Supporting the tutor in the design and support of adaptive e-learning

E-learners require activities and content based on their preferences and prior knowledge, not merely fully static, page-turning sequences. In this paper we present a framework that integrates and supports two approaches towards adaptation to the learner’s needs – design and runtime adaptation. The framework is based on IMS Learning Design (IMS-LD). IMS-LD offers a semantic notation to describe an educational scenario in a formal way. At design time a teacher or a design team can create or inspect a learning design model and use it in multiple courses. At runtime a tutor or agent, an autonomous piece of software, can interpret a learning design and students’ progress and subsequently take action while a course is in progress, e.g. make suggestions to learners. We will discuss the study that lead to the framework, and explain the role of IMS-LD and the promising role of agents in adaptive e-learning.