Open Access

Learning management systems gain importance due to the Corona pandemic. To personalize such a learning management system, a Moodle adaption named Pythia was created. Pythia is implemented as a Moodle plugin solution. The possibility of generating learning paths with various algorithms and the change of the graphical user interface is significant. Learning paths are generated with two different algorithms. Nestor algorithm generates learning paths with a Bayesian network, while Tyche algorithm uses a Markov model. The graphical user interface is adapted to the generated learning paths where learning element symbols are customized and the individual learning paths are depicted. This paper presents the results of a qualitative survey among German students with the aim of evaluating the first version of the learning management system Pythia. 25 students took the subject “Software Engineering for Safe and Secure Systems” in the winter term of 2023/24. The 68 asked questions focus on usage behavior, graphical user interface, usability, preferences, volume, and quality of learning elements, and learning paths. Our Moodle course for the lecture contains seven sections, each section has minimum one subsection on which the learning path is calculated. Last three sections are designed by presenting minimum one learning element of each learning element category except the collaboration tool. In a previous work, ten learning element categories were designed and evaluated comprising manuscript, brief overview, learning goal, quiz, exercise, summary, three types of additional material, and collaboration tool. The first sections are left as they are initially designed by the lecturer (normal section). The survey considers the difference between normal sections and diverse sections. Furthermore, the generated learning paths are evaluated. 13 students undertook Nestor learning paths, whereas 12 undertook Tyche learning paths. The results suggest that for the majority of students, the learning element symbols are well-chosen. Moreover, all students wish the elements relevant to the exam to be labelled. 23 students are overwhelmed by the number of learning elements in the last sections of the Moodle course. In the future, some suggestions will be implemented such as the labelling of exam relevant learning elements. To overcome the overload of learning elements, a strategy could be developed like hiding learning elements not preferred by the learning path algorithm.

Nowadays, learning management systems are widely employed in all educational institutions to instruct students as a result of the increasing in online usage. Today’s learning management systems provide learning paths without personalizing them to the characteristics of the learner. Therefore, research these days is concentrated on employing AI-based strategies to personalize the systems. However, there are many different AI algorithms, making it challenging to determine which ones are most suited for taking into account the many different features of learner data and learning contents. This paper conducts a systematic literature review in order to discuss the AI-based methods that are frequently used to identify learner characteristics, organize the learning contents, recommend learning paths, and highlight their advantages and disadvantages.

This study investigates the impact of eye movement modeling examples in Software Engineering education. Software Engineering is a highly visual domain. The daily tasks of a software engineer (e.g., formulating requirements, creating UML diagrams, or conducting a code review) require in many cases the use of certain visual strategies. Although these strategies can be found for experts, it has been observed in different eye tracking studies that students have difficulties in learning and applying them. To familiarize students with these visual strategies and to provide them with a better understanding for the cognitive processes involved, a total of seven eye movement modeling examples was created. The seven eye movement modeling examples cover relevant parts of an introductory Software Engineering lecture; they are focused on typical situations in which visual strategies are applied. The results of a questionnaire-based evaluation shows that students consider the eye movement modeling examples as useful, feel supported in their learning process, and would like to see more use of them in the Software Engineering lecture. Furthermore, the students suggested that eye movement modeling examples should also be used in other lectures.

The dropout rate at universities has been very high for years. Thereby, the inexperience and lack of knowledge of students in dealing with individual learning paths in various courses of study plays a decisive role. Adaptive learning management systems are suitable countermeasures, in which learners’ learning styles are classified using questionnaires or computationally intensive algorithms before a learning path is suggested accordingly. In this paper, a study design for student learning style classification using eye tracking is presented. Furthermore, qualitative and quantitative analyses clarify certain relationships between students’ eye movements and learning styles. With the help of classification based on eye tracking, the filling out of questionnaires or the integration of computationally or cost-intensive algorithms can be made redundant in the future.

In higher education, improving learning and learning success are goals of general improvement. Lecturers teaches content and students acquire that content in an efficient way. To structure content, learning element categories are evaluated from the student's point of view in higher education area. The aim is to validate given definitions of ten learning element categories within a Learning Management System (LMS). This paper evaluates a categorization of learning elements for organizing learning content in online education within LMSs. Therefore, ten categories of learning elements and corresponding definitions were defined in a previous work as base for this paper. The learning elements to examine are manuscript, exercise, quiz, brief overview, learning goal, summary, collaboration tool, auditory additional material, textual additional material, and visual additional material. To validate the definitions and to get improvements to each learning element a survey is processed. Beside the demographic data questions, the survey consists of two questions to the acceptance of the definitions and asks for improvements. 148 students between the ages 19 and 35 participate in the survey in summer term 2023. The education level of the participants ranges from undergraduates to Ph.D. students. The results of this paper are that more than 80% accept the given definitions. Some definitions of the learning elements are changed, but the changes are restricted to additions of maximal four words. This categorization of learning elements could lead to improvements in learning by giving the content more structure. With the structure students get the possibility to learn with preferred learning elements which could lead to more success in learning and to a decreasing dropout rate in universities. In the future, the learning elements allow to classify content within LMSs with the goal of generating individual learning paths. Furthermore, our project will integrate these learning elements, use them to generate learning paths, and could set a new standard in the way of personalized learning.