Poster presentation from the Living the Future 6 Conference, April 5-8, 2006, University of Arizona Libraries, Tucson, AZ. / This poster session describes building an Integrated Library System (ILS) for Afghanistan academic libraries using open source software. We will present our approaches in software selection, improvements, and modifications such as Persian language support and users interface.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

E-learning is increasingly adopted to support face-to-face classroom-based learning or implemented as a complete standalone learning system. Its inherent adaptable nature and ability to provide learning anywhere, everywhere and anytime makes it a versatile tool for access to basic, professional and higher education. This research proposes and develops an adaptable e-learning approach, focusing on the learner's requirement specification and negotiation of course with multiple providers to improve online learning. This addresses issues of inflexible learning model, narrow coverage of subject domains in existing systems and ineffective use of educational resources, using design research methodology (DRM). The proposed Intelligent Learning approach provides learning support by applying collaborative and deliberative capabilities of software agents to e-learning systems. Designated learning support agents negotiate with providers on behalf of the learner for courses, matching specified requirements. This is achieved through agent negotiation strategies, devising dynamic learning plans (DPLAN) and online learning contract (or EContract) between the system and a range of providers, to harness the changing needs of the learner, hence, providing an Adaptive Agent Learner Plan (ADALP) approach. It develops and applies a 'Basic Requirements Learning' model, addressing specific learning objectives, supported by a two way evaluation process that enforces learning flexibility, empowering learners and accommodating a wide spectrum of learning needs. Unlike traditional Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS), learning objectives are not fixed and are constituted dynamically from learner specifications. The ADALP approach provides multiple provider support options, generating learner feedback for goal oriented, but flexible learning. This deviates from the traditional 'top-down' approach, where instructors and designers create fixed models of different categories of learners and their needs. The prototype of multi-agent system (MAS) demonstrates contributions of the approach, applying Multi-issue-Negotiation and Contracting Courses with Multiple Providers; devising dynamic personalised learning plans and learning commitment (or e-contracts) between learners and providers. It implements designated agents which generate tasks and sub-tasks corresponding to the learners' goals and objectives; 'biding' for learning and tutoring resources from multiple providers to deliver on the derived tasks. Personalised learning plan aligned with online learning contract is generated for each learner based on the specified requirements and learning goals, as a result. It is argued that the ADALP approach empowers learners and improves on similar approaches, in comparison to existing adaptive learning systems.

The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers Virginia agricultural producers encounter when using the Internet and their preferences when seeking information delivered via the Internet. The results are expected to provide Extension educators needed information about producer Internet use patterns and their preferences related to Internet-based learning systems. The survey population (N = 370) consisted of Virginia agricultural producers currently known to be using the Internet as identified by the county Agricultural Extension agents. Data were collected online via an interactive, encrypted Web site and analyzed with SAS/STAT software. The 186 usable producer responses indicated that they were predominately white (98.36%), males (82.87%) averaging 51 years of age with some college education. Their primary occupation was farm or ranch work (41.71%) with a gross value of agricultural sales of $100,000 - $249,999. Nearly 60% conducted Internet agricultural marketing activities; three quarters purchased agricultural supplies, 43.17% conduct non-agricultural Internet business, and 50% use dialup services to access the Internet. In total, 95.68% of the responding producers access the Internet at least once a week and 31.60% reported previous participation in Internet-based learning. Producers below 30 years of age considered their lack of experience/training to be less of a barrier than older producers. Time constraints associated with job responsibilities, isolation from other program participants, and their ability to learn at a distance were seen as greater barriers by males than females. Producers listing their primary occupation as other than farming saw time constraints associated with their job as a greater barrier than those retired but still farming. Producers with a high school education generally rated barriers associated with Internet-based learning as greater obstacles than those with advanced degrees. Following an exposure to an Internet-based learning experience, no differences were observed related to the producers' age, gender, primary occupation, and the operation's gross value of agricultural sales and the selected factors. Producers making agricultural Internet purchases, perceived their motivation to participate in Internet-base learning as less of a barrier than those that did not. Generally, as the producers' Internet use frequency increased, their perception of the barriers was reduced and those with previous Internet-based learning experience saw their ability to learn at a distance as less of a barrier than did those with no experience. A comparison of pre- and post-exposure data, revealed time constrains associated with job responsibilities, access to instructors/specialists, feedback/instructor contact, and the motivation to participate as the greatest barriers to Internet-base learning. Differences in pre- and post-exposure assessments confirm that producers' perception of the barriers were worse than actuality. Extension's Internet-based learning experiences should be accessible from a familiar Internet location. The learners' abilities and connectivity should be considered when developing systems to minimize barriers associated with these factors. Internet-based activities should be relevant to the learner. Experiences should be available in multiple formats including video, audio, print and combinations of the aforementioned. Learners should be afforded the opportunity to interact with the presenter/instructor via the most acceptable and timely means. / Ph. D.

