This article introduces a practical software architecture called CUBES, which focuses on system integration and evolvement for online virtual universities. The key of CUBES is a supporting platform that helps to integrate and evolve heterogeneous educational applications developed by different organizations. Both standardized educational applications that follow popular e-learning standards, su...

The main aim of this chapter is to introduce the reader to the concept of testing and to the principles that underpin the practice of educational and psychological testing. The first part of this chapter is devoted to that aim. A second aim of the chapter is to examine applications of testing under the headings of educational, industrial, and clinical. Examples will be introduced from the autho...

The potential educational power of digital games which equip learners with motivation and help them focus has well been studied. However, few applications taking advantage of such findings exist, and even fewer are put into practice. In this thesis we investigate the possibility of building game-like applications in order to demonstrate non-trivial AI concepts to non-expert humans. We do so by ...

Modern inclusive educational approaches try to eliminate educational inequalities and barriers in the learning and teaching process. For this reason, and by using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), it is necessary to differentiate educational material and tools in order to allow all students, including those with disabilities, to access education. The objective of this paper is t...

While the benefits of computer-assisted learning are acknowledged within the educational community, numerous new educational software applications are being developed. Educational software can become very effective if it is adaptive and individualised to the student. However, one important aspect of students that has been overlooked so far in such software applications is affect. This paper des...

In this paper, we present Virtual Touch, a toolkit that allows the development of educational activities through a mixed reality environment such that, using various tangible elements, the interconnection of a virtual world with the real world is enabled. The main goal of Virtual Touch is to facilitate the installation, configuration and programming of different types of technologies, abstracti...

US schools spend $5 billion annually on technology. However, despite the educational software market's size and potential impact on students, its fragmented nature makes it difficult for software producers to develop viable education business strategies based on traditional monolithic applications. Component-based software design radically changes this picture by supporting the design and disse...

The emergence of multi-touch screen tablets has increased the opportunities for mobile learning, as the unique capabilities and affordances of these devices give them an educational advantage over other mobile technologies. Tablets are progressively finding their way into classrooms and transforming modes of learning and teaching. However, research on educational applications of this digital to...

This paper describes a XML-based solution for developing educational hypermedias. This solution is the outcome of the lessons learned in the development of Galatea application, and integrates a hypermedia design methodology (ODH) with a generic technique for the construction of XMLbased applications (DTC). Using ODH, designers can describe application’s content, presentation and interaction as ...

AHA! is an Open Source adaptive hypermedia platform, resulting from 10 years of experience with creating, using and improving on-line adaptive courses and presentations. This paper focuses on some recent additions to AHA! that are especially important for adaptive educational applications, namely stable presentations, adaptive link (icon) annotations and adaptive link destinations. We not only ...