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This paper describes a study performed in a British university designed to identify the unique features of 'digital students', as a move towards building a customized model of an e-learning environment. To what extent might its students be described as 'digital'? How might their characteristics influence the development of an adaptive and adaptable e-learning environment? Likely features of an e-learning environment where the student can take advantage of all the communication technology available are presented.

With the rapid growth of computer and Internet technologies, e-learning has become a major trend in the computer assisted teaching and learning fields. Most past researches for Web-based learning commonly neglect to consider whether learners can understand the learning courseware or generate misconception. To discover common learning misconception of learners, this study employs the association rule to mine learner profile for diagnosing learners' common learning misconception during learning processes. In this paper, the association rules that occurring misconception A implies occurring misconception B can be discovered utilizing the proposed association rule learning diagnosis approach. Meanwhile, the obtained association rules for the common learning misconception are applied to tune courseware structure as well as perform remedy learning. Experiment results indicate that applying the proposed learning diagnosis approach can correctly discover learners' common learning misconception according to learner profile and help learners to learn more effectively.

This paper is concerned with issues rising of current practices in learner and learning support in e-learning. The underlying research attempts to address the needs and establish new ways of supporting online learners to cope with time and distance constraints affecting the distance education curriculum. The focus of the paper is on presenting a framework of using online portfolios for providing learner and learning support in e-learning. This framework is currently tested with 32 different modules over 5 undergraduate and postgraduate courses delivered through the Global Campus distance education programme. This work concludes with a summary of the benefits of applying online portfolio in education and in e-learning specifically.

Learning performance assessment aims to evaluate what learners learnt during the learning process. It has become a critical issue in the Web-based learning field. Traditional summative evaluation can be applied to evaluate the learning performance both for conventional classroom learning and Web-based learning. However, it only considers final learning outcomes without considering the learning progress of learners. This paper proposes a learning performance assessment approach which combines four computational intelligence theories including grey relational analysis, K-means clustering method, fuzzy association rule mining and fuzzy inference to perform this task based on the learning portfolio of individual learners. Experimental results indicate that the evaluation result of the proposed method is positive relevance with those of summative assessment. Namely, this method can help teachers to precisely perform the formative assessment for individual learner utilizing only the learning portfolio in a Web-based learning environment.

As the learning through computer is on the rise, the demand of e-learning, based on information technology (IT), is gradually increasing. If an e-learning system in which learning can be carried out in line with learners' own levels, the learning efficiency will be maximized, due to the effect of one to one tutoring for learners (students), as if a teacher provided one to one tutoring. In this paper, a community-based intelligent e-learning system was developed, in which a teacher character equipped with face to face communication functions can interact with learners, so that learners can feel the teacher character is humane, while the teacher character can speak, understand learners' questions and move to express emotions, like a human teacher, based on an intelligent tutoring paradigm. The community-based intelligent e-learning system, developed in this study, is expected to raise learners' learning performances, since precise diagnosis on the performance levels of students and adequate feedback can be provided through this system.

The purpose of the study was to investigate learning styles and flow experiences to the effectiveness of e-learning. To fulfil this purpose, instruments consisted of demographic survey, Kolb learning style scale, flow experience scales, pre-test and post-test of content, learning satisfaction and introspection questionnaire were used. Findings of this study show that, firstly, there is significant difference between different learning-style samples in their learning effectiveness. Secondly, there is statistically significant difference between different learning-style samples in their flow experiences. Thirdly, there is some correlation founded in samples' flow experience and learning effectiveness.

The instructional activity model (IAM) is a general purpose model to generate an adaptive learning course which is compatible with the SCORM standard. IAM is composed of related activity tree (AT) nodes and capability nodes. Prerequisites are capabilities supposed to possess before learning an AT while contributions are capabilities after learning an AT. IAM model supports the adaptive learning sequencing by considering the relationships between AT and capability nodes. However, the IAM model does not take the transfer of learning into consideration. In this paper, we propose the mechanism to integrate the concept of learning transfer to the IAM model. In our proposed mechanism, the relationships between capabilities are considered based on the similarity measure between capabilities. The selection process of IAM model is also modified to reflect the relationships of capabilities.

This paper presents an evaluation of open source e-learning platforms. The main focus is on adaptation issues. The result of the evaluation shows that the platform Moodle outperforms all other platforms and also obtained the best rating in the adaptation category.

The main issue addressed here is how to help graduate students obtain advanced scientific and technological knowledge by Web-based self-directed learning. Our approach is to propose a life cycle management model of e-Learning courseware, which promotes the design of learning management systems. In this paper, we also describe a framework for the learning management system based on the model using SCORM, which is becoming a global standard in developing learning management systems.

