Author: Enric Mor Pera
Programme: Doctoral Programme on the Information and Knowledge Society
Language: Catalan
Supervisor: Dr Juliā Minguillķn Alfonso
Faculty / Institute: Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3)
Subjects: Engineering, Technology, Education, Teaching, Education, Free Time
Key words: e-learning, Virtual learning environments, Human-computer interaction, Data mining, User modelling
Area of knowledge: Computation Science and Artificial Intelligence
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Summary
This doctoral thesis makes a contribution to the areas of e-learning and human-computer interaction, related to obtaining information about the users and about how they use interactive systems. To achieve this goal a methodology of analysis has been proposed. This methodology is based on a three level approach that allows covering the goals and motivations of the users in different periods of time. More precisely, the proposed methodology of analysis allows obtaining new and relevant information about the students' navigation in a virtual learning environment, understanding that they visit not only the main areas and services of the virtual campus, but the contents, activities, and educational resources of the courses, as well as other courses that are included in their program or formative offer. That is, at different levels in different points of time. This goal is based on the need to know the students' interactions with the virtual environment, to be able to improve the usability of the system and their experience of use, and to collect information to build a user model which allows embedding elements of personalization in the learning process. The obtained results constitute new evidence about the UOC, its virtual learning environment and its users, and provide relevant information for the design of the new virtual campus and to improve and personalize the learning process.