A Knowledge Diffusion Model in Autonomous Learning Under Multiple Networks for Personalized Educational Resource Allocation

Learners’ autonomous learning is at the heart of modern education, and the convenient network brings new opportunities for it. We notice that learners mainly use the combination of online and offline learning methods to complete the entire autonomous learning process, but most of the existing models cannot effectively describe the complex process of knowledge diffusion under the multinetworks framework. By analyzing the relationship between online learning and offline learning in the autonomous learning, we develop a novel formal model to characterize the dynamic process of knowledge diffusion in the autonomous learning under multiple networks. To guide learners to learn independently and effectively expand the scope of knowledge through hybrid online learning, we then introduce the personalized needs of learners and the guidance of educators and further propose an effective algorithm (ERAA) to allocate educational resources. Through the experiments, we verify the effectiveness of the model and analyze the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Then, we compare the proposed algorithm with the existing four algorithms and the results show that the proposed algorithm improves performance by 38%. This article provides highly realistic significance for education administrators to analyze the practice, develop autonomous learning strategy and put online educational resources.

I. Introduction

SINCE the emergence of the network, the way of information diffusion has changed substantially. With the popularity of various smart devices and the rapid development of information technology, it has become more and more convenient for people to obtain all kinds of information from the Internet [1]–[3]. Knowledge, as a kind of special information of inheritance, develops especially with the help of the convenience of Internet [4], [5]. In March 2019, the third report of the Changing Landscape of Online Education (CHLOE) [6] was jointly published by the well-known online education quality assurance organization quality matters and the educational exploration think tank eduventures research (ER). The report believes that online learning gets more and more become the mainstream of higher education in the United States and around the world.