Types of trail

From the pedagogical approaches some typical trails emerge. These will be discussed in this section. We can identify two main types of trail and also some other elements necessary for creating trails but that are not themselves trails. The first category is planned trails. The second category is effected trails. There is also the third category containing elements that are not trails themselves, but that are necessary elements for creating trails. Although some types of effected trails do not originate in planned trails (e.g. a discussion), there are other kinds of elements that are a prerequisite to creating the effected trails. These are listed in this third category.

The planned trails include:

Fixed introduction and exercise trail

These trails are built of exercises and/or introductory LOs. The exercises may have containers for storing the results. There is one route, hence the prefix ‘fixed’. This fixed route may be based on the personal profile of the learner. This trail type is associated with cognitive apprenticeship and classroom learning.

Adaptive introduction and exercise trail

These trails are built of exercises and/or introductory LOs. The exercises have containers for storing the results. The

corresponding effected trail is partly dependent on the results to exercises. Based on the results in the effected part of the trail, the system adapts its planned trail. This trail type is associated with cognitive apprenticeship and classroom learning.

The effected trails include:

Discussion trail A discussion trail is created by the interaction of learners with one another. It typically consists of elements, ‘LOs’, that emerge during the learning process and that were not present at the beginning. This trail

can be used to set up a personal ‘discussion profile’. It can also be used in characterizing the discussion. This trail type is associated with all pedagogical approaches.

Visit & result trail A visit & result trail lists the LOs that the learner has visited and the results, as well as the LOs that have not yet been visited. This trail type may be used in adapting the planned trail. The results may be added to the personal profile. The trail may be used to determine how far

individual students have advanced in ‘doing’ the LOs. This trail type is associated with cognitive apprenticeship (both example and exercise trails) and classroom learning (both introductory and exercise trails).

Data selection trail

A data selection trail lists the data that the student has selected and visited, and may also list relevant data that has not been selected. The trail can be used when discussing the decisions that the student has made. This trail type is associated with problem-based learning and inquiry learning.

Simulation trail A trail through a simulation shows the subsequent parameters that the student has manipulated to test the hypotheses. It can be used in discussing the learner’s method of hypothesis testing. This trail type is associated with discovery learning.

The third category is the elements necessary to create effected trails, which are not trails themselves. These include:

Data to be searched

The LOs that belong to this category include mostly ‘rough data’, information objects. Since no route is planned through the data, there is no planned trail. This element is associated with problem-based learning and inquiry learning.

Discussion platform

A discussion platform is a necessary element for creating discussion trails. This element is associated with all pedagogical approaches.

Simulation A simulation is one LO, and hence not a planned trail. Within a simulation the learner can create an effected trail. This element is associated with discovery learning.

The table below gives an overview of these classifications, and lists:

Metadata of LOs within trail The relevant metadata that should be added to the LOs that are part of the trail.

Metadata of trail itself The relevant metadata that should be added to the trail as a whole.

Characteristics of personal profile Characteristics of the personal profile that may be used in creating a planned trail of this type or that may be added to the personal profile, based on an effected trail.

Again, some metadata can be added beforehand, while the learner provides the values of some other metadata fields. The first type of metadata can be used in plotting trails, the other type in evaluating trails:

• Pre-authored metadata of LOs and trails useable in planned trails include: topic, difficulty, learning objective, learning style, collaborative/individual, role;

• Metadata of LOs and trails for which the values are created by the learner, and which are thus part of the effected trail include: visited/not-visited, popularity, results,

reaction type (in a discussion), selected/not-selected, discussion thread to which the LO or trail belongs, role.

Metadata of LOs within

Elements necessary to create effected trails that are not trails themselves:

Data to be

Simulation Topic N/A Learning style

Effected trails:

Discussion trail

Type of reaction Metadata of

individual trails: type

Simulation trail N/A (the trail is created within the simulation LO)

N/A (the trail is created within the simulation LO)

Level of achievement

About Chapter 3

One basic distinction introduced in Chapter 2 was the distinction between trails that have been laid out as a route for the learner to follow and trails that have been created by the learner, by following a route or in any other possible way. Chapter 3 elaborates on this distinction. A trail that has to be followed consists of learning objects that have not yet been visited by the learner. As the learner proceeds, more and more learning objects are being visited and receive the status of a visited learning object. Chapter 3 shows how it is possible to visualize visited and non-visited learning objects in a map, which can then be used by the learner as a navigational map.