CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

 These days one of the most frequently used phrases besides ‘e-learning’ is a “lifelong learning”. It is becoming a more and more current topic because of our fast moving society, and its constant development and changes brought on by the new information technologies. The concept means that there is demand for constant learning throughout one’s life time, and also means that from a professional point of view it is almost obligatory to be continuously looking for some new knowledge. So, the participant of modern society needs not only to be well educated, but also to have a good education system, which makes possible autonomous learning, training, and change of occupation. The old education system cannot meet these new demands, and this is one of the reasons that the ‘online learning’, ‘distance learning’ and ‘e-learning’ are integral parts of our education and way of life.

In a past few years many new e-learning platforms were developed. All of them present different solutions for a new learning model. But a question must be asked: “How do you rate and compare and based on which criteria do you choose the adequate e-learning platform? The characteristics which must be analysed and compared in the process of e-learning platform selection must be from the aspects of functionality and how can it be useful in various communities with different cultural and social conditions. A simple technical system analysis is not enough. It is important to understand what principles have led the creators of the system, and how it will be implemented in the existing learning model. So, the analysis must also be done from pedagogical aspects.

1.1    HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Sir Tim Berners-Lee is a British computer scientist. He was born in London, and his parents were early computer scientists, working on one of the earliest computers. Growing up, Sir Tim was interested in trains and had a model railway in his bedroom. He recalls: “I made some electronic gadgets to control the trains. Then I ended up getting more interested in electronics than trains. Later on, when I was in college I made a computer out of an old television set.”

After graduating from Oxford University, Berners-Lee became a software engineer at CERN, the large particle physics laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. Scientists come from all over the world to use its accelerators, but Sir Tim noticed that they were having difficulty sharing information. “In those days, there was different information on different computers, but you had to log on to different computers to get at it. Also, sometimes you had to learn a different program on each computer. Often it was just easier to go and ask people when they were having coffee…”Tim thought he saw a way to solve this problem – one that he could see could also have much broader applications. Already, millions of computers were being connected together through the fast-developing internet and Berners-Lee realized they could share information by exploiting an emerging technology called hypertext.

In March 1989, Tim laid out his vision for what would become the web in a document called “Information Management: A Proposal”. Believe it or not, Tim’s initial proposal was not immediately accepted. In fact, his boss at the time, Mike Sendall, noted the words “Vague but exciting” on the cover. The web was never an official CERN project, but Mike managed to give Tim time to work on it in September 1990. He began work using a NeXT computer, one of Steve By October of 1990, Tim had written the three fundamental technologies that remain the foundation of today’s web (and which you may have seen appear on parts of your web browser):

• HTML: Hypertext Markup Language. The markup (formatting) language for the web.
• URI: Uniform Resource Identifier. A kind of “address” that is unique and used to identify to each resource on the web. It is also commonly called a URL.
• HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Allows for the retrieval of linked resources from across the web.

Tim also wrote the first web page editor/browser (“WorldWideWeb.app”) and the first web server (“httpd“). By the end of 1990, the first web page was served on the open internet, and in 1991, people outside of CERN were invited to join this new web community. As the web began to grow, Tim realized that its true potential would only be unleashed if anyone, anywhere could use it without paying a fee or having to ask for permission. He explains: “Had the technology been proprietary, and in my total control, it would probably not have taken off. You can’t propose that something be a universal space and at the same time keep control of it.”

So, Tim and others advocated ensuring that CERN would agree to make the underlying code available on a royalty-free basis, forever. This decision was announced in April 1993, and sparked a global wave of creativity, collaboration and innovation never seen before. In 2003, the companies developing new web standards committed to a Royalty Free Policy for their work. In 2014, the year we celebrated the web’s 25th birthday, almost two in five people around the world were using it. Tim moved from CERN to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994 to found the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an international community devoted to developing open web standards. He remains the Director of W3C to this day.

The early web community produced some revolutionary ideas that are now spreading far beyond the technology sector:

• Decentralization: No permission is needed from a central authority to post anything on the web, there is no central controlling node, and so no single point of failure … and no “kill switch”! This also implies freedom from indiscriminate censorship and surveillance.

