Personal knowledge development in online learning:a model for measuring externalisation, combination and internalisation

This paper presents a model for measuring personal knowledge development in online learning environments. It is based on Nonaka‘s SECI model of organisational knowledge creation. It is argued that Socialisation is not a relevant mode in the context of online learning and was therefore not covered in the measurement instrument. Therefore, the remaining three of SECI‘s knowledge conversion modes, namely Externalisation, Combination, and Internalisation were used and a measurement instrument was created which also examines the interrelationships between the three modes. Data was collected using an online survey, in which online learners report on their experiences of personal knowledge development in online learning environments. In other words, the instrument measures the magnitude of online learners‘ Externalisation and combination activities as well as their level of internalisation, which is the outcome of their personal knowledge development in online learning.

Noise, regularizers, and unrealizable scenarios in online learning from restricted training sets

We study the dynamics of on-line learning in multilayer neural networks where training examples are sampled with repetition and where the number of examples scales with the number of network weights. The analysis is carried out using the dynamical replica method aimed at obtaining a closed set of coupled equations for a set of macroscopic variables from which both training and generalization errors can be calculated. We focus on scenarios whereby training examples are corrupted by additive Gaussian output noise and regularizers are introduced to improve the network performance. The dependence of the dynamics on the noise level, with and without regularizers, is examined, as well as that of the asymptotic values obtained for both training and generalization errors. We also demonstrate the ability of the method to approximate the learning dynamics in structurally unrealizable scenarios. The theoretical results show good agreement with those obtained by computer simulations.

The importance of power dynamics in the development of asynchronous online learning communities

This research explored how a more student-directed learning design can support the creation of togetherness and belonging in a community of distance learners in formal higher education. Postgraduate students in a New Zealand School of Education experienced two different learning tasks as part of their online distance learning studies. The tasks centered around two online asynchronous discussions each for the same period of time and with the same group of students, but following two different learning design principles. All messages were analyzed using a twostep analysis process, content analysis and social network analysis. Although the findings showed a balance of power between the tutor and the students in the first high e-moderated activity, a better pattern of group interaction and community feeling was found in the low e-moderated activity. The paper will discuss the findings in terms of the implications for learning design and the role of the tutor.

Online learning in discrete hidden Markov models

We present and analyze three different online algorithms for learning in discrete Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) and compare their performance with the Baldi-Chauvin Algorithm. Using the Kullback-Leibler divergence as a measure of the generalization error we draw learning curves in simplified situations and compare the results. The performance for learning drifting concepts of one of the presented algorithms is analyzed and compared with the Baldi-Chauvin algorithm in the same situations. A brief discussion about learning and symmetry breaking based on our results is also presented. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Engaging tutors in using e-repositories for learning and teaching

Universities which set up online repositories for the management of learning and teaching resources commonly find that uptake is poor. Tutors are often reluctant to upload their materials to e-repositories, even though the same tutors are happy to upload resources to the virtual learning environment (e.g. Blackboard, Moodle, Sakai) and happy to upload their research papers to the university’s research publications repository. The paper reviews this phenomenon and suggests constructive ways in which tutors can be encouraged to engage with an e-repository. The authors have recently completed a major project “Developing Repositories at Worcester” which is part of a group of similar projects in the UK. The paper includes the feedback and the lessons learned from these projects, based on the publications and reports they have produced. They cover ways of embedding repository use into institutional working practice, and give examples of different types of repository designed to meet the needs of those using different kinds of learning and teaching resources. As well as this specific experience, the authors summarise some of the main findings from UK publications, in particular the December 2008 report of Joint Information Systems Committee: Good intentions: improving the evidence base in support of sharing learning materials and Online Innovation in Higher Education, Ron Cooke’s report to a UK government initiative on the future of Higher Education. The issues covered include the development of Web 2.0 style repositories rather than conventionally structured ones, the use of tags rather than metadata, the open resources initiative, the best use for conventional repositories, links to virtual learning environments, and the processes for the management and support of repositories within universities. In summary the paper presents an optimistic, constructive view of how to embed the use of e-repositories into the working practices of university tutors. Equally, the authors are aware of the considerable difficulties in making progress and are realistic about what can be achieved. The paper uses evidence and experience drawn from those working in this field to suggest a strategic vision in which the management of e-learning resources is productive, efficient and meets the needs of both tutors and their students.

