Implementing Adaptive, Data-Driven Course Design to Improve Student Learning
Research presentation_1
1. Exploring the development of adaptable learning objects. A practical approach Voula Gkatzidou Accessibility Research Centre Teesside University [email_address]
Changes in legislation, an emphasis on widening participation and the increasing reliance on online techniques for learning and teaching have contributed to improved opportunities for students with disabilities. The aim of this work is to explore methods to provide learning materials that could be adapted to the specific needs of the learners, whether they have a disabiltiy or not. In the academic setting it is usually teaching staff who are largely responsible for the production of their own electronic resources, and while some embrace the challenge of new technologies with enthusiasm and accept the need for accessibility, other over stretched academics may regard the requirement to produce accessible online courses as a burden they have neither the skills nor the time to tackle
We are adopting a holistic approach to accessibility that moves away from the ‘one size fits all’ approaches and models of universal accessibility that are both impractical and rigid. We believe that a solution in the challenge of adaptable learning lies in the concept that learning content can be generated from adaptable aggregation of los and media components/ Therefore, the aim of this work is to develop an adaptation service which will be able to retrieve a learning object upon user request, adapt it according to the needs of the user and deliver the adapted learning object back to the user. This research acknowledges that the complexity of multimedia learning resources and the diverse needs of disabled students require an approach that supports the adaptation of the resource at the point of delivery.
TASS comprises a number of software components implementing the functional activities When the user requests a learning object, the system authenticates to the TASS Interface Unit, which interrogates the Profile Manager, and retrieves the user’s profile (PNP). The Interface Unit passes the request to the Dis/Aggregation Unit, which fetches the requested learning object from the learning object repository, unpackages it and defines a correspondent adaptation strategy, based on the learner’s profile and the available alternative learning object components. The strategy, along with the media that need conversion is forwarded to the Adaptation Unit, which performs the necessary adaptations as specified by the strategy and upon their completion, returns the learning object to the user, via the TASS Interface Unit.
TASS comprises a number of software components implementing the functional activities When the user requests a learning object, the system authenticates to the TASS Interface Unit, which interrogates the Profile Manager, and retrieves the user’s profile (PNP). The Interface Unit passes the request to the Dis/Aggregation Unit, which fetches the requested learning object from the learning object repository, unpackages it and defines a correspondent adaptation strategy, based on the learner’s profile and the available alternative learning object components. The strategy, along with the media that need conversion is forwarded to the Adaptation Unit, which performs the necessary adaptations as specified by the strategy and upon their completion, returns the learning object to the user, via the TASS Interface Unit.
In order for the TAS service to work ,its necessary to add a number of external components to this model Funcrionality of TAS is dependent on the existence of learner profiles , accessibility metadata and equivalent reousrces. These incluse a Profiling Tool that collects the user’s access requirements in terms of appearance, layout and selection of content These incluse a Profiling Tool learning object authoring tool that supports the creation of adaptable content
The panel on the left illustrates the structure of the learning pattern that is being employed for the design of the learning object, in the form of a template and captures the pedagogical choices made by the tutor/ designer. These can be read as a sequence which sets out the ‘storyline’ of the learning object. This pedagogical storyline can be read from top to bottom in the left panel. Each step in the storyline has an attached default page layout that enables this function to be expressed in a screen which is accessed by the learner The learning object panel shows the list of the media components of the learning object.
An accessibility wizard within the metadata toolbar is triggered when the learning designer imports a learning object component; it prompts the designer to assign an alternative resource, outlines the limitations of the file type to the designer and suggests predefined alternatives to these types of content to the user. For example, when the author imports an image, then the tool, in a form of a wizard pop-up window , prompts the author to add an equivalent resource, suggesting the most common alternatives to this modality, that in this case are audio or text descriptions. LOTTI allows the author to associate alternative files of different modalities as adaptations of the original content. If the designer chooses to assign an alternative resource to the primary one, then the tool automatically assigns the appropriate metadata to it, describing it as an ‘alternative to’ the primary resource. Once adapted content has been associated with the original, the content is displayed in the preferred form based on the user’s preference.
To summarise, we have presented an approach in order to bridge the gap between user’s needs and learning content authors’ efforts and to respond to the challenge of designing adaptable learning objects While LOTTI on its own is a useful tool for the creation and retrieval of adaptable learning objects, we have begun to consider its potential as part of a complete learning environment. It is possible to realize a development framework for an open source Adaptable Personal Learning Environment (APLE)
While LOTTI on its own is a useful tool for the creation and retrieval of adaptable learning objects, we have begun to consider its potential as part of a complete learning environment It is possible to realise a development framework for an open source Adaptable Personal Learning Environment (APLE)
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