Abstract:

Learners are individuals with different competencies, learning trajectories, and interests, which results in different requirements for the design of learning processes by educators. Digital networked learning environments allow a broad range of individual learning activities, which are increasingly applied in e.g. Higher Education and provide learners and educators with more flexibility to meet individual needs. We carried out an analysis of scaffolding in e-education and found that all areas were so far focused on the constructivism-oriented presentation of learning analytics indicators (Riedel et al, 2021), learning content (referring to cognitive load theory by Anderson et al., 2001) or linear knowledge transfer (referring to constructive alignment by Biggs, 1996), realized in the context of a functional user interface design up to experience-oriented learning experience design. Current research shows that the opportunities of digital networked learning environments are not fully utilized yet and that knowledge acquisition in increasingly distributed knowledge networks poses new challenges to learners and educators, especially as of "profiling and prediction", "assessment and evaluation", "intelligent tutoring systems", and "adaptive systems and personalization" (Zawacki-Richter et al., 2019). A question which remains unanswered is how scaffolding or technical artefacts can be used in the field of formative assessment for individual learning support and more equal opportunities in order to facilitate the learning process in networked learning environments according to the connectivism-based approach (by Siemens, 2005 & Downes, 2012) as a connection of different knowledge units.

To answer this question, we want to present a well-founded concept of how formative (micro-)e-assessments are usable in Higher Education, at the example of the mathematical domain, to automatically determine acquired and missing individual competencies. Based on these information, we guide learners in their learning process to acquire missing or additional competencies in a software-supported process. Therefore, we utilize and extended the abilities and provided tools of digital networked learning environments to record learning trajectories and outcomes, as well as to assess and meet individual learners. Our concept requires three formal models, which are a digitally prepared and annotated e-assessment item pool, a knowledge graph of the domain that includes topics, necessary competencies, as well as learning materials, as well as a digital individual model, which records and reflects competencies and integrates aspects about the loss of such.

Alongside the concept, we present a proof of concept implementation for tools and applications to generate the required models in a semi-automatic way, which augment the anyway executed steps to e.g. create an e-assessment item pool or to collect learning activities (Meissner et al., 2021). To carry out a study with students in the near future, a Competence Acquisition Tool (CAT) is currently implemented in order to compare learning success and invested time between a concept/CAT supported and a non concept/CAT supported learning environment.

Keywords:

Educational Science, Connectivism, Higher Education, Formative E-Assessment, Learning Analytics, Competence Acquisition, Software-Supported Learning.