Conference Tutorial

Design Patterns for Advanced Learning Management Systems

Summary

The main aims of this tutorial are to present the notion of design patterns in the elearning domain as well as to engage participants in identifying, refining and elaborating design patterns for Learning Management Systems (LMS). The tutorial will be part of a continuing process of design pattern development by the elearning engineering community: the longer-term goal being to create a communal repository of useful design patterns for LMS.

Rationale

According to Alexander, design patterns have emerged as an expressive means of documentation and communication of successful solutions to commonly occurring problems in a particular field. Each pattern systematically describes the distilled experience for solving of specific, recurring problems. These solutions are identified through the discovery of these successful solutions by field experts.

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are network-based software systems that aim at managing an e-learning environment, establishing the organization and delivery of content, administrating resources and tracking learning activities and results.

This tutorial will be built upon the work done within a European partnership project called E-LEN: A Network of Elearning Centers (http://www.tisip.no/ELEN), as well as the TELL project [http://www.softlab.ntua.gr/research/research_projects/tell] and recent publications about a design pattern language for advanced LMSs. The term “pattern language” means a set of semantically interrelated patterns for the specification of LMS systems, has been proposed. These patterns aim at the specification of an LMS, helping prospective designers of such systems to gain from the long experience in this field.

Goals and Objectives

The main goals of this tutorial are:

• To introduce attendees to the notion of design patterns as means of solving specific problems in e-learning systems engineering

• To help attendees apply specific patterns for the requirement analysis and design of Learning Management Systems

To help attendees identify by themselves design patterns for advanced Learning Management Systems.

Outline

The schedule of the tutorial is proposed as follows:

Background of the audience

The audience of this tutorial is expected to have experience in elearning as well as the use of a Learning Management System (at least for the administration of on-line courses). It is preferred that they have been involved in the design of on-line courses using web-based tools, or, ideally Learning Management Systems.

Material

A booklet with guidelines about elearning design patterns as well as a series of papers with examples of elearning design patterns will be distributed to the audience.

Biographical sketches of the presenter

Symeon Retalis

Dr. Symeon Retalis is Assistant Professor at the Department of Technology Education & Digital Systems, University of Piraeus. His research interests lie on the development of web-based learning systems, design of adaptive hypermedia systems, web engineering, and human computer interaction.  He has participated in various European R & D projects. He serves in the editorial board of international journals such as Computers in Human Behavior, IEEE Journal of Educational Technology and Society, ACM Computing Reviews, Journal of Information Technology Education. He participates to the ACM Web Engineering special interest group, to the IEEE Learning Technologies Standardisation Committee and CEN/ISSS learning technologies workshop. His publication list contains more than 70 items.