Mit dem Begriff des eLearnings verknüpfen sich viele sehr unterschiedliche Konzepte, die auf Grund ihrer spezifischen Ausprägung häufig Grenzen für ihre Benutzung errichten. Um diese zu überwinden, wurde ein Framework konzipiert und implementiert, welches den Anspruch der Universalität in Hinblick auf Anwendungs- und Inhaltsorganisation sowie Funktionalität erhebt. In der kollaborativen eLearning-Plattform BluES erfuhr das Framework eine Beispielimplementierung. Diese diente gleichzeitig als Grundlage für die Validierung unterschiedlicher Aspekte des Frameworks. Als Ergebnis der Arbeit konnte gezeigt werden, dass maximale Flexibilität der Anwendung durch die Systemarchitektur gewährleistet werden kann. Dadurch werden Restriktionen in der Gestaltung der Anwendungsumgebung vermieden und die Anwender bei der Detailkonzeption ihrer Arbeit flexibel unterstützt.

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Es besteht eine starke Nachfrage nach einer positiven Applikation zum Lernen, um den strategischen Plan des indonesischen Ministeriums für Bildung und Kultur zu fördern, dass die Ratio von Berufsschule höher als die allgemeinbildende Schule werden kann. Die rasante entwicklung der Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologie könnte es ermöglichen, den Lernenden ein computergestütztes, personalisiertes E-Learning-System zur Verfügung zu stellen, um die Tatsache zu überwinden, dass jeder Lernende seine eigene Präferenz hat. Diese Studie bietet ein adaptives E-Learning-System, bei dem zwei Quellen der Personalisierung berücksichtigt werden: der Lernstil des Schülers und das Vorwissen. Um die Wirksamkeit des vorgeschlagenen E-Learning-Programms zu untersuchen, werden die Leistungen der Schüler bezüglich der drei niedrigsten Ebenen im kognitiven Bereich (Wissen, Verständnis und Anwendung) in der E-Learning-Gruppe mit denen der traditionellen Unterrichtsgruppe verglichen. Ein weiterer interessanter Bereich ist die sogannte schülerperspektive Usability-Bewertung und die Beziehung zwischen den Usability-Fragebogen angegebenen Aspekten zu erforschen. Der Entwurfs- und Entwicklungsprozess des adaptiven E-Learning-Systems in dieser Studie berücksichtigte sowohl das Instruktionsdesign als auch das Software-Engineering. Die erste Phase begann mit der Analyse des Kandidaten der Teilnehmer, des Fachkurses und des Online-Liefermediums. Der nächste Schritt bestand darin, die Prozedur, die Regelwerk der Adaptation und die Benutzeroberfläche zu entwerfen. Dann wurde Entwicklungsprozess des Lehrsystems auf der Grundlage der aus den vorherigen Phasen gesammelten Daten durchgeführt. Die nächste Phase war die Implementierung des Unterrichtsprogramms für die Schüler in einer kleinen Gruppe. Schließlich wurde die E-Learning-Anwendung in drei verschiedenen Teststrategien bewertet: Funktionsbasiertes Testen, Expertenbasierte Bewertung und benutzerperspektivische Bewertung. Die nächste Aktion ist eine experimentelle Studie, bei der das adaptive E-Learning-System im Lernprozess angewendet wird. An diesem Experiment waren zwei Gruppen beteiligt. Die Experimentalgruppe bestand aus 21 Studenten, die den Unterrichtsfach Digital Simulation mithilfe des adaptiven E-Learning-Systems lernten. Eine andere Gruppe war die Kontrollgruppe, die 21 Schüler umfasste, die dasselbe Unterrichtsfach in der traditionellen Klasse lernten. Es wurden zwei Instrumente verwendet, um die erforderlichen Daten zu erheben. Das erste Instrument bestand aus 30 Multiple-Choice-Fragen, die die kognitiven Ebenen von Wissen, Verstehen und Anwendung enthielten. Dieses Instrument wurde verwendet, um die Schülerleistung bei dem obengeschriebenen Unterrichtsfach zu bewerten. Das zweite Instrument war der Usability-Fragebogen, der aus 30 4-Punkte-Likert Aussagen bestand. Dieser Fragebogen bestand aus vier Dimensionen nämlich Nützlichkeit, Benutzerfreundlichkeit, Lernfreundlichkeit und Zufriedenheit. Mit diesem Fragebogen wurde die Usability der adaptiven E-Learning-Applikation basierend auf die Perspektive des Schülers bewertet. Der Befund dieser Studie ergab ein ungewöhnliches Phänomen, bei dem das Ergebnis des Pre-Tests der Kontrollgruppe signifikant höher als Experimentalgruppe. Zum Post-Test Vergleich, obwohl die Leistung der E-Learning Gruppe höher als der von der regulären war, war der Unterschied zwischen den beiden statistisch nicht signifikant. Der Vergleich der Punktzahlsteigerung wurde gemacht, um zu untersuchen, welche Behandlungsgruppe effektiver war. