Artificial Intelligence to improve learning outcomes through online collaborative activities

Conference paper


Nalli, G., Amendola, D. and Smith, S. 2022. Artificial Intelligence to improve learning outcomes through online collaborative activities. Fotaris, P. and Blake, A. (ed.) 21st European Conference on e-Learning. Brighton, UK 27 - 28 Oct 2022 Academic Conferences and Publishing International (ACPI). pp. 475-479 https://doi.org/10.34190/ecel.21.1.661
TypeConference paper
TitleArtificial Intelligence to improve learning outcomes through online collaborative activities
AuthorsNalli, G., Amendola, D. and Smith, S.
Abstract

A key strategic objective of the University courses is the promotion and development of new and innovative teaching activities, also through the e-learning environment, with the aim of providing students with direct involvement in the learning process. Collaborative activities represent important and effective teaching methodologies that allow the improvements of learning outcomes through active learning. Furthermore, they can allow the development of soft skills because they enable learners to work together and practice critical reflection and conflict negotiation. Recently, online learning environments are being used to design and deliver assignments based on student work groups. Indeed, the development of digital technologies allows the organization of these online activities in a flexible way for both students and teachers. The goal of this work is to develop successful collaborative activities for undergraduate students to ensure the improvement of knowledge and soft skills on a specific topic. One of the fundamental factors that influence the success of collaborative learning is the students’ group formation, which consists in the realization of heterogeneous groups in terms of cognitive resources, characteristics, and behaviors, composed by four or five students. However, the correct implementation of groups requires careful profiling of each student’s behavior which can be difficult for the teacher to detect. In this work an intelligent software, developed using Artificial Intelligence algorithms, was used to assist the teacher in the realization of heterogeneous groups of students. It is composed of a Machine Learning model, consisting in clustering techniques applied to Moodle learning analytics performed to return clusters that identifies different students’ profiles, and a specific algorithm that automatically organizes the groups, ensuring the heterogeneity including at least one student from each cluster. At the end of the execution the software returns the list of the heterogeneous groups to the teacher. The software was applied to assignments that required working group within a specific online course for university students, using a Moodle e-learning platform. The quantitative analysis demonstrated the effectiveness of the numerical method for group composition proposed in this work to ensure successful collaborative activities, confirmed also by the perceptions of the students on the course.

Keywordscollaborative activities; machine learning; Moodle; e-learning
Sustainable Development Goals4 Quality education
Middlesex University ThemeCreativity, Culture & Enterprise
Conference21st European Conference on e-Learning
Page range475-479
Proceedings TitleProceedings of the 21st European Conference on e-Learning - ECEL 2022
SeriesProceedings on the European Conference of e-Learning
EditorsFotaris, P. and Blake, A.
ISSN2048-8637
Electronic2048-8645
ISBN
Hardcover9781914587566
Electronic9781914587559
PublisherAcademic Conferences and Publishing International (ACPI)
Publication dates
Online21 Oct 2022
Print21 Oct 2022
Publication process dates
Accepted2022
Deposited13 Jun 2024
Output statusPublished
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Open
Copyright Statement

Copyright the authors. All Rights Reserved.
No reproduction, copy or transmission may be made without written permission from the individual authors.
The published paper is included in the Middlesex University Research Repository as per the 'Self-archiving and Paper Repositories' conference proceeding policy of the publisher, Academic Conferences and Publishing International (ACPI).

