In our knowledge based economy, demand for better and effective learning has led to innovative instructional technologies. However, the one-size-fit-all approach taken by many e-Learning systems is not adequate to the different requirements of people who have different goals, preferences, and previous knowledge about a subject. Many e-Learning systems have approached this problem with personalized and customized content. However, many of these systems are closely tied to one particular subject that they are trying to teach; authoring of courses on different subjects using the same framework is a difficult process. Adaptive Hypermedia is an approach in which content presentation and navigation assistance is personalized depending on the requirements of the user. The user requirements are represented using a user model, while the content is represented using a content model. By using a set of algorithms, an Adaptive Hypermedia based system is able to select the most appropriate content to be presented, as the user interacts with the system. The objective of AlcoZone is to educate all of the 5,000 freshman students of Virginia Tech about alcohol education using Adaptive Hypermedia technology, as part of the mandatory university requirement. The course presents different content to different students based on their drinking pattern. AlcoZone integrates Curriculum Sequencing, Multimedia and Interactivity, Alternate Content Explanation, and Navigational Assistance to make the course interesting for students. This research investigates the design & implementation of AlcoZone and its Adaptive Hypermedia based reusable framework for course creation and delivery. / Master of Science

In an eLearning context, Adaptive Hypermedia Systems have been developed to improve learning success by increasing learner satisfaction, learning speed, and educational effectiveness. However, creating adaptive eLearning content and structures is still a time consuming and complicated task, in particular if individual lecturers are the intended authors. The way of thinking that is needed to create adaptive structures as well as the workflows is one that lecturers are unaccustomed to. The aim of this research project is to develop a concept that helps authors create adaptive eLearning content and structures, which focuses on its applicability for lecturers as intended authors. The research is targeted at the sequencing of content, which is one of the main aspects of adaptive eLearning. To achieve this aim the problem has been viewed from the author’s side. First, in terms of complexity of thoughts and threads, explanations about content structures have been found in storytelling theory. It also provides insights into how authors work, how story worlds are created, story lines intertwined, and how they are all merged together into one content. This helps us understand how non technical authors create content that is understandable and interesting for recipients. Second, the linear structure of learning content has been investigated to extract all the information that can be used for sequencing purposes. This investigation led to an approach that combines existing models to ease the authoring process for adaptive learning content by relating linear content from different authors and therefore defining interdependencies that delinearise the content structure. The technical feasibility of the authoring methods for adaptive learning content has been proven by the implementation of the essential parts in a research prototype and by authoring content from real life lectures with the prototype’s editor. The content and its adaptive structure obtained by using the concept of this research have been tested with the prototype’s player and monitor. Additionally, authoring aspects of the concept have been shown along with practical examples and workflows. Lastly, the interviewees who took part in expert interviews have agreed that the concept significantly reduces authoring complexity and potentially increases the amount of lecturers that are able to create adaptive content. The concept represents the common and traditional authoring process for linear content to a large extent. Compared to existing approaches the additional work needed is limited, and authors do not need to delve into adaptive structures or other authors’ content structures and didactic approaches.

Abstract The focus of this thesis is to assess factors which have an influence on the acceptance of personalized Web information systems (WIS). This study is primarily based on the widely used and accepted Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The qualitative part of the study presents an approach for developing dynamic Web information systems. The development process was based on the work done in the OWLA (Open Web/Wireless Adaptive Hypermedia Applications) research project in 2000–2002. The quantitative part of the study, which includes the main objective of the study, is related to assessment of user acceptance of the given system. The researcher performed a field study in 2003 in which data was collected using a web questionnaire. The field study resulted in a sample size of 209 responses. Moreover we carried out a comparison with the 2002/2003 field study aiming to study possible differences in respondents' attitude toward personalization. The previous field study was carried out during the OWLA research project. The responses were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS. Results of the quantitative part of the study show that the respondents accept personalization but they like to and want to adapt and personalize the content themselves. This was one of the most important findings of the study. Respondents do not want the system to provide content automatically; they want to control the content themselves. The results of the 2003 field study indicate that respondents do not consider layout adaptation, whether automatic or manual, to be important or desirable. The formulated model reveals that perceived relevance is one of the most important aspects that have an effect on attitude toward using and intention to use the given IS. Perceived expectancy and intention to use the given WIS are significant antecedents of actual use. Perceived behavioral control and normative beliefs also have a significant effect on intention to use portal. Enjoyment has a significant effect on attitude. Overall, we have identified in this study some significant factors which will provide useful information to IS practitioners studying the voluntary adoption of specific personalized systems. The results will also provide useful information for systems designers and will contribute towards assessing possible individual barriers to the use of personalized information systems. The study includes several proposals for future research including developing deeper understanding activities related to presented development approach, creating a more detailed view of factors which have an influence on the user's decision to use or not to use personalized information system, studying several systems.

