Implementation of Interactive Communicational ... - IEEE Xplore

2012 IEEE 18th International Symposium for Design and Technology in Electronic Packaging (SIITME)

Implementation of Interactive Communicational Elements on E-learning Educational Platforms Todor Vlad, Dan Pitică, Jánó Rajmond Applied Electronics Department Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunication and Information Technology Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Abstract—This paper presents interactive communicational elements that can be implemented on an already existing elearning platform in order to optimize the educational process regarding young students. Thus, several tools have been developed to connect the educational practice to the information technology: information distribution, communication between students, interaction between teacher and students and monitoring the teaching process. Index Terms—e-learning; educational technology; engineering education.

I. INTRODUCTION The main purpose of the educational process does not only refer to providing and educational certificate or to transfer the information from teacher to student. It also refers to transforming the student into a qualified person, able to think and put into practice the concepts of his educational training. Taking into account the fact that each student is unique, the educational process has to pay attention to each student’s particular traits. If we want to implement a successful elearning platform, there are four main aspects to be taken into account: motivation, self-discipline, social skills and stress levels [1]. Considering these aspects, the e-learning platform will not be just a medium of information transfer between teacher and student, but it will become an interactive environment that will stir great interest and will help the users of the platform to better pursue educational aims. These four aspects can be developed by using four working tools that can be implemented in the e-learning platform structure [2]. Information distribution is usually made in the form of document or file disclosure, but nowadays high-impact media formats (video, photo or animation) are also used. Usually, this information distribution is one way, namely from teacher to students. However, this obstacle can be overcome by motivating the student to find materials and information that are similar to those he got from the teacher, respecting the principle of accuracy and relevance to the topic. The communicative interaction between students or within a group of students is made by e-mail or other social networking platforms that enable video conferencing communication. In order to particularize these means of communication, the e-learning platform has to offer a proper environment for specific discussions and debates. The students

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will, thus, be able to express their opinions and uncertainties related to the subjects or topics they want to further study. The interaction between teachers and students can take place by using an e-learning platform that can function both as a forum for discussions, but also as a social network (an important aspect in every student’s life). For instance, if some of the students do not have fully developed personalities and enough social maturity, they will have to interact directly with the teacher and the group of students he belongs to. Monitoring the teaching process requires the teacher’s psycho-pedagogical skills – he/ she has to follow the progress of each student’s level and to adapt the provided training information to their level. Thus, one can design charts showing each student’s development. These can be presented to each student whenever he/ she wishes so. Thus, linking the four psychological aspects with the four technological tools, an educational tool can be thus created. Its traits are adapted to the online environment (online functionality), but the teacher is the one in charge of handling the information he/ she got in real time, as well as the students’ feedback, their individual psychological profiling and, eventually, the lines of the student’s educational development (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Types of connections between the interactive tools of the e-learning environment, the teacher and the student.

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2012 IEEE 18th International Symposium for Design and Technology in Electronic Packaging (SIITME) II. CURRENT STATUS Currently, there is an increased emphasis on integrating Internet technology (web-technology) in the educational processes (teaching, learning), mostly within the academic educational system. The number of the virtual learning environments has visibly increased lately. There are also notions that operate differentiations within the e-learning concept, according to the specific environments and programs one uses: on-line learning, Internet-based learning, web-based learning [3]. The client-server programs (web-browsers and specific communication codes and programs - HTML, CSS, DOM, JavaScript or XML) have rapidly evolved and they have been globally and successfully adopted. There is even a collection of standards and instructions needed in order to create an e-learning platform in the web environment, namely Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). Thus, an on-line learning management has been created. This is a system defining the way in which the user will communicate with the virtual environment that basically serves as the elearning platform. These programs have removed the limits of information access and they also prevented the occurrence of compatibility and access problems. Thus, currently, the e-learning concept covers and reinvents the range of informational and communicative tools and programs used by and in education, translating it into the digital world (Fig. 2). Thus, the internet dramatically improves the educational system, allowing both the teachers and the students to take advantage of a large number of chances and tools in order to improve themselves and to successfully adapt to an almost exclusively on-line informational society.

the newest media resources and means in order to provide a dynamic educational environment [5]. One of the most interesting strategies refers to using improvisation in order to assign a greater interest value to the materials and information that are sent via on-line media. Thus, one achieves a balance between the informational contents and information acquisition and processing. Taking the second trend as a starting point, the present paper presents four interactive tools mainly based on using various multimedia programs for surprising and interesting presentations of theoretical concepts and ideas. Thus, designing an interactive e-learning system uses, first and foremost, the resources necessary to the educational process adapted to the users’ training level. The first step is to familiarize the students with the informational environment in which the e-learning interface is created. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid the use of those programs and technology that are too advanced or that require a previous specialized training. The way in which the information is offered by an e-learning platform has to be focused on a high degree of the student’s involvement in the respective educational activity and it has to allow the student the access to stimulating communication and to constant feedback. The information is handled, analyzed and interpreted in real time, whenever the teacher thinks it necessary (updating data or information, structural adjustments to the e-learning platform, etc.). Thus, the main objectives are: • Instruction sessions through current multimedia applications. • Easy information change, allowing complex database systems directly hosted by the e-learning platform. • Efficient communication between the teacher and the students or between students themselves, thus encouraging the constant development of the platform. • Global and permanent access to the platform, for both teachers and students. IV. INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION

