A hybrid recommender system integrated into LAMS for learning designers

In the constantly evolving field of e-learning, the Learning Design (LD) sector constitutes a critical success factor, as it has the potential to preserve and disseminate effective pedagogical approaches and enhance the quality of the educational process. Recognizing the LD process as demanding in terms of time and expertise this paper answers the research question of how to leverage Recommender Systems (RSs) and reuse pre-existing LD solutions in order to support teachers in the LD process. In particular, this paper presents the implementation and the first evaluation results of Mentor. Mentor is an RS that supports teachers in finding pre-existing LDs, which cater better for their needs and preferences, so as to re-design them. Mentor is integrated into LAMS, which is a well-known tool for designing, managing and delivering sequences of learning activities. The first user-centric evaluation experiment results are presented and confirm the underlying assumption that Mentor can facilitate teachers in the LD process. Further results concerning the user’s general perception and the perceived usefulness of Mentor are discussed.     

Interest in Educational Data and Barriers to Data Use Among Massive Open Online Course Instructors

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Higher education instructors constantly rely on educational data to assess and evaluate the behavior of their students and to make informed decisions...     

Strengthening collaborative capacity: experiences from a short,intensive field course on ecosystems,health and society

A key capacity for engagement in the emerging field of ecohealth is the ability to work collaboratively. Between 2008 and 2010, the Canadian Community of Practice in Ecosystem Approaches to Health collectively designed and delivered three foundational, intensive, field courses. This paper presents findings derived from both quantitative and qualitative student course evaluation survey data. New insights arise around: the diverse opportunities for learning collaboratively in order to tackle complex socio-ecological issues, the social dynamics of collaborative relationships and learning, and the learning challenges that arise during intensive field courses. The lessons learned from these foundational years have enhanced understanding of the interrelated contributions to collaborative learning and relationship building and their relevance to addressing issues spanning ecosystems, health and society.     

Increasing student engagement by usingMorrowind to analyze choices and consequences

Conclusions Using Morrowind to bring up moral issues proved highly successful in raising the engagement level in my classes. I observedagreaternumberandvarietyofstudentsvolunteering, which cut across lines of race, class and gender. Students’ body language implied that they were actively paying attention. And the students themselves noticed greater engagement and understanding. “I think it [using a video game] was a good idea,” wrote one of my students, “Sometimes when you look at situations in a different perspective you get a better understanding.”