Adapting instructional hypermedia content to cognitive profiles

Abstract

Most existing web based distant education environments take into consideration the notion of student profile. Despite the significant variability of the content of such profiles, some common features are commonly encountered, such as initial level of knowledge, progress indicators, and learning objectives. Few systems consider cognitive aspects when modelling student profile. The objective of our work is to investigate this latter issue. We are currently developing a student model based on cognitive parameters that include learning styles, social factors, perception preferences, motivation factors, among others. The methodology adopted is to validate this profile through experimental study and to develop an adaptive hypermedia education system that automatically learns student profile and adapts learning materials accordingly. This papers presents an overview of the objectives and the methodology of this work.