Additional information

Paper first published by Academic Conferences and Publishing International (ACPI) as: Nalli, D. Amendola, and S. Smith, “Artificial Intelligence to improve learning outcomes through online collaborative activities,” European Conference on e-Learning, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 475–479, Oct. 2022, doi: 10.34190/ecel.21.1.661.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.34190/ecel.21.1.661
Web of Science identifierWOS:000964203500060
Web address (URL) of conference proceedingshttps://papers.academic-conferences.org/index.php/ecel/issue/view/12
https://www.academic-bookshop.com/ourshop/prod_7889754-ECEL-2022-Proceedings-of-the-21st-European-Conference-on-eLearning.html
LanguageEnglish
Permalink -

https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/zq4v2

Download files


Publisher's version
Nalli-Amendola-Smith.pdf
License: All rights reserved
File access level: Open

  • 51
    total views
  • 7
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 1
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

A taxonomy of knowledge management systems in the micro-enterprise
Hall, S.J., Smith, S., Baskent, C. and De Raffaele, C. 2024. A taxonomy of knowledge management systems in the micro-enterprise. International Journal of Operations Management. 4 (1), pp. 7-20. https://doi.org/10.18775/ijom.2757-0509.2020.41.4001
Online application for the early detection of students at risk of failing through Artificial Intelligence
Nalli, G., Marconi, A., Karakatič, S., Brezočnik, L., Montagna, A., Amendola, D. and De Leone, R. 2024. Online application for the early detection of students at risk of failing through Artificial Intelligence. Minerva, T. and De Santis, A. (ed.) 2023 Italian Symposium on Digital Education. Reggio Emilia, Italy 13 - 15 Sep 2023 Pearson. pp. 56-62
Blockchain in e-learning platform to enhance trustworthy and sharing of micro-credentials
Bigiotti, A., Bottoni, M. and Nalli, G. 2024. Blockchain in e-learning platform to enhance trustworthy and sharing of micro-credentials. 36th International Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering Workshops. Limassol, Cyprus 03 - 07 Jun 2024 Cham, Switzerland. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61003-5_1
Hybrid educational environments – using IoT to detect emotion changes during student interactions
Nalli, G., Dafoulas, G., Tsiakara, A., Langari, B., Mistry, K. and Tahmasebi Aria, F. 2023. Hybrid educational environments – using IoT to detect emotion changes during student interactions. Interaction Design and Architecture(s). 58 (1), pp. 39-52. https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-058-001
Knowledge management for the micro enterprise: a taxonomy
Hall, S., Smith, S., Baskent, C. and De Raffaele, C. 2023. Knowledge management for the micro enterprise: a taxonomy. Matos, F. and Rosa, A. (ed.) 24th European Conference on Knowledge Management. Lisboa, Portugal 07 - 08 Sep 2023 Academic Conferences International. https://doi.org/10.34190/eckm.24.1.1268
Online tutoring system for programming courses to improve exam pass rate
Nalli, G., Culmone, R., Perali, A. and Amendola, D. 2023. Online tutoring system for programming courses to improve exam pass rate. Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society. 19 (1), pp. 27-35. https://doi.org/10.20368/1971-8829/1135704
Machine Learning model for student drop-out prediction based on student engagement
Brezočnik, L., Nalli, G., De Leone, R., Val, S., Podgorelec, V. and Karakatič, S. 2023. Machine Learning model for student drop-out prediction based on student engagement. Karabegovic, I., Kovačević, A. and Mandzuka, S. (ed.) 9th International Conference on New Technologies, Development and Application. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 22 - 24 Jun 2023 Cham Springer. pp. 486–496 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31066-9_54
Comparison of the effectiveness and performance of student workgroups in online wiki activities with and without AI
Nalli, G. and Smith, S. 2023. Comparison of the effectiveness and performance of student workgroups in online wiki activities with and without AI. 4th International Electronic Conference on Applied Sciences. Online 27 Oct - 10 Nov 2023 MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/ASEC2023-16273
