An open IMS-based user modelling approach for developing adaptive learning management systems

Adaptive LMS have not yet reached the eLearning marketplace due to methodological, technological and management open issues. At aDeNu group, we have been working on two key challenges for the last five years in related research projects. Firstly, develop the general framework and a running architecture to support the adaptive life cycle (i.e., design, publication, use and monitoring), which focuses on a user-centred experience. Secondly, construct the required models based on standards to support adaptive learning scenarios which combine IMS-based design solutions and intelligent analysis of users' interactions. In this paper we describe the design rationale of the developed architecture, the user modelling approach and the main experimentation results at aLFanet project. Furthermore, we introduce our current research works on key open issues i) automatic generation of IMS-LD designs (ADAPTAPlan) and ii) how to extend those models to cope with accessibility and functional diversity issues to provide services for “all”, which take into account pedagogical and psychological issues (EU4ALL).