Nowadays, when we experience the growing presence of electronic course materials, the aspect of quality, quality assurance and the aspect of efficiency have become more and more important. The research presented in this paper is based on an efficiency measure of an electronic course package (developed by the authors), which indirectly identifies the preliminary knowledge of the e-student, and maps directly his/her motivation background and learning strategy, as individual factors effecting the efficiency of the learning process. The learning environment (developed during the research) – by the means of the quantitative and logical arrangement of the learning content, and by the evaluating feedback – organises the e-content according complex learning algorithms during the whole learning process.
“The possibility of personalisation of teaching is one of the most outstanding possibilities offered by the info-communication technologies for the world of education. Technology creates the possibility for developments designed for the individual, which result in digital (multimedia) course materials structured in accordance with the needs and learning habits of the individual.”
Introduction: Education in information society
Considering the fact that electronic (web-based, on-line, multimedia) applications and learning environments have already become quite widespread, we do not have to argue for the necessity of integrating these tools into the learning process, but we have to argue for putting the factors of quality, quality assurance and efficiency into the forefront (especially in the context of development of new tools and applications). In the case of the developments of electronic, on-line and eLearning learning environments, technology and pedagogy has to go hand in hand.
Information technology based learning environments
The possibility of personalisation of teaching is one of the most outstanding possibilities offered by the info-communication technologies for the world of education. Technology creates the possibility for developments designed for the individual, which result in digital (multimedia) course materials structured in accordance with the needs and learning habits of the individual. The research to be presented in this paper aims to reach the above mentioned goals (as well.)
Digitised course books: non-regulated model
The first generation of multimedia and on-line course materials has been presented for the users in the form of an “electronic book”. The new teaching-aids (in this category) were the digitalised, electronic versions of the traditional course books (including sometimes motion pictures and audio materials also). Even though these solutions often present spectacular possibilities, these type of learning environments offer only slightly more, than the traditional printed course books. These models represent either linear arrangement of the content, or they do not prescribe the order of the sub-part supposing a high level of self-regulating learning ability of the user.
The model of the “programmed” algorithms
The next level of the teaching aids and course materials can be found in the theory and products of the programmed teaching, as a trend of applied didactic. The content arrangement and management methods, based on Skinner’s learning theory of operative conditioning, or on affirmation and differentiated feedback, became the bricks of such learning environments built according to the individual learning needs, where the limits of their further evolution were the limits of the technical sciences of the time. (Skinner 1968). Programs, characterised by multiple choice, close-ending questions, providing differentiated content and evaluation feedback for typical answers, could be perfectly suitable for supplementing the multimedia learning environments.
The model of the interactive algorithms – The outline of a possible solution
The third generation of course materials use the possibilities offered by the on-line environment function not only as an information source, but also as an observer focusing on the individual specificity and activity of the user, and which consequently provide lot of source data for actively forming the learning environment, and for the continuous forming of the content and of the learning organisation.
While the learner is answering questions and uses the e-tool for learning, the electronic learning environment gathers data about several aspects of the learner’s activity. Based on the integrated calculation algorithms, saving and using the gathered data, the learning environment continuously forms and adjusts the contents, the style and all the elements that can be regulated of the learning environment in accordance with the individual learning specificity of the learner.
Program development in this case is strongly connected to content development. The creation and formation of a virtual learning environment strongly compound, made of atomic parts, built to consider the diagnosed learner specificity and their possible values is a much bigger and more difficult development task compared even to the common simple multimedia applications or to programmed algorithms.
[This is a paper I coauthored with Olle J., in 2005.: Ollé, J. & Cseko, K., 2005. Efficiency measures of differentiated on-line learning environments. In: Szűcs, A., Bo, I. (ed.) Lifelong E-learning, Helsinki, Finnland : European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN), (2005) pp. 323-329., 7 p.]
Read the full paper here (p.323-329).