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With the wide expansion of distributed learning environments the way we learn became more diverse than ever. This poses an opportunity to incorporate different data sources of learning traces that can offer broader insights into learner behavior and the intricacies of the learning process. We argue that combining analytics across different e-learning systems can potentially measure the effectiveness

Although many schools in the Netherlands have purchased adaptive learning systems (ALSs) to reduce workload and improve differentiated instruction, the use of ALSs with teacher dashboards in the classroom does not in itself necessarily improve differentiated instruction. The question is, what skills and knowledge do teachers need to provide differentiated instruction with the help of ALSs with teacher

In this digital age, there is an abundance of online educational materials in public and proprietary platforms. To allow effective retrieval of educational resources, it is a necessity to build keyword-based search engines over these collections. In modern Web search engines, high-quality rankings are obtained by applying machine learning techniques, known as learning to rank (LTR). In this article

A course-level early final study status prediction task is to predict as soon as possible the final success of each student after studying a course. It is significant because each successful course accomplishment is required for a degree. Further, early predictions provide enough time to make necessary changes for ultimate success. This article aims at an effective solution to this task. Different

The application of the collective intelligence (CI) concept has yielded significant results in many knowledge areas and it has substantial potential to yield results in the educational context. In view of distance education and online educational technologies, the use of CI has enormous potential to improve collaboration, social learning, and problem solving. However, there is still not a clear understanding

With the vast number of apps and the complexity of their features, it is becoming challenging for teachers to select a suitable learning app for their courses. Several evaluation frameworks have been proposed in the literature to assist teachers with this selection. The iPAC framework is a well-established mobile learning framework highlighting the learners’ experience of personalization, authenticity

Solving mathematical ( math ) word problems (MWP) automatically is a challenging research problem in natural language processing , machine learning , and education (learning) technology domains, which has gained momentum in the recent years. Applications of solving varieties of MWPs can increase the efficacy of teaching–learning systems, such as e-learning systems , intelligent tutoring systems , etc

Manually determining concepts present in a group of questions is a challenging and time-consuming process. However, the process is an essential step while modeling a virtual learning environment since a mapping between concepts and questions using mastery level assessment and recommendation engines is required. In this article, we investigated unsupervised semantic models (known as topic modeling techniques)

Recent reviews addressing the impact of noise exposure in teaching and learning situations conclude negative effects on learning performance. Providing objective real-time feedback on noise is a key for teachers and students to adjust it into suitable levels. This experimental work presents the results from a study exploring the visual feedback based on noise level and the impact on students’ ( n =

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Learnersourcing is emerging as a viable approach for mobilizing the learner community and harnessing the intelligence of learners as creators of learning resources. Previous works have demonstrated that the quality of resources developed by students is quite diverse with some resources meeting rigorous judgmental criteria, whereas other resources are ineffective, inappropriate, or incorrect. Consequently

Today, in the era of robotics, different types of educational robots have been used extensively in school classrooms to facilitate teaching activities related to a variety of computer science concepts. Numerous studies have been performed that attempt to examine the effects of using tangible interfaces to enhance collaborative learning experiences. In most of these studies, feedback, which is a vital

In this article, we empirically validate Tinto's Student Integration model, in particular, the predictions the model makes regarding both students’ academic outcomes and their dropout decisions. In doing so, we analyze three decades’ worth of student enrollments at an Australian university and present a novel methodological approach using graph embedding techniques to capture both structural and neighborhood-based

With the rapid advancement of education, personalized learning has gained considerable attention in recent years. Learning path plays an important role in this area and has attracted great concern. Many generating mechanisms have been proposed from different perspectives for assisting learning. Some methods focus on learners’ interest, while some methods pay close attention to learning styles. This

Smart learning environments (SLEs) have gained considerable momentum in the last 20 years. The term SLE has emerged to encompass a set of recent trends in the field of educational technology, heavily influenced by the growing impact of technologies, such as cloud services, mobile devices, and interconnected objects. However, the term SLE has been used inconsistently by the technology-enhanced learning

There is a large variation in background and purpose of massive open online course (MOOC) learners. To improve the overall MOOC learning experience, it is important to identify which MOOC characteristics are most important for learners. For this purpose, in this article, we analyzed about 150 000 open-ended learner responses from 810 MOOCs to three postcourse survey questions about their learning experience:

As institutions of higher education increasingly utilize online learning management systems, college students are asked to submit more assignments online. Under this regime, when most assignments are posted and submitted online, it is possible to know if a student is missing a submission for an imminent deadline, and to intervene proactively to reduce missed assignments and improve student outcomes

With the abrupt nationwide lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities suspended face-to-face activities. Some of them decided to continue their academic courses, adapting traditional approaches to online learning. An important challenge was to deliver programming labs over the Internet without important methodological changes, which might imply modifications of the learning outcomes

Sensor systems have the potential to make abstract science phenomena concrete for K–12 students. Internet of Things (IoT) sensor systems provide a variety of benefits for modern classrooms, creating the opportunity for global data production, orienting learners to the opportunities and drawbacks of distributed sensor and control systems, and reducing classroom hardware burden by allowing many students

