Designing and Implementing Pedagogic Scenarios in Learning Environments

Designing and Implementing Pedagogic Scenarios in Learning Environments

Design and Implementation of

Interactive TeleLearning Scenarios

Mr. Gilbert Paquette, LICEF director

Ms. Claire Aubin, research scientist

Ms. Fran oise Crevier, research scientist

LICEF Research Centre, Télé-université

1001 Sherbrooke est, MontrŽal, Qc, H2L 4L5

TŽl: (514) 522-4046 ; Fax: (514) 522-3608

E-Mail: gpaquett @ teluq.uquebec.ca

Web:

Abstract

This paper presents the evolution of a concept of Interactive Learning Scenario used for the design and delivery of distance learning environment. We will start with a first model implemented as a delivery tool using widely available technologies such as HyperCard/Toolbook, email and teleconferencing. This first environment has demonstrated the feasibility of the concepts presented here. Next, we present a learning scenario editor embedded as one of the tools in AGD, an instructional design support system. The scenario editor in AGD provides an operational model of the pedagogic strategy on which a course or a learning environment will be based. Finally, a new version of a learning scenario editor is presented, intended both for design and delivery of Virtual Campus Environments. The learnerÕs roles in a VCE have been carefully modeled using an object-oriented methodology. The navigator role between learning activities, multimedia document or collaborative interactions with others has provided the basis for an extended learning scenario concept. In the end, we will briefly discuss the future evolution of the concept of a learning scenario and the research actually being done at our Research Center on this issue.

Key-words:

Interactive learning scenarios, Telelearning, Interactive learning environment, Instructional design tools, Knowledge modeling, Virtual Campus, Distance learning

Design and Implementation of

Interactive TeleLearning Scenarios

Gilbert Paquette, Claire Aubin and Fran oise Crevier

Centre de recherche LICEF, TŽlŽ-universitŽ

Introduction

Since 1991, the Cognitive Computing and Training Environments Research Center (LICEF) is involved in the development of a Virtual Campus Environment (VCE) supporting a wide range of distance learning processes, from analysis and design, to development, production, management and maintenance of computer assisted distance learning systems. The VCE is now the integration framework of most of the research being conducted at our research center. In this process, an operational concept of a learning scenario has developed and now plays a central part in the VCE.

  • From 1991 to 1993, a three year project [Paquette et al, 1993] has resulted in the definition of an integrated technology-based TeleTraining model. On this basis, a first VCE called HyperGuide, using widely available technologies such as HyperCard/Toolbook, email and teleconferencing has been developed and used as a delivery tool for one of the courses at TŽlŽ-universitŽ. This environment has demonstrated the feasibility of the concepts presented here since it is actually used by more than a hundred students in a real life context, in one of the university's regular programs. In it, one can find a first version of a scenario concept in the form of a graph of learning activities, documents to consult on line and productions to be achieved by the learner, and tools to interact with co-learners and the tutors.
  • Since the beginning of 1993, LICEF has undertaken the development of AGD, a didactic engineering workbench [Paquette et al, 1994]. It is a performance support system that provides tools to content experts acting as instructionnal designers. It can be used to prepare training in various delivery modes, learning strategies or media. In December 1994, a first system based on knowledge modeling has been made available and has been validated in seven organizations, leading to a new version, AGD2, by the end of 1995. While a knowledge editor is used in AGD2 to model the domain content, a scenario editor similarly provides the designer with a graphical tool to build learning scenarios, thus providing a model of the pedagogic strategy on which a course or a learning environment will be based.
  • In parallel, within the Telecommunication Multimedia project, a new version of a learning scenario editor, intended both for design and delivery of learning environments, has been developed as the basis of a new version of the Virtual Campus Environment. In this project [Paquette et al. 1995,1996], the learnerÕs role in a VCE has been carefully modeled using an object-oriented methodology. His/her role as a navigator between learning activities definition, multimedia document consultation and access to assistance or collaborative interactions with others has provided the basis for an extended learning scenario concept.

This first three sections of this paper will present the concept of a learning scenario as it was first developed as a delivery tool in the HyperGuide-1 project, as a design tool through the AGD project, and finally, as both a design and delivery tool, in the Telecommunication multimedia project. Finally the last section will briefly discuss the future evolution of the concept of a learning scenario and the research actually being done on this issue at our Research Center.

1. The learning scenario as a delivery tool

Based on the long-termed experience of TŽlŽ-universitŽ in Distance Education, a first Virtual Campus Environment was design early in 1992. An architecture for a VCE has been defined, integrating three converging technologies: knowledge-based systems, hypermedia and tele-communications.

An hypermedia software called ÇÊHyperGuideÊÈ is the heart of this architecture. It is both an interactive roadmap describing the learning activities, and an integrated access tool to different pedagogical resources: tutors, experts, co-learners, documents, interactive advice. It also offers different kinds of feedback to the learner, so that she can evaluate her progress and choose her next learning activity in the HyperGuide.

