Semantic learning designs: recording assumptions and guidelines

Abstract

Recent developments in the standardization of learning technology have resulted in models of learning activities and resources including descriptive metadata and definitions of conditional flows for multi-role activities. Nonetheless, such learning designs are actually representations of the results of the design process and do not provide information about the rationale of the design, i.e. about the theoretical standpoints, assumptions or guidelines applied to come up with the concrete arrangement of activities. These latter elements are critical not only for informative reasons, but as a medium towards the end of connecting theories and hypotheses to actual practice and analyzing the resulting empirical data as a form of inquiry on the validity of theoretical assumptions. This paper delineates the main aspects of a schema for the recording of such design rationales using an ontological approach. The method for the engineering of the schema was based on connecting the definitions provided with an existing large ontological base, thus reusing a large amount of commonsense knowledge. Two paradigmatic example positions of the range of aspects that could be covered by the representation language are described as an illustration. The resulting ontological definitions can be used as a foundation for the refinement of theoretical positions and for their comparative assessment.

Educational informatics

“…Sicilia and Lytras (Sicilia, 2006;Sicilia & Lytras, 2005) investigate ontological structures for generic constructivist and socio-cultural learning. They criticize the EML approach (in the form of IMS LD) on the grounds that, although it is neutral to and can accommodate different pedagogical perspectives, it does not allow their explicit expression.…”

E‐learning agents

“…Both solitary and group work should be supported.In addition to the requirements suggested above, e‐learning environments can also be used to support learning design, including: Lesson planning . Agents can be used to perform information gathering and sophisticated reasoning necessary to determine appropriate learning sequences (Woolf and Eliot, 2005; Cassin et al , 2003, Sicilia, 2006). Resource location .…”

“…Lesson planning . Agents can be used to perform information gathering and sophisticated reasoning necessary to determine appropriate learning sequences (Woolf and Eliot, 2005; Cassin et al , 2003, Sicilia, 2006).…”

ending SCORM LOM

“…Earlier research by Sicilia (2006) defined ontological structures to capture and store LO design rationale within LOM. The Sicilia research supported the Huang et al (2006) assertion by stating that there is consensus in the eLearning community that SCORM is inadequate for the documentation pedagogy.…”