Extracting and formally representing the knowledge embedded in textbooks, such as the concepts explained and the relations between them, can support the provision of advanced knowledge-based services for learning environments and digital libraries. In this paper, we consider a specific type of relation in textbooks referred to as…

The recommendation is an active area of scientific research; it is also a challenging and fundamental problem in online education. However, classical recommender systems usually suffer from item cold-start issues. Besides, unlike other fields like e-commerce or entertainment, e-learning recommendations must ensure that learners have the adequate…

As community colleges and systems move away from developmental education and encourage students to enroll in introductory, college-level coursework to complete their math and English requirements, it is critical to provide students with additional academic supports to help them succeed. One such model is the corequisite course, a model that offers…

This note demonstrates that measurement invariance does not guarantee meaningful and valid group comparisons in multiple-population settings. The article follows on a recent critical discussion by Robitzsch and Lüdtke, who argued that measurement invariance was not a pre-requisite for such comparisons. Within the framework of common factor…

This research examines the relationship between prerequisite algebra knowledge and graduate corporate finance course performance. Standardized math questions designed for an undergraduate introductory finance course also predict quantitative performance metrics among 128 business graduate students. Results demonstrate that prerequisite math…

Background: Representational competence is commonly considered a prerequisite for the acquisition of conceptual knowledge, yet little exploration has been undertaken into the relation between these two constructs. Using an assessment instrument of representational competence with vector fields that functions without confounding topical context, we…

Competency repositories have been developed for several years with various objectives: helping to establish competency assessments, helping with recruitment, helping to build training. A repository can bring together the descriptions of several hundred competencies. However, few studies have focused on the structuring of a competency repository.…

To ensure the validity of an assessment programme, it is essential to align it with the intended learning outcomes (LO). We present a model for ensuring assessment validity which supports this constructive alignment and uses learning analytics (LA). The model is based on LA that include a comparison between ideal LO weights (expressing the…

Recent research has focused on local context as crucial for inclusion. This paper focuses on schools' prerequisites for inclusion and how such prerequisites can be theorised. We explore theoretically and empirically how location, commuting, and social ties interrelate and influence schools' prerequisites for inclusion. Using case studies, we…

Purpose: The South African vocational education and training (VET) sector is required by legislation to redefine postsecondary education, advance industrialisation and expand the job market to address unemployment in the country. Yet, VET leaders' heterogenous educational and occupational backgrounds do not enable them to address the needs of the…

There can be many reasons why students fail to answer correctly to summative tests in advanced computer science courses: often the cause is a lack of prerequisites or misconceptions about topics presented in previous courses. One of the ITiCSE 2020 working groups investigated the possibility of designing assessments suitable for differentiating…

The Faculty of Medicine at Mandume Ya Ndemufayo University began teaching in 2009, taking on the challenge of outcomes-based education and aiming to train qualified professionals according to the needs of the community. This article aims to describe and analyze how the teaching of physiology is organized in the medical program at this university.…

This paper describes the study of enforcement of prerequisites in the Computer Science program at a regional university in the Southwest. Prerequisites are a significant factor in programs of study in higher education. Allowing students to register in courses may assume that they have existing knowledge and skills. Some programs treat…

Introductory calculus classes at the college level are often used as "gatekeepers" or "filters" for science and engineering majors. However, some researchers have questioned whether calculus courses, as currently taught, are filtering students appropriately (Black & Hernandez-Martinez, 2016; Williams, 2012; Williams &…

As learners engage, test, and apply new subject knowledge, they often expend their cognitive capacity on the technological tools designed to capture their learning progress and outcomes. The energy and attention spent on these tools reduces their capacity to engage deeply with new learning concepts. Digital literacy skills require both cognitive…