Figure 1 shows an example of two screens from an actual course that was developed at TŽlŽ-univesitéon the subject technology and training. The left part shows the learning scenario of the module on the subject of instructional design while the right part presents the content of one of the learning activity selected by activating a button within the graph of the learning scenario.

Figure 1 - Sample screens from an HyperGuide-1 course at TŽlŽ-universitŽ.

The learning activities are nodes in an hypermedia network. Finishing an activity, the learner can choose among other activities linked to it in the network. The links can embody pre-requisite constraints or steps in a method. Each learning activity is defined as a transformation on the set of documents available for the course. At the beginning, the learner has access to the documents prepared by the designers. As she progresses in an activity, she consults some multimedia documents, interacts with resource persons or co-learners, produces a new document, and then validates her production using advice from the system or from a human tutor. In that way, each learning activity helps the learner to extend her information base.

These activities can be structured as a project where the learner tackles a generic task, such as classifying a set of objects, designing a plan, modeling and simulating a system, inducing general statements, diagnosing a malfunction, or designing an artifact. The HyperGuide then offers a structured graphical representation of the activities in a project, emphasizing methodological steps to help the learner achieve the task in a useful way. Figure 1 shows an example of such a project, here an instructional design project to be achieved by the learners.

2. The learning scenario as a design tool

In another project, we have developed and field tested a performance support system for content experts involved in instructional design. The AGD system puts a strong emphasis on strategic ID knowledge. This knowledge is embedded in an advisor system, while the conceptual (design objects to produce) and the procedural (how to produce it) ID knowledge is embedded in a comprehensive and integrated task support system.

From a productÕs point a view, the goal of AGD is to build what we can call a Learning system. There are of course many ways to define such a concept. Because we have to build a computer support system, we try to be both comprehensive and parsimonious. Comprehensive so the concept of a Learning system can include all the essential elements; from problem definition, to a precise description of each of the subsystems the learner will use. Parsimonious in the sense that all components that cannot be related in any operational way to other essential components will have to be discarded.[䰁1]

After two years of discussion on these grounds[2], we have finally defined a Learning System as a combination of three main components:

1. a description of the learning system’s environment: organizational context, target population and learning tasks and needs;

2. a domain knowledge model composed of different types of knowledge units and links between them, and a distribution of this model withina pedagogical structure possibly composed of four level of learning events: curriculum, courses, modules and learning activities;

3. a description of the Learning System:

description of the learning scenarios for each learning event including the strategies, tactics, media and delivery mode on which the scenarios are based, as well as the graph linking the sub-events, the evaluation activities, and the learning material and tools;

  • definition of each learning material: name, plan, type, media, components of the knowledge model covered;
  • definition of both the didactic support system (how students are grouped and supported by trainers or training agents) and the technological support system.

Because we were in the process of building a computer support system, each of these concepts had to be defined very precisely using an object-oriented methodology. These concept definitions gave us the structure of the storage module of the AGD system, all the concepts components forming a large graph called ÇÊa projectÊÈ. They also helped define the user interface. Finally, they were used to build a contextual on-line help system for the subject matter expert unfamiliar with ID terminology.

Tools have been implemented to define the different components of a learning system. A central tool is a graphical editor enabling the construction of learning scenarios, as a network of learning events, evaluation activities and learning materials and tools. In the network, learning componentscan be linked with optional or mandatory precedence links to form suggested learning paths. Learning materials and tools are also iconized and linked to corresponding learning events by a “is used by...”link. They can be opened to proceed with the description of their main attributes.

At the Learning Activity level, the scenario allows for the description of steps within a given learning activity. The duration of each step and the total duration of the activity can be determined, as well as any comments that can be useful to the developers.

Figure 2 - Design of learning scenarios in the AGD system

Figure 2 shows a course scenario composed of 5 modules (rectangular shape). Four of these units are linked together by two optional (F) links and one mandatory (O) link. One unit does not have any link, suggesting it can be used at any time (for example an ongoing course teleconference). A production instrument and a reference instrument are (U) linked to their related learning unit. The right window shows the learning events structure of the course and enables navigation between the learning scenarios.

3. Generalization of the concept

Within the Telecommunication Multimedia project, we have started to integrate and generalize the preceding concepts as a basis to design and deliver Virtual Campus Environments (VCE).

The learning scenario of a learning event is again defined as a graph composed of all the Learning sub-events and evaluation activities, together with the didactic instrument, communication andproduction tools necessary to execute a learning event. A newprovision has been made on the possibility to integrate any kind of document or application inside the learning scenario through the concept of reference.

Learning events are structured hierarchically. The higher level is the curriculum and the last levelis composed the learning activities which cannot be decomposed into smaller learning events (even though steps can be defined within the activity). The nodes of the learning scenario of a curriculum are the courses. The nodes of a Learning Scenario of a course are modules, and so on.

