Ubiquitous Multi-Agent Context-Aware System for Enhancing Teaching-Learning Processes Adapted to Student Profile

The need for ubiquitous systems that allow access to computer systems from anywhere at anytime and the massive use of the Internet has prompted the creation of e-learning systems that can be accessed from mobile smart phones, PDA, or tablets, taking advantage of the current growth of mobile technologies. The aim of this chapter is to present the advantages brought by the integration of ubiquitous computing-oriented along with distributed artificial intelligence techniques in order to build student-centered context-aware learning systems. Based on this model, the authors propose a multi-agent context-aware u-learning system that offers several functionalities such as context-aware learning planning, personalized course evaluation, selection of learning objects according to student’s profile, search of learning objects in repository federations, search of thematic learning assistants, and access of current context-aware collaborative learning activities involved. Finally, the authors present some solutions considering the functionalities that a u-learning multi-agent context-aware system should exhibit.

A Learning Object Recommendation System

Emotions play a very important role in the learning process. Affective computing studies try to identify users’ affective state, as emotion, using affect models and affect detection techniques, in order to improve human-computer interactions, as in a learning environment. The Internet explosion makes a huge volume of information, including learning objects data, available. In this scenario, recommendation systems help users by selecting and suggesting probable interesting items, dealing with large data availability and decision making problems, and customizing users’ interaction. In u-learning context, students could learn anywhere and anytime, having different options of data objects available. Since different students have different preferences and learning styles, personalization becomes an important feature in u-learning systems. Considering all this, the authors propose the Affective-Recommender, a learning object recommendation system. In this chapter, they describe the system’s requirements and architecture, focusing on affect detection and the recommendation algorithm, an example of use case, and results of system implementation over Moodle LMS.

CRS

Most problems facing Distance Education (DE) academic advising can be overcome using a course recommender system. Such a system can overcome the problem of students who do not know their interest in courses from merely their titles or descriptions provided in course catalogues. The authors introduce in this chapter an XML user-based Collaborative Filtering (CF) system called CRS. The system aims at predicting a DE student’s academic performance and interest on a course based on a collection of profiles of students who have similar interests and academic performance in prior courses. The system advises a student to take courses that were taken successfully by students who have the same interests and academic performance as the active student. The framework of CRS identifies a set of course features for every academic major. The authors experimentally evaluate CRS. Results show marked improvement.

The Use of Ubiquitous Learning for Children with Down Syndrome

Ubiquitous computing is opening new opportunities for learning. Researchers and philosophers are still debating what learning theory best explains computer ubiquitous learning. Meanwhile, as it has happened many times throughout history, individuals with disabilities are not able to benefit from such advances until late in the adoption curve. This chapter discusses (a) several learning theories that have the potential to explain computer ubiquitous learning, (b) uses of computer ubiquitous learning for and by individuals with Down syndrome, and (c) a new emerging model for computer ubiquitous learning.

T-SCORM

Interactive Digital Television (iDTV) has facilitated and expanded the communication and interaction in activities of knowledge acquisitions, entertainment, and recreation in the distance learning field. This new way of teaching and learning has been called t-Learning. In this context, the Learning Objects (LOs) have an important role in assisting in the electronic courses' development. Due the fast progress of e-Learning, some efforts toward standardization have appeared in order to enable the reusability of educational contents and interoperability among systems, and one of these standards is the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). Therefore, the main goal of this work is to present an extension of SCORM aiming to adapt it to improve the search and navigation of LOs with educational content for t-Learning. This is done through an authoring tool named T-SCORM ADAPTER, which is able to apply this extension in a fast and efficient way.

Building Mobile Social Presence for U-Learning

Mobile learning environments are human networks that afford learners the opportunity to participate in creative endeavors, social networking, organize and reorganize social contents, learner-created cognitive space, and manage social acts anytime and anywhere through mobile technologies. Social interaction with mobile technology is very different from Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) or Web 2.0 networking technologies. Effective mobile interaction focuses on social-context awareness by integrating location-based technology, which is unique to mobile technology, not easily found in other types of commuting. This chapter proposes a model for mobile social presence consisting of four dimensions: enriching social context-awareness, managing location-based communication, personalizing multi-layered interactivity, and optimizing digital and social identities. Under each dimension there are a few suggested strategies or tips to assist educators in integrating them into their mobile instructions to enhance the mobile-social presence of learners.

U-Learning Pedagogical Management

The Internet has permitted some changes that may not have been foreseen on its initial design. We started to constitute friendly or professional interactions, and it eventually enabled the emergence of collaborative actions that resulted in cognitive processes in unusual ways, that is, that take place without the physical presence of those involved but with the effective participation of everyone involved in a broad and democratic approach, constituting a collective intelligence. In the professional world, these interactions can turn into significant gains to developed activities. This chapter reviews relevant findings concerning the cognitive aspects related to the knowledge construction developed under the collaborative work approach in Learning Management Systems (LMS). When working collaboratively in a LMS, the subjects engage in cognitive processes mediated by hypermedia resources that potentially have positive impact on their ability to construct, sense, and/or produce knowledge, to the extent that these resources dynamically dialogue with the already markedly multimodal human cognitive ability. In order to support the analysis, the authors present the relationship between cognitive processes and hypermedia and their influence on knowledge production in an LMS. They also present two experiences developed in Moodle, which showed the possibility of using such resources for people prone to collaboration, resulting in a continuous design optimization of the mentioned course.

Towards a Small-Scale Model for Ubiquitous Learning

The ever-increasing use of mobile devices allied to the widespread adoption of wireless network technology has greatly stimulated mobile and ubiquitous computing research. The adoption of mobile technology enables improvement to several application areas, such as education. New pedagogical opportunities can be created through the use of location systems and context-aware computing technology to track each learner's location and customize his/her learning process. In this chapter, the authors discuss a ubiquitous learning model called LOCAL (Location and Context Aware Learning). LOCAL was created to explore those aforementioned pedagogical opportunities, leveraging location technology and context management in order to support ubiquitous learning and facilitate collaboration among learners. This model was conceived for small-scale learning spaces, but can be extended in order to be applied to a large-scale environment. Initial results were obtained in a real scenario, attesting the viability of the approach.

ARIS

This chapter describes ARIS, an open source tool for creating educational games, narratives, and field research activities on mobile devices. The tool is the result of years of design-based research into educational gaming, design pedagogy, and place-based learning. It has been used in a variety of educational contexts from after-school game-design workshops to university-level language courses. Deeply committed to open and democratic education, the project invites involvement at all levels and continues to innovate as a community of users matures.

Interactive Books in Augmented Reality for Mobile Devices

One of the methods of teaching that has brought significant contributions to the field of education is augmented reality. This technology transformed learning into a more motivating, enjoyable, fun, and interesting activity. This chapter contributes an augmented reality application for mobile devices that complements and supports the learning of geometric figures. The application, called AGeRA, consists of a geometry book and software capable of reading special markers inserted into the book's content. When this book is placed in front of the camera of a mobile device, 3D objects, sounds, animations, and other interactive elements leap from book pages making learning more fun and exciting. Preliminary tests were made with teachers and students and showed good acceptance of the application to support the teaching of geometry.