• Non-discrimination: If I pay to connect to the internet with a certain quality of service, and you pay to connect with that or a greater quality of service, then we can both communicate at the same level. This principle of equity is also known as Net Neutrality.
• Bottom-up design: Instead of code being written and controlled by a small group of experts, it was developed in full view of everyone, encouraging maximum participation and experimentation.

• Universality: For anyone to be able to publish anything on the web, all the computers involved have to speak the same languages to each other, no matter what different hardware people are using; where they live; or what cultural and political beliefs they have. In this way, the web breaks down silos while still allowing diversity to flourish.

• Consensus: For universal standards to work, everyone had to agree to use them. Tim and others achieved this consensus by giving everyone a say in creating the standards, through a transparent, participatory process at W3C.

New permutations of these ideas are giving rise to exciting new approaches in fields as diverse as information (Open Data), politics (Open Government), scientific research (Open Access), education, and culture (Free Culture). But to date we have only scratched the surface of how these principles could change society and politics for the better. In 2009, Sir Tim established the World Wide Web Foundation. The Web Foundation is advancing the Open Web as a means to build a just and thriving society by connecting everyone, raising voices and enhancing participation. Please do explore our site and our work. We hope you’ll be inspired by our vision and decide to take action. Remember, as Tim tweeted during the Olympics Opening Ceremony in 2012, “This is for everyone”.

1.1.1  An e-learning history timeline

The term “e-learning” has only been in existence since 1999, when the word was first utilized at a CBT systems seminar. Other words also began to spring up in search of an accurate description such as “online learning” and “virtual learning”. However, the principles behind e-learning have been well documented throughout history, and there is even evidence which suggests that early forms of e-learning existed as far back as the 19^th century.

Long before the internet was launched, distance courses were being offered to provide students with education on particular subjects or skills. In the 1840′s Isaac Pitman taught his pupils shorthand via correspondence. This form of symbolic writing was designed to improve writing speed and was popular amongst secretaries, journalists, and other individuals who did a great deal of note taking or writing. Pitman, who was a qualified teacher, was sent completed assignments by mail and he would then send his students more work to be finished using the same system.

In 1924, the first testing machine was invented. This device allowed students to tests themselves. Then, in 1954, BF Skinner, a Harvard Professor, invented the “teaching machine”, which enabled schools to administer programmed instruction to their students. It wasn’t until 1960 however that the first computer based training program was introduced to the world. This computer based training program (or CBT program) was known as PLATO-Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations. It was originally designed for students attending the University of Illinois, but ended up being used in schools throughout the area.

The first online learning systems were really only set up to deliver information to students but as we entered the 70s online learning started to become more interactive. In Britain the Open University was keen to take advantage of e-learning. Their system of education has always been primarily focused on learning at a distance. In the past, course materials were delivered by post and correspondence with tutors was via mail. With the internet the Open University began to offer a wider range of interactive educational experiences as well as faster correspondence with students via email etc.

1.1.1.1              Online learning today

With the introduction of the computer and internet in the late 20th century, e-learning tools and delivery methods expanded. The first MAC in the 1980′s enabled individuals to have computers in their homes, making it easier for them to learn about particular subjects and develop certain skill sets. Then, in the following decade, virtual learning environments began to truly thrive, with people gaining access to a wealth of online information and e-learning opportunities. By the early 90s several schools had been set up that delivered courses online only, making the most of the internet and bringing education to people who wouldn’t previously have been able to attend a college due to geographical or time constraints. Technological advancements also helped educational establishments reduce the costs of distance learning, a saving that would also be passed on to the students – helping bring education to a wider audience. In the 2000′s, businesses began using e-learning to train their employees. New and experienced workers alike now had the opportunity to improve upon their industry knowledge base and expand their skill sets. At home individuals were granted access to programs that offered them the ability to earn online degrees and enrich their lives through expanded knowledge.

