Design patterns for helping students to learn to represent math problems in online learning systems

Online learning systems have been gaining popularity, but are not without their challenges. For example, enrollment in MOOCs has slowed down, which is attributed to the lack of sustainability. The success of online learning systems is heavily influenced by how they were designed. For example, results from a recent study showed that the incorporation of learning activities to instruction increased learning gains as much as six times. Although there are many design patterns that may be applied in the design of learning activities, they usually operate at a higher level. There is a need for design patterns that address problems in implementing learning activities in online learning systems. Specifically, the goal of the four design patterns presented is to help students learn to represent math problems. The patterns presented in this paper are part of a pattern language for creating math problems and corresponding learning support in online learning systems.