Personalization and the iClass Project

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Personalization and theiClass Project

• Prof. Roni Aviram,
• Chair, Center for Futurism in Education
• Ben-Gurion University

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iClass Project

• Partners
• Ben Gurion University - The Center for Futurism
  in Education
• Centre for Research and Technology Hellas - The
  Informatics and Telematics Institute
• EUN partnership
• European Schools
• IES Educational and Information Technologies
  (Turkey)
• Intel Ireland
• Laboratory of Mixed Realities (Germany)
• Microsoft Belgium
• Middle East Technical University - Department of
  Electrical and Electronics Engineering
• ORT France
• RtB Education Solutions (Turkey)
• Siemens IT Solutions and Services - Belgium
• The German Research Centre on Artificial
  Intelligence (DFKI)
• Trinity College Dublin - The Knowledge and Data
  Engineering Research Group
• University of Graz
• University of London - Institute of Education

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I. What is iClass?

• A package, or integrative educational
  framework, consisting of
• Pedagogical Vision, leading to
• Pedagogical Model, leading to
• ICT Platform, and
• 4 layers of Methodologies that support and
  complement each other

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• What is iClass?

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• The 4 layers of methodologies
• The first layer coherently formulates new
  practices and initiates their introduction in
  schools for supporting the use of iClass
• Classroom pedagogy methodology
• Content development methodology
• The second layer facilitates the incorporation of
  iClass and the new practices on which it relies
  in European schools
• School change management methodology
• The third layer supports iClass and the first 3
  methodologies that accompany it in schools
• Exploitation methodology
• Dissemination methodology
• The final layer evaluates iClass in the context
  of the methodologies that accompany it
• Evaluation

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• The methodologies

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• The ultimate goal of iClass is to enhance SRPL,
  or
• Self Regulated
• Personalized Learning
• based on
• Intrinsic motivation

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• These aims are to be achieved on 2 levels
• Specific schools
• School systems (local and national)

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II. What is the nature of these goals?

• They reflect
• The conditions necessary to enhance effective,
  sustainable and transferable Learning (i.e.,
  long-term learning, which can be used in various
  future LLL situations)
• General Educational goals basic to liberal
  democracies (i.e., goals that transcend specific
  national or local aims)
• Hence, iClass is a framework of both
• e-Learning
• e-Education

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• The above aims are an essential part of a wider
  list of general (i.e., that transcend specific
  national or local needs) goals of Education in
  postmodern democracies which are basic to iClass
  vision and model (at this point not all of them
  have been fully operationalized)
• The compact and exhaustive list of general
  goals of Education in postmodern democracies
  basic to iClass
• The Enhancement of
• Personalization
• Self-Regulation
• Intrinsic Motivation
• Participatory belonging
• Morality

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Personalization
Participatory Belonging
Society oriented
Individual development
Self-Regulation
Morality
Intrinsic Motivation
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III. Why SRPL?

• III.1. Why new educational goals?
• Or Europes transition from modernity to
  postmodernity
• We are now engulfed by the second wave of the
  most intensive and rapid revolution in the
  history of humanity the transition form
  modernity to postmodernity (or from Fordist to
  post-Fordist society, or from national economies
  to the global economy, etc). Over the last 40
  years, this revolution has dramatically changed
  many aspects of human life and will continue to
  do so in the foreseeable future, in an ever
  accelerating pace

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• This revolution is comprised of a series of
  chaotic and mutually augmenting upheavals on all
  levels of human life it far exceeds each of the
  discrete revolutions often mentioned in this
  context
• the digital revolution
• the emergence of the knowledge society
• globalization
• the outsourcing revolution
• the formation of mad/chaordic/virtual/flat
  organization
• the end of tenure
• the end of work
• the death of God
• the end of ideology
• the disappearance of childhood
• the collapse of all social categories and roles
• the relativistic revolutions (in the sciences
  and in ethics)
• the genetic revolution
• global warming
• the feminist revolution
• . . .