The need for providing learners with Web-based learning content that match their accessibility needs and preferences, as well as providing ways to match learning content to user's devices has been identified as an important issue in accessible educational hypermedia literature. Several initiatives already exist trying to provide accessible Web-based learning environments addressing a broad range of access needs and requirements. However, the design and development of Web-based learning environments for people with special abilities has been addressed so far by the development of hypermedia and multimedia based educational content that is specially designed for the user targeted group, as well as the use of dedicated infrastructure supporting the delivery of learning content. Such approaches not only prevent their user groups (learners and their tutors) from accessing other available resources, but also keep them dependent from the specific e-learning platform, since the supported hypermedia content and learning scenarios are a-priori designed for the targeted user group. In this paper we address the need for an architectural definition of a Web-based learning system that satisfies the design steps and requirements identified following the current state-of-the-art accessibility approaches and techniques.

The current literature and practice often mentions elearning. But elearning is often not successful. We suggest an alternative approach, alearning or adaptive learning. The format is tutorial, an approach to adaptive learning that can work anywhere in the world.

This study presents an interactive mobile teaching agent implemented on the PDA device, which includes a student Q&A module, pop-up hint module, on-line message module and student message module, to support the personalized e-learning system through wireless Internet environment for learning performance promotion. Experimental results indicate that the proposed mobile teaching agent can support teachers to monitor Web-based learning activities as well as help learners to efficiently promote learning interests and performance.

In vocational training, trainees with every age groups have various kinds of vocational and educational. Instructors of vocational training have to teach them according to their different ability. To solve this problem, e-learning teaching material is expected to be available. It is difficult to develop high quality materials to meet the demand of public occupation training in a short period, and moreover, even securing teaching material has become a problem. This paper contains details of a teaching material support system, which is simple and user-friendly, including functions for the systematic compilation of e-learning material to adapt to the characteristics of public occupation training.

The paper proposes a constructivism approach based on the theory of learning objects, learning profiles and inhabited virtual learning worlds to achieve the goal of adaptive learning in networked learning environments. Given the proposed adaptive learning environments, learners can be uniquely identified and their learning processes can be monitored with their respective learner profiles. Moreover, learning supports could be provided during the process of learning in a scaffolding fashion based on both the data in learner profiles and learning objects database. In additions, an inhabited virtual world can contribute to a real time and immersive communication channel to incorporate collaborative learning pedagogy and build up learning community in the proposed adaptive networked learning environments. In summary, both the learning content and context not only can be personalized hut also can be collaborative in the proposed learning environments in an adaptive fashion which is the long-sought paradigm in the field of e-learning.

With the rapid advancement of stand-alone e-learning systems, we believe a shamble and interoperable portal platform capable of integrating various existing learning systems is critical for the next step development of e-learning systems. We highlight four difficulties in today's e-learning systems as the root causes for current ineffective sharing of stand-alone learning systems: interoperability of e-learning systems, collaboration of learning objects, presentation level integration of learning objects, and transparent access of e-learning systems. In this paper, we propose an open, unified, and interoperable e-learning portal to meet this critical need. In our proposed system, we employ WSRP services to preserve the presentation of shared learning objects from participating learning systems, and BPEL4WS for the task-based course workflow orchestration among shared learning systems. We also explain key steps in course preparation and execution to provide clear pictures of how our system enables actual interoperability of numerous existing learning objects/ components/ systems.

Flexible and active education calls for a comprehensive restructuring of the traditional university course format. Such restructuring can be done in a natural and coherent way by implementing topic maps in e-learning. In this paper we describe polyscopic topic maps, an information structuring method which is being developed by the authors, a university course model called Flexplearn which is based on this approach, and a prototype Flexplearn course where our model is currently being implemented, used and tested. We also describe BrainBank learning, a topic map-driven application, for learning of concepts and concept relations that we are implementing with Flexplearn.

Faculty of Computer Science (Fasilkom), University of Indonesia (UI) develops Student Centered E-Learning Environment (SCELE) for Graduate Program in Information Technology as part of distance learning system, which is developed using enterprise resources planning approach. SCELE is also well known as learning management system (LMS). Beside SCELE, Fasilkom UI also develops contents that are conformant with SCELE, and also Digital Library and Online Academic Registration System to support learning process. This paper elaborates the study of SCELE, content development, and the result of system evaluation.