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Accurately tracing the state of learner knowledge contributes to providing high-quality intelligent support for computer-supported programming learning. However, knowledge tracing is difficult when learners have only had a few practice opportunities, which is often common in block-based programming. This article proposed two knowledge tracing models that can exploit the problem-solving process data

Research on instructional design provides inconsistent results on the use of game elements in cognitive tasks or learning. Cognitive load theory suggests that game elements increase extraneous cognitive load and, thus, may distract the users. In contrast, from an emotional design perspective, the use of game elements is argued to increase performance by providing a more interesting and motivating task

This article presents an evaluation of edCrumble, a blended learning authoring tool for teachers. The tool visually represents learning designs and integrates data analytics to scaffold teacher design decisions. In addition to assessing the usability of edCrumble using Usability Metric for User Experience questionnaire, analyses of participant views on the advantages and disadvantages of the tool in

Virtual reality (VR) experiences are receiving increasing attention in education and training. Some VR setups can deliver immersive VR training (e.g., on multiple projected screens), while others can deliver nonimmersive VR training (e.g., on standard desktop monitors). Recently, consumer VR headsets make it possible to deliver immersive VR training with six-degrees-of-freedom tracking of trainees’

The orchestration of collaborative learning activities in technology-enhanced classrooms has become a nontrivial endeavor for educators. Depending on the behaviors and needs of students that emerge in real educational situations, educators may need to orchestrate activity adaptations on the fly. These adaptations may range from the provision of additional scaffolding by the educator (e.g., the educator's

The user interface (UI) is a key component of an interactive software application; therefore, it is important to provide software developers with basic UI design skills. However, teaching UI design is challenging, even at a basic level, and there is little teaching support. In this article, we investigate the benefits of the feedback-enriched simulation environment (FENIkS) for learning fundamental

Learning systems can utilize many practice exercises, ranging from simple multiple-choice questions to complex problem-solving activities. In this article, we propose a classification framework for such exercises. The framework classifies exercises in three main aspects: 1) the primary type of interaction; 2) the presentation mode; and 3) the integration in the learning system. For each of these aspects

The recent focus on learning analytics (LA) to analyze temporal dimensions of learning holds the promise of providing insights into latent constructs, such as learning strategy, self-regulated learning (SRL), and metacognition. These methods seek to provide an enriched view of learner behaviors beyond the scope of commonly used correlational or cross-sectional methods. In this article, we present a

The substantial growth of online learning, and in particular, through massively open online courses (MOOCs), supports research into nontraditional learning contexts. Learners’ confusion is one of the identified aspects which impact the overall learning process, and ultimately, course attrition. Confusion for a learner is an individual state of bewilderment and uncertainty as to how to move forward

Activity-centric data gather feedback on students’ learning to enhance learning effectiveness. The heterogeneity and multigranularity of such data require existing data models to perform complex on-the-fly computation when responding to queries of specific granularity. This, in turn, results in latency. In addition, existing data models are inefficient in storing computed results, which are often required

The concept of privacy in online social networks (OSNs) is a challenge, especially for teenagers. Previous works deal with teaching about privacy using educational online content, and media literacy. However, these tools do not necessarily promote less risky behaviors, and do not allow the assessment of users’ behavior after the learning period. Moreover, few research studies about the effects of social

Cyberspace odyssey (CSO) is a novel serious game supporting computer networking education by engaging students in a race to successfully perform various cybersecurity tasks in order to collect clues and solve a puzzle in virtual near-Earth three-dimensional space. Each team interacts with the game server through a dedicated client presenting a multimodal interface, using a game controller for navigation

Investigating and explaining the patterns of learners’ engagement in adaptive learning conditions is a core issue towards improving the quality of personalized learning services. This article collects learner data from multiple sources during an adaptive learning activity, and employs a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) approach to shed light to learners’ engagement patterns, with

In this article, we offer and test a nonsurvey-based method to characterize learner emotions. Our method, instead of using surveys, uses logs of learner behaviors in learning management systems (LMS) to reason about the emotional state of the e-learner. We use the control value theory (CVT) as the theoretical base of measuring emotions. Using this theory, learner emotions are directly tied to their

Although virtual reality (VR) simulation training has gained prominence, review studies to inform instructors and educators on the use of this technology in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are still scarce. This article presents various VR-supported instructional design practices in K-12 (primary and secondary) and higher education in terms of participants’ characteristics

Effective educational interventions require sufficient learner engagement, which can be difficult to achieve if the learner is inadequately motivated. Games have been shown to possess powerful motivators that fuel a person's desire to engage in unattractive activities, such as learning theoretical material. However, to design an educational game that is capable of providing motivated engagement is

Ubiquitous learning environments move learners out of a classroom and into the real world where learners engage in experiential and tangible learning involving instrumented physical things. Learners use peer-to-peer networks connecting learners, teachers, and a host of learning “things,” such as instrumented pieces of art, flower pots, and even buildings. A key component of such systems is wireless-enabled

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Presents a listing of the editorial board, board of governors, current staff, committee members, and/or society editors for this issue of the publication.

