The tools used in learning processes are in a continuous state of flux. One of the most significant changes is the application of Information and Communications technologies (ICTs) to educational contexts. This provides new possible ways to carry out learning activities, new learning services, the possibility to use new kinds of contents and activities, etc. However, ICTs have not provided as many advantages as they were supposed to, so changes are necessary. In this context, a new set of tools, Web 2.0, offers a new way to understand the Web, in which the user is the centre. Further, users can cooperate in order to define contents. This concept is also applied in technology-mediated learning but there are important problems when one tries to integrate such tools and concepts with existing systems. This paper explores the integration of these tools in traditional learning environments, the various possibilities and their advantages and drawbacks. After that, an interoperability scenario is described and two experiences are presented to show how 2.0 tools can be integrated in learning activities, and its effect in educational process.
In this paper we present LEARN-SQL, a system conforming to the IMS QTI specification that allows on-line learning and assessment of students on SQL skills in an automatic, interactive, informative, scalable and extensible manner.
We have studied the main Learning Management Systems (LMSs) to comprehend how personal data is processed and stored. We found that all the users' personal information, activity, and logs are stored unencrypted on the server filesystem and databases. A user with access to such resources may have full access to all the personal information and metainformation stored. Therefore, the LMSs are very vulnerable to information leaks in front of targeted hacker attacks due to weak GDPR compliance. In this paper, we analyze this problem from a technical and operational perspective for the open-source market leader LMS Moodle, and we propose a solution and a prototype of implementation.
In 2004, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya decided to change one of its critical and strategic information services: the online teaching support platform. An Open Source software, Moodle, was adopted and the previous proprietary software was abandoned. In 2020, the home confinement of the population due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19 has been a stress test for the entire university community, and very specifically by those responsible for providing the support of the online teaching support platform. The increase in activity and the prospect of the generalization of online assessment raised the concerns of possible scalability issues with the quiz functionality during the examination period. The solution applied involved using Moodle’s IMS LTI interoperability features to deploy a high-performance version of the Moodle Quizz Module As A Service (SaaS), to plug-and-play within the university’s LMS without drawing on its internal resources. This solution combined with a systems strategy, private cloud operations, internal communication and teacher training, solved this problem and successfully complete the assessment of the university course in a situation of confinement.
The TRAILER Project is an EU funded project in the Life Long Learning program. The project aims to provide a framework for recognition, tagging and acknowledgement of Informal learning activities. Within the scope of this project, a piece of software called Informal learning Collector (ILC) has been developed to act as a binding between informal PLE's and a learning Portfolio. This paper presents an enhancement to the ILC that changes turns it into an active component that pulls data instead of being pushed explicitly by the user.
Abstract-Evolution of learning processes is almost always linked to social changes and/or technological changes. One of those processes is eLearning, which is involved in the changes brought about by trends 2.0. This new tendencies consider the user, socialization and collaboration as the main important elements and this must be considered also in eLearning contexts. But today learning environments do not facilitate this approach. They are focused on the institutions or courses, not in the student as a key element of the learning process, as well not always provide elements of socialization and collaboration. In order to avoid these drawbacks, and by using service oriented architectures over learning management systems, new elearning environments could be defined. This paper will propose an architecture that would enable learning platforms evolve in that direction.
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