Abstract:
Nowadays online learning has been recognized as an important
alternative to conventional classroom learning. However many
current online instructional systems merely supply course
materials for learners without providing effective services to
support learners to construct knowledge. Learners only passivelv
receive information from the presented materials. They have not
been engaged in activelv constructing meaningful understandings
of the study theme bv using a constructivist method. This work
tries, through managing learners' learning processes, to actively
assist them to construct knowledge in a constructivist way. In
this paper, the online learning process is structured and the
services to support knowledge construction in the process are
defined. The database for providing information to implement
the services is exploited. including a specification language to
describe the learning activities, the major components and their
roles to supply the services. The approaches to implementing
these services are respectively studied.