Recent research shows that learners who are able to self-regulate their learning show greater levels of engagement with massive open online course (MOOC) content. To improve support for learners in their self-regulatory processes, researchers have proposed technological solutions to transform recorded MOOC data into actionable knowledge. However, studies providing empirical evidence on how these solutions

Learning technologies enable interventions in the learning process aiming to improve learning. Learning analytics provides such interventions based on analysis of learner data, which are believed to have beneficial effects on both learning and the learning environment. Literature reporting on the effects of learning analytics interventions on learning allows us to assess in what way learning analytics

Increasing school dropout rates are a problem in many educational systems, with student disengagement being one significant factor. Learning analytics is a new field with a key role in educational institutions in the coming years. It may help make strategic decisions to reduce student disengagement. The use of technology in educational environments has grown significantly and, with it, awareness of

With the wide availability of mobile devices and the growing interest in social media, numerous applications have emerged to support student engagement in the classroom. There is conflicting evidence, however, on whether the engagement benefits of such applications outweigh their potential cost as a source of disaffection. To investigate these issues, this article presents a case study on the usage

The perception of body ownership creates a sense of embodiment, which can be a powerful learning tool. Embodied learning can occur by watching an individual's body movement and also via human–computer interactions, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). In this article, we designed and implemented a novel virtual body-ownership AR/VR tool for human anatomy—the human muscular arm avatar

Reading comprehension tasks are commonly used for developing students’ reading ability. In order to adaptively recommend reading comprehension materials to students engaged in computerized testing, the information in an item bank (a collection of test items stored in a dataset) must be effectively indexed. Familiarity with the topics present in the documents influences students’ reading performance

This article proposes a computer-based approach to effectively enhance second language learners’ willingness to communicate in the target language. To do so, we implemented a conversational agent embedding a dialogue management model based on two conversational strategies (i.e., communication strategies and affective backchannels), serving as scaffolds for enhancing learners’ willingness to communicate

The use of learning management systems (LMSs) for learning and knowledge sharing has accelerated quickly both in education and corporate worlds. Despite the benefits brought by LMSs, the current systems still face significant challenges, including the lack of automation in generating quiz questions and managing courses. Over the past decade, more attention has been accorded to analyzing the rich learning

There is a pressing need for effective pedagogical methods of manual languages, as evident in the decline of manual languages, such as New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). Despite being recognized as one of New Zealand's official languages, recent censuses have shown that fluent NZSL signers have been steadily decreasing. There is a cultural responsibility to preserve such languages, yet the combination

This article proposes two innovative approaches, the one-channel learning image recognition and the three-channel learning image recognition, to convert student's course involvements into images for early warning predictive analysis. Multiple experiments with 5235 students and 576 absolute/1728 relative input variables were conducted to verify their effectiveness. The results indicate that both methods

The creation of a process model is primarily a formalization task that faces the challenge of constructing a syntactically correct entity, which accurately reflects the semantics of reality, and is understandable to the model reader. This article proposes a framework called Model Judge , focused toward the two main actors in the process of learning process model creation: novice modelers and instructors

Curriculum prerequisite networks have a central role in shaping the course of university programs. The analysis of prerequisite networks has attracted a lot of research interest recently since designing an appropriate network is of great importance both academically and economically. It determines the learning goals of the program and also has a huge impact on completion time and dropping out. In this

Over the last few years, we have witnessed a growing interest in computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) tools and the commercial success of foreign language teaching applications that incorporate speech synthesis and automatic speech recognition technologies. However, empirical evidence supporting the pedagogical effectiveness of these systems remains scarce. In this article, a minimal-pair-based

This overview outlines key issues in learning with an open learner model (OLM). Originally, learner models remained hidden, as their primary role was to enable a system to personalize the educational interaction. Opening the model in an understandable form provides additional methods of prompting reflection, planning, and other metacognitive activities that are important in learning. Learner-system

Recently, ultrasound has been increasingly used in emergency departments (EDs) due to its promising noninvasive and portable characteristics. Traditional ultrasound training is a complex process that requires knowledge gain, development of psychomotor skills, and visual perception. However, it usually takes a long time for a novice sonographer to finish an ultrasound training program, and the training

Over the last 20 years, online peer review and assessment have become widely used and well-researched practices in education. Their use increased, especially with the proliferation of nonconventional large-scale and online modes of teaching and learning, such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). A well-designed peer-review system is expected to produce valid and reliable assessments of the artifacts

Learning games have great potential to become an integral part of new classrooms of the future. One of the key reported benefits is the capacity to keep students deeply engaged during their learning process. Therefore, it is necessary to develop models that can measure quantitatively how learners are engaging with learning games to inform game designers and educators, and to find ways to maximize learner

Learning in communities of practice (CoPs) makes up a significant portion of today's knowledge gain. However, only little technological support is tailored specifically toward CoPs and their particular strengths and challenges. Even worse, CoPs often do not possess the resources to host or develop a software ecosystem to support their activities. In this contribution, we describe a decentralized learning