Using knowledge graphs to optimize MOOC instruction

Xinger Lu， Jialing Zeng， Mengyao Zhang， Xingjun Guo and Jingjing Zhang

Using the methods of co-word analysis and social network analysis， this study set out to build the knowledge graph of a course - Introduction to Psychology - on XuetangX， a Chinese MOOC platform and establish a corresponding knowledge framework as a visualization method to optimize MOOC instruction. The knowledge framework of instructional content can help instructors analyze and improve instruction via reviewing the instructional process efficiently and vividly. A comparison of the knowledge graph of instruction and that of student discussion enables instructors to reflect on their own work and students to recognize problems related to their learning， hence conducive to improving instructional content， strategies and activities. It is argued that future attention should be paid to constructing subject knowledge ontology， mining online learning data generated by xMOOCs， and exploring ways to turn knowledge graphs into knowledge structures in order to facilitate the transformation of online learners learning models.

Keywords： MOOCs； instructional content； student forum； knowledge graph

Knowledge construction in collaborative learning on learning

management systems and social media platforms

Ruixue Liu， Changdi Shi and Zhong Sun

How to use students knowledge construction to assess the quality of online collaborative learning is an issue worthy of exploring. This study set out to examine knowledge construction in collaborative learning on Moodle and WeChat， a social media mobile platform widely used in China. Participants in this study were 78 third-year students in a university and content analysis and social network analysis were used to analyze levels of knowledge construction demonstrated in collaborative learning with participants as a cohort and as individuals respectively. Findings show that there was intermediate-level knowledge construction in the comment stage of group collaborative learning on Moodle while knowledge construction was mostly at surface level in the case of WeChat， with little evidence of deep-level collaboration on both platforms. It is also found that Moodle was more suitable for knowledge construction in the reflection and discussion stages with evidence of deep-level collaboration. Generally speaking， students with higher degree centrality demonstrated intermediate-level knowledge construction in the comment stage with little deep-level collaboration. Findings of this study have implications for more effective collaborative knowledge construction in the online environment.

Keywords： online collaborative learning； levels of knowledge construction； learning platform； mobile learning platform

Delivering digital higher education into prisons： the cases of four

universities in Australia， UK， Turkey and Nigeria

Helen Farley， Anne Pike， Ugur Demiray and Nebath Tanglang

Around the world， various correctional jurisdictions are struggling to enable the delivery of higher education into prisons. At a time when universities are moving increasingly online， very often access to the internet is restricted or disallowed in correctional environments. Four universities， all leading distance education providers in the countries in which they are based， are delivering higher education into prisons using technology to varying extents. This paper reports on regional differences in the provision of distance education into prisons， particularly using technology， in Australia， the United Kingdom， Turkey and Nigeria. In these four jurisdictions， there are significant differences in prisoner access to computer hardware， personal devices and to the internet. How these differences impact on the delivery of distance education is explored with an examination of various learning initiatives and lessons learned.

Keywords： correctional education； digital inclusion； digital divide； higher education； digital equity

A review of mobile learning research in China （2006-2015）

Yueming Tang， Xiaoli Fu and Caili Bu

With rapid development of network communication technology and popularization of smart phones， mobile learning as a new way of learning has been top on the research agenda in the field of education. Using bibliometrics and the social network analysis software UCINET， this study set out to analyze journal publications collected in China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI） database in the period of 2006 - 2015. The landscape of mobile learning research in China was portrayed in terms of article number， journal distribution， highly-productive author， highly-cited article， research theme， and hot research topic. Implications from the study were also discussed.

Keywords： mobile learning； bibliometrics； visualization analysis； content analysis

Towards a personalized recommendation system for collaborative e-learning

Jian Wang and Tao Chen

Taking advantage of Internet technology to enable rapid learning， e-learning is a new way of learning which plays an important role in lifelong learning. Recommendation system and collaborative learning are two important aspects of e-learning. This study set out to develop a recommendation system for collaborative e-learning， taking into account learners personalities and learning aptitude. Results from the experiment show that the proposed system enabled personalized course recommendation to meet individual learners needs and enhance their collaborative learning. It is also found that collaborative e-learning was more effective than individual learning in terms of learning outcomes. The significance of the study is twofold： the inclusion of learning aptitude as a factor in designing the recommendation system for collaborative e-learning and the development of an evaluation and feedback system for collaborative e-learning.

Keywords： learning aptitude； e-learning； collaborative learning； recommendation system