Les travaux de recherche de cette thèse concernent principalement l‘aide à la navigation individualisée dans un hypermédia épistémique. Nous disposons d‘un certain nombre de ressources qui peut se formaliser à l‘aide d‘un graphe acyclique orienté (DAG) : le graphe des épistèmes. Après avoir cerné les environnements de ressources et de parcours, les modalités de visualisation et de navigation, de traçage, d‘adaptation et de fouille de données, nous avons présenté une approche consistant à corréler les activités de conception ou d‘édition à celles dédiées à l‘utilisation et la navigation dans les ressources. Cette approche a pour objectif de fournir des mécanismes d‘individualisation de la navigation dans un environnement qui se veut évolutif. Nous avons alors construit des prototypes appropriés pour mettre à l‘épreuve le graphe des épistèmes. L‘un de ces prototypes a été intégré à une plateforme existante. Cet hypermédia épistémique baptisé HiPPY propose des ressources et des parcours portant sur l‘apprentissage du langage Python. Il s‘appuie sur un graphe des épistèmes, une navigation dynamique et un bilan de connaissances personnalisé. Ce prototype a fait l‘objet d‘une expérimentation qui nous a donné la possibilité d‘évaluer les principes introduits et d‘analyser certains usages. / This research work mainly concerns means of assistance in individualized navigation through an epistemic hypermedia. We have a number of resources that can be formalized by a directed acyclic graph (DAG) called the graph of epistemes. After identifying resources and pathways environments, methods of visualization and navigation, tracking, adaptation and data mining, we presented an approach correlating activities of design or editing with those dedicated to resources‘ use and navigation. This provides ways of navigation‘s individualization in an environment which aims to be evolutive. Then, we built prototypes to test the graph of epistemes. One of these prototypes was integrated into an existing platform. This epistemic hypermedia called HiPPY provides resources and pathways on Python language. It is based on a graph of epistemes, a dynamic navigation and a personalized knowledge diagnosis. This prototype, which was experimented, gave us the opportunity to evaluate the introduced principles and analyze certain uses.

