- Title
- Enhancing open learning environments (OLEs) using adaptive technologies and learning theories
- Creator
- Fasihuddin, Heba
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2016
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Open learning is a new form of online education that allows resources, modules and courses to be freely, or at a minimal cost, available on the Internet. Recently, various initiatives of Open Learning Environments (OLEs), such as EdX and Coursera, have emerged and have been widely accepted all over the world. These types of OLEs are still in their early stages of evolution with many challenges and concerns that require immediate research investigation and exploration. The research on which this thesis reports has been undertaken on the belief that a number of these issues can be addressed through the consideration of cognitive science and learning theories, as well as the utilisation of contemporary technological advancements. Two specific challenges in OLEs are at the centre of this inquiry: cognitive overload that results from the presentation of learning concepts; and lack of personalisation and adaptivity to individual learner needs and preferences. A comprehensive review of the literature reveals that applying the concept of schema theory through the use of knowledge maps offers possibilities for supporting self-regulated learning, and that considering the theory of learning styles could be a successful approach for personalising learning environments and building adaptive systems. A conceptual framework for an OLE has been designed with two main features: the use of knowledge maps; and the adaptivity to individual learning styles using adaptive navigational support technology. A prototype ‘Cloud Adaptive Learning Courses’ (CALC) has been developed to investigate the helpfulness and impact of the proposed features in OLEs. The evaluation was completed by applying the prototype on courses at the University of Newcastle in which undergraduate students tried CALC and provided their perspectives on its helpfulness through online questionnaires. In addition, the adaptivity in CALC was evaluated by assessing the precision of identifying learning styles and the impact on students’ performance in terms of the time spent on learning and the access and navigation patterns. The results of these evaluations have shown that the use of knowledge maps and the adaptivity to learning styles in OLEs are promising as they have been found helpful and supportive to self-regulated learners. It is anticipated that the findings and results of this research will contribute to the development of enhanced future models of OLEs.
- Subject
- adaptive learning systems; adaptive technology; open learning environments (OLEs); learning styles
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1321306
- Identifier
- uon:24320
- Rights
- Copyright 2016 Heba Fasihuddin
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 3 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 472 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |