Adaptive Networked Learning Environments Using Learning Objects,

Learner Profiles and Inhabited Virtual Learning Worlds

Chi-Syan Lin
National University of Tainan, Taiwan
linc@mail.nutn.edu.tw

Ming-Shiou Kuo
National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
mitchell@mail.npust.edu.tw

Abstract Educators are so aware of this problem that researches

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 but also can be
collaborative in the proposed learning environments in
an adaptive fashion which is the long-sought paradigm
in the field of eLearning.
1. Introduction
Web-based learning environment via Internet as an
instructional delivery method is nowadays a trend of
eLearning. However, most of the conventional web-based
learning systems available are more like information
warehouse instead of learning space. Learners using
these kinds of conventional learning environments are
only able to retrieve or browse through the mass static
information without any learning support. They are more
like passively reading online rather than learning or
creating knowledge actively online.
on improving the online learning environments are on the
way. Several theories and practices are proposed, such as
the content management system with authoring tools to
help instructors implementing their instructional strategy,
learning objects and digital repository to share and reuse
educational resources, ontology and learner profiles to
achieve personalized learning, and learning community
study. Above all, the significant change is the learning
paradigms shift -- from instructor-centered to learner-
centered.
Through a classic learning content management
system, the traditional approach of web-based learning
depends on instructors decision to deliver educational
content: choose instructional strategy, arrange educational
materials to form content with or without computer
assistance, deliver to learners online, evaluate the learning
results and start over again. However, there are still
spaces for improvement in many ways of this process.
First and foremost, an instructor must look into learning
performance evaluations to adjust his/her instructional
packages based on the individual or average response,
adaptability then becomes a burden, labor intensive and
hard to achieve; besides, learners seldom get real time
supports during such process, even there may be
interaction or communication channels provided between
instructors and learners in the system. Last but not least,
without a real time collaborative or competitive learning
environment, certain learning objectives are difficult to
achieve for different types of learners respectively in
conventional web-based learning environments.
This paper aims at elaborating a new paradigm of
implementing networked learning environments to
overcome those disadvantages mentioned above. In
summary, learning objects, learner profiles, and inhabited
virtual learning worlds are integrated to construct an

