Capturing requirements for e-learning systems design

Núria Talavera; Enrique Álvarez; Pedro Mondelo; Fernando Terrés

Centre d’Ergonomia i Prevenció Departament d’Organització d’Empreses Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

Diagonal 647, Planta 10 – 08028 Barcelona - Spain

talavera@oe.upc.es

Abstract

This paper identifies the issues to consider in the definition, selection or evaluation of an e-learning system, regarding both the learning process and the system management. Our work focuses particularly on the continuous learning and higher education field. First, we have reviewed the literature on learning theories and their application to online learning. Second, we have analyzed the features of the current learning platforms and tools and the results and lessons learned from past experiences. And finally, we have applied the most common techniques of requirements capture in software design to the particular case of e-learning systems design.

Keywords:

e-learning, online learning systems, continuous learning, higher education, requirements capture.

1.INTRODUCTION

In the last few years, the information technology has played an important role in the business field. Today’s workers, immersed in a changing environment, need to rapidly adapt their knowledge. Consequently, traditional learning systems must evolve and readapt to meet market requirements and be able to face up to an extensive, massive and diversified learning demand. E-learning could be a solution to this problem.

The new online learning paradigm is not about avoiding time and space barriers; it is about providing the learning resources and training activities needed, in the right place and at the right time.

Although there is a large amount of platforms (Docent, WebCT, etc.) and portals providing online learning services, it is rather difficult to identify which solution matches best the needs of the organization. On the Internet there are many reports comparing the features of the different platforms and learning portals. However, an accurate adaptation of the solution must be performed to fit the requirements of the organization. In most cases, the stakeholders decide not to use a commercial solution and develop a system specifically designed to satisfy their needs.

Since building e-learning systems involves a variety of stakeholders (business executives, training managers, creative design, and the technology and development team, among others), having a process helping them to identify the specifications of the solution and facilitate communication among them is critical to success.

The main goal of this paper is to identify the issues to consider in the requirements capture in order to assure that the system will support users’ tasks, and make them easier, faster, simpler, more flexible and even fun.

2.FRAMEWORK

The next figure shows the framework of our research: 1) Applying learning theories to online learning; 2) Today’s online learning solutions; 3) Continuous learning and higher education; 4) Capturing requirements for software design.

Figure 1 - Framework of the research

We will analyze the confluence of these four fields to identify the issues to consider in the design of an e- learning system. As a result, we expect to detect a knowledge management and competence-based learning approach both in the corporate and the academic field.

2.1Applying learning theories to online learning

Many research works analyze and apply traditional learning theories to online learning. The objective of these papers is to set some pedagogical guidelines to assure the quality of learning in a context where distance emphasizes individual learning versus guided instruction.

Patsula [Patsula 1999] analyses five learning theories (Gagne’s Conditions of Learning Theory, Bruner’s Constructivist Theory, Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, Carroll’s Minimalist Theory and Vygostky’s Theory of Social Cognitive Development) and proposes a set of strategies for e-learning systems design, in regard to learning methodology, contents design and organization, usability and system’s navigation.

The analysis of cognitive factors (how people build, process and store knowledge) and psychological factors (emotions and intentions) reveals that there are individual differences in the learning process. Therefore, there’s not a unique system design able to satisfy the needs of all its users. Martínez [Martínez 2001] identifies four learner orientations (transforming learner, performing learner, conforming learner, resistant learner) and compares how each profile plans and sets goals, commits and expends effort, and then experiences learning to attain goals. He concludes his work providing a set of suggestions for designing learning environments matching each learning orientation. Among others, he analyses the next subjects: building knowledge, problem solving, feedback and information need, user interface, strategies to achieve objectives, learning module size, inquiry and content structure.

2.2Today’s online learning solutions

In broad terms, e-learning industry can be divided in three main categories: content (companies which produce and publish their own content), services (content distribution, consulting, implementation, ecommerce, community portals) and technology (delivery platforms, content creation tools, collaborative environments, etc.). A report from Morgan Keegan [Rutenbur 2000] plots the various characteristics and competencies of the best known companies of the sector on a table considering the following variables: the markets that they serve, their revenue model and their core offer (content, services or technology).

Today’s overall e-learning marketplace serves three main markets: academic (formal education), corporate (employees, clients and providers training), and consumer (informal education, lifelong learning). The most common types of revenue model are: contracts, pay-per-use and ads/sponsors.

Regarding portals and platforms features, a research work developed in France [Préau/Aska/Klr.fr 2000] analyses and compares the main characteristics (learning and pedagogical resources organization, enrolments system, user profiles, testing methodology, tools, etc.) of 17 platforms and 10 e-learning portals. There is a website [http://www.c2t2.ca/landonline] that provides an online tool which permits any environment specified by the user to be compared with any of the environments analyzed by the site.

2.3Continuous learning and higher education

The requisites for continuous and individual learning are: a) perceiving needs; b) setting objectives that may satisfy those needs; c) selecting a strategy for reaching the objectives. These three requisites constitute a fundamental starting point in the design of e-learning systems conceived for continuous learning [Forcheri et al, 2000].

The continuous learning research field involves the following concepts:

¡Learning individually

It examines the role that may be played by a technology-based environment for enabling and promoting individual learning and identifies the features that the system may have to stimulate the learner activity [Sinitsa 2000].

¡Learning to learn

It refers to the knowledge, skills and attitudes that a person needs to develop to be a continuous learner and the strategies that organizations may use to promote the continuous learning of theiremployees and the management of their human capital (the learning organization) [King 2001].

¡Basic knowledge and skills

They define the basic competences that today’s professionals need to develop to remain competitive in the information society and to promote their employability.

