FST Graduate Research Topic

Research Topic: Developing a Generic Agent-based Architecture for an Adaptive Mobile Learning Environment (project)
Suggested By: Sabine Graf
Last Update: August 13th, 2010

[This topic can be selected as master project] This project aims at developing an agent-based architecture for an adaptive mobile learning environment. The learning environment will extend existing learning systems (such as Moodle) with independent services that make these systems more intelligent, adaptive and personalized. Such services will perform tasks such as gathering data about students? characteristics as well as context information, analyzing these data, visualizing these data, and providing adaptivity and intelligent support based on the gathered information. The first step in this project will be a literature review dealing with issues about the development of architectures of learning environments (including agent technologies, web services, etc.). The second part of this project deals with proposing an architecture for the respective learning environment. This architecture should be generic, open, and easy to extend (e.g., with additional services as well as applicable for different learning systems). A particular focus should be given to the issue of separation between the learning system and other services (in particular providing adaptivity and intelligent support). The third step will be the implementation of the architecture. This will include setting up the agent platform, developing interfaces between agents, developing basic functionality of agents, etc. The focus of this project is on developing the architecture and implementing some basic functionalities. More complex functionalities such as identification of learner characteristics, analyzing data, etc. are not within the scope of this project. However, simple functionality will be implemented in order to evaluate the architecture through proof of concept evaluation. The fourth part of this project deals with developing functionality that aims at helping developers to extend the architecture with services as well as writing guidelines for developers of such services. For evaluation purpose, an existing adaptive mechanism that has been implemented within Moodle will be transformed to such an independent service. Requirements: *) Interest in the topic *) Good web-programming skills *) Understanding of agent-based technologies