What Are the Requirements for an Effective Adaptive Learning System - Research Proposal Example

ADAPTIVE LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LMS) Research Proposal What are the requirements for an effective adaptive learning system? (Name) Course Instructor 14 November 2012 Introduction This paper evaluates the key requirements that an effective adaptive learning system should have, specifically in the case of Al-Baha University. The paper therefore details how an effective adaptive learning system for Al-Baha University should look like by in terms of addressing the technological needs of the university’s learning process. Therefore, a new and integrated adaptive learning system with capacity to fit the needs of the university is developed. The understanding is that the identified requirements for an effective adaptive learning system can be used in future activities of developing appropriate and productive adaptive learning systems in other educational institutions. Information technology in modern world is inevitable, and irrespective of size, nature, time, or any other factor, institutions across the board cannot ignore the importance of technology in their daily activities (Graf, Lin & Kinshuk 2011). Education is such an area where information technology has become of great use, and the way institutions promote and facilitate learning and educational goals has changed in the era of information technology (Dil, Abdul, Shankar & Gee 2008; IRMA 2010). Today, information technology in the learning institutions is associated with numerous benefits that are characterised by factors such as accessibility, flexibility, costs, timely, and ease in usage (IRMA 2010). On overall, information technology is regarded to enhance a productive education and learning process by creating a supportive and an open, widely distributed, high-capacity, and quality interactive learning experience (Wang, Fong, Zhang & Lee 2009). In order to succeed in promoting effective education and training, technological learning systems should be accessible and affordable, they should be able to adapt to diverse needs of users in a flexible manner, they should have increased level of reliability, and should incorporate diverse and complex interactive instructional activities (Wang, Fong, Zhang & Lee 2009). Furthermore, current learning systems are regarded to be rigid in that they do not support educational reuse, the systems are disjointed and largely static, reliability cannot be guaranteed, and majority of online educational systems are rigid and inflexible (Park, Jin, Liao & Zheng 2011). Therefore, an effective learning management system (LMS) should have four qualities: adaptability, personalisation, extensibility, and adaptivity (Jacko 2009). Adaptability is where the system is able to adapt and satisfy the needs of different stakeholders, personalisation indicates the system should be custimised to individual needs, extensibility requires open source products with extensive use, and adaptively requires the systems to have automatic adaptation the personal needs of each user (Miller & Page 2010; Jacko 2009). Besides, Chao (2011) has established that developing an effective adaptive learning system requires an organisation or institutions to factor in five critical steps or considerations. These five critical considerations include the contents of the system should be user-friendly prompting easy and faster use in the learning process, the system should further incorporate schedule in the system to enable users to schedule their activities and programmers, it should have appropriate adds-on features that enable and support communication and collaboration, support and enable online monitoring and assessment of the learning process, and the system should have an effective integrated feedback mode to enhance learning (Chao 2011). Therefore, it is clear from the above literature review that the process of developing an effective adaptive learning process remains dynamic with changes likely to take place continuously, and this calls for development of an a flexible system that has capacity to incorporate diverse features to enable wide usage in a personalised and individualised manner. The basic critical role of the system at Al-Baha University should be to enhance and motivate interactive learning experience through a user-friendly adaptive learning system. Research Question The primary research question to be addressed in the project includes; What are the requirements for an effective adaptive learning system? Aims and Objectives The primary aim of the project is to develop an integrated adaptive learning system with enhanced features for the Al-Baha University in Saudi Arabia. This enhanced adaptive learning system will enable students and staff at Al-Baha University to improve the quality of their electronic learning and interaction experience. Other objectives of the new project include; To establish key requirements, which are important in having an effective course website. To provide an enhanced system to students that gives them opportunity to get information faster regarding their courses. To provide members of staff with opportunity to interact with students and Al-Baha University community frequently and at any time using the new project. To enable staff members have an easy time in facilitating online learning and discussion activities with their students. To enable the university update and relay information to students and other stakeholders on time using the new project. The new system to be developed will have short-term goal of ensuring experience on electronic learning at the Al-Baha University increases with enhancement of the system with critical adds-on features that improve quality of the adaptive learning system at the university. Beneficiaries of the Project Students and staff members at Al-Baha University are the major beneficiaries of this project. The project makes it easy critical features to be added to the adaptive learning system at the institutions, which in turn improves the entire experience of electronic learning and interaction among students and staff members. Problems solved by the project This new project can be said to solve a number of problems that the community at Al-Baha University experience at the moment as a result of an ineffective adaptive learning system. Some of these problems can be evidenced in the following scenarios; Students cannot receive quality information and educational instructional through the university online system Lecturers’ cannot have quality online education, learning, and interaction with their students