Proceedings of the Fifth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT05)
0-7695-2338-2/05 $20.00 2005 IEEE
 adaptive networked learning environment, based on
Constructivism.
2. Literature Reviews
The ultimate goals of online learning environments are
to achieve adaptive learning and help learners to create
their own knowledge. The learning environments should
also be able to support learners with learning materials
that they want in just-in-time and personalized fashions.
In other words, the online learning environments should
play the role of scaffolding that aims to assist learners
during their knowledge acquiring process. With minimum
interference, scaffolding should supports learners with a
situated context and a content delivery system to provide
what learners need during their learning process at the
precise time, with the desired formats and by proper
means. [1] How to install this kind of adaptive
functionality in a networked learning environment? The
best approach probably is to combine learning objects and
learner profiles together to achieve the goals of adaptive
learning.
IEEE LTSC (Learning Technology Standards
Committee) chose the term learning objects and
provided a general definition: Learning Objects are
defined here as any entity, digital or non-digital, which
can be used, re-used or referenced during technology
supported learning. [3]
It is claimed that learning objects are the smallest
entities to compose online contents, and describes them
with XML for exchange across platforms. In facts,
through the use of metadata tagging, learning objects are
able to travel over different platforms, and to exchange
with each others easily. It also help inferring mechanism
of eLearning systems to find other related learning objects
and then composing and generating an adaptive content
with context attributes. [5]
Learner profiles are essential in implementing an
adaptive learning system. With strategically uses of
learner profiles, an instructional designer or information
professional will have the opportunities to understand the
knowledge of subject matter, expertise, and previous
experience within and among learners. This gathered
information about learners can help system designer to
develop a matching, relating and inferring mechanism
with digital resource or learning object repository, and
then generate the content, context and information that
learners need.
According to Vygotskys social development theory in
constructivism, during knowledge acquirement process,
learners must negotiate and communicate with others; [4]
therefore it is necessary to establish a collaborative
learning environment in an adaptive learning system.
Usually, most of the existing eLearning systems use
forum, online chatting or video conferencing to fulfill the
Proceedings of the Fifth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT05)
0-7695-2338-2/05 $20.00 2005 IEEE
needs of corporation or communication among learners.
With this approach, however, there are still some
important factors missing in the sense of building up
learning community. Lin claim that there is a need to
provide a shared virtual space for learners to observe,
manipulate objects, and work together for the sake of
sustaining learning community in the learning
environment. [2]
3. A Prototype
We propose the following model to fulfill the needs of
constructivism and adaptive learning. (Figure 1)
Learner ProfileEngine
LI
LI
Learner Profiles Database
LO forks Added
LI
LI
LI
Output Learner
Information
LI
CollaborativeLearning
Adaptive
Merging
Mechanism
Content or Course
Delivery Mechanism
(CombineMatchedLOs)
Environment
LO LO
LO
RetrieveMatched LOs
Exchange LOs with other
repository across platforms
Digital Repository of Learning Objects with
adaptiveandcontext attributes
Learner
Digital Repositoryof Learning Objects with
adaptive and context attributes
Figure 1: The Proposed Model for the Adaptive
Learning System
Once learning objectives are decided for a specific
learning activity, instructional designers then determine
what information need to be logged with the learner
profile engine. In additions, instructors need to create
subject-matter learning objects related to the leaning
objectives with authoring tools and store them into
learning objects repository. Of course an exchange
gateway and agreement with other systems repository
will extend the reusability and scalability of learning
objects.
Another important component in this model is the
inferring mechanism. This part needs instructional
designers and system developers to cooperate by using
artificial intelligence, ontology, and many other
techniques, rules, to develop a matching topology. The
role that the inferring mechanism plays is to retrieve
adaptive or individualized learning objects from
repository, following the aggregated data emerging from
learner profiles, learning context, and learning objectives.
After gathering adaptive learning objects, we then need
a deliver component, which assemble them to a course
unit with context, and present to learners. Last but not
least, a collaborative learning environment is necessary
for learners to discuss, negotiate and communicate with
 others about the knowledge construction what they have
gained from the adaptive content; this approach can also
provide a chance for correcting the possible mistakes or
inadequacies made from the inferring mechanism.
A prototype, Best Virtual Worlds (BVW), has been
created based on the proposed model (Figure 2). The
BVW, an inhabited virtual learning world, holds the
following unique advantages to conventional web-based
learning systems:
- 3D virtual shared learning space, learners can
manipulate the same object and participate in the same
activity in the shared space.
- Learning situation, scenario or context could be created
for learners exploration in an immersive fashion, instead
of static information browsing.
- Advanced communication and community tools could
be developed, such as the bird-eye view map or virtual
GPS system along with search engine to locate peers in
the virtual world.
- It is extendable by linking other virtual worlds in other
servers through network protocols, and use warp point to
travel over different locations.
Figure 2: Avatar in Best Virtual Worlds
4. Discussion and Conclusion
Based on the principles of constructivism, we may treat
people or learners as learning objects, because learners in
a well-designed learning environment are able to interact
to each others to construct knowledge through
negotiation, collaboration, communication even
competition, and each person is unique with
characteristics, who is also reusable for providing learning
supports in some ways, and can be the member of the
learning community in the learning environment, just like
digital learning materials could comprise the learning
Proceedings of the Fifth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT05)
0-7695-2338-2/05 $20.00 2005 IEEE
content and context. The fact justifies the significance of
the inhabited virtual learning worlds in eLearning due to
the features of immersive and shared social space in the
learning worlds.
Based on our proposed model, the necessary
components of an automatic or semi-automatic adaptive
online learning system are the adaptive learning resource
matching or inferring mechanism, which should include a
learner profile engine to process the static learner
characteristics and dynamic leaning information of a
learner generating from his/her learning process, a
merging mechanism to use those attributes then match and
retrieve the adaptive learning objects from repository, a
presenting component to pack up those picked learning
objects into content with context in mind, and a delivery
system toward learners.
The most important component in our proposed
adaptive networked learning system is the collaborative
learning environment, which allows learners not only
receiving the machine-matched learning content, but also
having the opportunity to discuss with others what he/she
has learned in the learning environment and to
accommodate them. There is no 100 percent perfect
matching mechanism and artificial intelligence yet, hence
we still need social communication channels or learning
communities in the learning environment to provide
scaffolding learning supports and achieve the goals of
adaptive or individualized learning.
5. References
[1] Henczel, S. (2004). Creating User Profiles to Improve
Information Quality. [On-line]. Available:
http://www.inlinemag.net
[2] Lin, Chi-Syan. (2005). The Significance of Role Play
Simulations and Games in Education. Proceeding of SITE
2005 --Society for Information Technology & Teacher
Education International Conference, Phoenix, AZ, USA,
March 1-5, 2005. pp. 1991-1996.
[3] LOM (2000). LOM working draft v4.1 [On-line]. Available:
http://ltsc.ieee.org/doc/wg12/LOMv4.1.htm
[4] Orrill, C. H. (2002). Learning objects to support inquiry-
based online learning. In Wiley, D. A. (Ed.), The Instructional
Use of Learning Objects. [Online] Available:
http://reusability.org/read/chapters/orrill.doc
[5] Wiley, D. A. (2000). Connecting learning objects to
instructional design theory: A definition, a metaphor, and
taxonomy. [Online]. Available:
http://reusability.org/read/wiley.doc