Machine-learning-based software to group heterogeneous students for online peer assessment activities
Amendola, D., Nalli, G. and Miceli, C. 2023. Machine-learning-based software to group heterogeneous students for online peer assessment activities. Fulantelli, G., Burgos, D., Casalino, G., Cimitile, M., Lo Bosco, G. and Taibi, D. (ed.) 4th International Conference on Higher Education Learning Methodologies and Technologies Online. Palermo, Italy 21 - 23 Sep 2022 Cham Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29800-4_2
Reducing the dependency of having prior domain knowledge for effective online information retrieval
Zammit, O., Smith, S., Windridge, D. and De Raffaele, C. 2023. Reducing the dependency of having prior domain knowledge for effective online information retrieval. Expert Systems. 40 (4). https://doi.org/10.1111/exsy.13014
Comparative analysis of clustering algorithms and moodle plugin for creation of student heterogeneous groups in online university courses
Nalli, G., Amendola, D., Perali, A. and Mostarda, L. 2021. Comparative analysis of clustering algorithms and moodle plugin for creation of student heterogeneous groups in online university courses. Applied Sciences. 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11135800
Designing a marker set for vertical tangible user interfaces
Attard, G., De Raffaele, C. and Smith, S. 2021. Designing a marker set for vertical tangible user interfaces. Jaber, K. (ed.) 10th ICIT 2021: Advanced Machine Learning and Deep Learning. Amman, Jordan 14 - 15 Jul 2021 IEEE. pp. 974-979 https://doi.org/10.1109/ICIT52682.2021.9491659
Exposing students to new terminologies while collecting browsing search data (best technical paper)
Zammit, O., Smith, S., Windridge, D. and De Raffaele, C. 2020. Exposing students to new terminologies while collecting browsing search data (best technical paper). 40th SGAI International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, AI 2020. Cambridge, UK 15 - 17 Dec 2020 Cham Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63799-6_1
Chatbot per Moodle: un assistente virtuale per i corsi universitari ad alto numero di studenti
Nalli, G. and Amendola, D. 2020. Chatbot per Moodle: un assistente virtuale per i corsi universitari ad alto numero di studenti. MoodleMoot Italia 2020. Online 26 - 28 Nov 2020 MediaTouch 2000. pp. 64-67
Application of machine learning to the learning analytics of the Moodle platform to create heterogeneous groups in on-line courses
Nalli, G., Mostarda, L., Perali, A., Pilati, S. and Amendola, A. 2019. Application of machine learning to the learning analytics of the Moodle platform to create heterogeneous groups in on-line courses. Italian Journal of Educational Research. p. 156–173.
Tool per la classificazione dei sentimenti degli studenti Implicati in moduli didattici universitari in modalità e-learning
Nalli, G., Amendola, D., Schettini, C. and Galassi, R. 2019. Tool per la classificazione dei sentimenti degli studenti Implicati in moduli didattici universitari in modalità e-learning. MoodleMoot Italia 2019. Verona, Italy 05 - 07 Dec 2019 MediaTouch 2000. pp. 29-32
TangiBoard: a toolkit to reduce the implementation burden of Tangible User Interfaces in education
Attard, G., De Raffaele, C. and Smith, S. 2019. TangiBoard: a toolkit to reduce the implementation burden of Tangible User Interfaces in education. The 13th IEEE International Conference Application of Information and Communication Technologies (AICT 2019). Baku, Azerbaijan 23 - 25 Oct 2019 IEEE. pp. 1-7 https://doi.org/10.1109/AICT47866.2019.8981773
Exposing knowledge: providing a real-time view of the domain under study for students
Zammit, O., Smith, S., De Raffaele, C. and Petridis, M. 2019. Exposing knowledge: providing a real-time view of the domain under study for students. Bramer, M. and Petridis, M. (ed.) AI-2019 Thirty-ninth SGAI International Conference on Artificial Intelligence. Cambridge, United Kingdom 17 - 19 Dec 2019 Springer. pp. 122-135 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34885-4_9
