CbKST Tools Online Demo

The CbKST Tools have been developed in the context of the iClass project. They consist of five skill-based tools which support the learning process. These tools are based on the two pillars (1) Competence-based Knowledge Space Theory (CbKST) and (2) an self-regulated learning approach. A short explanation and an online demo (Java Applet) of each tool can be found below.

Planning Phase

The CbKST tools rely on a domain model consisting of skills, learning objects, assessment question, concepts, and action verbs. Creating these domain models (or domain maps) is usually the task of teachers and domain authors. This involves defining skills of a knowledge domain and prerequisites among and relating them with learning activities and assessment items. A tool has been developed which allows to easily create domain models by employing visualisation techniques. For example, defining prerequisite relations between skills are immediately depicted graphically, and assigning skills to learning objects are done in a fish-eye visualisation where all learning objects including the assigned skills are show and the selected learning object is magnified. The Domain Map Editor allows not only to structure a knowledge domain but also provides the possibility to create according learning activities and test-questions/problems which can then easily be related to the relevant skills.

The Skill-based Planner supports the goal setting and planning phase of the self-regulated learning processes. This tool visualizes the domain skills and their prerequisite relations as graph with ascending sequences of line segments representing prerequisite relationships between skills. On this graph, skills can be chosen to define the competence goal and subsequently sequenced on the visual plan component. Prerequisite skills need to be added first to the plan before higher-ordered skills can be assigned. Furthermore, for each skill learning objects can be searched and chosen which teach the respective skill. As soon as for all skills of the competence goal learning objects have been added to the plan, visual feedback is provided that the plan is complete.

Reflection Phase

An adaptive assessment is conducted to determine which skills a learner has available. Questions are posed to the learner taking into account previous answers and exploiting prerequisite relationships among problems. The traditional algorithm calculates the sequence of questions and is capable of posing a minimal number of questions to determine the learner's knowledge. The result of the assessment is a (verified) set of skills (competence state) which the learner has available. During the assessment, the learner can get visual feedback on the correctness of the problems. In order to support self-regulated learning, features of increased learner control have been realized, e.g. the learner may select or deselect the display of correctness of answers during assessment or may do a self-assessment instead of actually answering questions (forthcoming).

A learner may reflect on what he did learn by defining skills which consist of concepts and action verbs. This is done in three steps: (1) The learner is provided with a list of concepts and chooses those concepts that he has covered in the learning process so far. (2) Then he indicates for each concept the level of expertise which he thinks he has acquired so far - these levels are indicated by the Bloom taxonomy levels, i.e. the action verbs remember, understand, apply etc. (3) The selected combinations of concepts and Bloom level action verbs are compared and synchronized with the skills of the respective domain map and reported to the learner. With this approach during the self-evaluation procedure the learner reflects on what he has learned and after the procedure the learner is presented with the skills which result from the self-evaluation procedure. In contrast to the Adaptive Assessment tool, this method does not pose questions, but asks directly for learned domain concepts.

This tool is part of the Personal Space and presents the skills which the learner has learned during the learning process. Three sources for this information are used: (1) The skills which have been taught by learning objects are visualised in a chronological order together with the learning objects. (2) The acquired (verified) skills resulted from the adaptive assessment and (3) the skills (non-verified) resulted from the self-estimation of skills (for details see below). The presentation of skills is done in a visual way, learned acquired skills (verified and non-verified) are rendered in different colours. Furthermore, the competence goal (also set of skills) is rendered in a way that missing skills can be seen immediately. In this way the learner directly monitors his learning progress and skill gap (compared to the competence goal).