A Web vem se apresentando um meio cada vez mais promissor para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de ensino. Um dos grandes desafios é fazer uso das vantagens da Web, que torna a aprendizagem disponível em qualquer lugar e em qualquer momento, e criar para o aluno uma experiência de aprendizagem individualizada, que represente um significante melhoramento quando comparada à experiência de aprendizagem convencional de sala de aula. Nesse contexto, este trabalho apresenta o AdaptHA, um ambiente para autoria e ensino adaptativo na Web baseado no modelo Hyper-Automaton. Com o AdaptHA, objetiva-se colaborar para a melhoria da qualidade da educação prática pela Web. Acredita-se que isto seja possível através de um sistema de ensino que reúna ferramentas que auxiliam tanto o professor quanto o aluno, mas com um grande diferencial no que se refere à capacidade deste sistema de se adaptar às características do aluno. AdaptHA proporciona ao aluno uma experiência de aprendizagem individualizada ao apresentar o conteúdo adaptado e suportar a navegação adaptativa com base no modelo do aluno, utilizando para isto, técnicas da Hipermídia Adaptativa. Os mecanismos chave do AdaptHA que viabilizam tal adaptação são: sua estrutura do modelo do domínio, cujas principais características são flexibilidade e riqueza de metadados; e sua estrutura do modelo do aluno, que mantém o histórico detalhado de todas as interações do aluno com o ambiente. A essência deste trabalho consiste em promover um tipo de ensino que seja centrado no aluno. Entretanto, é indispensável levar em consideração que o professor possui um papel fundamental dentro do cenário educacional, sendo, portanto, imprescindível prover mecanismos que colaborem para a melhoria do seu trabalho, como por exemplo: ferramentas de autoria que facilitem a criação, manutenção e reutilização de cursos e material instrucional; e ferramentas que possibilitem o acompanhamento contínuo do desempenho dos alunos. A indisponibilidade de ferramentas que facilitam o trabalho do professor em um ambiente de ensino computadorizado, seja ele Web ou não, significa, em última instância, que a autoria de cursos e material instrucional irá exigir conhecimento de pessoal técnico, o que não é razoável. Evidentemente, este aspecto gera uma barreira quase que intransponível para a utilização desse tipo de ambiente por parte do professor. Neste sentido, o AdaptHA dispõe de um ambiente de autoria que reúne um rico conjunto de ferramentas que visa suprir essas necessidades. / Web has becoming more and more a promising environment for the development of learning systems. One of the big challenges is making use of Web advantages, that makes learning available anywhere and anytime, and create to the student an individualized learning experience, that represents a significant improvement when compared to the conventional classroom learning experience. In this context, this work presents AdaptHA, a Web adaptive authorship and learning environment based on Hyper-Automaton model. With AdaptHA, the goal is to collaborate to the improvement of Web practical education quality. This is possible through a learning system that groups tools that support teacher and student, but with a great plus that refers to the ability of this system to adapt itself to the student’s characteristics. AdaptHA provides to the student an individualized learning experience by presenting content adapted and supports adaptive navigation based on student model, making use of Adaptive Hypermedia techniques. AdaptHA’s key mechanisms that turn such adaptation possible are: its domain model structure, whose main features are flexibility and a rich metadata set; and its student model structure, that keeps a detailed history of all student interactions with the environment. The essence of this work is to promote a student-centered education. However, it must be taken in consideration that the teacher performs a fundamental role in the educational setting, so, it is necessary supplying mechanisms that collaborate for the improvement of his / her work, as for instance: authorship tools that facilitate the creation, maintenance and reuse of courses and instrucional material; and tools that enable the continuous accompaniment of students performance. The unavailability of tools that facilitate teacher work in a computer-based education environment, Web or not, means that courses and instructional material authorship will require knowledge of technical staff, what is not reasonable. Obviously, this aspect creates a great barrier for the use of this kind of environment by the teacher. In this sense, AdaptHA provides an authorship environment that groups a rich set of tools that supplies these needs.

