Creating a performance-oriented e-learning environment: A design science approach

E-learning is now being used by many organizations as an approach for enhancing the skills of knowledge workers. However, most applications have performed poorly in motivating employee learning, being perceived as less effective due to a lack of alignment of learning with work performance. To help solve this problem, we developed a performance-oriented approach using design science research methods. It uses performance measurement to clarify organizational goals and individual learning needs and links them to e-learning applications. The key concept lies in a Key Performance Indicator model, where organizational mission and vision are translated into a set of targets that drive learning towards a goal of improving work performance. We explored the mechanisms needed to utilize our approach and examined the necessary conceptual framework and implementation details. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, a prototype workplace e-learning system was developed and used to evaluate the effectiveness of our approach.     

Text-based synchronous e-learning and dyslexia: Not necessarily the perfect match!

The introduction, in the United Kingdom, of the Special Education Needs and Disabilities Act (SENDA) published and approved in 2001, has removed the exemptions given to educational institutions by the Disabilities Discrimination Act (DDA) of 1995. This applies to learning web sites and materials that must now undergo “reasonable adjustments”, in order not to disadvantage students with learning disabilities as well as non-disabled students. This paper discusses how e-learning and the inherent use of online learning activities raises problems for students with dyslexia far beyond accessibility and web design. This paper aims at proposing that the so widely proclaimed advantages of e-learning to bridge distances, different learning paces and cognitive styles, is at the same time producing close to insurmountable barriers to students with cognitive disabilities in general, and dyslexia specifically. It presents the results of a research project aiming at uncovering evidence that students with dyslexia are in fact less likely to thrive in a synchronous e-learning environment. The paper reports on a set of experiments undertaken with students when engaged in online authentic synchronous learning activities. The paper focuses on text-based synchronous activities, since it is the widest and most commonly used synchronous technology, and provides clear evidence that it can marginalise, demotivate and disappoint students with dyslexia with difficulties in reading, spelling, word order and argumentation.     

A service composition approach based on sequence mining for migrating e-learning legacy system to SOA

With the fast development of business logic and information technology, today's best solutions are tomorrow's legacy systems. In China, the situation in the education domain follows the same path. Currently, there exists a number of e-learning legacy assets with accumulated practical business experience, such as program resource, usage behaviour data resource, and so on. In order to use these legacy assets adequately and efficiently, we should not only utilize the explicit assets but also discover the hidden assets. The usage behaviour data resource is the set of practical operation sequences requested by all users. The hidden patterns in this data resource will provide users' practical experiences, which can benefit the service composition in service-oriented architecture (SOA) migration. Namely, these discovered patterns will be the candidate composite services (coarse-grained) in SOA systems. Although data mining techniques have been used for software engineering tasks, little is known about how they can be used for service composition of migrating an e-learning legacy system (MELS) to SOA. In this paper, we propose a service composition approach based on sequence mining techniques for MELS. Composite services found by this approach will be the complementation of business logic analysis results of MELS. The core of this approach is to develop an appropriate sequence mining algorithm for mining related data collected from an e-learning legacy system. According to the features of execution trace data on usage behaviour from this e-learning legacy system and needs of further pattern analysis, we propose a sequential mining algorithm to mine this kind of data of the legacy system. For validation, this approach has been applied to the corresponding real data, which was collected from the e-learning legacy system; meanwhile, some investigation questionnaires were set up to collect satisfaction data. The investigation result is 90% the same with the result obtained through our approach.     

The potential of synchronous communication to enhance participation in online discussions: A case study of two e-learning courses

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has been adopted in most e-learning settings. However, few research studies have considered the effect of different CMC. This study examined how and why synchronous communication affected participation in online discussions. Two online classes that participated in two asynchronous and two synchronous online discussions were examined. Actual and perceived measures of participation indicated that synchronous communication induced personal participation, which could be regarded as a complement to cognitive participation. Personal participation involves more intense interaction better supported by synchronous communication while cognitive participation is a more reflective type of participation supported by asynchronous communication. In synchronous discussions, the e-learners felt that they worked together and were not restricted to only discuss course content. This was likely to induce arousal and motivation and increased convergence on meaning, especially in small groups.     

OLES: an instrument for refining the design of e-learning environments

Abstract Designing and implementing effective e-learning is a complex process, which involves many factors. Lecturers need to constantly consider, evaluate and adjust these factors to provide effective e-learning environments for students. In this paper, we report on the design and development of the Online Learning Environment Survey (OLES), an instrument which can be used to gather and represent data on students' 'actual' (experienced) and 'preferred' (ideal) learning environments. We describe the use of this instrument in blended learning environments with university classes, illustrating how OLES can be used by educators striving for good practice in the design of effective online learning environments.     

