Application of automatically constructed concept map of learning to conceptual diagnosis of e-learning

The concept map proposed by Novak is a good tool to portray knowledge structure and to diagnose students’ misconception in education. However, most of the learning concept maps have to be constructed through the suggestions of experts or scholars in related realm. It is really a complicated and time-consuming knowledge acquisition process. The study proposed to apply the algorithm of Apriori for Concept Map to develop an intelligent concept diagnostic system (ICDS). It provides teachers with constructed concept maps of learners rapidly, and enables teachers to diagnose the learning barriers and misconception of learners instantly. The best Remedial-Instruction Path (RIP) can be reached through the algorithm of RIP suggested in this study. Furthermore, RIP can be designed to provide remedial learning to learners. Moreover, by using statistical method, the study analyzed 245 students’ data to investigate whether the learning performance of learners can be significantly enhanced after they have been guided by the RIP. 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.