An active tangible user interface framework for teaching and learning artificial intelligence
De Raffaele, C., Smith, S. and Gemikonakli, O. 2018. An active tangible user interface framework for teaching and learning artificial intelligence. ACM IUI 2018: 23rd ACM Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces. Tokyo, Japan 07 - 11 Mar 2018 Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). pp. 535-546 https://doi.org/10.1145/3172944.3172976
Testing literacy educational software to develop design guidelines for children with Autism
Tuedor, M., Franco, F., White, A.S., Smith, S. and Adams, R. 2018. Testing literacy educational software to develop design guidelines for children with Autism. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. 66 (1), pp. 19-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2018.1450494
The application of Tangible User Interfaces of teaching and learning in Higher Education
De Raffaele, C., Smith, S. and Gemikonakli, O. 2017. The application of Tangible User Interfaces of teaching and learning in Higher Education. in: Branch, J., Hayes, S., Hørsted, A. and Nygaard, C. (ed.) Innovative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Oxfordshire, UK Libri Publishing. pp. 215-226
Il Blended Learning per migliorare l’efficacia della didattica universitaria: il corso di Computer Ethics
Amendola, D., Nalli, G. and De Vivo, M. 2017. Il Blended Learning per migliorare l’efficacia della didattica universitaria: il corso di Computer Ethics. EMEMITALIA 2017. Bolzano, Italy 30 Aug - 01 Sep 2017
Enabling the effective teaching and learning of advanced robotics in higher education using an active TUI framework
De Raffaele, C., Smith, S. and Gemikonakli, O. 2017. Enabling the effective teaching and learning of advanced robotics in higher education using an active TUI framework. 3rd Africa and Middle East Conference on Software Engineering. Cairo, Egypt 12 - 13 Dec 2017 Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). pp. 7-12 https://doi.org/10.1145/3178298.3178299
Explaining multi-threaded task scheduling using tangible user interfaces in higher educational contexts
De Raffaele, C., Smith, S. and Gemikonakli, O. 2017. Explaining multi-threaded task scheduling using tangible user interfaces in higher educational contexts. 2017 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON). Athens, Greece 25 - 28 Apr 2017 IEEE. pp. 1383-1390 https://doi.org/10.1109/EDUCON.2017.7943028
Bridging the digital divide for e-learning students through adaptive VLEs
Spiteri, C., De Raffaele, C. and Smith, S. 2016. Bridging the digital divide for e-learning students through adaptive VLEs. 2016 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE 2016). Bangkok, Thailand 07 - 09 Dec 2016 IEEE. pp. 210-217 https://doi.org/10.1109/TALE.2016.7851796
Teaching and learning queueing theory concepts using Tangible User Interfaces
De Raffaele, C., Smith, S. and Gemikonakli, O. 2016. Teaching and learning queueing theory concepts using Tangible User Interfaces. 2016 IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE 2016). Bangkok, Thailand 07 - 09 Dec 2016 IEEE. pp. 194-201 https://doi.org/10.1109/TALE.2016.7851794
The aptness of tangible user interfaces for explaining abstract computer network principles
De Raffaele, C., Smith, S. and Gemikonakli, O. 2016. The aptness of tangible user interfaces for explaining abstract computer network principles. FIE 2016 -The 46th Annual Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference. Erie, PA, USA 12 - 15 Oct 2016 IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2016.7757573
An expert review of REVERIE and its potential for game-based learning
Doumanis, I., Porter, S., Economou, D. and Smith, S. 2015. An expert review of REVERIE and its potential for game-based learning. Preuveneers, D. (ed.) The 11th International Conference on Intelligent Environments - IE'15. Prague 13 - 14 Jul 2015 IOS Press. pp. 306-313 https://doi.org/10.3233/978-1-61499-530-2-306
Evaluating an intelligent Q&A system for mobile cultural learning
Doumanis, I. and Smith, S. 2015. Evaluating an intelligent Q&A system for mobile cultural learning. EAI Endorsed Transactions on Future Intelligent Educational Environments. 15 (2). https://doi.org/10.4108/fiee.1.2.e3