Um dos motivos para o crescente desenvolvimento da área de mineração de dados encontra-se no aumento da quantidade de documentos gerados e armazenados em formato digital, estruturados ou não. A Web contribui sobremaneira para este contexto e, de forma coerente com esta situação, observa-se o surgimento de técnicas específicas para utilização nesta área, como a mineração de estrutura, de conteúdo e de uso. Pode-se afirmar que esta crescente oferta de informação na Web cria o problema da sobrecarga cognitiva. A Hipermídia Adaptativa permite minorar este problema, com a adaptação de hiperdocumentos e hipermídia aos seus usuários segundo suas necessidades, preferências e objetivos. De forma resumida, esta adaptação é realizada relacionando-se informações sobre o domínio da aplicação com informações sobre o perfil de usuários. Um dos tópicos importantes de pesquisa em sistemas de Hipermídia Adaptativa encontra-se na geração e manutenção do perfil dos usuários. Dentre as abordagens conhecidas, existe um contínuo de opções, variando desde cadastros de informações preenchidos manualmente, entrevistas, até a aquisição automática de informações com acompanhamento do uso da Web. Outro ponto fundamental de pesquisa nesta área está ligado à construção das aplicações, sendo que recursos da Web Semântica, como ontologias de domínio ou anotações semânticas de conteúdo podem ser observados no desenvolvimento de sistemas de Hipermídia Adaptativa. Os principais motivos para tal podem ser associados com a inerente flexibilidade, capacidade de compartilhamento e possibilidades de extensão destes recursos. Este trabalho descreve uma arquitetura para a aquisição automática de perfis de classes de usuários, a partir da mineração do uso da Web e da aplicação de ontologias de domínio. O objetivo principal é a integração de informações semânticas, obtidas em uma ontologia de domínio descrevendo o site Web em questão, com as informações de acompanhamento do uso obtidas pela manipulação dos dados de sessões de usuários. Desta forma é possível identificar mais precisamente os interesses e necessidades de um usuário típico. Integra o trabalho a implementação de aplicação de Hipermídia Adaptativa a partir de conceitos de modelagem semântica de aplicações, com a utilização de recursos de serviços Web, para validação experimental da proposta. / One of the reasons for the increasing development observed in Data Mining area is the raising in the quantity of documents generated and stored in digital format, structured or not. The Web plays central role in this context and some specific techniques can be observed, as structure, content and usage mining. This increasing information offer in the Web brings the cognitive overload problem. The Adaptive Hypermedia permits a reduction of this problem, when the contents of selected documents are presented in accordance with the user needs, preferences and objectives. Briefly put, this adaptation is carried out on the basis of relationship between information concerning the application domain and information concerning the user profile. One of the important points in Adaptive Hypermedia systems research is to be found in the generation and maintenance of the user profiles. Some approaches seek to create the user profile from data obtained from registration, others incorporate the results of interviews, and some have the objective of automatic acquisition of information by following the usage. Another fundamental research point is related with the applications construction, where can be observed the use of Web semantic resources, such as semantic annotation and domain ontologies. This work describes the architecture for automatic user profile acquisition, using domain ontologies and Web usage mining. The main objective is the integration of usage data, obtained from user sessions, with semantic description, obtained from a domain ontology. This way it is possible to identify more precisely the interests and needs of a typical user. The implementation of an Adaptive Hypermedia application based on the concepts of semantic application modeling and the use of Web services resources that were integrated into the proposal permitted greater flexibility and experimentation possibilities.

We launched an original large-scale experiment concerning informatics learning in French high schools. We are using the France-IOI platform to federate resources and share observation for research. The first step is the implementation of an adaptive hypermedia based on very fine grain epistemic modules for Python programming learning. We define the necessary traces to be built in order to study the trajectories of navigation the pupils will draw across this hypermedia. It may be browsed by pupils either as a course support, or an extra help to solve the list of exercises (mainly for algorithmics discovery). By leaving the locus of control to the learner, we want to observe the different trajectories they finally draw through our system. These trajectories may be abstracted and interpreted as strategies and then compared for their relative efficiency. Our hypothesis is that learners have different profiles and may use the appropriate strategy accordingly. This paper presents the research questions, the method and the expected results.