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• It encompasses all these in a huge, ever
  expanding series of tsunamis that shatter
  frameworks that have been conceived as fixed or
  eternal until 40 or even 20 years ago
• (See Aviram, 2008, pp. 4-15 iClass Model
  sections 1.1-1.4 http//www.iclass.info/eminent)
• On the other hand, education systems of the last
  150 years have been formed with the intention to
  serve and fit the modern (Fordist, perceived as
  fixed) world

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• Due to the rapidly growing gap between education
  systems which are still under the modern
  paradigm, and the changing postmodern condition
  in which they operate and which they are supposed
  to serve, education is faced with
• a series of problems that beset most schools and
  school systems (student dropout, substance abuse,
  violence, teacher burnout, ever declining
  status...)
• repeating waves of school change and reform aimed
  at correcting these problems, resulting with the
  syndrome of the predictable failure of
  educational reform (Sarason, 1990).

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• Just as traditional education went through a
  radical strategic reform within a few decades
  about 150-100 years ago to adjust to the needs
  and possibilities of the modern era (and it did
  so very well, in terms of the knowledge it
  imparted and the personal characteristics it
  fostered), so modern education has to be
  transformed similarly to adjust to the needs and
  possibilities of the postmodern era
• (See iClass Model sections 1.3-1.4 iClass
  Methodologies section 4 http//www.iclass.info/emi
  nent)

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• Traditional education before modernity

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• Because of the modern revolution...

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• Education was revolutionized

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• Given the postmodern revolutions, where should
  education go now?
• We have been here

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• Continuing here

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Where next?

• How should our education systems proactively
  adapt themselves in order to educate for
  wellbeing, productivity, competitiveness and
  citizenship in postmodern liberal democracies?

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• Postmodern democratic societies are in need of
  an educational vision ? pedagogical model ?
  didactic methodologies, which rely on ? mindful
  ICT use to carry the education systems into the
  future of LLL based society
• iClass works toward achieving this goal

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• iClass approach follows the metaphor of a
  professional and mindful mountain climber
• aiming at a faraway mountaintop
• planning the path leading to this mountaintop in
  a strategic and detailed manner
• relaying on rigorous familiarity and
  understanding of past failures and possible
  pitfalls as well as landscape features that can
  be used to assist on the way
• being aware of possible needs for changes and
  corrections
• being able to adapt the plan to changing
  conditions
• minding every step in order to move ahead

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III.2. Why the SRPL goals?

• In the current age of
• fluid social and organizational frameworks
• ever changing labor market and employability
  conditions
• saturation of information and opposing, as well
  as rapidly changing, perspectives
• personal autonomy has become the ultimate
  necessary and possible educational goal
• Personal autonomy, in turn, leads directly to SRPL

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• Personal autonomy and SRPL are necessary
  conditions for
• Effective, sustainable and transferable learning
  which can support LLL
• Personal wellbeing
• Productiveness and competitiveness in todays
  labor market
• Productive functioning in todays organizations
• Proactive and active citizenship
• Ability to belong and sustain intimate
  relationships, friendships and social commitment
  and involvement
• (See iClass Model sections 1.5, 2.1.2, 2.1.8
  http//www.iclass.info/eminent)

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IV. What is iClass strategy for achieving its
goals?

• IV.1. The operational definitions of iClass
• Personalization is defined as an adaptation of
  the learning process and its content to the
  personal characteristics and preferences of the
  learner (as much as possible).
• Operationally, personalization is based on
  processes of learners
• Exploration
• Hence self-reflection
• Choice

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• Self-regulated learning (SRL) is defined as a
  learning process that is managed (at least to
  some extent) by the learner, relying on a plan
  and monitored for following the plans aims.
• Operationally, the SRL phases are
• Forethought or planning
• Practicing, monitoring and controlling
• Task-reflection
• Intrinsic motivation exists when engaging in
  activities for their own sake without expecting
  tangible payoff for efforts. It is the inherent
  tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, and
  to extend and exercise ones capacities to
  explore and to learn.
• Operationally, intrinsic motivation is
  facilitated and sustained when the following
  psychological needs are satisfied
• Perceived competence
• Sense of autonomy (self-directedness)
• Relatedness (sense of acceptance)
• (See iClass Model sections 2.1, 2.4
  http//www.iclass.info/eminent)

