University E-Learning System

Possibilities and Use of a University E-learning System

Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague.

Abstract. The aim of this article is to describe basic possibilities of the e-learning application called eAmos. I have chosen this product which is already being used as a base for the development of my future e-learning system. This system is used with orientation to usage and serviceability of functions serving for assessment of students at the South Bohemian University in ˇCesk´e Budˇejovice. Comparison with other e-learning systems is at disposal in [Remeˇs, 2005].

Introduction

The aim of my postgraduate studies is to create an application for rating student exams and work being handled in the programming lessons.

I want to base the work on my current pedagogical experiences so that the resultant system will increase efficiency of the teachers’ work and help students to get materials quickly.

This system will use the mechanics and functionality of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Content Management Systems (CMS) as it is described later in this text. Almost every contemporary created programme used for e-learning already includes LMS and CMS systems. (See also [Remeˇs, 2005].)

LMS is software that automates the administration of training events. All LMS’s manage the log-in and registration of users, manage course catalogs, record data from learners, and provide reports to the management.

The primary function of an LMS is to launch and track courses. Learners can register online often for both e-learning and traditional classroom training. They can launch e-learning programmes from the LMS, which then tracks their progress. Managers and training adminis-trators obtain reports on course completions, test scores and so on. An LMS handles courses by multiple publishers and providers.

It may include functions such as:

Authoring — which means tools that offer the option of editing and saving materials or transforming documents into a Web format. It also means tools that produce multimedia, and tools for site management or site publication, and management of layouts (e.g. CSS formatting tools).

Classroom management — ways of organising the resources, pupils and helpers in a class-room, so that teaching and learning can proceed in an efficient and safe manner.

Competency management — personal competency gap analysis. Competency management is used to identify skills, knowledge and performance.

Knowledge management — the distribution, access and retrieval of unstructured informa-tion about human experience between interdependent individuals or among members of a workgroup.

Certification or compliance training — courses for learning from home, office or any re-mote location with internet access.

Personalization — adaptation of users based on personal details.

Mentoring — is designed to promote students development. By this we mean goals, schedules, training, and evaluation.

Chat — a system allowing real-time communication between two or more users. Discussion boards (message boards) — forum provided for discussion.

which are used to store and later retrieve huge amounts of data. Users can find relevant content by searching for keywords, authors, date of creation, etc. A CMS enables all authors to place documents to a repository. The repository then becomes the basis for published output, often in the form of a website. The idea is to free HTML developers from the repetitive tasks of entering and updating content. CMSs frequently include templates to ensure that contributions are appropriately and consistently formatted. Another common feature is a workflow process allowing administrators to review and approve submissions before they are published.

The concepts of LMS and CMS have converged leading to LCMSs, or learning content management systems. Fundamentally, an LCMS is a CMS with an emphasis on learning. That is, the contributed content is educational material and the published output is training. Most LCMSs include a content authoring tool designed for use by non-technical personnel. Subject matter experts can contribute their knowledge without being versed in instructional design or HTML programming.

eAmos

At the South Bohemian University there is an LCMS eAmos [eAmos, 2001]. It is in use for several years already. This system contains learning courses, lectures, diploma thesis and other learning multimedia material. For creating courses it is possible to choose from several varied types of courses:

low — a type of course which enables to publish text and pictures without need to register. This course is public, that means it is accessible to everyone.

medium — this is a course that enables to publish text and pictures. It is public but each user must register to have access the course. It can be closed by a final exam.

high — a type of course which enables to publish text and pictures, it is public with obligation to register when accessing it. There is also a possibility to insert a progress test after each chapter.

ppoint — a course determined for presentation of images created in Microsoft Powerpoint. intralow — a course with the same qualities as the type “low” but is accessible only for

students of the Pedagogical Faculty at the South Bohemian University.

external — a course which enables to present documents in a simple way. So it is not necessary to work with the eAmos system.

work — a type of course which makes it possible for teachers to assign homework to the students. It is a module that represents a form of teaching management.

etask — this type is used for assigning homework, evaluation and affirmation of these. It rep-resents an extension of the “work” module. It disposes of the so called “map of students”. This map surveys the current state of homework being solved by each student. In this module it is also possible to assign user positions (student and tutor).

Teaching Management

To manage teaching there are only four modules applicable:

medium — can be finished by a closing exam at the end of the course.

high — enables a progress test at the end of each chapter. This doesn’t allow a student who hasn’t pass the test yet to access the next chapter.

work — the students do beforehand given homework which is then evaluated and accepted. etask — similarly as in the “work” type, homework is being assigned, evaluated and accepted.

