Towards adaptive web-based learning for database design

Abstract

The web is increasingly being used as a supplementary of traditional education. And, some educators use it as a sole delivery system that without any face-to-face tutoring. This is web-based learning, which is a learning mode that without tutor’s guidance and instructions, aims to achieve self-learning that student must learn the knowledge on their own. Therefore, it is crucial to provide a mechanism to evaluate the student performance and their learning abilities in the environment that without assistance. Although several web-based courses currently exist on the Internet, they mostly provide the channels for course documentation download, and assess the students’ performances by online multiple-choice quizzes and offline writing assignments. Actually, that is not enough in the evaluation of student learning ability and performance, because student can complete those quizzes and assignments by copying and referencing the learning resources. For the theoretical and practical subjects, it is prefect to give an opportunity to student to practice and apply the knowledge that they have learned from the site, onto a real case. This project gives an online learning environment, aims to investigate the feasibility of web-based learning for database design. It provides a platform to student to learn from the practical exercises – Fix Format (a case study exercise with fixed input and model answer, aims for basic concepts understanding) and Free Format (a test on the learnt knowledge by comparing system generated answer and learner’s expected answer). In the exercises, interactions are required between the students and the site. It simulates the human actions in designing a database system, which involves several procedural steps and theories of data semantics. For making the students more confident in performing the exercises, system comments and instructions will be provided as guidance.