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IV.2. The educational processes basic to SRPL

• Enhancement of
• Exploration
• Choice
• Planning
• Monitoring
• Perceived competence
• Self- directedness
• Sense of acceptance and
• Task- and self-reflection the dynamo behind all
  processes

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IV.3. The basic operationalization principle of
iClass

• Mutual support between the iClass ICT platform
  and the envelop methodologies
• In order to maximize the support that iClass
  provides for the SRPL processes, the
  methodologies and platform are designed to
  optimally support and complement each other, but
  they can also function as standalones

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IV.4. iClass The educational-developmental
engine

• The developmental engine of SRPL is made of 4
  sets of elements that are inherent to the
  pedagogical methodologies as well as to the
  platform
• Self-profile and personal preferences support
  for personalization and intrinsic motivation

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• Self-profile
• and
• personal preferences

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• Self-profile and personal preferences categories
  of variables
• learning process
• learning subject
• knowledge level
• physical environment
• interface

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• The variables
• learning process
• Cognitive mode influencing content matching,
  ultimately influencing characteristics of
  content
• explorative oriented ? structured-learning
  oriented
• details oriented ? big-picture oriented
• analytical oriented ? synthetic
• inductive ? deductive
• content/subject oriented ? form/situational
  oriented
• Social
• dependent ? independent
• virtual ? physical
• online (chat) ? offline (email)
• social learning ? lone learning
• collaborative/cooperative
• size of group
• mode of participation roles (leader/moderator/rap
  porteur/participant/)
• Learning approach (derived from the 5-dimensional
  model for characterization of learning
  approaches see iClass model section 2.2
  http//www.iclass.info/eminent)
• Learning goals

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• learning subject
• Subjects (ontological map constructed by each
  school or school system in accordance with its
  level of openness and needs). The following might
  resemble a segment of a subject-matter map of a
  relatively open school
• History
• Ancient world
• Middle ages
• Renaissance
• Renaissance art
• Renaissance science
• Early modern
• Art
• Art history
• Renaissance art
• Modern art
• Applied art
• Architecture

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• Processes (some of these also appear in cognitive
  modes of learning processes under learning
  process variables)
• explorative oriented ? structured-learning
  oriented
• details oriented ? big-picture oriented
• human interactions in learning ? no human
  interactions in learning

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• knowledge level
• Learning difficulty of content relative to the
  knowledge level
• Closer to upper level of knowledge ? closer to
  lower level of knowledge
• Level of difficulty increasing slowly ? level of
  difficulty increasing fast

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• physical environment
• Location of Learning
• Classroom
• Home
• Nature
• Other
• Body posture during learning
• Sitting
• Walking
• Lying
• Other
• Lighting for learning
• Soft ? hard
• Dimmed ? strong
• Behind screen/before screen
• other
• Sound
• Silence
• Music (which type)

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• interface
• screen
• background color
• background pattern
• background image (where from)
• contrast and brightness
• color scheme
• Media for presenting content
• Voice
• Text
• Video
• Animation
• Stills
• Combinations
• Combinations of media
• Chronicle order (text followed by images,
  synchronic, etc)
• Organizational order
• Type of voice
• Feminine/masculine

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• Learning plan support for self-regulation

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• Learning journal support for task- and
  self-reflection which are necessary conditions
  for all three goals

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• Embedded support functions aimed at enhancing
  the learning process (metacognition) as well as
  the main SRPL processes (structured reflection)
• Handbook
• Scaffolding (using templates and guiding
  questions)
• Personal Space (reporting based on tracking and
  profiling)
• Tips Alerts

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• iClass three synergies
• First level synergy The three goals, and the
  processes stemming from them, complementarily
  support each other

