Personalized Content Provision for Virtual Learning Environments via the Semantic Web

Abstract In this paper we discuss how we may personalize e-learning along three distinct axes, namely: teaching and learning pedagogical philosophies, personalized educational processes to taste and the coordination of these processes during execution. In doing so we are concerned with supporting users’ choices of educational options in course delivery via the Web services. In the work presented here, we assess the practical needs of learners and tutors and then the main research problems are analysed from a practical and pragmatic point of view. Following on from this the design of an intelligent virtual learning environment (VLE) is described to map a set of extensive didactic paradigms, which is represented by a system model and architecture. In this system, the semantic information of learning units and processes (e.g. the relationships among units) can be described and integrated in terms of various requirements of our users. As a result instructional materials with a wide variety of executional options and conditions can be built. Furthermore, through reassembling the semantics of learning content according to users’ new demands, our target audience (both student and content deliverers) can change their particular educational experience dynamically. This VLE can provide high-powered pedagogy-layered personalization - thus enabling new managed e-learning Web services and applications.