In this article, we describe a Smart Space for Learning T M (SS4L) framework and infrastructure that enables personalized access to distributed heterogeneous knowledge repositories. Helping a learner to choose an appropriate learning resource or activity is a key problem which we address in this framework, enabling personalized access to federated learning repositories with a vast number of learning offers. Our infrastructure includes personalization strategies both at the query and the query results level. Query rewriting is based on learning and language preferences, rule-based and ranking-based personalization improves these results further. Rule-based reasoning techniques are supported by formal ontologies we have developed based on standard information models for learning domains, ranking based recommendations are supported through ensuring minimal sets of predicates appearing in query results. Our evaluation studies show that the implemented solution enables learners to find relevant learning resources in a distributed environment and through goal-based personalization improves relevancy of results.
This exploratory case study aims to examine how students benefit from a multimodal learning environment while they engage in collaborative problem-based activity in a Human Computer Interaction (HCI) university course. For 12 weeks, 30 students, in groups of 5-7 each, participated in weekly face-to-face meetings and online interactions. Students' selfreports and tutor' observations showed that overall students benefited from the multimodal learning environment while they engaged in blended interactions across physical and digital tools and across collocated and networked learning spaces. With respect to tool use, it was found that the downward pointing projector and Facebook were used in all phases of problem based activity, while portable devices for record keeping were mainly used in progress evaluation and reflection phases.
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