Toward adaptability of e-evaluation: transformation from tree-based to graph-based structure

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine have forced students to use distance learning. Modern information technologies have enabled global e-learning usage but also revealed a lack of personalization and adaptation in the learning process when compared to face-to-face learning. While adaptive e-learning methods exist, their practical application is slow because of the additional time and resources needed to prepare learning material and its logical adaptation. To increase e-learning materials’ usability and decrease the design complexity of automated adaptive students’ work evaluation, we propose several transformations from a competence tree-based structure to a graph-based automated e-evaluation structure. Related works were summarized to highlight existing e-evaluation structures and the need for new transformations. Competence tree-based e-evaluation structure improvements were presented to support the implementation of top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top transformations. Validation of the proposed transformation was executed by analyzing different use-cases and comparing them to the existing graph-to-tree transformation. Research results revealed that the competence tree-based learning material storage is more reusable than graph-based solutions. Competence tree-based learning material can be transformed for different purposes in graph-based e-evaluation solutions. Meanwhile, graph-based learning material transformation to tree-based structure implies material redundancy, and the competence of the tree structure cannot be restored.