1.1.2  THEORETICAL BACKROUND

As an increasingly powerful, interactive, and dynamic medium for delivering information, the World Wide Web (Web) in combination with information technology (e.g., LAN, WAN, Internet, etc.) has found many applications. One popular application has been for educational use, such as Web-based, distance, distributed or online learning. The use of the Web as an educational tool has pro-vided learners and educators with a wider range of new and interesting learning experiences and teaching environments, not possible in traditional in-class education (Khan, 1997). Web-based learning environments have been. Developed mainly by instructional designers using traditional instructional design models such as the instructional systems design (Dick & Carey, 1996), cognitive flexibility theory (Spiro, Fel-tovich, Jacobson, & Coulson,1991), and constructivist learning environment (Jonassen, 1999). However, many of these approaches still lack two important considerations needed for implementing learning applications based on the Web: (1) integration of the user interface design with instructional design, and (2) development of the evaluation framework to improve the overall quality of Web-based learning environments.

First, little attention has been paid to design issues of the human-computer interface, which are critical factors to the success of Web-based instruction (Henke, 1997; Plass, 1998). Learners must be able to easily focus on learning materials without having to make an effort to figure out how to access them (Lohr, 2000). However, current instructional design principles and models do not explicitly address usability issues of the human-computer interface. Second, the rapid growth of Web-based learning applications has generated a need for methods to systematically collect continuous feedback from users to improve learning environments. Unfortunately, few attempts have been made to develop such formative evaluation frameworks for Web-based learning environments whose foci are both the instructional system and user interface system. In addition, few approaches take user interface design issues into account in their evaluation processes. A number of evaluation frameworks that can be used to evaluate the user interfaces have been proposed (e.g., Nielsen, 1993; Rubin, 1994). But, these models are intended for software environments rather than for Web-based learning environments in which user interface systems should be developed to support users’ learning activities.

1.1.3  CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND

The development of e-learning systems that are able to satisfy the needs of both novice and advanced users is an area of interest which is always under the spotlight of research efforts. Although significant steps have been made towards the direction of providing enhanced, personalized educational services, there is still a great volume of research that needs to be further conducted with a view to rendering these services fully personalized and adaptable. In this context, the user preferences should hold a primary role and should dictate the structure and functionality of the entire educational system. Thus, one of the issues that must be addressed is the prediction of these preferences and, in general, the modeling of the user’s profile, in terms of educational level, familiarity with a specific subject, overall performance etc. This can prove to be a really complex task, since the values of certain attributes and characteristics of the user’s profile are unknown, yet follow an implicit logic which we are trying to approximate, based on certain evidence and feedback originating from the user’s navigation through the system.

 A further parameter that also needs to be taken under consideration is the way in which information should be presented to the end-user, since navigating through a system that provides a large and possibly overwhelming volume of information is an issue that poses extra limitations and corresponding challenges for application designers and usability specialists; cognitive overload and disorientation are the main ones Therefore, the goal is to develop a novel Web Base learning platform, which will accelerate the learning process and render it more efficient, by diminishing the emerged problems, thanks to its enhanced functionality to dynamically plan lessons and personalize both the communication and the learning strategy.

 This project embraces the idea of the development of such an e-learning platform, capable of adapting to each user group’s specific needs. In particular, Section 2 outlines some interesting related work that can be found in the literature, while Section 3 discusses on the structure of an e-learning system and, more specifically, introduces the main requirements of an advanced e-learning system, explains the way a user navigates in such a system, presents the architecture of a novel e-learning system, and describes its main components. Finally, it elaborates on the User Model component and its functionality in the e-learning system. In Section 4, the parameters comprising a typical user profile are presented. Section 5 discusses on User Profile Modeling, by defining a 3-layer model which makes use of Bayesian Networks, with a view to predicting user preferences.

