Title: Proceedings of the Workshop on Open, Interactive and other Overt Approaches to Learner Modelling
First published: 1999
Description: Proceedings of the Workshop on Open, Interactive and other Overt Approaches to Learner Modelling, International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (1999 Le Mans, France). The papers in these proceedings are a small but representative sample of the  diversity of research in overt learning modelling. Bull and Shurville present an  interesting application of interactive learner modelling to the domain of  writing, in which the learner (writer) has the initial and final word on the  content of the learner model---bearing on the theme of the role of learners in  the modelling process. The authors describe an informative study aimed at  evaluating whether writers and system can cooperate for the construction of the  writer models, the comprehensibility of the models to the writers and the  accuracy of their predictions.  While all previous research on inspectable learner models has been carried out  on the basis of symbolic representations of knowledge, Greer et al. suggest a  way in which non-symbolic (Bayesian) learner models can be presented in an  attractive and meaningful way to learners. The paper is particularly relevant to  the issue of how, and to what extent, complex learner models can be opened to  learners' inspection.  In the same vein, Morales et al. present a case study showing learner models to  learners---in this case, models of sensorimotor skills based on production  rules. They raise the issues of modularity of model contents, the modalities in  which both the domain tasks and the learner models are presented, and the  interactivity of the interface to the models.  Dimitrova et al. focus on the interaction between the learner and the learner  modelling component of the learning environment. They present a framework for  interactive diagnosis in which learner and system talk about the content of the  learner model using a graphical language, with the dialogue modelled along the  lines of dialogue game theory. Such a framework stretches the possibilities for  the role of the learner---and no less importantly, the role of the learner  modelling entity---in the modelling process.  Brna et al. show how the content of the learner model can be interpreted as an  assessment of learners' knowledge, and how it can be constructed in cooperation  with the learners. Besides being an application of the concepts of overt learner  modelling to assessment, their work provides a nice case in which learner and  system would need to assume the roles of negotiants or collaborators, and hence  would benefit from a rich model of interaction like the one summarised above.  The paper by Vassileva et al. puts overt learning modelling in synchrony with  the current trend on structuring intelligent learning environments along the  lines of multi-agent systems. The authors suggest a number of ways in which  learner models can be used as tools for communication in a hybrid society of  human learners and non-human agents interacting in a peer help environment.  Their research puts them in an ideal setting for discussing ethical, theoretical  and practical issues related to the openness and disclosure of learner models.  Finally, Holden and Kay propose to go beyond overt learner modelling by opening  to learners' scrutiny other components of tutoring systems and learning  environments. Underpinning their approach is the commitment to regard openness  as a key element for the design of such systems. In particular, they describe a  way of extending the framework provided by the toolkit to make the main user of  the learner model---the teaching module---open to learners' inspection and  modification.
Subjects: open learner modelling
Places: Lemans
People: Rafael Morales, Helen Pain, Susan Bull, Judy Kay, Jim Greer, Julita Vassileva, Vania Dimitrova, Paul Brna
Time periods: Open learner modelling