Fig. 2. Types of interactions between the e-learning environment, its specific programs and the on-line environment management

III. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES Recent studies have shown that there are two major trends in creating an e-learning platform. On the one hand, the researchers try to adapt the tools and concepts of the traditional education system to the virtual environment. The pedagogical key-concepts relevant to this stage are communication, individual interaction and social cohesion [4]. On the other hand, there is the idea according to which the educational experience must not be limited in any way. The educational environment has to vary as much as possible, as it also has to experience as many situational contexts as possible and to use

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Taking into account that a successful e-learning platform does not only mean the mere teacher-student information transfer, the main tool designed and described by the present paper is information distribution. Taking the present example, the e-learning platform is focused on a technical school subject, namely Analogical Electronics. The platforms generates and conducts its specific practical experiments by using the resources of the real educational system called Electronic Explorer Board (EEboard) which is basically a mobile, multifunctional minilab for electronic experiments and applications. The principles of the atypical approach have also been integrated in the same platform (from practice to theory), which facilitates (in the case of young learners or students) the maximum use of previously acquired practical experience in the field of Electronics [6]. Although the platform is not finished yet (as it suffers constant improvements), it can be already accessed at the following address: http://platforma.ciub.org/. Information distribution had been performed classically, at the beginning, as text distribution. Then, the theoretical aspects were

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2012 IEEE 18th International Symposium for Design and Technology in Electronic Packaging (SIITME) completed by visual practical applications. The particularity of this e-learning platform rests in the fact that the student has to be presented, from the beginning, the real image of the object of study. The image below shows an application for the resistor [Fig. 3]. The images of the three resistors, including their specific color code, completely correspond to the real resistors, which will be further used for electronic fittings within the EEboard system.

Fig. 3. Information distribution using two complementary sources: the real image of the resistor related to the circuit electronic scheme created in the OrCad program.

The two electronic schemes are created in the OrCad software (which is further developed and used in the e-learning platform). Also, in order to explain some theoretical aspects that are more complex, one uses longer and more detailed descriptions that take the form of video applications. The means used for connecting the theoretical aspects to their real counterparts (later on used in the practical applications) represent a key-requirement which has to be fulfilled in the case of a successful information distribution. For instance, the real image of an electronic component, considered from all points of view, helps the student to easily create a mental image of the respective component and to easily assign to it its external and functional traits. The video applications that are presented on the e-learning platform by a complete player are highly important. On the one hand, they can better explain some abstract aspects and, on the other hand, by using youtube resources, they can relate to other similar video applications. Thus, the e-learning platform can expand constantly, avoiding being a limited environment that would require a system exit in order to find similar or connected information.

suggestions had, thus, been better and more easily synthesized. And this thing has to be mentioned right from the beginning. When such a platform is being created, namely one that is specialized on a certain topic or field, it is of utmost importance to involve the future users in the process, in this case, the students. This way, some of the problems were solved as they occurred. For instance, in the case of the e-learning platform given as an example in the present paper, some of the functional aspects of the EEboard system had not been fully understood, so the need for a direct demonstration arose, one that was based on pictures showing the breadboard internal structure, as well as on detailed descriptions of the system software and on several video applications presenting the way in which a circuit can be built on the system breadboard, etc. These details obtained from direct communication with the students greatly improve the way the students themselves will interact with the elearning platform. As long as they can also recognized these aspects they contributed with to the platform, the platform itself will become a familiar environment, one that the students will know they can actually improve and contribute to. In order to complementary connect this means of communication with a modern one, specific to informational environments, there is, currently, a forum attached to this platform. It will show general discussion topics related to the platform development management, as well as feedback comments regarding information distribution, its level of complexity and user interface suggestions. Further on, each studied section will have specific discussion topics. For instance, the last tab of the section will be a discussion topic exclusively focused on this subject. There is a wide range of practical and theoretical forms that can be taken by the interaction which is seen as a result of teacher-student communication. For instance, there is an “InfoStud” page in each section, designed for students only and meant encourage them to expand and develop the information they acquired. Here, they can upload materials if the teacher considers them relevant [Fig. 4].

V. COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION If the information has been properly distributed, the student has to acquire and process it accordingly using two main tools: communication and interaction. These two tools are tackled together because, at this level, they are perceived as two complementary concepts. Within this e-learning platform, communication takes place primarily in the classroom. In order to obtain a direct and proper feedback (as much as possible) in creating this e-learning platform, the students’ opinions and

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Fig. 4. The students’ page, where a video tutorial allows one to read the color code for each resistor.

Thus, they are allowed to directly interact with the platform and they know they can contribute to the actual platform construction and improvement. A page that is exclusively

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2012 IEEE 18th International Symposium for Design and Technology in Electronic Packaging (SIITME) designed and meant for them is both a reward of their work and a motivation for them to further and voluntarily study on their own questions of interest. VI. MONITORING THE TEACHING PROCESS Once the three stages describes above have been successfully completed, the teacher has to evaluate each student’s work. In order to do that, he can use a set of tests through which he/ she can draw an individual evolution scale related to the student’s theoretical and practical knowledge, marking his/ her strong and weak points, as well as the aspects that have been and that still need to be improved, along with the degree of the improvement. The access to the results of these tests and to the evolution charts is allowed to each student. Another aspect that can be observed is the way in which the students react to the information they get through the e-learning platform. Thus, the complexity of the information can adapt, globally and in real time, to their level of knowledge and understanding. Moreover, the platform is not conceived as a non-interactive entity which cannot suffer improvements, but quite the contrary, it is a flexible one meant to facilitate knowledge practice. The following example refers to an initial test paper which comprises both theoretical and practical knowledge, the level of difficulty being low.

the collective participation of both students and teachers in the constant development of the e-learning platform which, thus, becomes a double-way informational means. Therefore, constant adjustment are asked for and allowed, being applied to the contents of the informational materials, to the display of information presentation and even to the frequency of teacher-student interactions. All these aspects lead to a high degree of knowledge acquisition satisfaction. The results that have been gathered up to now from the students’ reactions and suggestions show that the criteria one has to take into consideration when creating and developing a complete e-learning platform are the following: the efficiency of the newly-created virtual environment in teaching a certain subject, the degree of importance of the e-learning platform design interface, the degree of information interaction and the way in which the educational objectives can be achieved. However, there are some limitations regarding the implementation of these interactive communication tools. Some of these aspects are related to the technical implementation of the forum, to the actual creation and administration of all the students’ accounts, while other aspects are related to the administrative management of the platform. These tools have been developed for being implemented on an e-learning platform for technical school subjects. Therefore, when being applied to other types of platforms (for instance, those specific to humanistic subjects), they will have to be supplemented by the direct teacher-student interaction. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This paper was supported by the project "Improvement of the doctoral studies quality in engineering science for development of the knowledge based society-QDOC” contract no. POSDRU/107/1.5/S/78534, project co-funded by the European Social Fund through the Sectorial Operational Program Human Resources 2007-2013. REFERENCES

Fig. 5. Section from an initial student evaluation questionnaire.

VII. CONCLUSIONS The main aim of the present paper is designing a set of tools which can be implemented on an e-learning platform in order to transform it from a limited informational environment into a complex one, based on the constant interaction between the teacher and the student. Thus, this platform becomes an ever-changing entity, permanently improved and developed by this constant interaction. Moreover, these four interactive tools play a huge role in motivating the student and in increasing his/ her sense of self-confidence in taking decisions regarding what, when and how to learn. The teacher has to use them in such as way as to instill in the student the wish to acquire knowledge without the teacher’s supervision. Taking into account all these aspects, the objectives of the implementation of these interactive instruments mainly focus on the encouragement of

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[1] C. Wibhowo, R. Sanjaya, "Critical Aspects of Psychology in eLearning Implementation", The Seventh International Conference on eLearning for Knowledge-Based Society, 16-17 December, Thailand, 2010. [2] R. G. Jurado, T. Pettersson, “The use of learning management systems: A Longitudinal Case Study” Centre for Learning and Teaching University of Borås, 2010. [3] M. Koskela, P. Kiltti, I. Vilpola, and J.Tervonen, “Suitability of a virtual learning environment for higher education” Electronic J. of e-Learning, 2005, pp. 3, 1, 21–30. [4] R. Brennan, “One Size Doesn’t Fit All – Pedagogy in the online environment: Vol. 1.” Adelaide: National Centre for Vocational Education Research. Retrieved October 17, 2003. [5] G. Siemens, “Learning Ecology, Communities and Networks: Extending the classroom – elearnspace”, Retrieved October17, 2004. http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/learning_communities.htm [6] T. Vlad, D. Pitica, L. Man, J. Rajmond, “Optimized methods for theoretical and practical training” Electronics Technology (ISSE), 2012 35th International Spring Seminar on, 2012, pp. 459 – 464.

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