Guenter Hilmer - Phd Thesis - Glamorgan Dspace - University of ...

2.11 Adaptive Hypermedia System 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.11 Adaptive Hypermedia System
The research interest in an Adaptive Hypermedia System (AHS) [143][144] and
WWW based AHS has grown over the last years [145]. The working scope of an
AHS lies in the adaptation of links, content or both based on a user’s profile and
his interaction with the system [146].
Furthermore, it is recommended by Shute et al. that the creation of adaptive e-
learning methods should be preferred to the creation of “one-size-fits-all” learning
solutions [147]. Therefore, a concept of an “adaptive engine” is developed that can
be used to build e-learning environments in which e-learning does no longer have
to be confined to making learning material accessible but can focus on improving
learning by adapting instruction and content to suit individual learners.
Research on adaptive e-learning and AHSs is not only going on in a general area,
but for example also in adaptive scaffolding. Azevedo et al. suggest analysing the
impact of different scaffolding instructional interventions on the students’ abili-
ties to regulate their learning of complex science topics with hypermedia [148].
The main focus is on investigating the effectiveness of various scaffolding tech-
niques in order to enhance the learners’ abilities to shift to more sophisticated
mental models and to regulate their learning. Scaffolding is defined as providing
assistance to students on an as-needed basis, fading the assistance as the com-
petence increases. Although the use of scaffolds in hypermedia environments is
quite common, there is a paucity of empirical research on the subject, particularly
with respect to exploring the impact of various types of scaffolding techniques on
supporting learning of complex topics.
However, the apects mentioned above provide a major challenge to existing tech-
nologies, since it is currently impossible for any hypermedia system to emulate
the role of the tutor. Hence, more investigation in the context of hypermedia en-
vironments other than the one used in this research will shed more light on the
significance of AHSs for the process of facilitating the learners’ abilities to regu-
late their learning.
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