Information relayed to students via the current system tend to be delayed Students find it difficult to have an updated online course programme Methods chosen to realise the project objectives and goals One important core requirement in this course is to design an ER modeling, as part of the requirements for the course materials on the entity relationship model. Therefore, given the knowledge acquired, an ER modeling that takes a form of customised adaptive learning system known as ‘A-BahaCom’ is created. Successful design and implementation of this new system for the Al-Baha University is the right opportunity to put to use the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the course. The new adaptive learning system is designed by incorporating a number of development platforms such as Java EE based architecture, Microsoft .NET, PHP, and a database back-end (Oneto, Abel, Herder & Smits n.d). Furthermore, the new system aims to integrate key critical features or requirements that enhance the entire system in terms of functionability. To achieve this, a number of LMS are integrated in order to achieve the features desired. Some of the most critical LMS adopted include open-source Claroline, Moodle, Sakai, eXact, and IMC CLIX (Oneto, Abel, Herder & Smits n.d). Apart from developing a new system, the methodology adopted in this project incorporates the use of survey and questionnaires that generate information regarding the views of stakeholders at Al-Baha University about the key requirements that the new project should have when developed. In other words, information to be collected using survey and questionnaires will basically ask the stakeholders at the university to identify the current challenges of adaptive learning system in place, and what features or aspects they want to be changed or modified. The construction of questionnaires is based on the research objectives. Questionnaires are justified on the basis that they are free from the researcher’s bias, they allow respondents to answer in their own words, and they give enough time to the respondents to go through the questions, and can reach as many respondents as possible. Where the questionnaires are not used, especially where the researcher aims to evaluate qualitative aspects regarding the development of the new adaptive learning system, survey techniques of interview and observation are used. Activities to be implemented The new adaptive learning system is going to function when certain issues are implemented. First, an effective information technology network in the university has to be enhanced by adopting current systems. This is to be followed by implementing an effective IT education and training programme to equip students and teachers with basic IT skills in order to minimise likely problems and challenges that may emanate from the new technology. Besides, the current computers in the computer library are not adequate to enhance a more quality and productive electronic learning process. Therefore, more computers have to be added and the computer lab equipped into a modern status IT library. Project planning and milestone timing The project is to be managed through accomplishment of activities in each phase or stage as shown in the timeframe below. Project scheduling is to involve making necessary preparations and seeking approval from the university to progress with the project. Evaluation of literature is to understand the extent concept of adaptive learning system has been explored, and what can be generated as new ideas to transform them into the new design being proposed. Design is the actual process of creating the new system and it involves using skills and knowledge acquired in the Mobile Application Development unit. Execution is where the new system is subjected to use at the university, and testing involves establishing the functionability of the system. Project scheduling Evaluation of Literature Design Execution Testing Nov 1-8/2012 Nov 10-20 Nov 22-30 Dec 1-10 Dec 11-17 Dec 18-24 Dec 25-31 Evaluation and success criteria of the project In order to establish the level of functionability of the project, the evaluation process has to be conducted. The process is largely based on the following aspects: In the first six months of the implementation of the project, it is expected that 80% of students and staff members at Al-Baha University use the new adaptive learning system. Qualitative and quantitative feedbacks from the students and staff members are generated to establish the ability of the system to meet the needs of users (Seel 2011). Assessment of online activities between students and teachers will be conducted through survey methods such as observation and interview of students and staff members. An online feedback database system is established to capture information concerning how students and lecturers use the new project by allowing students and staff members to feed critical information into the database. Reference List Dil, MA, Abdul, KR, Shankar, B & Gee, CQ 2008, Wireless networks information processing and systems: first international multi topic conference, IMTIC 2008 Jamshoro, Pakistan, April 11-12, Revised Papers, London: Springer. Chao, L 2011, Open source mobile learning: mobile linux applications, Hershey, PA: Idea Group Inc (IGI). Graf, S, Lin, F, & Kinshuk, M 2011, Intelligent and adaptive learning systems: technology enhanced support for learners and teachers, Hershey, PA: Idea Group Inc (IGI). IRMA 2010, Web-based education: concepts, methodologies, tools and applications, Hershey, PA: Idea Group Inc (IGI). Jacko, JA 2009, Human-computer interaction: interacting in various application domains: 13th international conference, HCI International 2009, San Diego, CA, USA, July 19-24, Proceedings, London: Springer. Miller, JH & Page, SE 2010, Complex adaptive systems: an introduction to computational models of social life: an introduction to computational models of social life, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Oneto, L, Abel, F, Herder, E & Smits, D n.d, Making today’s learning management systems adaptive, Available at: http://wwwis.win.tue.nl/lms-ale-09/Oneto_paper.pdf [Accessed 13 November 2012]. Park, JJ, Jin, H, Liao, X & Zheng, R 2011, Proceedings of the international conference on human-centric computing 2011 and embedded and multimedia computing: HumanCom & EMC, London: Springer. Seel, NM 2011, Encyclopedia of the sciences of learning, London: Springer. Wang, FL, Fong, J, Zhang, L & Lee, VK 2009, Hybrid learning and education: second international conference, ICHL 2009, Macau, China, August 25-27, Proceedings, London: Springer. Read More