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Detecting Disengagement of Online Students through Log Files Analysis

Publication at Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen |
2014

Abstract

To achieve effective learning, motivational aspects like engagement play a very important role. Within online learning applications the disengagement detection and prediction based on real data (not always in real time) is becoming more and more popular among educational specialists.

Many Elearning systems, and virtual or remote learning environments, could be improved by tracking students' disengagement that, in turn, would allow personalized interventions at appropriate times in order to re-engage students. The present article describes the results of a medium-scale (N = 56) study, using log files from Open Remote Laboratory at Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, to observe secondary school students' behaviour during their work in virtual environment.

Simple data mining and text mining techniques were used to reveal individual user's behavioural patterns and to detect disengagement. The results will be used mainly to improve the systems' adaptability to students' requirements and to prevent their disengagement.