Nowadays, there is a growing demand for personalization and the "one-size-fits-all" approach for hypermedia systems is no longer applicable. Adaptive hypermedia (AH) systems adapt their behavior to the needs of individual users. However due to the complexity of their authoring process and the different skills required from authors, only few of them have been proposed. These last years, numerous efforts have been put to propose assistance for authors to create their own AH. However, as explained in this thesis some problems remain.In this thesis, we tackle two particular problems. A first problem concerns the integration of authors' materials (information and user profile) into models of existing systems. Thus, allowing authors to directly reuse existing reasoning and execute it on their materials. We propose a semi-automatic merging/specialization process to integrate an author's model into a model of an existing system. Our objectives are twofold: to create a support for defining mappings between elements in a model of existing models and elements in the author's model and to help creating consistent and relevant models integrating the two models and taking into account the mappings between them.A second problem concerns the adaptation specification, which is famously the hardest part of the authoring process of adaptive web-based systems. We propose an EAP framework with three main contributions: a set of elementary adaptation patterns for the adaptive navigation, a typology organizing the proposed elementary adaptation patterns and a semi-automatic process to generate adaptation strategies based on the use and the combination of patterns. Our objectives are to define easily adaptation strategies at a high level by combining simple ones. Furthermore, we have studied the expressivity of some existing solutions allowing the specification of adaptation versus the EAP framework, discussing thus, based on this study, the pros and cons of various decisions in terms of the ideal way of defining an adaptation language. We propose a unified vision of adaptation and adaptation languages, based on the analysis of these solutions and our framework, as well as a study of the adaptation expressivity and the interoperability between them, resulting in an adaptation typology. The unified vision and adaptation typology are not limited to the solutions analysed, and can be used to compare and extend other approaches in the future. Besides these theoretical qualitative studies, this thesis also describes implementations and experimental evaluations of our contributions in an e-learning application.

O Ensino à distância (EaD) procura utilizar propostas pedagógicas para desenvolver sistemas inclusivos de ensino e aprendizagem. Estas propostas tem colaborado no sucesso que a EaD tem alcançado no meio empresarial corporativo. Neste meio, a demanda por cursos de formação técnica tem sido tão alta, que as empresas envolvidas no design instrucional de EaD criaram a noção de cursos à distância expressos, ou seja, cursos cuja a concepção e elaboração devem atender as tradicionais necessidades de rapidez do mercado de trabalho. Esta dissertação procura soluções para um tipo de ensino à distância ainda pouco explorado. O cenário que procuramos equacionar é o do ensino de ferramentas (softwares) para desenho vetorial, onde a metodologia de ensino é parte do processo de ensino corporativo. No processo atual de ensino de ferramentas de computação gráfica, o aluno submete ao professor, normalmente pela internet, o seu trabalho para que uma avaliação seja feita. Nesta dissertação sugerimos que este processo seja modificado de duas formas. Primeiro, no design instrucional para esta situação, trabalhamos constantemente a questão de avaliação não só na sua forma tradicional (atribuição de graus e valores) mas também como aperfeiçoamento do processo de ensino. A hipermídia adaptativa entra nesta proposta como facilitador da relação alunoprofessor-conhecimento, permitindo individualização de um ensino voltado para as massas. Em segundo lugar, propomos que a avaliação das tarefas sejam automatizada. O aluno oferece as partes (objetos) da solução que são avaliadas individualmente através de algoritmos computacionais. Isto permite uma menor participação do professor, o que é compatível com a proposta de cursos expressos. Para que isto seja possível a tarefa proposta pelo professor é dividida em objetos componentes, sendo o aluno estimulado a criar cada objeto segundo o modelo padrão oferecido. A comparaçào de cada objeto criado pelo aluno com o padrão a ser alcançado pode ser feita por diversos algoritmos computacionais existentes ou criados especificamente pelo autor do curso. Neste trabalho apresentamos exemplos desta abordagem e um protótipo que demonstra a viabilidade da proposta. / Distance learning aims to use eduacational approaches in order to develop comprehensive courses. These approaches are some of the reasons distance learning has been widely accepted by large corporations. The nowadays matket has a steady and constant demand for technical courses and skilled employees. This demand has been so high among corporations that they have coined the term Distance Learning Express Couses for courses developed in very short time, for short term necessities. This dissertation aims to offer possibilities for a less employed type of distance learning couse. The situation we intend to deal is the teaching of graphics computing tools. In the current status of such type of distance learning course, the student submits, normally by Internet, his or her pieces of work so an evaluation of his or her performance may be made. In this dissertation we propose to change this process in two ways. First we intend to use evaluation as a pivotal part of the educational process. Evaluation is no longer used only at the end of the tasks but during the teaching procedure as student feedback. Thats the reason we also employ Adaptive Hypermedia. It makes possible a more personalized teaching and student oriented guidance. Secondly, we also suggest that tasks evaluation may become automatic. The student offers the parts (objects) of the overall solution and these parts are evaluated individually by computing algorithms. This allows less teacher participation and less type spend on evaluation. In order to do so, the teacher has to divide the task in small components (objects) and to ask the student to deal with these components as models to be achieved. The comparison of the object created by the student with the model object maybe performed by several available computing algorithms or specifically designed algorithms by the author of the course. In this work we introduce an example of this approch and a prototype which shows the feasability of our proposition.

