uppsala, Nov 2002

[Professor of Learning Technologies, Sydney]

“So when a paper comes out of [ILE at CID] it's wise to sit up and take notice”

Scott Wilson, CETIS, May 2002

[Centre for Educational Technology Interoperability Standards]

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Prototypes

Learning Content:● Graphing Calculator

– Used to create math content for several experiments in math education

● Projective Drawing Board– Interacting with geometric constructions

● CyberMath– Distributed virtual environment for mathematics exploration

● A Virtual Mathematics Laboratorium– Using our concept browser, Conzilla

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Prototypes

Archives:●SCAM – the content archive*

– UR (Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company)

– NoTnavet (National Agency for School Development)

– Projects in the classroom (National Agency for School Development)

– CFL (National Centre for Flexible Learning)

– Digital Portfolios

– Our own Mathematics archive

●SHAME – the metadata editor and query form*– Used by Edutella partners

* = ongoing Master's Thesis Projects

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Prototypes

Infrastructures:●Edutella* – a P2P (peer-to-peer) network on the (machine) Semantic Web

– lets anyone participate in information exchange

– supports composition of information

●The Conceptual Web– Human Semantic Web – enabling advanced information

architectures via a metadata eco-system

●VWE (Virtual Workspace Environment)– Composing learning components to create learning modules

* = ongoing Master's Thesis Projects

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PrototypesTools & environments:

●Conzilla*– Being integrated with Edutella as navigator and query formulation

tool*

– Being adopted to mobile devices**

– Creating contexts for archived content● Netscape's Open Directory project (dmoz.org)*

●Portfolio + Conzilla + Edutella + ...

=> A flexible learning environment,

– building on our information architecture

– using bleeding-edge technology (P2P, Semantic Web, Web Service technology)

– using emerging learning technology standards (LOM, IMS)

* = ongoing Master's Thesis Projects

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Vision

A Knowledge Manifold

● is our structured information architecture that supports a number of different strategies for information hiding.

● can be used to design interactive learning environments that support question-based learning. (“knowledge-pull based on interest”)

● can be considered as a patchwork of knowledge, with a number of linked knowledge patches, each with its own knowledge gardener.

● allows the user to ask questions and search for certified live knowledge sources.

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Vision (cont.)

A Knowledge Manifold

● has access to a distributed archive of resource components.

● allows teachers to compose components and construct personalized learning modules.

● makes use of conceptual modeling in order to support separation between context and content.

● contains a concept browser (Conzilla) that supports these principles and activities.

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Vision (cont.)

Pedagogical Foundations for a KM:

● Nobody can teach you anything. A good teacher can inspire you to learn.

● Your motivation to learn is based on direct experience of knowledge enthusiasm and positive expectations from live teachers.

● The prerequisites for efficient learning are improved when you take control of your own learning process.

● No ”problematic” questions can be answered in an automated way.

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Evaluation & Testbeds

● MathViz project at the IT university (GC, SCAM)

● CL-students at KTH (GC, SCAM)

● Folio Thinking at Media Technology (SCAM, Conzilla)

● UR's media pedagogs (Conzilla/SCAM)

● Several partner projects (SCAM, Conzilla, Edutella)