Ontology-Based Feedback E-Learning System for Mobile Computing

Abstract

An E-Learning system that provides vast quantities of annotated resources (fragments or learning objects) and produces semantically rich feedback is very desirable. It is an accepted psychological principle that some of the essential elements needed for effective learning are custom learning and semantic feedback. In this paper we are making use of a collection (ontology) of metadata for the design of a custom E-Learning system that also provides learners with effective semantic educational feedback support. The learning domain is “mobile computing.” We define various concepts in the domain and the relationships among them as the ontology, and build a system to utilize them in customizing the E-Learning process. The ontology is also used to provide informative feedback from the system during learning and/or during assessment. The focus in this research is on the representation of ontology using languages/grammars, grammar analysis techniques, algorithms, and AI mechanisms to customize the learning and create effective feedbacks. The proposed mechanisms, based on ontology, are used to assemble virtual courses and create a rich supply of feedbacks, not only in assessment situations but also in the context of design-oriented education. We are targeting feedbacks similar to ones in programming environments and design editors.