Um dos motivos para o crescente desenvolvimento da área de mineração de dados encontra-se no aumento da quantidade de documentos gerados e armazenados em formato digital, estruturados ou não. A Web contribui sobremaneira para este contexto e, de forma coerente com esta situação, observa-se o surgimento de técnicas específicas para utilização nesta área, como a mineração de estrutura, de conteúdo e de uso. Pode-se afirmar que esta crescente oferta de informação na Web cria o problema da sobrecarga cognitiva. A Hipermídia Adaptativa permite minorar este problema, com a adaptação de hiperdocumentos e hipermídia aos seus usuários segundo suas necessidades, preferências e objetivos. De forma resumida, esta adaptação é realizada relacionando-se informações sobre o domínio da aplicação com informações sobre o perfil de usuários. Um dos tópicos importantes de pesquisa em sistemas de Hipermídia Adaptativa encontra-se na geração e manutenção do perfil dos usuários. Dentre as abordagens conhecidas, existe um contínuo de opções, variando desde cadastros de informações preenchidos manualmente, entrevistas, até a aquisição automática de informações com acompanhamento do uso da Web. Outro ponto fundamental de pesquisa nesta área está ligado à construção das aplicações, sendo que recursos da Web Semântica, como ontologias de domínio ou anotações semânticas de conteúdo podem ser observados no desenvolvimento de sistemas de Hipermídia Adaptativa. Os principais motivos para tal podem ser associados com a inerente flexibilidade, capacidade de compartilhamento e possibilidades de extensão destes recursos. Este trabalho descreve uma arquitetura para a aquisição automática de perfis de classes de usuários, a partir da mineração do uso da Web e da aplicação de ontologias de domínio. O objetivo principal é a integração de informações semânticas, obtidas em uma ontologia de domínio descrevendo o site Web em questão, com as informações de acompanhamento do uso obtidas pela manipulação dos dados de sessões de usuários. Desta forma é possível identificar mais precisamente os interesses e necessidades de um usuário típico. Integra o trabalho a implementação de aplicação de Hipermídia Adaptativa a partir de conceitos de modelagem semântica de aplicações, com a utilização de recursos de serviços Web, para validação experimental da proposta. / One of the reasons for the increasing development observed in Data Mining area is the raising in the quantity of documents generated and stored in digital format, structured or not. The Web plays central role in this context and some specific techniques can be observed, as structure, content and usage mining. This increasing information offer in the Web brings the cognitive overload problem. The Adaptive Hypermedia permits a reduction of this problem, when the contents of selected documents are presented in accordance with the user needs, preferences and objectives. Briefly put, this adaptation is carried out on the basis of relationship between information concerning the application domain and information concerning the user profile. One of the important points in Adaptive Hypermedia systems research is to be found in the generation and maintenance of the user profiles. Some approaches seek to create the user profile from data obtained from registration, others incorporate the results of interviews, and some have the objective of automatic acquisition of information by following the usage. Another fundamental research point is related with the applications construction, where can be observed the use of Web semantic resources, such as semantic annotation and domain ontologies. This work describes the architecture for automatic user profile acquisition, using domain ontologies and Web usage mining. The main objective is the integration of usage data, obtained from user sessions, with semantic description, obtained from a domain ontology. This way it is possible to identify more precisely the interests and needs of a typical user. The implementation of an Adaptive Hypermedia application based on the concepts of semantic application modeling and the use of Web services resources that were integrated into the proposal permitted greater flexibility and experimentation possibilities.