FYP : adaptive e-book

Abstract

It is common knowledge that different children have different reading capabilities, especially in the younger ages. Nonetheless, students arc still expected to follow the same literature when it comes to education. This challenge in the education system motived our search for a solution to such a challenge . The idea was that of having an Adaptive eBook, which is an eBook with the capability of switching the text to a simpler version as soon as it detects a reading problem. Interestingly enough, the Adaptive eBook merges technologies such as eBooks and state-of-the art text simplification systems with research on eye movements as a reflection of reading comprehension. Due to the Maltese Government being expected to launch the pilot tablet's project in the next scholastic year, this innovative system was developed with Year 4 students in mind. 45 students from State and Private schools were exposed to the system and results have shown that the Adaptive eBook docs have the ability to help students understand the text better. In addition, 110 parents of Year 4 students were asked to fill in a survey indicating their opinion on the concept of their child having an Adaptive eBook to help them with their studies. The feedback we received was encouraging as the majority of the parents reported that their child could benefit from this concept, not only from an educational perspective but also from a personal one, in that it would encourage them to read more and become more independent. Apart from being a prototype system, the Adaptive eBook could also be seen as a concept with bags of potential for growth, as indicated in the Future Work chapter. In addition it offers a prime example of how a little creativity combined with existing technologies could lead to some very interesting and innovative creations.