LCAS helps authors write textbook-like-things, called learning content sites (LCS). LCS can be large or small. Everything from a complete textbook replacement, to an extra lesson or two.
LCAS implements practices supported by learning science research, such as:
- Outcome-based learning
- Deep learning
- Formative feedback
- Metacognitive awareness
LCAS helps instructors and students use LCS. For example, it has exercise and formative feedback systems.
How does LCAS differ from an LMS, like ELMS? LMS focus mainly on course administration tasks, like creating syllabi, creating assignments, grading, etc. An LMS instance can have content, put most course content is in textbooks and ebooks.
LCAS helps authors design, organize, and maintain content. Authors focus on pedagogical concepts, like deep learning and metacognition. They have tools that manage pedagogical object, like characters and patterns.
LCAS and LMS overlap. For example, both have exercises. However, typical LMS exercises are for summative assessment. They are evaluation devices. LCAS exercises usually involve formative feedback; they are learning devices. LCAS feedback interfaces are optimized for learning tasks, not evaluation.
Today's LMS are too monolithic (http://btopro.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/getting-out-of-the-lms/). For example, content written in one LMS instance (OU's LMS) is difficult to use in another LMS instance (PU's LMS). That is changing. Protocols like SCORM, TinCan, and LTI allow content development to be split from course administration.
LCAS will take advantage of these protocols. LCAS instances will deliver content to an LMS, to be displayed within that LMS's context.
Recommendations for user activity log
Want to log user activity for university course sites. Record log ins, node views (including time spent on page, if possible), exercise submissions, viewing feedback, other things. Need ability to add code for custom events (with, e.g., plugins). Include custom data in logs, like responses to questions embedded in nodes. Different log records will store different kinds of data, depending on the event. Might be in serialized arrays, JSON strings, or something else.
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Drupal7 - LTI integration best practices
Hello,
I am planning to build a BasicLTI tool provider in D7, and I am soliciting this group for advice on best practices (the institution uses D2L/Brightspace).
The lti_tool_provider project seems to be the most promising, but the last update was almost 4 years ago (Sept 2013). Is the lack of activity a sign of learning tool providers moving away from the LTI protocol? If so, what are current trends on consumer-provider arrangements?
Thanks in advance.
matt
Invitation to new project
Hi,
I'm Kieran Mathieson, assoc prof at Oakland U.
Skill Tree is a new open source project that might interest you, to be done in D8. The goal is to improve university skill courses, like programming, writing, and statistics. How? By building software for creating good skills courses.
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Tool Builder - Liberating Innovation via site building
https://www.elmsln.org/blog/post/tool-builder video showing new functionality built into elms that allows for effectively allowing anyone that can site build to submit their idea to our innovations github repo without needing to understand code or version control. This is one of the more ridiculous goals of the project.
We have armies of faculty, instructional designers and site builders throughout the education space. We're seeking to unlock the ability for everyone, without knowledge of code or version control, to be able to contribute their creations.
Read moreELMSLN demo
Hey GDO land. Haven't gotten around to posting here in awhile but we've got a demo up of ELMS Learning Network in case anyone wants to check it out without having to spin up vagrant or install.
http://online.do1.demos.elmsln.org/
Appreciate feedback, find anything or confused? drop the team (yeah, we have one of those now it's pretty awesome) a line:
https://github.com/elmsln/elmsln/issues/
http://elmsln.org/
iMindsX Platform: showcase for Learning Locker integration (and more)
As mentioned previously, we've been working hard on integrating Drupal with Learning Locker. Next to this we've invested heavily in usability for a blended learning platform based on Drupal. We'd like to show the Drupal community the two components on a live demo:
iMindsX platform - Drupal based blended learning demo
The iMindsX platform is optimised for blended learning. It uses Drupal 7, a large number of contrib modules from drupal.org, several modules from iMinds, some of which have been released on drupal.org already:
Read morexAPI module for learning analytics
At iMindsX we have been working on integrating Drupal with Learning Locker for a while now. We created a custom distribution for blended learning, and detailed analytics are very important. Last month, we made the set of integration modules that allows sending xAPI statements to Scorm Cloud and Learning Locker (developed by Matthias van Parijs, Nikos Verschore and Devan Chase) for various actions performed on the blended learning site. The coolest features are video player interaction for Youtube and Vimeo and Quiz integration.
