Capturing Learner Interaction in Computer-Based Learning Environment: Design and Application

Abstract

Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) environments help learners learn about conceptually rich domains. These learning environments enhance learners' skills such as decision making, trade-off analysis, etc., and is based on pedagogical intervention leveraged by technological affordances. Such environments help learners to solve complex and ill structured problems and provide multiple ways of approaching it. However, novice learner's often find it difficult to take decisions and regulate what they learn in such learning environments. In order to support novice learner's, we need to model their behaviour using their interaction with the system. Hence, logging the learner's interaction with the system is very important. There exists a few systems that are designed and developed to improve thinking skills such as decision making, critical thinking, however they are not designed to log learner behaviour. In this paper we have developed a framework to create data logging mechanism to capture user's interaction with such web-based systems. We have also applied the framework to a webbased learning environment called MEttLE (Modelling-based Estimation Learning Environment) which is a system designed to teach estimation problem solving in the context of electrical engineering. The data logging mechanism successfully captured all the learner's interaction with the system (there were 509 different actions that the user could perform in the system). Additionally, we modelled the learners interaction as a process model using data obtained from 6 learners. The results align with a previous research reported by developers of MEttLE using qualitative data obtained by manually coding screen recordings of learner interaction with the system.