Developing Open Source Web Services for Technology Enhanced Learning

1. Developing Open Source Web Services for Technology Enhanced Learning Jürgen Mangler, Renate Motschnig, Michael Derntl Research Lab for Educational Technologies University of Vienna, Faculty of Computer Science renate.motschnig@univie.ac.at

2. Goal of research and presentation • Make learning more meaningful, effective, persistent • Approach: • theory-guided action and design research; • basis: experience • Presentation: • Sharing of experience • Discussion of initial, coop. framework for TEL • Discussion of challenges and open questions

3. Structure • The essence in 6 slides • Several questions, examples, experiences, reactions, and some preliminary responses and solutions • Our initial framework for TEL • Where to go? - Challenges for the future

4. Web Services: the “visible” part • What Is an XML Web Service? • XML Web services are the fundamental building blocks in the move to distributed computing on the Internet. • Applications are constructed using multiple XML Web services from various sources that work together regardless of where they reside or how they were implemented. • Open standards and the focus on communication and collaboration among people and applications have created an environment where XML Web services are becoming the platform for application integration.

5. Web Services • XML Web Services expose useful functionality to Web users through a standard Web protocol (SOAP) • XML Web services provide a way to describe their interfaces in enough detail to allow a user to build a client application to talk to them.

6. Open Source Web Services: the Vision • develop a pool of highly usable support modules, based on promotive action • others will join the effort • community for sharing of experience and expertise • consider levels of sharing: • web service • model/pattern

7. Technology Enhanced Learning the “immediate” part

8. Didactic Baseline: Participative, Person-Centered

9. Technology Enhanced Learning: the Vision • Students and educators will find learning/facilitation an inspiring, meaningful, growthful experience;Basis: Person Centered Learning • Combine facilitation of courses with research on progress, quality, added value • Allow for active participation, self-organization, critical thinking, team work:promotive activities Rogers, 1983; Tausch/Tausch, 1998

10. Overview of Questions: • What is the role of content in TEL? Will good content do the job? • If not, what else do we need? • What is the goal of TEL (education)? • Can we make good practices explicit and reusable? If so, how can we do it? • Course practice – platform: How to bridge the gap? • Do we need open source Web Services?What can they accomplish what a commercial system can‘t (yet)?

11. What is the role of content in TEL? Will good content do the job?

12. Content • Identified as the primary factor for e-learning, but: • high drop out rates in pure e-learning • students usually lack motivation • recent study in industry (Konzett, 2005): provision of content is not enough! • industry requires social competence, personality and good interpersonal relationships (GetProfile, 2002) • Consequence: pure provision of content, in general, is not enough

13. Content in CEWebSCooperative Environment Web Services • Lecture Notes • Resources • Upload of files • in construction: content pools based on semantic web representations and WIKIs

14. Bitte screenshot zu Skriptum u. Resources

15. e.g. WE or PZK

17. If content is not enough, what else do we need? depends on: • What is the goal of TEL (education)?

18. getProfile: Top Ten requirements from Industry Top 10 Requirements Social competencies Ability to work in teams Analytical thinking Communication Project management Self-directed work Customer orientation Motivation to learn Finding solutions,Problem analysis Abstract thinking

19. Significant Learning • “Significant learning combines the logical and the intuitive, the intellect and the feelings, the concept and the experience, the idea and the meaning. When we learn in that way, we are whole.” (Rogers, 1983) S. 20. • Our goal: Significant, technology enhanced learning (PCeL)

20. Person-Centered Learning (Rogers 1983) • Can unfold itself best, if facilitator provides a working climate based on: • openness, transparency, realness • acceptance, respect • understanding, empathy

21. Expressions of PC core conditions (Motschnig) • Realness • authentic problems • open, shared reflection, multiple perspectives • transparent communication and processes • Acceptance • learner participation in all aspects of course • self-initiated learning goals and processes • blended evaluation of students‘ projects • Understanding • course design takes whole situation into account • individual & group; active listening, co-create meaning

22. Examples of Expressions of Person-Centered core conditions in TEL • Reaction sheets, • Authentic problems – learning contracts • Team workspaces • Peer and self evaluation

23. screenshot with reaction sheet submission from Web Engineering

24. Display of reaction sheets from Person-Centered Comm. screenshot with reaction sheets • facilitator view, e.g. KNM/2 WS04/05 2nd reaction english part

25. Authentic problems from Web Engineering - Context • Goal: competence in WB-systems design • technically – soft skills • Platform usage: • Lecture Notes on homepage, • Student‘s projects on homepage, forum, , learning contracts, peer-evaluation, • team workspaces • reaction sheets

26. Web Engineering Learning Licence WELL-contract • about 84% (of about 330 students) • topic to suit the theme and the interest of the team as well as group of learners • blended evaluation • knowledge bases via topic maps

27. WELL Contract Structure

28. screenshot(s) zu WELL submission • Group • Team • files per team • ...

29. screenshot for peer evaluation

30. results from online survey on WELL

31. Evaluation of WE module ...correlate with students' motivations to participate comprehensive evaluations are available at http://elearn.pri.univie.ac.at/pca/research

33. Can we make good practices explicit and reusable? If so, how can we accomplish this? Visual Models, Patterns

34. Web Engineering Scenario

35. Web Engineering Scenario

36. Project-based Learning

37. WELL Patterns

38. Course practice – platform: How to bridge the gap? ?

39. Blended Learing System Structure (BLESS)

40. Do we need open source Web Services?What can they accomplish what a commercial system can‘t (yet)?

41. Characteristics of Open Source Web Services for TEL • Independence on platform vendor • Cooperative, distributed development and application • Highly modular structure, open architecture, tool and platform integration • Flexibility, adaptability, customization • Derivation from actual practice: intent and pedagogy drive technology and not vice versa

42. CEWebS Applicationssome numbers • In use for the 5 th term • Proven design – scalable and stable • courses with more than 300 students • Avg. of 500 students per semester • > 1 GB of Data accumulated > 20 GB transfered • 18 functional components (WS‘s), parts distributed over 3 OS‘s • Praktická pezentace v sekci D3 (SCO) v 15h

43. books 15 % Internet: tutorials, forum, etc. 22 % courses, workshops 20 % colleagues, teamwork 39 % others 4 % getProfile on Learning What is you major source of learning? Select 0 to two fields. (208)

44. Goal: Improve (learning) processes by employing techology

45. Summary: Initial Framework for Technology Enhanced Learning

46. Overview on research context

47. Challenges for Organizational Development • Strategies on how to specify, achieve and assess added value and how to propagate it. • How to capture, communicate, expand wisdom from TEL experience? • Longer term staff development strategies and valuing of facilitation efforts are required for moving forward! • First step towards international cooperation; virtual community: PCA/HE: http://elearn.pri.univie.ac.at/pca

48. Finally ... Every viewpoint is welcome ... as is international cooperation renate.motschnig@univie.ac.at

50. Appendix:Current CEWebS Architecture: