LS-LAB: A Framework for Comparing Curriculum Sequencing Algorithms

Curriculum sequencing is one of the most appealing challenges in Web-based learning environments: the success of a course mainly depends on the system capability to automatically adapt the learning material to the student´s educational needs. Here we address the problem of how to compare and to test different curriculum sequencing algorithms in order to reason about them in a self-contained and homogeneous environment. We propose LS-LAB, a framework especially designed for comparing and testing different curriculum sequencing algorithms. LS-LAB has been designed to run different algorithms, each of them provided with its own student model representation: a super student model is able to incrementally include all of them. In this framework, the learning node has to be compliant to the IEEE LOM specifications, while, through a suitable GUI, one can insert new algorithms or run already available ones. We are carrying out the implementation by using a 3-tier Java application technology, in order to make this environment available on the Internet. Finally we show an application example.