It is supplemented with a “map of students” that shows the contemporary state of home-work which is to be handed in by individual students.

The etask module originated by connecting the stand-alone LMS eTask [eTask, 2003] with the eAmos system. The etask module offers the map of students which shows the current state of

tasks being done by students. The colour distinction of assigned homework and elements of problems being solved by each student helps to quicker and easier orientation.

The grey square labels a non-active task which has expired. The yellow square labels an active task. This colour is kept till the task expires. The orange colour stands for a task which is voluntary. It is constantly represented by the same colour.

The state of problems being solved by each student is distinguished by colour. The red colour means that the task hasn’t been solved yet. The student either hasn’t responded to the assignment or hasn’t inserted a file to the task which requires an active output. It is also possible that the tutor hasn’t set the number of points to a task which requires an authorization of the tutor (pass) or the student hasn’t achieved the minimal limit of points for fulfilment of the task. Violet colour occurs by a semi-finished problem. The student has already responded to the task but there isn’t a file with the solution inserted. There may be a solution inserted but the student hasn’t authorized it yet. Green colour signifies that the task has been solved with success. The student either has responded positively to the task without an active output or they have inserted and authorized at least one file of pertaining to the task requiring an active output and by this have achieved the minimal number of points. A white marked task is a task being solved without an active output but the student hasn’t responded possitively.

Another helping piece of information in a square representing tasks being solved in the map of students are numerical values expressing the number of points achieved by solving the task. The interpretation of this number depends on the tutor (it can represent for example the mark).

The symbol of letter “t” stands for cooperation between students when solving the task. The student has noted his or her team colleagues.

The last helping symbol is the letter “c” which informs that there has been a commentary written to it. The size and colour of the background specifies the currentness of the commentary (not older then one, three, seven days, or older).

Assessment of Students

For utilization of different types of modules there are several methods at disposal:

true/false items — the students are required to indicate whether a given statement is true or false.

multiple-choice items — a direct question or a complete statement (the stem) is presented and then followed by a number of possible answers, provided that one of them is correct. open-response items — (also known as extended constructed responses) generally require subjects to produce written responses. The length of the written response may be short as a single word or long as a complex sentence or a mathematical expression.

file uploading — uploading files with processed results or a solution.

In theory there are only two methods for programming teaching and subsequent students assessment aplicable. That are open-response questions and file uploading. Despite the fact that open-response questions can be contained in an uploaded file, it is possible to focus the object of interest only on the file uploading method. The uploaded files are of two types: binary file — contains executable code, programme.

text file — contains source code in form of plain text.

Let us consider only uploading of a binary file with an executable code. We can observe the following characters:

executability — whether it is possible to run the programme. semantic correctness — whether the programme acts as we expect. calculation speed — the time in which we obtain the results.

If we extend our interest over the uploading of a text file with a source code we can evaluate not only all characters mentioned above but also:

syntactic correctness — whether it is possible to compile the proramme and whether it doesn’t contain syntactic programming errors.

usable commands — which reserved words and commands were used in the solution. used algorithms — which algorithms have been used durig task solving.

This possibility is more suitable not only for better content control of uploaded files but also for higher safety of running system.

For easier detection of characters mentioned above it is also possible to preset limiting criteria. The application’s skeleton with an in advance clearly defined firm structure can be prepared and thus can the students fill in the source code to the application. A more effective variant is set by exact assignment of the final application without implementation of the main function. The students then implement only the main function of the programme that performs the very calculation.

Conclusion

The university e-learning system eAmos has means for assigning and evaluating basic tests that are commonly used not only at universities but also at other schools. It is not designed for using and assignment of specific exams and complicated tasks like for example programmer tasks solving, algorithmization and computer processing. It is my effort to complete this empty space of missing evaluating tools for such tasks. I am trying to develop an LCMS for assassement of students’ programming with application of knowledge, groundwork and experience gained from practice of running the eAmos system.

References

Saporta, S. Learning Content Managing Systems. Midi: Compliance & Ethics Solutions [online]. 2003 – 04 – 01, [quot. 2006 – 06 – 09].

eAmos: eLearning system[online]. University of South Bohemia, ˇCesk´e Budˇejovice. 2001, [quot. 2006 – 06 – 09].

URL: <http://www.eamos.cz/>.

eTask[online]. University of South Bohemia, ˇCesk´e Budˇejovice. 2003, [quot. 2006 – 06 – 09]. URL: <http://etask.bobik.jcu.cz/>.

REMEˇS R., Learning Management System, in WDS’05 Proceedings of Contributed Papers: Part I , Prague, Matfyzpress, pp. 207–212, 2005. ISBN 80-86732-59-2.