This paper presents implementation and pedagogy design of progress-based e-learning courses with hierarchical subject structures. It extends our previous work on courses with sequential subject structures. The progress-based e-learning emphasizes personalized course content delivery based on a student's course comprehension measurement, learning aptitude, and learning progress rules. Supporting courses with hierarchical subject structures increases the range of courses suitable for progress-based e-learning. It also provides flexibility in course content development. The implementation of these courses can employ the learning advancement management system (LAMS), a Web-based software system we introduced previously for supporting multiple progress-based e-learning courses through Web services.

Organizations worldwide are now seeking more innovative and efficient ways to deliver training to their geographically dispersed workforce, and with traditional training methods, companies generally spend more money on transporting and housing trainees than on actual training programs. E-learning has the capacity to reduce these costs significantly and enabled organizations to secured their product or service knowledge. This paper focuses on how organization can secure their internal e-learning development and advocate combination of technological approaches. It also provides a framework on how organization /or academic institution should make a rational decision regarding the implementation of e-learning. The question posed by this paper is that: can organizations improve their e-learning while also securing higher level of knowledge based?.

The aim of this study is to develop a multimedia digital material for learning tourism English. The material can be conducted by video on demand (VOD) or through the Internet. The content of the material mainly includes introductory texts for ten historic and famous global sites and also includes eight sets of conversation with a focus on tourism. In the design of the whole material, five skills for learning English (listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation) are emphasized and an evaluation system is also included. In an e-learning era, we hope to establish our own ability and experiences to develop digital materials, which will help learners to augment their language skills and gain relevant abilities applicable to the job market.

Existing multilearner systems support three areas of group collaborative e-learning environments: communication, coordination, and collaboration. This distinction reflects the description of the functional aspects of the strict idea WYSIWIS (what you see is what i see). Yet, this method is only of limited use because it does not take into consideration individual requirements. In other words, it lacks adaptation. Therefore, adding adaptation features to this method personalizes the course presentation to the learner's needs through learning sessions. Accordingly this leads to a new trend that we could call "what you see is adapted to what i need to see" (WYSIA WINS).

This paper proposes a LMS (learning management system) with intelligent agent to provide effective adaptive messages to a learner. The unique features of this paper are shown as follows: The agent system proposed in this paper has a learner model, which is automatically and continually constructed by applying the decision tree model constructed from the learning histories data stored in the data-base. The constructed leaner model predicts a learner's future final status (1. Failed, 2. Abandon, 3. Successful, 4.Excellent) using his/her current learning history data. The constructed leaner model becomes more exact as the amount of data accumulated in the database increases. The agent system presents the optimal instructional message based on the learner's predicted future state. The agent provides some attention cues according to Ueno (2004) at the timing when a learner begins to be bored with his/her learning. In addition, this paper demonstrates the effectiveness of this system through actual e-learning classes.

An efficient e-learning system should provide learners with learning environment that has high degree of freedom. In order to realize this, e-learning systems must be equipped with such functions as letting learners themselves choose appropriate learning contents and understand correctly their level of progress and achievement for each learning contents. We have been developing an integrated e-learning environment which integrates learning history and learning content information to control each learner's learning. It is designed based on learning ecological model (LEM) and is now going to be integrated with the database run by educational affairs section. It will enable teachers to analyze e-learning log data with learners' academic achievements. This paper describes functions of the LMS and then reports a preliminary practice in a graduate school course.

There is a common understanding that the twenty-first century will be a more globalized and knowledge-based era. In response to this rapid change, Hong Kong is trying to transform itself into an information society. A lot of education reforms were implemented in schools in the past few years. Having learn the lesson from the first IT plan (1998-2003), the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) released its second information technology strategic plan, focusing on the real change of pedagogy, the promotion of life-long learning and e-learning, the use of wireless technology as the extension of the existing wired network, and the new roles of parents as well as students in the life-long learning environment. This research aims at studying readiness of Hong Kong teachers regarding e-learning. Results indicate that teachers in Hong Kong are not very prepared to use e-learning technologies for teaching and learning. There are differences in readiness perceived between male and females, secondary school teachers and primary school teachers, and teachers of different secondary schools of different bandings.

The aim of the designed system is mainly to develop the environment for grouping and interactive learning mechanism performing on e-schoolbag, which preserves traditional academic mechanisms nowadays in Taiwan and enhances the teaching and learning activities among teachers and students in a digital manner. The system is developed based on the traditional teaching and learning models in order to smoothen the transition from paper-based materials into digital document format in each educational activity, and its foundation is the conviction that students learn more by doing and discussing than by watching and listening. The essence of the developed system lies in increased interaction at all levels for mathematical learning programs, from peer-to-peer discussions to one-on-one communications among students and teachers. With the assistance of the interactive learning system in the e-learning era, we expect that students are able to develop positive, optimistic, creative, and cooperative abilities beyond the confines of traditional learning mechanisms.