Greening operations management:an online sustainable procurement course for practitioners

In the Operations Management field, sustainable procurement has emerged as a way to green the purchasing and supply process. This paper explores issues in sustainable procurement training. The authors formed an interdisciplinary team to design, deliver and evaluate a training programme to promote and develop sustainable procurement in the United Kingdom health sector. Particular features of the project were its engagement with evolving and contested understandings of sustainable procurement and of the underlying concept of sustainable development and its recognition that relevant knowledge in the field is both incomplete and widely diffused through the procurement community. Eight practitioner groups worked together on themes to develop their understanding of sustainable procurement using the Blackboard virtual learning environment. Group interviews were conducted upon completion of the course and again three months later to explore qualitatively participants' experience of learning and implementing sustainable procurement. Although the course was delivered to practitioners, it might be modified for undergraduate and graduate students as it comprised the use of online activities in virtual learning environments, case studies and a broad range of literature. The course was also particularly significant in the context of contemporary policy moves in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to promote the role of higher education institutions in delivering workplace-based, high-skills education consistent with strategic policy considerations (see, for example, DIUS, 2008).

A Bayesian approach to on-line learning

Online learning is discussed from the viewpoint of Bayesian statistical inference. By replacing the true posterior distribution with a simpler parametric distribution, one can define an online algorithm by a repetition of two steps: An update of the approximate posterior, when a new example arrives, and an optimal projection into the parametric family. Choosing this family to be Gaussian, we show that the algorithm achieves asymptotic efficiency. An application to learning in single layer neural networks is given.

Utilising online shopping environment attributes holistically to create competitive advantage

As more consumers shop online, it becomes crucial for marketers to know how online shopping environments (OSEs) can be used to gain competitive advantage. This dissertation aims to explain theoretically how OSE attributes work together holistically to produce desirable consumer responses, applying and extending a theory from the environmental psychology literature to the online context. Firstly, the study conceptualises OSEs as virtual environments which may be perceived and experienced both cognitively and affectively through a technology-mediated interaction with a computer screen. A multi-disciplinary approach identifies key characteristics of OSEs: they involve consumers; they are more complex than their offline counterparts; they are likely first apprehended holistically; and they can elicit high levels of emotions and cognition. Secondly, the research uses a gestalt approach and extends Kaplan and Kalan’s (1982) Preference Framework, taking account of the specific characteristics of OSEs, which one visits specifically to obtain product information. The results support the proposition that OSEs are perceived in terms of their Sense-making and Exploratory attributes. Thirdly, the research explains how OSE attributes work together to produce desirable consumer responses. As hypothesised, Exploratory potential produces both Hedonic and Utilitarian value, and both kinds of value contribute to Site commitment. An unexpected result is that Sense-making potential does not produce Utilitarian value directly, but only through the mediation of Exploratory potential. The research contributes to marketing theory by: (1) identifying ways the internet has changed the nature of the shopping experience; (2) extending Kaplan and Kaplan’s Preference Framework to explain how consumers perceive OSEs holistically; (3) identifying the distinction between page-level and site-level perceptions, and (4) distinguishing between different sources of information (marketer vs. non-marketer). Managerially, the research provides a model for marketers to conceive and design retail websites whose attributes work together to create competitive advantage.

Parallel strategy for optimal learning in perceptrons

We developed a parallel strategy for learning optimally specific realizable rules by perceptrons, in an online learning scenario. Our result is a generalization of the Caticha–Kinouchi (CK) algorithm developed for learning a perceptron with a synaptic vector drawn from a uniform distribution over the N-dimensional sphere, so called the typical case. Our method outperforms the CK algorithm in almost all possible situations, failing only in a denumerable set of cases. The algorithm is optimal in the sense that it saturates Bayesian bounds when it succeeds.

