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Ontology based E-learning framework: A personalized, adaptive and context aware model

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Abstract

Enhancing the degree of learner productivity, one of the major challenges in E-Learning systems, may be catered through effective personalization, adaptivity and context awareness while recommending the learning contents to the learners. In this paper, an E-Learning framework has been proposed that profiles the learners, categorizes the learners based on profiles, makes personalized content recommendations and performs assessment based content adaptation. A mathematical model has been proposed for learner categorization using machine learning techniques (a hybrid of case based reasoning and neural networks). The learning contents have been annotated through CourseOntology in which three academic courses (each for language of C++, C# and JAVA) have been modeled for the learners. A dynamic rule based recommender has been presented targeting a ‘relative grading system’ for maximizing the learner’s productivity. Performance of proposed framework has been measured in terms of accurate learner categorization, personalized recommendation of the learning contents, completeness and correctness of ontological model and overall performance improvement of learners in academic sessions of 2015, 2016 and 2017. The comparative analysis of proposed framework exhibits visibly improved results compared to prevalent approaches. These improvements are signified to the comprehensive attribute selection in learner profiling, dynamic techniques for learner categorization and effective content recommendation while ensuring personalization and adaptivity.

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Notes

  1. http://www.gcu.edu.pk/

  2. http://www.uaar.edu.pk/

  3. http://iqra.edu.pk/isl/

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Acknowledgements

Authors of this manuscript are thankful for the support of the Dr. Muddessar Iqbal from London South Bank University (LSBU) England and Ontology Engineering Group (OEG) in unconditional support and guidance for completing this research. Also, we wish to acknowledge our gratitude to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan in extending its resources in completing this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computing, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Pakistan

    Sohail Sarwar, Zia Ul Qayyum & Muhammad Safyan

  2. Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Madrid, Spain

    Raúl García-Castro

  3. Universidad Politecnica de Catalan, Barcelona, Spain

    Rana Faisal Munir

Authors
  1. Sohail Sarwar
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  2. Zia Ul Qayyum
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  3. Raúl García-Castro
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  4. Muhammad Safyan
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  5. Rana Faisal Munir
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Correspondence to Sohail Sarwar.

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Sarwar, S., Qayyum, Z.U., García-Castro, R. et al. Ontology based E-learning framework: A personalized, adaptive and context aware model. Multimed Tools Appl 78, 34745–34771 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-019-08125-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-019-08125-8

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