This document discusses an integrated personalized e-learning system called SUMA & T-Maestro. The system allows for multimodal access to e-learning content through different devices. It separates the base e-learning platform from new applications and functions. One new feature is multimodal access through devices like interactive digital TV, web, and mobile. The system provides personalized and adaptive learning content to users based on their profile and device. It was tested with a pilot cooking course and showed potential for increasing learning opportunities through interactive digital TV.

1. SUMA & T-Maestro: Integrating personalized t-learning
through standards
Silvia Bastos Rebeca P. Diaz Ana Fernández Gonzalo Jiménez
Laboratorio de TVDI, Laboratorio de TVDI, Laboratorio de TVDI, Laboratorio de TVDI,
Universidad de Vigo Universidad de Vigo Universidad de Vigo Universidad de Vigo
Campus Universitario s/n Campus Universitario s/n Campus Universitario s/n Campus Universitario s/n
36300 Vigo, Spain 36300 Vigo, Spain 36300 Vigo, Spain 36300 Vigo, Spain
+34 986 813901 +34 986 813469 +34 986 813868 +34 986 813901
sbastos@det.uvigo.es rebeca@det.uvigo.es avilas@det.uvigo.es gonzalo@det.uvigo.es
ABSTRACT
The SUMA1 project is part of the INES technological platform
1. INTRODUCTION
The arrival of Interactive Digital TV makes the access to distance
eLearning working group and has been subsidized by the Ministry
education easier, practically all European homes have at least one
for Tourism, Industry and Trade, as part of PROFIT-the Avanza
television set, whereas the penetration of Internet enabled
Plan's Industrial ICT Policy.
computers is lower than TV. Apart from wide-world usage, TV is
This project has developed a system for integrating eLearning considered by the viewer trustworthy in reference to broadcast
services based on standards, which allows the incorporation of content and easy to operate. These conditions are an ideal starting
tools and services into a platform, in order to respond to the point for TV-based interactive learning, referred to as t-learning.
training needs of both the business and academic spheres, and to
Through personalization, it is possible to attract users towards
facilitate the integration of existing structures into the many
education, choosing the most appropriate contents for them and
fields that require the implementation of eLearning solutions.
adapting learning contents to their preferences and learning
The basic aim of the project is creating a services layer that
background. Through the combination of education and
enables the separation of the eLearning base platform (Moodle or
entertainment, it is possible to approach education to viewers.
Sakai)2 from the new applications and functions to be
incorporated.
2. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
One of these new features aims the multimodal access to the
The Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI)3 develops specifications
eLearning platform through different devices (IDTV, Web,
that describe how the components of a software environment
mobile…). IDTV’s laboratory at the University of Vigo has
communicate with each other, OKI specifications enable
focused in these services, providing multimodal access and
sustainable interoperability and integration by defining standards
designing contents adapted to user’s profile and reception device.
for Service Oriented Architecture. The OKI project has
The demo presented in this paper shows the SUMA services for
developed the Open Service Interface Definitions (OSIDs), that
multimodal access trough Web and IDTV.
defines important components of a SOA as they provide general
software contracts between service consumers and service
Categories and Subject Descriptors providers. This enables applications to be constructed
K.3.1 [Computer and Education]: Computer Uses in Education independently of any particular service environment, and eases
– distance learning, collaborative learning. integration.
H.5.1 [Information Interfaces and Presentation (I.7)]: SUMA consists in three levels: the base LMS (Moodle or Sakai),
Multimedia Information Systems – Video (e.g., tape, disk, DVI) SUMA OKI bus and applications that access to OSID services
(see Figure 1). SUMA OKI bus offers an eLearning integration
service layer of the OKI specification that provides a common
General Terms standard interface for connecting applications regardless of the
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors, Standardization.
underlying LMS. This enables application integration paradigm
using APIs that allows integrating implementations for different
Keywords programming languages and adding different protocols. Our
T-learning, adaptation, personalization, IDTV, learning systems. applications have been built over this integration layer.
One of the SUMA project aims is to provide multimodal access to
adaptable content, to achieve this, the IDTV’s laboratory have
developed three fundamental entities:
1
http://www.ines.org.es/suma
2 3
http://moodle.org and http://sakaiproject.org http://www.okiproject.org

2.  ReloadTotal: the authoring tool. The courses created are Course creators are in charge of designing adaptive t-learning
defined in XML language that allows them to be elements (pedagogical units or whole courses) by using the
independent of underlying technology. authoring tool we have developed, ReloadTotal.
 T-Maestro Intelligent Tutoring System: responsible for The student has to ways to interact with the course, he can access
the component adaptation to the user profile. to the adaptive courses through a web interface or an IDTV
interface.
 T-Maestro Interpreter: responsible for the adaptation to
the reception device.
Figure 2: Demo Scenarios
A demo video is available at: http://idtv.det.uvigo.es/proyectos/t-
learning/en/index.html
4. CONCLUSIONS
We have developed a pilot course about cooking, we have chosen
because it is an appropriate subject for this type of training: very
close to entertainment. They have participated a group of 40
heterogeneous users (both genres, different ages and educational
levels), and we have obtained some conclusions by observing
their reactions and by some questions results.
Overall, the study has identified that there is a big potential for
Figure 1: SUMA Architecture
utilizing the interactive digital TV solution for increasing learning
2.1 ReloadTotal opportunities in the home, particularly as an alternative solution
The ReloadTotal is a tool to create adaptive learning elements to utilizing an Internet-enabled computer, 95% of respondents
based on SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model), said they would use this application in their homes. This is
this tool adds new functionality to RELOAD Editor4, that allows interesting to obtain a broad participation in sectors of the
specifying different organizations for SCORM course. This population not familiar with the PC environment because 85% of
authoring tool includes the submodule SCOCreator Tool which respondents said they found easy to use the remote control, this is
allows creating self-adaptive SCOs (Sharable Content Object). an important aspect for overcoming the digital divide.
With this tool we hide technical details to pedagogy experts and A 60% of respondents said they would use this service on
allow defining adaptive courses based on multimedia and using a weekends, at night or in their leisure time, therefore, it should be
media-driven strategy. used the playful nature of TV to make learning more attractive
and to engage TV viewers in learning.
2.2 T-Maestro
The platform T-Maestro adapts at reception the eLearning As a future line of work we are going to guide further studies
contents to the user’s preferences and reception device by on adaptable t-learning for elderly and we are developing the
combining the ITS and the interpreter. The interpreter is the access to the adaptive courses trough mobile devices.
responsible for the proper display according the access device
and access to the eLearning platform to obtain the adaptable
5. REFERENCES
content. The ITS, performs the adaptation of the course according [1] Rey-López, M., Díaz-Redondo, R. P., Fernández-Vilas, A.,
to user’s profile. Thus, T-Maestro shows the user a course in Pazos-Arias, J. J., López-Nores, M., García-Duque, J., Gil-
which the content is adapted to his profile and his reception Solla, A., and Ramos-Cabrer, M. 2008. T-MAESTRO and its
device. authoring tool: using adaptation to integrate entertainment
into personalized t-learning. Multimedia Tools Appl. 40, 3
(Dec. 2008), 409-451. DOI=
3. DEMO SCENARIO http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11042-008-0213-4
In the demonstration scenario (Figure 2) two roles are
distinguished: course creators and students.
4
http://www.reload.ac.uk/