Enhancing student learning experience through a novel electronic coursework assessment and feedback management system

Recent National Student Surveys revealed that many U.K. university students are dissatisfied with the timeliness and usefulness of the feedback received from their tutors. Ensuring timeliness in marking often results in a reduction in the quality of feedback. In Computer Science where learning relies on practising and learning from mistakes, feedback that pin-points errors and explains means of improvement is important to achieve a good student learning experience. Though suitable use of Information and Communication Technology should alleviate this problem, existing Virtual Learning Environments and e-Assessment applications such as Blackboard/WebCT, BOSS, MarkTool and GradeMark are inadequate to support a coursework assessment process that promotes timeliness and usefulness of feedback while maintaining consistency in marking involving multiple tutors. We have developed a novel Internet application, called eCAF, for facilitating an efficient and transparent coursework assessment and feedback process. The eCAF system supports detailed marking scheme editing and enables tutors to use such schemes to pin-point errors in students' work so as to provide helpful feedback efficiently. Tutors can also highlight areas in a submitted work and associate helpful feedback that clearly links to the identified mistakes and the respective marking criteria. In light of the results obtained from a recent trial of eCAF, we discuss how the key features of eCAF may facilitate an effective and efficient coursework assessment and feedback process.

Can diversity amongst learners improve online object tracking?

We present a novel analysis of the state of the art in object tracking with respect to diversity found in its main component, an ensemble classifier that is updated in an online manner. We employ established measures for diversity and performance from the rich literature on ensemble classification and online learning, and present a detailed evaluation of diversity and performance on benchmark sequences in order to gain an insight into how the tracking performance can be improved. © Springer-Verlag 2013.

Learning to be different:heterogeneity and efficiency in distributed smart camera networks

In this paper we study the self-organising behaviour of smart camera networks which use market-based handover of object tracking responsibilities to achieve an efficient allocation of objects to cameras. Specifically, we compare previously known homogeneous configurations, when all cameras use the same marketing strategy, with heterogeneous configurations, when each camera makes use of its own, possibly different marketing strategy. Our first contribution is to establish that such heterogeneity of marketing strategies can lead to system wide outcomes which are Pareto superior when compared to those possible in homogeneous configurations. However, since the particular configuration required to lead to Pareto efficiency in a given scenario will not be known in advance, our second contribution is to show how online learning of marketing strategies at the individual camera level can lead to high performing heterogeneous configurations from the system point of view, extending the Pareto front when compared to the homogeneous case. Our third contribution is to show that in many cases, the dynamic behaviour resulting from online learning leads to global outcomes which extend the Pareto front even when compared to static heterogeneous configurations. Our evaluation considers results obtained from an open source simulation package as well as data from a network of real cameras. © 2013 IEEE.

Facilitating intuitive-guided learning in a serious game through integration with a learning content management system

Increased global uptake of entertainment gaming has the potential to lead to high expectations of engagement and interactivity from users of technology-enhanced learning environments. Blended approaches to implementing game-based learning as part of distance or technology-enhanced education have led to demonstrations of the benefits they might bring, allowing learners to interact with immersive technologies as part of a broader, structured learning experience. In this article, we explore how the integration of a serious game can be extended to a learning content management system (LCMS) to support a blended and holistic approach, described as an 'intuitive-guided' method. Through a case study within the EU-Funded Adaptive Learning via Intuitive/Interactive, Collaborative and Emotional Systems (ALICE) project, a technical integration of a gaming engine with a proprietary LCMS is demonstrated, building upon earlier work and demonstrating how this approach might be realized. In particular, how this method can support an intuitive-guided approach to learning is considered, whereby the learner is given the potential to explore a non-linear environment whilst scaffolding and blending provide guidance ensuring targeted learning objectives are met. Through an evaluation of the developed prototype with 32 students aged 14-16 across two Italian schools, a varied response from learners is observed, coupled with a positive reception from tutors. The study demonstrates that challenges remain in providing high-fidelity content in a classroom environment, particularly as an increasing gap in technology availability between leisure and school times emerges.