Affiliations: Electronic, Electrical and Computer Engineering,
University of Birmingham, UK. E-mail: [email protected]; http://www.eee.bham.ac.uk/bull | School of Information Technologies, University of
Sydney, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]; http://www.cs.usyd.edu.au/~judy
Abstract: In recent years, the learner models of some adaptive learning
environments have been opened to the learners they represent. However, as yet
there is no standard way of describing and analysing these 'open
learner models'. This is, in part, due to the variety of issues
that can be important or relevant in any particular learner model. The lack of
a framework to discuss open learner models poses several difficulties: there is
no systematic way to analyse and describe the open learner models of any one
system; there is no systematic way to compare the features of open learner
models in different systems; and the designers of each new adaptive learning
system must repeatedly tread the same path of studying the many diverse uses
and approaches of open learner modelling so that they might determine how to
make use of open learner modelling in their system. We believe this is a
serious barrier to the effective use of open learner models. This paper
presents such a framework, and gives examples of its use to describe and
compare adaptive educational systems.
Keywords: Open learner model, framework for open learner modelling