1.1.4  CONCEPTUAL BACKGROUND

Under the review by concept, we are to explain in detail, all the concepts used in our topic: for instance, looking at the meaning of Creation and Implementation. In this case we will defines what is meant by Creation, Web-based learning and equally types of Web Platforms as e-learning is concern, how it  could improve students’ performance in both class and public examinations in Cameroon . Actually in this concept we are to see the state of the students just with their class room activities and them again with the implementation of systems like this one. We will equally see the advantages of Web base learning over our normal class lectures.

a)   Creating:

                According to Dictionary.com creating is to cause something to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes, to evolve from one’s own thought or imagination as a work of art or an invention to do something creativeorconstructive.

b)     Web-based learning:

Now our day web base learning has got much attention as being an incredible opportunity to study nowadays. Despite of its popularity the notion still remains unclear and confusing. What is web-based learning? First of all it has many names. You have probably heard the following terms: online learning, e-learning, computer-based training, technology-based instruction etc. Generally the meaning and the basic concept of them are the same. Web-based learning is one way to learn, using web-based technologies or tools in a learning process. In other words, learner uses mainly computers to interact with the teacher, other students and learning material

c)   Learning:

The term “learning” has many definitions. Commonly, learning is understood as a continuous process through lifetime. People experience and perceive everyday something new in different situations. In other words, they learn. Definition of learning stresses the importance of behavioral changes and changes in attitudes as a result of experience. Learning is a cognitive process of acquiring knowledge or skills through study, experience or teaching. Learning can take place as organized and purposed activities, such as learning in a classroom with a teacher and ready-made learning material or unconsciously, without you being aware of the process of learning. For example, if you touch a hot pan and get burned, next time you will know that you should not do this again. You have learned from your experiences to stay away from hot things.

d)  Platform

In IT, a platform is any hardware or software used to host an application or service. An application platform, for example, consists of hardware, an operating system and coordinating programs that use the instruction set for a particular processor or microprocessor. In this case, the platform creates a foundation that ensures object code will execute successfully.

1.2    PROBLEM STATEMENT

• Current teaching method more individualistic (a teachers centered method) and student find boring and less interactive.
• Student spends a lot on buying study materials and extra classes like tuitions.
• There is time limitation for the student to communicate with teacher.

This project with title “The Creating of Web based learning Platform for Public Examinations in Cameroon.” this is due to the rapid growth in ICT and the ease of the access of information has influence the researcher to see this as a point of concern so as to freely share information from teachers to students and from student to student. Equally the quality of teaching around the country is not the best since there is no centralized medium to check the validity of materials given to students in their various educational centres. That explains why students of some schools succeed the most in public examinations. To narrow this gape, technology like this should be put in place so that the more advance students might help the lower ones and the more skilful teachers might share their materials so that students of any location could have access to these materials and learn them to be up to standard like the others.

Equally the difficulties of students going around buying books and the difficulties of some to find certain information online is also another point that prompts the researcher to come out with an all in one web platform according to the Cameroonian educational system. As this system is concern or as this website is concern, students are provided with past questions and answers on the various years and the students have a forum to ask questions’ relating to their needs and the teachers available give the answers to the problems immediately.  So when this is put in place, it will not only improve the skills of Cameroonian students but also improve the quality of education in Cameroon.

1.3   OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objectives of the study is divided into two; main objective and the specific objectives

1.3.1MAIN OBJECTIVE

                        Actually, the Objective of this topic is “TO EXAMINE THE ROLE OF WEB BASE LEARNING TO THE PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN CAMEROON

1.3.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE

            To examine the impact of Web base learning and it importance to students in Cameroon.

            To examine the relationships between different web base learning platforms

            To investigate how web base learning could improve the standard of education in a country like Cameroon.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Here we will be looking at the general question and specific questions which by the end of this project have to be well answered for clarification and for proper understanding of the topic in general.

1.4.1 GENERAL RESEARCH QUESTION

               What is the role of web base learning to the performance of students?

1.4.2 SPECIFIC RESEAECH QUESTION

• To find out how web base learning could improve the educational standards in a developing country.
• Is there a relationship between the challenges of web base learning and students’ performance in an examination?
• To investigate how  e-learning could help teachers in Cameroon to produce a better outcome in public examinations