Open Distance Learning: Fundamentals, Developments, and Modelling

Motivational and social aspects as interactions among teachers and students are essential for a successful educational process in an open distance learning (ODL) environment, and the goal of this book is to develop an interactive model to manage motivation between the participants of the learning process. The book deals with the important and topical problem of e-learning, closely connected with the use of modern information technologies in education. The focus is on developing an information management system for supporting the distance learning process in colleges and universities in the context of steadily expanding information technologies. On the basis of exiting standards (SCORM, etc.) as well as information systems and platforms (e.g., Moodle, etc.), the author proposes a coherent and original concept of modelling three ODL subprocesses: (1) an ontological model (how to represent the structure of didactic materials), (2) a motivation and collaboration model (how to motivate project process participants) and (3) a simulation model (how to realise the learning/project process). The proposed models constitute a theoretical formalization of a new situation in which a teacher and students are obligated to elaborate on didactic material repository content in accordance with the requirements of acquired competencies. A mathematical method based on game theory and simulation is suggested. The kind of educational system represented in the book can be used as a model of open distance learning aimed at active behaviour of students and teachers in not only the development of knowledge but also the acquiring of competencies.

在開放遠距學習（ODL）環境中，教師和學生之間的激勵和社交互動是成功教育過程的關鍵，本書的目標是開發一個互動模型，以管理學習過程中參與者之間的激勵。本書探討了與現代信息技術在教育中的應用密切相關的電子學習的重要和時下熱門問題。重點是在不斷擴大的信息技術背景下，為支持大學和學院的遠距學習過程開發信息管理系統。作者基於現有的標準（如SCORM等）以及信息系統和平台（如Moodle等），提出了一個連貫且獨創的概念，用於建模三個ODL子過程：（1）本體模型（如何表示教學材料的結構），（2）激勵和協作模型（如何激勵項目參與者），以及（3）模擬模型（如何實現學習/項目過程）。所提出的模型構成了一個理論上的形式化，其中教師和學生有義務根據所獲得的能力要求來制定教學材料庫內容。提出了一種基於博弈論和模擬的數學方法。本書所代表的教育系統類型可以作為一個開放遠距學習模型，旨在促使學生和教師在知識發展和能力獲得方面的積極行為。

Oleg Zaikin is a professor at the Warsaw School of Computer Science, Poland. A PhD in computer science, he started his career as a research engineer at the Leningrad Research Radio Institute, Russia, in 1966. He held an academic position at St. Petersburg Electrical University, Russia (1970-1990); head of the department at St. Petersburg Institute of Printing and Publishing, Russia (1991-1996); professor at the University 'Oriente', Republic of Cuba (1978-1979); and professor at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Systems and head of the Department of Production Control, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Poland (1996-2009). Prof. Zaikin is a member of the Technical Committee 5.1 of the International Federation of Automatic Control and the International Academy of Computer Science. He has authored and edited 10 books on computer science and published more than 50 refereed articles and 85 conference papers.

Oleg Zaikin是波蘭華沙計算機科學學院的教授。他擁有計算機科學博士學位，於1966年在俄羅斯的列寧格勒研究無線電研究所開始他的職業生涯，擔任研究工程師。他曾在俄羅斯的聖彼得堡電氣大學擔任學術職位（1970-1990年），在聖彼得堡印刷和出版研究所擔任系主任（1991-1996年），在古巴共和國的'Oriente'大學擔任教授（1978-1979年），並在波蘭西波美拉尼亞科技大學的計算機科學和信息系統學院擔任教授和生產控制系主任（1996-2009年）。 Zaikin教授是國際自動控制聯合會技術委員會5.1的成員，也是國際計算機科學學院的成員。他撰寫和編輯了10本計算機科學書籍，發表了50多篇經過同行評審的文章和85篇會議論文。