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass die gesamte Punktzahlsteigerung von der Experimentalgruppe signifikant höher als die von der Kontrollgruppe war. Diese Beweise waren auch im Hinblick auf das Wissen, das Verständnis und die Anwendungsebene des kognitiven Bereichs gültig. Diese Ergebnisse bestätigten, dass die Gruppe des adaptiven E-Learning-Systems bezüglich ihrer Leistung effektiver war als die Gruppe der Studenten, die in der traditionellen Klasse lernten. Ein weiterer wichtiger Befund betraf die Bewertung der Usability. Die Punktzahl der Messung wurde anhand verschiedener Ansätze analysiert und ergab, dass der Usability-Score in allen Aspekten (Nützlichkeit, Benutzerfreundlichkeit, Lernfreundlichkeit und Zufriedenheit) den akzeptablen Kriterien zuzuordnen ist. Darüber hinaus wurde die Regressionsanalyse durchgeführt, um die Beziehung zwischen den Variablen zu untersuchen. Der erste Befund ergab, dass die unabhängigen Variablen (Nützlichkeit, Benutzerfreundlichkeit und Lernfreundlichkeit) gleichzeitig die abhängige Variable (Zufriedenheit) beeinflussten. In der Zwischenzeit ergab der Teil t-Test unterschiedliche Ergebnisse. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass die variable Benutzerfreundlichkeit die variable Zufriedenheit signifikant beeinflusste. Der variable Nützlichkeit und die Lernfreundlichkeit wirkten sich indessen nicht signifikant auf die variable Zufriedenheit aus. / There is a strong demand for a positive instructional application in order to address the strategic plan of the Ministry of Education and Culture in Indonesia to change the ratio of vocational secondary school to be higher than the general school one. The immense growth of information and communication technology may be possible to provide a computer-based personalized e-learning system to the learners in order to overcome the fact that each student has their own preferences in learning. This study offers an adaptive e-learning system by considering two sources of personalization: the student’s learning style and initial knowledge. In order to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed e-learning program, the students’ achievement in terms of three lowest levels in the cognitive domain (knowledge, comprehension, and application) in the e-learning group is compared with the traditional classroom group. Another area that is interesting to explore is the usability evaluation based on the students’ perspective and the relationship between aspects specified in the usability questionnaire. The design and development process of the adaptive e-learning system in this study was considering both the instructional system design and software engineering. The first phase was started by analyzing the participants’ candidate, the subject course, and the online delivery medium. The next step was designing the procedure, the adaptation set of rules, and the user interface. Then, the process to develop the instructional system based on the data collected from the previous phases was conducted. The next stage was implemented the instructional program to the students in a small group setting. Finally, the e-learning application was evaluated in three different settings: functional-based testing, experts-based assessment, and user-perspective evaluation. The next action is an experimental study by applying the adaptive e-learning system to the learning process. There were two groups involved in this experiment. The experimental group that consisted of 21 students who learned the Digital Simulation course by utilizing the adaptive e-learning system. Another group was the control group that included 21 students who studied the same course through the traditional classroom setting. There were two instruments used to collect the required data. The first instrument contained 30 multiple-choice questions that considered the cognitive levels of knowledge, comprehension, and application. This instrument was used to assess the student achievement of the intended course. The second instrument was the usability questionnaire that consisted of 30 4-point Likert scale statements. This questionnaire was composed of four dimensions, namely usefulness, ease of use, ease of learning, and satisfaction. This questionnaire aimed to evaluate the usability of the adaptive e-learning application based on the student’s perspective. The finding in this study revealed an unusual phenomenon which the pre-test result of the control group was significantly exceeding those of the experimental group. For the post-test score comparison, although there was a higher achievement in the e-learning group than in the regular group, the difference between both achievements was not statistically significant. The comparison in terms of the gain score was conducted in order to investigate which treatment group was more effective. The results indicated that the total gain score achieved by the experimental group was significantly higher than those recorded by the control group. This evidence was also valid with regard to the knowledge, comprehension, and application-level of the cognitive domain. These findings confirmed that