Learning Tool: AdeLE

Adaptive eLearning with Eye-tracking

Adaptive eLearning is a hot topic right now. Perhaps you have heard it referred to as adaptive training, intelligent tutoring system (ITS), or cognitive tutor, but in any case, adaptive eLearning is a learning system that intelligently adapts learning content to suit learner needs via a computer.

To learn more about adaptive learning, there is a great video and adaptive learning samples posted on the Adaptive eLearning website at UNSW.

In this post, however, I would like to take adaptive eLearning to the next level and advocate for the use of real-time eye-tracking in combination with the content-analysis tracking used by basic adaptive eLearning systems.

Lead by a research team in Austria, a protoype for Adaptive eLearning with eye-tracking is being developed. It is aptly named "AdeLE".



Resources:
Pivec, M, Trummer, & C. Pripfl, J. (2006). Eye-Tracking Adaptable e-Learning and Content Authoring Support. Informatica, 30, 83-86

Al-Khalifa, H.S. & George, R.P. (2010) Eye Tracking and e-Learning: Seeing Through Your Students' Eyes. ELearn Magazine, June 2010.

Gütl, C., Pivec, M., Trummer, C., García-Barrios, V.M., Mödritscher, F., Pripfl, J., & Umgeher, M. (2005). AdeLE (Adaptive e-Learning with Eye-Tracking): Theoretical Background, System Architecture and Application Scenarios. EURRODL 12-05.

Learning Research: Gaming Principles

"Some people think of learning in school - for example, learning biology- as all about learning "facts" that can be repeated on a written test. Decades of research, however, have shown, that students taught under such a regime, though they may be able to pass tests, cannot actually apply their knowledge to solve problems or understand the conceptual layout of the land in the area they are learning." (Gee, 2008) Games can be educational, engaging, motivating, and entertaining.

James Paul Gee, in his article, "Good Video Games and Good Learning", cites 16 learning principles that good games incorporate. I've chosen 10 of these principles to explain in more detail as follows:

Production - Players co-produce games with their actions.
Interaction - "Games do talk back." They react to players actions and decisions.
Risk Taking - The consequences of failure are low, allowing for more risk.
Well-Order Problems - The difficulty of problems is ordered in levels.
Challenge - Routine challenges allow for "virtually routinized or automated" solutions.
"Just in Time" - Players recieve information at the precise time of need.
Situated Meanings - Meaning is determined via actions, images, and dialogues.
System Thinking - Players need "to think about relationships, not isolated events."
Cross-Functional Teams - Each member of a team must master his/her own specialty, and then learn to work in collaboration with other players.
Performance before Competence - Players perform tasks until they are competent, not when they become competent.

Reference:
Gee, J.P. (2007) Good Video Games and Good Learning. New York. Peter Lang. Retrieved from: http://www.academiccolab.org/resources/documents/Good_Learning.pdf

Image: http://www.betaoutcdn.com/inbound/2013/08/gamification_vjgus.png

Learning Research: Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology

Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology opens by contrasting the traditional policies and curriculums that prevent educational technology developments in K-12 schools with the ever widening educational opportunities available using the same technology outside of schools. The view of both the technology enthusiasts and the technology skeptics is reviewed followed by a historical account of major developments in schooling in American history. Based on the current mass schooling model of education, Collins and Halverson suggest two solutions that have the potential to revolutionize learning today.

• New curriculum designs would place children in classes based on goals, not age. These classes would be administered over several years, so that students gain a deep understanding of complex tasks and content within chosen interests. Established professions would be used as the basis for the new curriculum design, and would incorporate the use of course management systems and video games. The authors then introduce a four stage model of student learning in which students gradually progress from novices to mentors to leaders via a series of projects.

• Instead of standardized testing, performance based assessments would be implemented in the form of certifications: academic, generic, and technical skills, each having credentialing requirements. New technology would be used to assess student progress in the form of “computer adaptive testing systems [which] use a test taker’s prior answers to select which items would best measure what the student knows.” (115) Upon successful completion of credentialing assessments, “students would [then] create a portfolio of credentials for purposes of employment or college applications,” (116) using word processing and multimedia software used in many professions.

In closing, Collins and Halverson call to the audience and say that in order “to be successful [in this revolution], political and educational leaders will need to carefully consider the changes in our society and mobilize the government’s resources to address the problems we’ve raised and to achieve the great potential ahead of us.”(128) “This demands rethinking education not in isolation, but considering the interplay of society, education, and learning.” (129)

The complete review can be found here: http://bit.ly/lDzLRV

Reference:
Collins, A., & Halverson, R. (2009) Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and the School, Teachers College Press, New York

eLearning Design: self directed or social?

Two types of e-learning, self directed and collaborative, are the means of both workforce training and education, with self directed e-learning often applying more to workforce solutions and collaborative e-learning often applying more to higher education. Using only self directed learning for eLearning workforce solutions is outdated, and we need to rethink our approach due to current emerging skill sets, the fundamental differences between training and learning, and learner preferences. Learners actually prefer social learning to self directed learning, and current important skill sets are often “learnt by practice, including learning from peers and colleagues and through tailored feedback” (Sloman, 2009).

Workforce solutions in conjunction with Web 2.0 technologies will take us “towards using the Web as a platform for sharing and collaboration among peers, both within and between organizations”. These Web 2.0 technologies include wikis, asynchronous and synchronous discussion forums, social networking sites, and blogs. However, with all the hype of Web 2.0, some critics argue that we are putting too much emphasis on technology and losing our focus on learning itself. “The application of technology to learning is far more complex and multifaceted than the current debate would lead us to believe” (Sloman, 2009).

So, with e-learning modules now consuming up to 1/3 of all workforce training in the U.S, we need to alter our approach to accommodate emerging skill sets and learner preferences along with organizational goals. We need to evaluate our e-learning modules based on organizational value, learner satisfaction, and time and cost efficiency. Lastly, including the following Web 2.0 tools will help strike a good balance of learning and training: content repositories, webinars, discussion threads, expert opinions, virtual world based activities, online pre-assessments, and online performance support.

Reference:
Sloman, M. (2009). Learning and technology – what have we learnt? Impact: Journal of Applied Research in Workplace E-learning, 1(1), 12-26.