Design information retrieval: a thesauri-based approach for reuse of informal design information

Information is integral to the engineering design process, and gaining access to design knowledge is critical to effective design decision-making. This paper considers the indexing and retrieval of informal, unstructured information captured from electronic design logbooks. One of the key observations of informal design information is its evolutionary nature over time. While this characteristic makes informal information a rich source for reuse, it also makes it difficult to employ traditional information retrieval (IR) approaches. The work described in this paper is based on a framework developed specifically for the information handling requirements of designers. This manual method for indexing information is adapted to meet the evolutionary nature of design through the development of thesauri for design context. Several approaches to building thesauri are examined, including manual and automated methods. It is found that manual methods provide a high level of IR performance, but also have high overhead requirements. Machine methods, however, may provide a viable, low overhead alternative.

Design and construction of the cooperation support agent for face-to-face class and e-learning

E-learning study mainly helps acquisitions of knowledge. However, the effect acquired from dialog on a face-to-face class is not expectable. Thus, Blended-learning which combined a face-to-face class and e-learning attracts attention. Although the blend of ideal Blended-learning should be used by learners on consideration of their capabilities and learning records, the realization is difficulty. In this paper, we proposed and built a mobile agent system which offers cooperation support with a face-to-face class and e-learning. The mobile agents operating autonomously indicate the learner＇s weak points and contents which should be learned from a learning plan （learning policy） given by the contents creator and a personal learning record. Therefore, the mobile agents can support the Blended-learning by creating the personal learning result data in consideration of personal capability and personal learning records.     

Grounded design: Design patterns as the link between theory and practice

The process of designing a networked learning environment can be characterized by a high degree of uncertainty. This is especially true when the design includes innovative technologies. It is difficult to design a networked learning environment that closely fits the requirements of the educational practice. Often the technology seems leading in the design process because it is the most tangible aspect of the e-learning environment. This brings along the risk that the technology becomes detached from its context of use.Design patterns are a means to overcome this problem of detachment between design and practice. Design patterns make the tight relationship between the two more explicit. In this paper we further elaborate on the relationship between design and practice. We will stress the importance of theory in the development of design patterns. Theory development is an essential aspect of our approach to the development of design patterns. The approach is oriented towards a systematic analysis of problems and the development of conceptual models that guide the definition and evaluation of design patterns. In this paper we present a case study of how the approach was used to develop design patterns for networked learning in the classroom.     

Physical database design: A DSS approach

This paper presents a working decision support system for use in the physical design of a database. Physical database design, a structured decision problem, lends itself to a decision support approach because closed form algorithms are computationally infeasible. The paper describes the physical database design problem, presents an overview of a software system for use in solving this problem, and evaluates the use of the system in solving a sample problem.     

A new user-centered design approach: A hair washing assistive device design for users with shoulder mobility restriction

This study utilized a user-centered design approach as the foundation for a new Assistive Device (AD) design process. Observation and evaluation results from a Usability Context Analysis (UCA) was used to improve the analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT Analysis) and the matrix of Threats, Opportunities, Weaknesses, and Strengths (TOWS matrix), resulting in two assistive device design methods named AD-SWOT and AD-TOWS. Thus, an AD-design process, tailored for designing assistive devices, was both established and tested. Owing to the information gained from using the design processes and evaluating product efficiency with various cases in the early part of the research, it was decided to use the AD-design process for the entire design process. Using this process, an adjustable hair washer for physically disabled individuals to wash their hair using normal postures was developed. Furthermore, the method derived in this study can also be applied to users suffering from single-sided shoulder-joint mobility disabilities, such as frontal flexion, scapular plan elevation, and restricted abductors.     

Multi-criteria evaluation of the web-based e-learning system: A methodology based on learner satisfaction and its applications

The web-based e-learning system (WELS) has emerged as a new means of skill training and knowledge acquisition, encouraging both academia and industry to invest resources in the adoption of this system. Traditionally, most pre- and post-adoption tasks related to evaluation are carried out from the viewpoints of technology. Since users have been widely recognized as being a key group of stakeholders in influencing the adoption of information systems, their attitudes toward this system are pivotal. Therefore, based on the theory of multi-criteria decision making and the research products of user satisfaction from the fields of human–computer interaction and information systems, this study proposed a multi-criteria methodology from the perspective of learner satisfaction to support those evaluation-based activities taking place at the pre- and post-adoption phases of the WELS life cycle. In addition, by following this methodology, this study empirically investigated learners’ perceptions of the relative importance of decision criteria. This investigation carried out a survey of college students, and the data thus obtained was then analyzed by analytic hierarchy process in order to derive an integrated preference structure of learners as a ground for evaluation. We found that learners regarded the learner interface as being the most important dimension of decision criteria. Future applications of these results are recommended and the implications are discussed.     

