A Novel Hybrid Student Model for Personalized Education - Advances in Personalized Web-Based Education - page 61

Chapter 3
A Novel Hybrid Student Model
for Personalized Education

Abstract The goal of each web-based educational system is to offer effective learning
such as real-classroom education and further more. To achieve this goal, the web-based
educational system has to adapt dynamically to each individual student's needs and
preferences. A solution to this is the student model, which allows the understanding
and identification of each individual student's needs. In this chapter a novel student
model, which is called F.O.S., is presented. F.O.S. combines three different student
modeling approaches. It combines an overlay model with stereotypes and a rule-based
mechanism. Furthermore, F.O.S. has been fully implemented in a web-based educa-
tional application, which teaches the programming language 'C'. The particular hybrid
student model allows each individual learner to complete the training program in her/
his own learning pace and abilities.

3.1 Introduction

The rapid development of computer and Internet technologies, and the accessibility of
e-learning applications by a large and heterogeneous group of learners at any time and
place, has led to a rapid and significant growth of Web-based learning environments.
Web-based educational systems offer easy access to knowledge domains and learning
processes from everywhere for everybody at any time. Therefore, they facilitate the
access in knowledge. The goal of each web-based educational system is to offer effec-
tive learning such as real-classroom education and further more. However, traditional
web-based and standalone educational systems still have several shortcomings when
compared to real-life classroom teaching, such as lack of contextual and adaptive sup-
port, lack of flexible support of the presentation and feedback, lack of the collabora-
tive support between students and systems (Xu et al. 2002). This is happened because
at the classroom level, teachers can readjust each time the instructional process and
the teaching strategy considering the student's needs and abilities. So, the challenge is
to develop Web-based educational systems that adapt dynamically to each individual
student for effective delivery of domain knowledge.