Abstract :
The revolution of online learning brings great opportunities to millions of learners. However, the size of the learner population and the heterogeneity of the learners´ backgrounds make conventional one-size-fits-all pedagogies inappropriate. We propose a conceptual model -- educational resource linking with the goal of satisfying various learning needs by building a rich platform integrating abundant and open online resources. With this model, resources could be organized around a shared curriculum, and materials on the same topic are cross-linked for recommendation. This idea may improve the efficiency in utilizing and digesting scattered knowledge. As a first step, we conducted a case study using crowd-sourcing techniques, and found that learners, especially novices, can search learning materials faster without sacrificing accuracy, when using an interface with linked learning resources, as compared to a traditional, monolithic one.
