In the modern educational environment students are faced with a plethora of different options in their learning journey during the University years. To help them to make optimal choices among all these options, that best correspond to their individuality, we have conducted a research project “Enabled: Educational Network Amplifying Learning Experience” (EnAbled). The project aims at “mapping” these choices to personal preferences and individual learning styles. We allow students to either self-assess their profiles or use the Lumina Psychological Traits of Behavioral Preferences tests. We argue that this approach will be beneficial not only to the students but also to the academics assisting them in the preparation and delivery of modules and providing them with more insight into what and how teaching is delivered.
In modern days, students face a plethora of different options in their learning journey
during the university years. From the classical approach of attending lectures and
tutorials to learning from online videos or participating in fora and tutorials - there are so
many possible paths and approaches that it is becoming difficult for students to make
an informed and optimal choice among available resources. Furthermore, it also
becomes challenging for lecturers to prepare modules which optimally make use of all
these resources. To overcome this “over choice” dilemma, we have conducted a
research project “Enabled: Educational Network Amplifying Learning Experience”
(EnAbled) [
We target first year students who find themselves in a transition period, or "liminal"
space [
The project also creates “Academic Compass”, a digital platform, which students use to navigate across various learning options guided by both their preferences and learning styles and previous learning experience. Lecturers, in turn, use the platform to model their modules encompassing the various options available at each learning stage. In our pilot study, we used qualitative methods to collect data required to build students’ individual learning profiles. Subsequently, these profiles were exploited in the Use Case that models the revision sessions for a first-year module, “Mathematics for Computing”. We discuss the results of the conceptual testing of the proposed solutions showing their contribution to assisting students in building their autonomous learning and helping academics to tune the delivery of material based on individual needs, 2
Concepts and Model of the EnAble Project
EnAbled adopts a metaphor of a Compass which helps the students to navigate through a map of learning pathways as if they were crossing a new territory with this map and a compass. Modules of their curriculum are modelled as graphs that encompass multiple routes and each path is made of several steps (Learning Objectives) connected by edges (Learning Activities).
each node potentially further detailed in a sub-graph: this is a two-layered graph model with two upper level paths (P1 and P2) and the sub-graph describing one node (P2C).
We allow students to define their individual learning profiles either self- assessed or
by taking the Lumina Spark Behavioral Preferences test [
The EnAbled Academic Compass suggests students would make choices, which is based on their psychological and learning profiles, whilst academics will utilize this framework to model various learning paths. Figure 3, on the left, presents the main prototype’s modules. The Login module authorizes users to either the Student or Lecturer modules, and saves user details to a MongoDB database through a JavaScript interface. The Student Interface integrates the information from the psychological profiles with updated information on the status of the student (e.g. the amount of time available to execute the next Learning Activity) and presents various learning paths associated with each topic created by the Lecturer. The Lecturer module creates various graphs associated with different learning paths, by using a drag and drop tool as shown in Fig. 3 on the right. The Graph Editor allows to update nodes with necessary links, while edges represent Learning Activities and can be associated with metadata information - the duration and color coding used to define preferred choices based on the student profiles and current situation. The module content including its graph structure is saved in JSON format in the MongoDB database.
suitable for the “Abstract Conceptualization” style.
“Threshold concepts” are transitions – this is much
closer to what students operate with in their practice
[
Conclusion.
This paper presented and discussed a prototype of the EnAbled Academic Compass to assists students with their choices. The theoretical grounds are students’ psychological and learning profiles and conceptualization of the module content reflecting threshold concepts. The effectiveness of its approach will be fully tested during the Academic Year (2018-2019). The first prototype will be further developed and tuned to be ready for testing by students and lecturers at the start of the next (2018-2019) Academic Year.