運用無所不在的論壇於學習脈絡之合作知識支援

Collaborative Knowledge Support in a Learning Context Using a Ubiquitous Discussion Forum

魏福祥(Fu-Hsiang Wei)

指導教授 ： 陳國棟

國立中央大學/資訊電機學院/資訊工程學系/博士(2007年)

摘要

以全球資訊網為基礎的學習環境之主要挑戰是要提供網路學習者可以有互動討論、合作知識建構及知識分享的機會，讓學習者在學習或工作的脈絡當中，從事知識的獲得及運用。知識分享是構成社群的關鍵要素。大多數的網路學習社群都會使用全球資訊網論壇，提供發問問題、回答，促進互動討論和知識分享的平台。然而，這種論壇與學習活動的脈絡是分離的，有些網路學習者不知如何在論壇問問題，不知道要問些什麼問題，或缺乏脈絡看不懂別人提的問題，或是缺乏發問者的背景資料致無法適切回答該問題。老師需要費心努力地介入主持與回答。這種論壇也缺乏隨時隨地用語音討論與即時傳達的行動性支援。另外，當遇到學習問題時，學習者經常要中斷他們的學習脈絡，來尋求適合的參考知識。這種中斷會導致學習成效的降低。因此，發展一個有效的協尋支援機制，幫助學習者定位學習中的問題與脈絡，協尋同儕專家，透過無所不在的論壇進行合作討論與知識建構的機會，以及獲得適合的參考知識之推薦，對促進知識分享運用和學習成效之提升是至關重要的。 本研究提出一個植基於全球資訊網的電子書學習介面，學習者透過閱讀電子書本文時，當遇到疑問或不懂的段落，可以做註記、提問題，此問題內容及脈絡會被傳送到一個討論論壇。隨後這個問題所在處產生的錨也可被點選連結至論壇，用於激發後續的參與討論。本研究亦提出一個同儕專家協尋機制，會根據發問內容與概念知識圖，得知此問題脈絡的有關概念，並參照學習者的這些概念之知識水準狀態，利用相似度概念匹配來推薦適合的同儕專家們合作討論這個問題。透過分析網路學習歷程，可取得這些學習者之概念知識水準狀態。學習者可以隨時隨地使用智慧型手機，利用語音發問、回答，及以個人化方式來存取這個無所不在的論壇。本研究之電子書也具備有脈絡知識推薦的機制，當在電子書本文裡遇到不懂的段落，會根據此問題內容脈絡及學習者之知識水準，從一個知識倉庫裡推薦出適合的參考資源給學習者。這個知識倉庫包括網路字典，論壇以及範例庫。 本系統經實驗結果顯示，論壇平均每位學生每週張貼量從0.25升到2.64，討論水準明顯的增加。與書本內容有關的張貼量以及依各主題做討論的串連量也都有增加。 89.8%的學生認為當有不懂的本文段落時，可以容易地提問題，參與討論。平均每位助教每週張貼量從16降到5.4。 80%的學生認為可以自動獲得適當的同儕專家之協助回答問題。僅有57%的學生認為透過手機存取論壇是很容易操作使用的，在校園裡，學生比較偏好使用個人電腦勝過於手機。總結，77.5%的學生表明他們在電子書的學習脈絡裡，透過無所不在的論壇進行合作討論，並獲得知識支援，對學習是有相當大的助益。學生喜歡透過這個系統來存取知識及參與討論勝過於傳統教科書的閱讀方式。而且，學生使用這個系統的時間多寡和考試成績高低，存在著正相關的現象。

關鍵字

合作知識 ； 學習脈絡 ； 無所不在論壇 ； 行動學習 ； 電子書 ； 同儕專家協尋

並列摘要

The main challenge in Web-based learning setting is providing the opportunity and resources for discussion and collaborative knowledge construction to engage learners in acquiring, and applying knowledge in a context of learning and collaboration. Knowledge sharing is a key component of the formation of communities. Most online learning communities employ Web-based discussion forums to facilitate interactions and knowledge sharing. However, such forums are separated from the context of learning activities. Some learners don’t know how and what to ask questions, have context problems interpreting a posted question, or respond inappropriately without knowing the profile of questioners. Teachers would struggle to moderate and reply on discussion forums. Such forums also lack the ubiquity in support of voice postings and immediate delivery. Furthermore, when encountering a difficult in learning activity, learners are required to disrupt the learning context to locate adaptive knowledge. This disruption reduces learning performance. Thus, developing an effective support mechanism to help learners to locate their queries and contexts, find peer experts for collaborative knowledge building through a ubiquitous discussion forum, and acquire adaptive knowledge in a learning context, is crucial to facilitating knowledge sharing and learning performance.

This study presents a Web-based e-book interface that enables learners to annotate or enter queries in a text in which questions arise, where the query context is transferred to a discussion forum. The subsequent anchors of questions are linked to a discussion forum for actuating sustained participation. Meanwhile, based on learners’ knowledge level of specific concepts in the query context derived from a concept map, a mentor finder adopts similarity-based concept matching to recommend peer experts for collaborative knowledge building through discussions. Learners’ knowledge level can be analyzed based on Web-based portfolios. Whenever and wherever, learners can use smartphones to post a voice up, and access this ubiquitous discussion forum in an individual basis. This study also extends e-book with a contextual knowledge recommender that can support learners to locate adaptive references from a knowledge repository, when questions arise in a text. This knowledge repository comprises a web dictionary, discussion forum, and library of examples.

Experiments showed that weekly posting per student was from 0.25 up to 2.64, a clear increase in the level of discussions. Both postings related book topic and average length of discussion threads were also increased. 89.8% of students can easily locate questions and enter into discussion in a text where learning question encountered. Average reply of teaching assistants was decreased from 16 down to 5.4. 80% of students can automatically obtain suitable peer help regarding the problem. Only 57% of students said that it is simple to access forum by using smartphone. Students prefer PC to smartphone in campus. To summarize, 77.5% of students indicated that they benefited considerably by collaborative discussion in an e-book learning context through a ubiquitous forum. Students prefer accessing knowledge and joining discussions through this system to reading a conventional textbook. A positive correlation existed between amount of time spent for students using this system and their grade.

並列關鍵字

Ubiquitous Discussion Forum ； e-book ； peer mentor finder ； Collaborative Knowledge ； Learning Context ； mobile learning

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