Abstract
The paper explores some pedagogical affordances of machine-processable competency models. Self-assessment is a crucial component of learning. However, creating effective questions is time-consuming because it may require considerable resources and the skill of critical thinking. There are very few systems currently available which generate questions automatically, and these are confined to specific domains. Using ontologies and Semantic Web technologies certain limitations in automation, integration, and reuse of data across diverse applications can be overcome. This paper presents a system for automatically generating questions from a competency framework. This novel design and implementation involves an ontological database that represents the intended learning outcome to be assessed across a number of dimensions, including the level of cognitive ability and the structure of the subject matter. This makes it possible to guide learners in developing questions for themselves, and to provide authoring templates which speed the creation of new questions for self-assessment. The system generates a list of all the questions that are possible from a given learning outcome. Such learning outcomes were collected from the INFO1013 ‘IT Modeling’ course at the University of Southampton. The way in which the system has been designed and evaluated is discussed, along with its educational benefits.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Koper, R., Specht, M.: TenCompetence Lifelong Competence Development and Learning. In: Sicilia, M.-A. (ed.) Competencies in Organizational E-Learning, Concepts and Tools. Idea Group (2007)
Paramythis, A., Weibelzahl, S., Masthoff, J.: Layered evaluation of interactive adaptive systems framework and formative methods. User Model User-Adap. Inter. 20, 383–453 (2010)
Dewey, J.: The significance of the Problem of knowledge Logic. The Theory of Inquiry. Holt and Co., New York (1938)
Gilbert, L., Gale, V.: Principles of eLearning Systems Engineering. Chandos (2007)
Brusilovsky, P., Sosnovsky, S.: Individualized exercises for self-assessment of programming knowledge. An evaluation of Quiz PACK. Educational Resources in Computing (JERIC) 5 (2005)
Myller, N.: Automatic Generation of Prediction Questions during Program Visualization. Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science (ENTCS) 178, 43–49 (2007)
Albert, D., Nussbaumer, A., Steiner, C.: Using Visual Guidance and Feedback Based on Competence Structures for Personalising E-Learning Experience. In: The 16th International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE 2008), pp. 3–10 (2008)
Yu-Huo, T., Yu-Lung, W., Hsin-Yi, C.: A Practical Computer Adaptive Testing Model for Small-Scale Scenarios. Educational Technology & Society 11, 259–274 (2008)
Sitthisak, O., Gilbert, L., Davis, H.C.: An evaluation of pedagogically informed parameterised questions for self assessment. Learning, Media and Technology, 33 (2008)
Steiner, C.M., Albert, D.: Personalising Learning through Prerequisite Structures Derived from Concept Maps. In: Leung, H., Li, F., Lau, R., Li, Q. (eds.) ICWL 2007. LNCS, vol. 4823, pp. 43–54. Springer, Heidelberg (2008)
Falmagne, J.-C., Doignon, J.-P.: Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics. Springer, Berlin (2011)
Antoniou, G., van Harmelen, F.: A Semantic Web Primer. The MIT Press (2004)
SKOS Specification, http://www.w3.org/TR/swbp-skos-core-guide
Albert, D., Nussbaumer, A., Steiner, C.M.: Towards Generic Visualisation Tools and Techniques for Adaptive E-Learning. In: The 18th International Conference on Computers in Education (ICCE 2010). Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education (2010)
Sandberg, R.: Competence-the Basis for a Smart Workforce. In: Gerber, R., Lankshear, C. (eds.) Training for a Smart Workforce. Routledge, London (2000)
Friensen, N., Anderson, T.: Interaction for lifelong learning. British Journal of Educational Technology 35, 679–687 (2004)
Sitthisak, O., Gilbert, L., Davis, H.C., Gobbi, M.: Adapting health care competencies to a formal competency model. In: The ICALT. IEEE Computer Society Press (2007)
Sitthisak, O., Gilbert, L., Davis, H.C.: Deriving e-assessment from a competency model. In: The 8th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (2008)
Paquette, G.: An Ontology and a Software Framework for Competency Modeling and Management. Educational Technology & Society 10, 1–21 (2007)
Gennari, J.H., Musen, M.A., Fergerson, R.W., Grosso, W.E., Crubézy, M., Eriksson, H., Noy, N.F., Tu, S.W.: The Evolution of Protégé. An Environment for Knowledge-Based Systems Development. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 58, 89–123 (2003)
Kiryakov, A., Ognyanov, D., Manov, D.: OWLIM – A pragmatic semantic repository for OWL. In: Dean, M., Guo, Y., Jun, W., Kaschek, R., Krishnaswamy, S., Pan, Z., Sheng, Q.Z. (eds.) WISE 2005 Workshops. LNCS, vol. 3807, pp. 182–192. Springer, Heidelberg (2005)
SPARQL for RDF, http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-sparql-query
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Sitthisak, O., Gilbert, L., Albert, D. (2013). Ontology-Driven Automatic Generation of Questions from Competency Models. In: Meesad, P., Unger, H., Boonkrong, S. (eds) The 9th International Conference on Computing and InformationTechnology (IC2IT2013). Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 209. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37371-8_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37371-8_18
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-37370-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-37371-8
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)