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• Second level synergy The contribution of each of
  iClass 4 constituent sets of elements as
  standalones is somewhat limited. But the constant
  interaction between them and the educational
  processes stemming from them power SRPL

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• Third level synergy The contribution of the
  platform as a standalone, or of classroom
  activities in isolation, are somewhat limited.
  But the combination of the advantages of each of
  them compensate for the weaknesses of the other
  and power SRPL

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• Advantages of teacher/classroom oriented SRPL
• The huge impact of human/dialogical touch and
  direct acceptance
• Adaptive scaffolding flexibility in responding
  to and supporting open-ended situations
• Ability or follow up on processes that go beyond
  the machine
• Advantages of platform-oriented SRPL
• The contribution of ICT to planning and
  self-direction the capability to track the
  progress of individual students along their plans
  and alert them in real time
• The contribution of ICT to personalization and
  intrinsic motivation the capability to adapt
  content and all other learning process parameters
  to each learners self-profile
• The contribution of ICT to reflection (supports
  all SRPL processes)
• Capability to track each students activities and
  changing patterns, analyze them in light of
  relevant parameters, and present feedback in real
  time
• Dynamic journal which is searchable, traceable,
  analyzable
• Capability to supply personalizable hypermedia
  explanations of SRPL processes as well as
  scaffolding (on demand or pushed)
• Tips alerts at key points in all processes to
  trigger reflection or adjustment of plans or the
  self-profile

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V. iClass Methodologies
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• iClass in the classroom (classroom pedagogy and
  content development methodologies)
• Rely (each in its own domain) on iClass four sets
  of elements and the interactions among them
• Rely on the teacher/authors ability to
• Map herself onto a scheme of educational
  approaches and pedagogical methodologies
• Goals of the learning process
• Structural methodologies of the learning process
• Pedagogical tools or strategies used in the
  process
• Assessment modes used in the process
• Learning events used in the process

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• Diagnose the level of openness and open-endedness
  allowed by the relevant approach/methodology
• Take advantage of it to diversify teaching and
  enhance SRPL

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• iClass as a compass for long-term mindful
  educational change (school change management
  methodology)
• Accommodate all learning approaches start by a
  methodological mapping in light of a
  5-dimensional model for characterizing learning
  approaches
• Gradual change start from where teachers,
  schools, and school systems are, and stay within
  their capacity to change
• Create focus groups of local change agents
• Develop long-term horizontal and vertical support
  networks
• Work for change on the classroom level,
  organizational level, system or community level
• Change vectors are bidirectional (bottom-up and
  top-down)
• Where possible support gradual change toward
  openness and open-endedness

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• iClass beyond the time frame of the project
  (exploitation and dissemination methodologies)
• Experimentation and exploitation centers
• Support for horizontal and vertical networks
• Advisory board
• Conferences and seminars

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• iClass evaluation methodology

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VI. iClass edges

• Integrative systematic thinking on the desired
  goals and processes of future European education
• Synergy and mutual support between
• Main educational goals
• Main educational process
• Classroom and ICT-based educational processes
• Reliance on harnessing the relative advantages of
  ICT in an integrative way to enhance the 3 SRPL
  goals, as well as reflection which is the engine
  powering all of them
• In a possible future version Reliance on
  harnessing the relative advantages of ICT to
  enhance the complementing social goals
• Adaptability in different scales and modes of
  use to most educational approaches and
  methodologies
• Support for gradual and mindful expansion of the
  change toward SRPL

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• Contact iClass
• Project Manager Eric Meyvis, Siemens IT
  Solutions and Services Belgium,
  eric.meyvis_at_siemens.com
• Project Development Leader Ali Türker, Middle
  East Technical University, IES Educational and
  Information Technologies, ali.turker_at_sebit.com.tr
• Project Pedagogical Leader Prof. Roni Aviram,
  Center for Futurism in Education, Department of
  Education, Ben-Gurion University,
  roniav_at_bgu.ac.il
• iClass documents and presentations are available
  at http//www.iclass.info/eminent