edOS: catalyzing an ecosystem of advanced courseware creation

Abstract:

Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) that provide feedback and remediation adaptive to learner needs are very effective, with outcomes comparable to human tutoring. These systems enable the use of effective pedagogical strategies, such as active learning, in asynchronous learning environments where human tutors are unavailable. In spite of this demonstrated value, ITS-based adaptive learning is not the norm in digital courseware. This is in large part because the tools and platforms for creating and executing adaptive learning experiences are proprietary and not cross-compatible, inhibiting adoption by instructors and institutions who fear that their creations will be “locked in” to proprietary ITS platforms.

To address this challenge, the Center for Education Through Exploration (ETX) at Arizona State University is working with relevant partners in education technology to design a new architecture for ITS-based adaptive learning, and to create an openly licensed reference implementation of that architecture. At the foundation of the architecture are learning feedback loops which underlie most active learning strategies. This effort builds on ETX’s decade of experience working with Smart Sparrow, a pioneering ITS developer, and meets the needs of ongoing ETX projects funded by NASA and the Dept. of Education. We call the fully realized architecture edOS.

edOS separates the creation of adaptive courseware from the execution of adaptive courseware code, via documented APIs that constitute a set of interoperability standards. With this architecture, any learning experience written to the standards can run on any ITS platform that implements those standards, eliminating the problem of lock-in. At the same time, proprietary extensions are possible, allowing for commercial innovators to differentiate beyond the open standards. This new architecture shifts the paradigm for courseware system design, enabling more educators to embrace the use and development of sophisticated courseware. By analogy with apps and smartphone OS, it will catalyze the emergence of a vibrant ecosystem of courseware creators and platform developers, creating an expanding and iteratively improving inventory of courseware that enhances student learning.