Modeling the Cognitive Effects of Participative Learner Modeling

Abstract

‘Participative learner modelling’ is characterised by the active and explicit participation of the learner in the modelling task. This definition encompasses several kinds of learner modelling processes, since it does not impose additional restrictions on the sort of the learner’s goals, beliefs, or actions. The learner’s participation can be of collaboration, negotiation, critique, validation, assessment, etc. The paper outlines an approach to modelling the effects that participative learner modelling may have on the learner’s cognitive state. Modelling the learner in this context requires dealing with meta-cognitive issues, such as ‘awareness’ and ‘reflection’, and hence the framework for learner models presented is based on the Dormorbile meta-level conceptual architecture for learner models by John Self, plus a distinction between declarative and procedural encodings of knowledge. It provides a concrete interpretation of what awareness and reflection mean, and how they may be modelled. The stronger requirements imposed by humans on peer interaction make designing systems supporting participative learner modelling harder than designing their more traditional counterparts. We believe, however, that the rich knowledge organisation of a learner model based on the framework laid out in the paper may help to bring closer the ideal of participative learner modelling.