Each widget has to be tested in order to determine its
pedagogical features. Then, the analyst attributes a
function name for each pedagogical widget (as add
lesson, respond to questions, etc.).
We have grounded the formalism of the
functional model on the SADT (Structured Analysis
and Design Technic) Model (Marca and McGowan,
1987). At the same time, we have chosen the UML
use cases diagrams (John and Muthig, 2002) for
representing the internal sub-functional models.
Each identified functionality is represented by the
mean of a new use case. Their sub-functionalities are
represented into a new use case diagram. Then this
diagram is merged into the main use case diagram.
Concerning the forum experimentation on
Moodle, the functional analysis has to identify the
pedagogical functionalities related to the specification
of Moodle forum and its dedicated elements. We
identified the “add a forum” functionality by
analyzing the main course HMI. Then by analyzing
an existent forum, we identified some dedicated sub-
functionalities. These ones aim to perform some
operations on the discussion element (as add a
discussion, answer to discussion, etc.).
3.3 Micro-HMI Analysis
The micro-HMI analysis consists in identifying all
elements relevant to the instructional design. Many
micro-HMI models describing these elements result
from this analysis.
To conduct this analysis, we propose the
following approach. After choosing an element of
the macro-HMI model, the analysis concerns the
interfaces for realising/defining a dedicated use case
of the functional model. We have chosen to break
down the concerned interface into many areas. For
each area of HMI, all elements (components) of it
have to be analyzed in order to determine their
pedagogical features. The first step is to analyze the
titles of blocks, menus, forms, etc. Then, the analysis
concerns many pedagogical elements which are
described by the use of various forms, widgets and
software components (buttons, links, etc.). Two
main categories of the forms elements/attributes can
be identified: required elements and optional
elements. The required ones have to be identified
because they form the main elements of the
instructional design language of LMS. The non-
setting of these elements prevents the ordinary
working of system. It is also important to identify
the features of these elements in terms of attributes,
properties, value fields, default initializations, etc.
Some dependencies and relationships between
elements are detected when analyzing forms and
conducting some tests. More, the description of
relationships requires the definition of multiplicities
between their elements. Finally, we noted that the
elements ordering is an important feature within the
instructional design because it may influence the
organization of the course. We have chosen the mind
map format to represent the micro-HMI model.
In the case of the forum experimentation on
Moodle, the micro-HMI analysis consisted in
analyzing at first the form-based interface of forum.
This analysis had to identify the specific features of
forum (attributes, domains fields, initializations,
types, etc.). The same analysis concerned the
discussion element in order to identify the dedicated
language. The multiplicity between forum and
discussion is determined by associating many
discussions to forum. We noted that one forum can
contain many discussions but each discussion is
dedicated to a single forum. This analysis had led to
specify two micro-HMI models: forum and
discussion models (figure 3 (frame 1 and 2)).
3.4 Composition of the User Model
The composition step aims to formalize the partial
instructional design language derived from the user-
centered analyses into a single model. It consists in
combining the micro-HMI models. The relationships
between them are based on their relations into the
macro-HMI and the functional models. The
composition consists in taking the elements of the
macro-HMI model into top-down approach. The
relations into the macro-HMI are easily identified
but the relations into the functional model are
deduced by the help of the following approach. For
each element of the macro-HMI model, we have to
identify the related part form of the functional
model. Many uses cases can reference one or many
element(s) which is (are) required for realizing such
functionalities. These elements are already identified
into the micro-HMI analysis. As well as the
functional model, the identified elements are
represented in such level. Then the elements for
realizing the sub-functionalities are also represented
in a lower level and so on. Finally, the multiplicities
between models/elements have to be added in the
user model. Some of them are already identified
during the micro-HMI analysis. At the end, the user
model merges whole set of the micro-HMI models
using the mind map formalization.
Concerning the forum experimentation on
Moodle, the composition consists in associating the
‘forum’ and ‘discussion’ models defined by the
micro-HMI analysis (figure 3). Based on the macro
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