Read moreELMS Learning Network: An EdTech Platform for Sustaining Innovation
New white paper released
ELMS Learning Network: An EdTech Platform for Sustaining Innovation
https://psu.box.com/sustaining-innovation
ELMSLN + xAPI/Learning Locker + H5P + OpenBadges
Rick Humphries (@rickhumphries) recently did a video showing the work his group is doing with ELMS Learning Network, Learning Locker and H5P to transmit activity statements (XAPI) from ELMSLN to Learning Locker. Then it shows how ELMSLN is querying the LRS (learning locker) for what statements a user has passed and then granting badges based on matching those statements.
Read moreBadges in Cyco
CyberCourse is a philosophy, set of practices, and software for improving university skills courses, like programming, statistics, and writing.
At...
https://wiki.cybercour.se/wiki/making-badge
...is a walkthrough of the badge system. Course authors choose exercises that make up a badge. Students who complete the exercises earn the badge. They can post it to their Mozilla backpack.
Kieran
Read moreCyberCourse: distro for authoring courses
CyberCourse is a Drupal distro for authoring courses. It focuses on university skills courses, like programming, writing, and math. It makes flipped, blended, assessment-driven classes practical.
Build a course with many exercises. Students write programs, write emails, find math logic errors... No multiple choice quizzes. Students get individual formative feedback from humans. Practical at scale, at low cost.
Students can fix and resubmit their work until they get it right. Supports mastery learning.
Read moreCyberCourse and the author note reStructuredText directive
CyberCourse is software for writing textbook-like things.
An important goal is that content lasts for years (think decades) without change. It will work on new devices as they come along. Authors can move content across platforms (CyberCourse to ELMS to Moodle to PeeWee's Buckets o' Content Management System) without needing to rework content. Well, not much anyway. What rework is needed is done once for all nodes with regex.
CyCo uses CKEditor as a semi-GUI, not its usual WYSIWYG self. Authors write in reStructuredText. Think Markdown, but standardized.
Read moreSystem for course design/creation
http://demo.cybercour.se shows (the beginnings of) a system for building courses. Course design and authoring tools only so far.
There's a list of short (< 3 min) videos about the system.
Read morePrototype formative feedback assessment interface
Formative feedback is central to skill learning, but it means a lot of grading.
I recently completed a prototype formative feedback assessment interface. The goal is to reduce the cost of giving formative feedback, by (1) making the workflow faster, and (2) using standardization so that the task can be outsourced.
I'm looking for feedback on the feedback interface (metafeedback?).
There's a video demo at http://youtu.be/2uSCr_liuiI .
(The code uses Backbone.js, which will be part of D8.)
Thnx,
Kieran
Feedback system design
Here are some preliminary ideas. Suggestions? Modules that already do some of this?
An exercise is a task for students. An author makes it, then inserts a reference to it into a page. When students see the page, the exercise is embedded in the page.
A student works on the exercise, and submits a solution.
In the work I do, most exercises are make-something-like-this. Students need to be able to turn in the things they make. A human grader looks at the solution, and gives feedback.
Author
1. Creates exercise
Fill in a form, as usual when creating a node. Fields:
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Plans for Exporting and Licensing?
I made the trip to Philly for EduCon a few weeks ago and saw a demo of the Sally Drupal distribution Funny Monkey has been working on. I'm not sure if that site is ready to be shared with the world without some kind of introduction, so I'll leave it to Bill to share the link and/or code when he and his team are ready. I like the publishing workflow they've created, but I got hung up on the exportability of course material since that's something I need for a project. I've spent several years working with community media groups who produce a lot of Creative Commons licensed content.
Read moreLCAS goals and, er, stuff
Here are the goals of the project. This is not The Truth, just what I think at the moment. Please comment, so we can understand things better.
LCAS, LS, and learning science
LCAS helps authors create learning content, in the form of a Web site, called a Learning Site (LS). An LS is designed to help students learn new stuff, that is, advance from one knowledge state to another. Currently, the best example of an LS is http://coredogs.com/.
Read moreRoles
Here are roles humans have in LCAS.
Director
Human who controls the LS (learning site). Administers author accounts, etc. El jefe.
Weber
Person who control the look-and-feel of the LS.
Author
Human who creates content for the LS.
Student
Reads/watches content and exercises. Submits solutions to exercises. Receives feedback.
Evaluator
Evaluates exercise solutions.
Instructor
Monitors student progress. Chooses course policies (from options available).
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