The use of social networking sites in eLearning
De Raffaele, C., Bugeja, L. and Smith, S. 2015. The use of social networking sites in eLearning. International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic and Management Engineering. 9 (4), pp. 1223-1228.
Assessment techniques in cross-cultural usability evaluation
Jagne, J., Smith, S. and Duncker-Gassen, E. 2006. Assessment techniques in cross-cultural usability evaluation. IADIS WWW/Internet International Conference 2006. Murcia, Spain
Intelligent environments simulations, towards a smart campus
Campuzano, F., Doumanis, I., Smith, S. and Botia, J. 2014. Intelligent environments simulations, towards a smart campus. The University as a Context Platform, Workshop. University of West London, London, United Kingdom 14 Nov 2014 https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.3141.3447
Evaluating the impact of embodied conversational agents (ECAs) attentional behaviors on user retention of cultural content in a simulated mobile environment
Doumanis, I. and Smith, S. 2014. Evaluating the impact of embodied conversational agents (ECAs) attentional behaviors on user retention of cultural content in a simulated mobile environment. GazeIn '14: 7th Workshop on Eye Gaze in Intelligent Human Machine Interaction: Eye-Gaze & Multimodality. Istanbul, Turkey 16 - 16 Nov 2014 Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). pp. 27-32 https://doi.org/10.1145/2666642.2666650
Evaluating the impact of ECAs on user navigation performance and perception
Doumanis, I. and Smith, S. 2013. Evaluating the impact of ECAs on user navigation performance and perception. 13th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents. Edinburgh, United Kingdom 29 - 31 Aug 2013 Springer. pp. 474-475
Beyond Artificial Intelligence Markup Language (AIML) rapid prototyping of a Q&A system
Doumanis, I. and Smith, S. 2013. Beyond Artificial Intelligence Markup Language (AIML) rapid prototyping of a Q&A system. 1st International Workshop on Museums as Intelligent Environments (MASIE'13). Athens, Greece 16 - 17 Jul 2013 IOS Press. pp. 530-540 https://doi.org/10.3233/978-1-61499-286-8-530
An empirical study on the effects of embodied conversational agents on user retention performance and perception in a simulated mobile environment
Doumanis, I. and Smith, S. 2013. An empirical study on the effects of embodied conversational agents on user retention performance and perception in a simulated mobile environment. Botía, J. and Charitos, D. (ed.) 2nd Workshop on Future Intelligent Educational Environments Conference (WOFIEE’13). Athens, Greece 16 - 17 Jul 2013 IOS Press. pp. 431-442 https://doi.org/10.3233/978-1-61499-286-8-431
Embedding information literacy skills as employability attributes
Smith, S. and Edwards, J. 2012. Embedding information literacy skills as employability attributes. LILAC 2012. Glasgow, Scotland 11 - 13 Apr 2012
Embedded writing instruction in the first year curriculum
Bernaschina, P. and Smith, S. 2012. Embedded writing instruction in the first year curriculum. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i0.186
Embedding information literacy skills as employability attributes
Smith, S. and Edwards, J. 2012. Embedding information literacy skills as employability attributes. ALISS Quarterly. 7 (4), pp. 22-27.
Human-computer interaction: users, tasks and designs
Adams, R. and Smith, S. 2005. Human-computer interaction: users, tasks and designs. London Middlesex University Press.
Paradigms, technology and demand characteristics for universal access: can we treat different technologies the same?
Adams, R. and Smith, S. 2005. Paradigms, technology and demand characteristics for universal access: can we treat different technologies the same? in: HCI international 2005 11th international conference on human-computer interaction: proceedings. Mahwah, NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates..
Cross-cultural system design strategy: avoiding problems in usability evaluation
Jagne, J., Duncker-Gassen, E. and Smith, S. 2006. Cross-cultural system design strategy: avoiding problems in usability evaluation. IADIS WWW/Internet International Conference 2006. Murcia, Spain pp. 88-92