The learning scenario determinesa set of default learning paths proposed to a learner for a Learning event. This is the learning scenario established by the designer. Any learning scenario can be adapted by the learner (or the team, with or without help from a tutor) to become a personalized learning scenario. An adaptation can be for example adding a book to read on a missing knowledge or change the description of a paper to be produced, etc.

Theeditor enables the designer to define thelearning scenarios using a graphical user interface. It alsofacilitates the reuse of predefined learning events. A viewer version is providedto the learner. The main difference with the designer’s version lies in the limitation of the editing features, even though a student can adapt the scenario by adding and removing objects.

Another particularity of the viewer version is toenable control over the navigation; in the learner’s viewer version, navigation through some part of a scenario is controlled according to the student progress, using the ÇÊlearning event constraintsÊ(LEC)È associated to some or all of the scenario nodes. This new component of a learning scenario extends the notion of compulsory and facultative links to include not only the notion of prerequisite links, but also notions like ÇÊmake 3 activities from the following fiveÊÈ or ÇÊdo not make this activity unless certain documents have been consulted and results of an associated test exceeds a certain thresholdÊÈ. With these LEC, a designer can add some intelligence to the scenario, offering learning paths more adapted to the previous achievements of a learner.

In order to build the different editors needed for a VCE, a generic underneath foundation, called the Generic Graph, has been implemented. The Generic Graph is not directly accessible to the actors in the VCE, but it constitutes the basis of all the basic knowledge, scenario, media, tools, collaboration or assistance data, together with their interrelations.

Based on the Generic Graph, the Scenario Editor is composed of two main components: the model and the interface. The viewer version enables navigation through each Learning Scenario and consultation of whatever resources (documents, tools, co-learners, tutors) that seems useful to achieve the goals of a learning event.

To implement a scenario viewer, a telecommunication platform had to be selected for delivering scenarios and documents. It allows students to communicate and work together in an elegant manner. The Internet has been chosen for its open access at home or at work, through basic ISDN links. Mixing the use of a specific OLE scenario viewer with the Netscape WEB browser, and integrating communication features such as mail, forums, synchronous collaborative and cooperative work features (including video conferencing) and others, will permit the delivery of more interesting Virtual Campus Environments.

Figure 3 presents two screens of a VCE called the virtual colloquium. The left part shows the scenario viewer. Selecting first an oval shape in the viewer, on can choose between different views of the learning activities: its assignments, its goals, and its expected productions. Selecting an icon in the scenario will display the learning material or a tool associated to the activities to provide production, organization, communication or assistance facilities. The right part of the figure presents another tool of the virtual colloquium that gives access to the global learning resources where text, videos, multimedia, etc. are grouped according to the course subjects.

Figure 3 - A scenario viewer and virtual resource room in a VCE

On the right part of the figure, an eye symbolizes each participant in the course that is actually in the information room. A similar feature exists in other rooms such as the workshop rooms so the learner can meet with other learners to produce a communication or discuss on the course content. Knowing exactly who is there at any time, a learner can propose a desktop video conference or an asynchronous tele-conference to other learners, thus creating a collaborative sub-space within the Virtual Colloquium.

This VCE example has been produced for an Economy course at Télé-université. It has been tested during Spring 1996, with 30 adult learners to help give the environment its final form. Then a limited, but real life setting has been experimented with 4 learners in different locations in Montreal and Quebec City, linked through an ISDN networks. Total initiative was given to the learners within this VCE. Each spent around 30 hours with the environment , working on the activities with the learning material, and using collaborative tools such as desktop video conferencing. Besides minor technical problems, the learners achieved the intended part of the Virtual Colloquium scenario and they seemed to enjoyed very much the «Telepresence» of other learners and of the tutor assigned to the experiment. This proof of concept has given us much insight on VCEs to come, and also on the generic learning scenario concept needed to design, build and deliver VCEs.

4. Learning scenarios in the future

While the development of a scenario editor and viewer is being completed, we have started a new three year research program, aiming in particular at the extension of the concept of a Learning Scenario.

One orientation is to redefine radically the notion of so-called ÇÊinstructional tacticÊÈ. Traditionally, in the instructional technology literature, this notion refers to ÇÊdetailed steps of instructionÊÈ. [Romisowski 81]. In the AGD system, there are 26 tactics described by a learning activity schema, and some indications about the media to be used, individual/collaborative organization of the learners, tutor intervention and delivery modes. The designer can select one of the tactics as the basis of a learning activity and a corresponding scenario graph is provided automatically as a start up for the designer. However, these tactics and their relation to the actors’roles, generic tasks, and media were not well defined.

We intend now to develop a coherent library of generic scenarios a designer can use with when he develop a new learning activity. Such a generic scenario would be composed of the following:

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