The traditional university has evolved towards new models where information technology has a very important role. Hanna [Hanna 1998] identifies seven different university models (including corporate universities and strategic alliances university – industry) and compares their philosophy, mission, use of technology, training methodology, productivity outcomes, governance, physical facilities, etc.

2.4Capturing requirements: from vision to requirements

The main goal of requirements capture is to design towards the correct system. Successful technology-based environments design must start with a compelling vision statement where the stakeholders of the project (business executives and development team) reach an agreement on what problem need to be solved and which are the boundaries and most important features of the system.

Figure 2 (unified process in software development [Jacobson et al. 1999]) shows the weight of the requirements identification and specification workflow versus the other workflows (analysis, design, implementation and test) in each phase of project’s lifecycle (inception, elaboration, construction and transition). During the two first phases (inception and elaboration) 80% of the requirements are identified. Therefore, although the most important work related to requirements capture is concentrated at the beginning of the project, it will last throughout the project lifecycle.

Figure 2 – Requirements and project lifecycle

The requirements capture process involves both understanding the context and user’s needs and identifying the system entities, the business rules and additional and non functional specifications such as usability, accessibility and scalability conditions. In the particular case of online learning systems design, we consider that it would be useful to add another step in the process: defining learning methodology.

Figure 3 shows the steps that we recommend following in the identification process:

Figure 3 – Capturing requirements chart

1.Understanding the context

The first step in the requirements capture process is to understand the context where the system will operate. Several techniques, such as Business modeling or Business Process Reengineeringdiagrams, can help to understand and explain business processes.

2.Identifying user profiles, needs and tasks

Once the context is defined, the user profiles that will interact with the system must be identified, and so must their needs and the tasks that they should be able to perform. Use cases are a standard technique for gathering requirements in many modern software development methodologies. A use case is one of the ways of using the system. The sum of all the available ways of using the system constitutes the functional requirements (what things the system will do and how, independently of the technology it will be used in the development and the way the user–system interaction will beperformed). Constantine [Constantine et al. 2000] proposes some use cases description guidelines.

3.Defining learning methodology

It defines the way the learning will be performed and how it will match the different learning paradigms and learner orientations. As a result, the main elements of the learning process must be identified aswell as the main features of each profile environment.

4.Identifying the system entities

The entities are all the items the user will take, handle, produce or use in his interaction with the system (i.e., an inscription, an exam, a chapter, a mail, etc.). Each entity is defined and described bya set of attributes and states. Apart from the entities identification it will be useful to elaborate a glossary with all the outstanding terms that appear in the requirements capture phase (i.e. validation date, setup date, etc.).

5.Identifying additional and non functional requirements

These requirements specify properties of the system such as accessibility, availability, reliability, andso on. They can affect some or all the functional requirements.

6.Defining initial navigation map

The navigation map is a view of the e-learning system showing how users will navigate in it. It can berepresented in a hierarchical ‘tree’ diagram. Each level of the diagram shows the number of clicks that it takes to reach a screen / page. Keeping the most important areas of the system only one click awayfrom the first screen / page will facilitate user tasks. Creating a system navigation map at the earlystages of the project provides a valuable communication vehicle between stakeholders and the development team.

Once the requirements are identified, they must be classified, assessed and ranked. The last step of the requirements capture is the detailed description of the top requirements. The assessment (in the capturing requirements phase) and management (during the whole project lifecycle) of the requirements may be improved if we assign them some attributes such as:

• Added value.
• Alternatives if not implemented.
• Effects if not implemented.
• Priority (critical, important, secondary).
• Risk level if implemented (critical, significant, ordinary).
• Implementation cost (in terms of resources and hours / person).
• State (proposed, approved, included or validated).

3.RESULTS

This section shows the issues identified from the analysis of the four dimensions considered in the research framework. We have divided the results according the steps presented in the requirements identification process. A set of type questions is provided for each step as well as a list of the results that they should produce and the identified issues.

Finally, a theoretical model representing the most important features that we have identified is proposed (Figure 4). The model includes the modules needed to perform the learning process (Front End) and the modules required to manage the system (Back End). We have considered the Wertenbroch approach [Wertenbroch et al. 2000] to design the learning methodology. This approach assumes that people learn by the combination of three dimensions: absorbing, doing and interacting with others. By combining different amounts of these dimensions, we obtain systems matching different learning paradigms and consequently, different learner profiles.

Figure 4 – Theoretical model of an e-learning system

3.1Identifying context

1B2C: Business to Consumer model 2B2E: Business to Employee model 3B2B: Business to Business model

3.2Identifying user profiles, needs and tasks

3.3Defining learning methodology

3.4System entities

Entities

Catalogue, course, inscription, lesson, chapter, test, activities, tools, contents, discussions, reports, mailbox, messages…

3.5Identifying additional and non functional requirements

3.6Initial navigation map

• 4. ¿What user actions may be performed in this section?
• 5. ¿How many clicks it will take a user to reach the contents of a course?

Figure 5 – Initial navigation map example

4.CONCLUSIONS

The market demand encourages e-learning development, especially in the higher education and continuous learning field. However, the organizations have to expend great effort identifying the solution that meets best their needs. As capturing requirements is one of the more critical phases in software design, the research and development of methods and techniques that facilitate the identification of the requirements and the communication among the stakeholders and the development team is fundamental to the success of the results.

This paper identifies the most common issues to consider in the design of an e-learning system. Future research works may be focused to the design of tools such as checklist to help the requirements capture with recommendations depending on the items selected as well as tools for assessing and ranking the identified requirements.

We have also observed that developing the appropriate knowledge and skills related to the strategies of the organization, is the main target for in-company training programs. Therefore, learning systems must include or be connected to human capital management applications. We encourage future research programs focused in the analysis and design of tools for managing personal goals and curriculum development based in competence patterns that meet market demand.

5.REFERENCES

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