the group who utilized the adaptive e-learning system was reported more effective in terms of the achievement score than the group of students who studied in the traditional setting. Another important finding was related to usability evaluation. The measurement score was analyzed through different approaches and revealed that the usability score categorized in the acceptable criteria in all aspects (usefulness, ease of use, ease of learning, and satisfaction). Furthermore, the regression analysis was conducted in order to explore the relation between the variables. The first finding reported that the independent variables (usefulness, ease of use, and ease of learning) simultaneously influenced the dependent variable (satisfaction). In the meantime, the partial t-Test found varying results. The results indicated that the variable ease of use was significantly influenced variable satisfaction. Meanwhile, variable usefulness and ease of learning were not significantly affected variable satisfaction.

Hypermedia Learning Systems (HLS) are being used increasingly widely in Higher Education, offering non-linear navigation through complex learning materials and, it is argued, leading to improve cognitive flexibility. For some learners, though, nonlinear navigation in HLS leads to higher levels of disorientation, which can have an impact on their learning performance and attitudes towards the learning system. There has been significant research into the factors that can influence individual learners‘ experiences. For example, a number of studies have confirmed that individual differences such as cognitive style, domain knowledge and computer experience affect individuals‘ levels of disorientation and learning performance, and influence their attitudes towards HLS. It has also been suggested that instructional aids (in the form of certain visual elements and audio elements) can reduce levels of disorientation and, in turn, increase learning performance in, and positive attitudes towards, HLS for some learners. However, existing studies have tended to look at only a subset of these three individual differences in relation to an individual and/or consider only a small number of visual instructional aids. No study up to this point has considered the impact of cognitive style, domain knowledge and computer experience on disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in a HLS that incorporates a full range of visual instructional aids. In terms of the research related to audio instructional aids, no studies have looked into the effects of audio aids and these three individual differences in relation to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in HLS. This thesis addresses these two shortcomings through two experiments. The aim of experiment 1 was to examine the effects of and between these three individual differences with respect to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in two versions of a HLS: one that incorporated the set of visual instructional aids and one that did not. Experiment 2 aimed to do the same, but with respect to a HLS that provided audio instructional aids. The experiments used quantitative and qualitative approaches to gather data to address a set of research questions and research hypotheses. The participants were 384 university students from across London. The Cognitive Style Analysis (CSA) test was administered to determine participants‘ field dependence, and participants‘ demographic information, levels of computer experience and levels of prior knowledge were gathered using questionnaires. Learning performance was measured through achievement tests and a practical task. Levels of disorientation were measured using questionnaires, and attitudes were assessed using questionnaires and interviews. Participants were also observed when they were interacting with the HLS to perform learning tasks. A number of interesting results were revealed. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in the HLS that provided no instructional aids. No significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to disorientation or learning performance in the other two versions of the HLS – those providing visual and audio instructional aids. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to the use of the visual and audio instructional aids to perform learning in the HLS. No significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to attitudes in the HLS that provided visual instructional aids. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to attitudes in the version that provided audio instructional aids. Analysis of the results led to the framing of a set of HLS design guidelines which are presented in this thesis. Finally, an agenda for future research leading on from the study‘s findings is presented.

