Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems are increasingly deployed in web-based educational environments, yet transparency can be seen as a primarily ethical, and, too often, optional, concern, rather than foundational. This paper presents design patterns for building transparent RAG systems, derived from developing and deploying SAGE-RAI, an advanced multi-purpose RAG system, in an educational context. Through systematic evaluation combining quantitative rating data (n=26, mean rating=4.62/5) and qualitative interviews (n=4), we demonstrate that transparency serves dual pedagogical and ethical functions. Our empirical findings reveal high user satisfaction (92.3% rating 4-5 stars) while identifying critical tensions between AI assistance and learning independence. Our findings suggest that as RAG systems increasingly mediate access to web-based knowledge, transparency must evolve from an optional feature to an architectural requirement.

This paper explores the use of Generative AI and ChatGPT for improving the production of distance learning materials. We have conducted participatory design workshops involving cross-disciplinary teams of academics and different stakeholders, such as industry partners and learning material designers that are involved in course production at the UK Open University. The main outcome of these workshops is a set of use cases on how Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, can be integrated and augment the existing course production and delivery processes to make them more agile and efficient. Following the workshops, we have developed a proof-of-concept tool that can instantly generate introductions and summaries of course material, automatically generate quizzes and tests, as well as automatically identify, categorise, and transform learning activities. A preliminary evaluation performed with members of the course production teams indicated that in 40% of cases AI generated text of 250-500 words is suitable for use in distance learning materials. Overall, the evaluation participants welcome this use of Generative AI, but there are concerns mainly centred on potential for bias, misinformation, and copyright infringement in the generated learning materials.

Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionise education in a number of ways. In this paper, we explore the applications of Smart Blockchain Badges on data science education. In particular, we investigate how Smart Blockchain Badges can support learners that want to advance their careers in data science, by offering them personalised recommendations based on their learning achievements. This work aims at enhancing data science accreditation by introducing a robust system based on the Blockchain technology. Learners will benefit from a sophisticated, open and transparent accreditation system, as well as from receiving job recommendations that match their skills and can potentially progress their careers. As a result, this work contributes towards closing the data science skills gap by linking data science education to the industry.

An increasingly connected society demands people who can design, set up, monitor and maintain networks of computers and devices. Traditional classroom instruction cannot keep pace with demand, and networking hardware costs can be too high for widespread classroom use. This paper presents the Open Networking Lab, a new UK initiative for supporting hands-on vocational learning in computer networking. The Open Networking Lab will facilitate the development of introductory practical networking skills without using hardware, through the provision of a web-based network simulation package integrated into learning resources and activities. These learning resources will be evaluated by students and lecturers from a cluster of Further Education colleges in the UK and will subsequently be made available to learners worldwide via free and open courseware.

This paper presents a case study on teaching network engineering in conjunction with interactive learning resources. This case study has been developed in collaboration with the Cisco Networking Academy in the context of the FORGE project, which promotes online learning and experimentation by offering access to virtual and remote labs. The main goal of this work is allowing learners and educators to perform network simulations within a web browser or an interactive eBook by using any type of mobile, tablet or desktop device. Learning Analytics are employed in order to monitor learning behaviour for further analysis of the learning experience offered to students.

Remote labs and online experimentation offer a rich opportunity to learners by allowing them to control real equipment at distance in order to conduct scientific investigations. Remote labs and online experimentation build on top of numerous emerging technologies for supporting remote experiments and promoting the immersion of the learner in online environments recreating the real experience. This paper presents a methodology for the design, delivery and evaluation of learning resources for remote experimentation. This methodology has been developed in the context of the European project FORGE, which promotes online learning using Future Internet Research and Experimentation (FIRE) facilities. FORGE is a step towards turning FIRE into a pan-European educational platform for Future Internet. This will benefit learners and educators by giving them both access to world-class facilities in order to carry out experiments on e.g. new internet protocols. In turn, this supports constructivist and self-regulated learning approaches, through the use of interactive learning resources, such as eBooks.