Object-oriented design: A goal-driven and pattern-based approach

In recent years, the influences of design patterns on software quality have attracted increasing attention in the area of software engineering, as design patterns encapsulate valuable knowledge to resolve design problems, and more importantly to improve the design quality. One of the key challenges in object-oriented design is how to apply appropriate design patterns during the system development. In this paper, design pattern is analyzed from different perspectives to see how it can facilitate design activities, handle non-functional requirement, solve design problems and resolve design conflicts. Based on the analysis, various kinds of applicability of design patterns are explored and integrated with a goal-driven approach to guiding developers to construct the object-oriented design model in a systematic manner. There are three benefits to the proposed approach: making it easy to meet requirements, helping resolve design conflicts, and facilitating improvement of the design quality.     

A quantitative approach for evaluating the quality of design patterns

In recent years, the influence of design patterns on software quality has attracted an increasing attention in the area of software engineering, as design patterns encapsulate valuable knowledge to resolve design problems, and more importantly to improve design quality. As the paradigm continues to increase in popularity, a systematic and objective approach to verify the design of a pattern is increasingly important. The intent session in a design pattern indicates the problem the design pattern wants to resolve, and the solution session describes the structural model for the problem. When the problem in the intent is a quality problem, the structure model should provide a solution to improve the relevant quality. In this work we provide an approach, based on object-oriented quality model, to validate if a design pattern is well-designed, i.e., it answers the question of the proposed structural model really resolves the quality problems described in the intent. We propose a validation approach to help pattern developers check if a design pattern is well-designed. In addition, a quantitative method is proposed to measure the effectiveness of the quality improvement of a design pattern that pattern users can determine which design patterns are applicable to meet their functional and quality requirements.     

Design a personalized e-learning system based on item response theory and artificial neural network approach

In web-based educational systems the structure of learning domain and content are usually presented in the static way, without taking into account the learners’ goals, their experiences, their existing knowledge, their ability (known as insufficient flexibility), and without interactivity (means there is less opportunity for receiving instant responses or feedbacks from the instructor when learners need support). Therefore, considering personalization and interactivity will increase the quality of learning. In the other side, among numerous components of e-learning, assessment is an important part. Generally, the process of instruction completes with the assessment and it is used to evaluate learners’ learning efficiency, skill and knowledge. But in web-based educational systems there is less attention on adaptive and personalized assessment. Having considered the importance of tests, this paper proposes a personalized multi-agent e-learning system based on item response theory (IRT) and artificial neural network (ANN) which presents adaptive tests (based on IRT) and personalized recommendations (based on ANN). These agents add adaptivity and interactivity to the learning environment and act as a human instructor which guides the learners in a friendly and personalized teaching environment.     

Complex service design: A virtual enterprise architecture for logistics service

This paper presents an interdisciplinary systems approach to service modeling, design and deployment. The study is based on a longitudinal case study of the development process of a complex logistic service system based on an advanced logistics model. The case examines the development of a Virtual Enterprise Architecture (VEA) for an automatic high-speed transport and sorting system applied in airports for baggage handling. The study traces the evolution of the system from the early conceptual phases to a successful commercial service deployed at Changi, Singapore Airport. The study is conducted using a retrospective analysis of the case using a design science research approach. The paper evaluates and discusses the issues of creating and designing a new complex logistics service, distinct from the physical product, based on an advanced discrete event-based simulation model. The paper concludes by presenting a generalized and validated conceptual framework for a VEA based on an advanced simulation model. The paper thus contributes to the field of service systems and service management by identifying a novel approach to effective design of a new service.     

Avoiding metric monsters: A design metrics approach

Metric monsters are stumbling blocks that prevent software metrics-guided methodologies from attaining product and process improvement. Metric monsters can occur during the identification, collection or application of software metrics. In our research, we have developed and tested our design metrics over a five-year period and have found them to be excellent predictors of error-prone modules. Based on this research, we will identify some of the monsters that occur in the quantitative analyses of software and its development processes, and present our approach in formulating a design metrics model that avoids these monsters. This model consists of software tools, guidelines and actions for the application of software design metrics.