This study was issued by Swedbank because they wanted too improve their GDP growth forecast capabilites.  A program was developed and tested on six countries; USA, Sweden, Germany, UK, Brazil and Norway. In this paper I investigate if I can reduce forecasting error for GDP growth by taking a smart average from a variety of models compared to both the best individual models and a random walk. I combine the forecasts from four model groups: Vector autoregression, principal component analysis, machine learning and random walk. The smart average is given by a system that give more weight to the predictions of models with a lower historical error. Different weighting schemas are explored; how far into the past should we look? How much should bad performance be punished? I show that for the six countries studied the smart average outperforms the single best model and that for five out of six countries it beats a random walk by at least 25%. / Den här studien beställdes av Swedbank eftersom de ville förbättra sin BNP-prediktionsförmåga. Ett dataprogram utvecklades och testades på sex länder; USA, Sverige, Tyskland, Storbritannien, Brasilien och Norge. I den här rapporten undersöker jag om jag kan minska felmarginalen för BNP-utvecklingsprognoser genom att ta ett smart genomsnitt från flera olika modeller jämfört med både den bästa individuella modellen och en random walk. Jag kombinerar prognoser från fyra modellgrupper: Vektor autoregression, principalkomponentanalys, maskininlärning och random walk. Det smarta genomsnittet skapas genom att ge mer vikt till de modeller som har lägst historiskt felmarginal. Olika viktningsscheman utforskas; hur långt bak i tiden ska vi mäta? Hur hårt ska dåliga prediktioner bestraffas? Jag visar att för de sex länderna i studien presterar det smarta genomsnittet bättre än den enskilt bästa modellen och fem av de sex länderna slår en random walk med mer än 25%.

Este estudo teve por finalidade analisar a utilização de um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem (AVA) como apoio ao processo de ensino e aprendizagem para a disciplina presencial de Gestão da Inovação, oferecida aos alunos do curso de Administração de Empresas da Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo. Tal proposta foi baseada no ambiente educacional Teleduc, integrado a alguns recursos multimídias, com o apoio de um mapa conceitual. Foram utilizadas tanto a pesquisa qualitativa, com abordagem exploratória, quanto a quantitativa, com abordagem descritiva. O método utilizado na pesquisa exploratória foi baseado em um estudo de caso, utilizando-se da técnica de entrevistas em profundidade, que possibilitou um melhor conhecimento do problema estudado. Como método da pesquisa descritiva foi utilizado o levantamento realizado por meio de um questionário estruturado de avaliação de satisfação, aplicado a uma turma de alunos de graduação do curso de Administração de Empresas, universo deste estudo. Inicialmente, foi concebido um modelo conceitual do sistema de apoio, sendo desenvolvida sua arquitetura. Nessa etapa, foi construído um mapa conceitual de um dos tópicos da disciplina em foco. Tanto a arquitetura do sistema, quanto o mapa conceitual, foram avaliados por professores e especialistas. Posteriormente, foram definidos as ferramentas e os recursos tecnológicos necessários para o desenvolvimento e aplicação do ambiente proposto e a forma pela qual o sistema pré-concebido deveria se relacionar com a disciplina existente. Por fim, um protótipo de ambiente virtual de aprendizagem foi desenvolvido e efetivamente utilizado junto a população deste estudo. / This study analyze the use of a electronic learning system as support to presencial discipline of Management of the Innovation, offered to course of Business Admnistration?s students of Economy, Administration and Accounting Ribeirão Preto College which makes part of University of São Paulo. The proposal was based on the electronic learning system Teleduc, integrated to some resources multimedia, with the support of a conceptual map. This study used in such a way the qualitative research, how much the quantitative one. The method used in the qualitative research was based on a case study, using the interviews technique, that made possible a better knowledge about studied problem. As method of the descriptive research the survey was used, applied to a students? group that belongs to graduation of the course of Business Admnistration, universe of this study. Initially, a conceptual model support?s system was conceived, being developed its architecture. In this stage, a conceptual map one of topics was constructed of disciplines in focus. The architecture of the system, and the conceptual map, had been evaluated by professors and specialists. Later on, the tools and all necessary technological resources for the development and application of the considered environment had been defined and the way which the conceived system would have to related with discipline existing. Finally, a virtual environment archetype of learning was developed and effectively used together the population from this study.