Learner modeling in the context of educational data mining

Pengfei Xu， Qinhua Zheng， Yaohua Xu and Li Chen

With changes in online education and rapid developments of AI technology such as deep learning in recent years， learner modeling faces new opportunities and challenges. Educational data can facilitate the construction of learning environments which are able to understand， track and adapt to learners. Nevertheless， its value in this regard has yet to be mined because most learning environments are still in the initial stage of taking advantage of educational data. How to build learner models from data， and how to design and use learner models in learning environments are the core issues in the next stage of education evolution. Informed by a review of several typical learner models and their application scenarios， it is argued that deep learning will play a major role in research and practice of learner models in the future， and that an overall learner model， based on learner data of various sources， will be the wave of the future.

Keywords： online education； learner model； learning analytics； educational data mining

Exploring diverse approaches to supporting OU learners： From the perspective of learning needs

Yilu Jiang and Ying Wang

The Open University of China （OUC） is an important component of higher continuing education in China， delivering open and distance learning in a convenient and flexible manner. Learner support is essential in a learning experience characterized by the separation of learner and tutor. Learner support should be able to meet distance learners diverse needs. This study set off to investigate their learning needs in terms of knowledge， competence and learning style. In light of the survey results， the article makes a case for the need of diversity in providing learner support. Put more specifically， learner support should be learning need-based， personalization-oriented， learner-differentiated， and vocation-focused.

Keywords： learner support； diversity； distance learner； knowledge need； competence need； anticipated learning style； learning need； open university

Optimization of automated testing for educational software： a case study of an online STEM subject

Rubén González Crespo， Prabhat Kumar， Manju Khari and Daniel Burgos

Abstract： Automated testing in educational software and educational ICT software applications alleviates the risk of test maintenance failure， selects the optimized test suite， boosts efficiency and hence lowers cost and time consumption. This paper is based on the development of an automated testing tool， which includes two major automated components of educational software testing： test suite generation and test suite optimization. In this paper， the control flow of the educational software under test has been represented by a flow graph. There are five test suite generation methods which are made available in the tool， namely， boundary value testing， robustness testing， worst case testing， robust worst case testing and random testing. The generated test suite is further optimized to a desired fitness level using the artificial bee colony algorithm or the cuckoo search algorithm. The proposed method is able to provide a set of minimal test cases with maximum path coverage in comparison to other algorithms. Finally， the generated optimal test suite is used for automated fault detection. We also present a case study on a STEM subject for an online， open university.

Keywords： educational software； educational ICT software applications； test suite generation； test suite optimization； STEM； flow graph； automated testing

Limitations of local Lifelong Education Promotion Ordinance and suggestions on its legislation

Xuan Zhang

Researchers and practitioners have been concerned about how to safeguard the development of lifelong education legally because legislation has lagged behind in this regard. Barriers to legislation exist both at national and local levels. It is a consensus and also of long-term relevance to introduce legislation to guide， evaluate and safeguard the construction of the lifelong education system and learning society. Therefore， local legislative bodies should re-define their legislation approach by following the guidelines for educational development stipulated in the 19th CPC National Congress report and encouraging innovations in practice.

Keywords： lifelong learning； local legislation； legislation limitation； educational law system； framework design； solution

Using blockchain technology to create a new ecology of OER

Xin Li and Xianmin Yang

This article takes advantages of the uniqueness of blockchain technology to create a new ecology of Open Educational Resources （OER） in order to overcome problems such as high operational costs， insufficient copyright protection， barriers to sharing resources， and poor resource quality， fulfilling the new demands on opening up and sharing resources in the era of smart education. An OER Distributed Management Platform using blockchain as its underlying technology is composed of six core systems， namely user management center， resource creation center， resource management center， copyright management center， virtual currency exchange center， and learning certification management center. These systems are intended to facilitate OER development. It is also pointed out that due to its immatureness and the complexity of the educational sector， blockchain technology faces challenges such as low efficiency in resource circulation， limited storage space and possible privacy leaks. Directions for future research are also discussed.

Keywords： blockchain； blockchain education； smart education； Open Educational Resources； resource sharing； P2P technology； ecology construction； management platform

（英文摘要、目錄译者：肖俊洪）