This paper presents the Forging Online Education through FIRE (FORGE) initiative, which aims to transform the Future Internet Research and Experimentation (FIRE) testbed facilities, already vital for European research, into a learning resource for higher education. From an educational perspective this project aims at promoting the notion of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) through the use of a federation of highperformance testbeds and at building unique learning paths based on the integration of a rich linked-data ontology. Through FORGE, traditional online courses will be complemented with interactive laboratory courses. It will also allow educators to efficiently create, use and re-use FIRE-based learning experiences through our tools and techniques. And, most importantly, FORGE will enable equity of access to the latest ICT systems and tools independent of location and at low cost, strengthening the culture of online experimentation tools and remote facilities.

Personalised learning has emerged as a novel approach to learning, putting learners in the spotlight and providing them with the tools for building their own learning environments according to their learning needs and aspirations. Personalised learning is closely connected to self-regulated learning, which enables learners to take complete control over their learning. This paper presents the strategies involved with the application of personalised learning in two different case studies. These case studies originate from two European research projects and concern informal and inquiry-based learning respectively.

Self-Regulated Learning, as well as its enabling technologies Personal Learning Environments and Cloud Learning Environments, signify an important shift in the “status quo” of eLearning. These novel learning technologies enable learners to adjust their learning environment and process to their particular needs and aspirations. This paper investigates workplace learning within a wide variety of business sectors in the UK. The scope of this investigation is to determine the current status regarding the adoption of Self-Regulated Learning in the workplace, as well as the opportunities for the deployment of Personal and Cloud Learning Environments.

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a term that describes an individual's ability to learn how to learn. New pedagogical theories encourage teachers to motivate and support their students into achieving a high level of self-regulation in their learning. This paper reports on the preliminary findings of a survey that was conducted with educators in the UK and abroad, regarding their perception of SRL. The results of this survey provide an insight into the challenges involved in teaching students with different SRL levels, as well as the instruments used by teachers to encourage SRL among their students.

The rising demand of learners for multi-sourced content and learning environments customisable to their needs, has brought Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) to the forefront. This paper presents a case study regarding the PLE transformation of an existing open educational resources (OER) platform. A model for supporting self-regulated learning (SRL) is used to demonstrate this transformation in the learning process.

Open educational resources (OER) have recently emerged as an answer to the need for open and reusable educational material, freely available online. This paper describes a social networking approach in adapting and sharing OER. This approach aims to address the needs of a variety of stakeholders, including educational institutions, private organisations, as well as individual learners and educators.

Extensible Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and Cloud Learning Environments (CLEs) that facilitate the lone or collaborative study of user-chosen blends of content and courses from heterogeneous sources, including Open Educational Resources (OERs), are gradually gaining ground in the landscape of distance learning. In this paper, we examine the use of ontologies for modelling and supporting learner activities within a PLE or CLE that draws upon sources whose ontologies may vary a lot. In particular, we propose an architecture for layering and integration of learning ontologies modelling various aspects of the learning process and facilitating the production of recommendations to learners.

Ontologies are commonly used as a semantically rich knowledge base in systems that specialize in management of unstructured information. However, the knowledge that ontologies represent is not static, but evolves over time, thus requiring appropriate ontology management and evolution mechanisms. This paper presents Heraclitus II, a framework for ontology management and evolution in the context of information management systems. By addressing specific needs of such systems, Heraclitus II aims at providing an easily maintained and constantly updated knowledge base

The amounts of heterogeneous data that are available on the Web have made information management a seriously complicated task. In the context of the present work, PARMENIDES, a business-oriented framework for information management on the Web is introduced. Semantic information is extracted from Web data and warehoused in a way that enables its efficient retrieval and reasoning towards the support for business intelligence tasks. The capabilities of the PARMENIDES approach are demonstrated via a case study based on the life sciences domain

Serious difficulties in navigation through the web are very often encountered by users, especially in structurally complicated web sites. The main reason behind this is the lack of adaptation of a web site to its visitors' needs. Constant reorganization of the information offered by a web site is required, based upon the users' online behaviour. In the context of the present paper, a framework for self-adaptive web sites is presented. Furthermore, an architecture implementing this framework is introduced. It employs web usage mining as well as text mining methodologies with the intention of improving the web site's structure and ontology.