Implication of Course Context and Learning Style on Adaptive Educational Hypermedia System Design in Higher Education Bing-Zhao Phua a , Thiam-Kian Chiew b and Ker-Yung Chua c Department of Software Engineering, Faculty of Computer Science and Technology, University of Malaya ab ; Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya c University of Malaya, 50603,Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia // Tel: +603 79676363 // pbz1987@siswa.um.edu.my a // tkchiew@um.edu.my b // keryung100@hotmail.com c ABSTRACT As a key research area of E-learning Adaptive educational hypermedia system (AEHS) often takes into account the different aspects that influence the learning preference. However, adaptation based on the context of course/subject itself is seldom if not never considered. The study was conducted using a questionnaire on 73 undergraduate students from University of Malays. This paper aim to compare student’s learning preference with regards to individual learning style and context of 3 courses. Data analysis was done to assess the association of both learning style and course context with the learning preference of undergraduate students. The results shown that course context has more significant outcome as compared to learning style. Therefore, apart from individual learning styles, course context should be considered as well when developing an AEHS. KEYWORDS course context; subject context; learning style; learning preference; adaptive learning 1 INTRODUCTION Research on adaptive educational hypermedia systems (AEHS) has been conducted for decades as a means to improve current e-learning. The advantage of AEHS over traditional e-learning is the ability to fit different learners’ needs rather than using a “one size fits all” approach[1]. Since its emergence in the late 1990s, AEHS has been designed to monitor and change its behaviour based on certain user attributes such as learning style, knowledge level, background, interest, and stereotype[2]. These attributes are identified mostly based on theories formed by education experts. However, most of the attributes described above are often ‘learner centric’, which are derived from ‘properties’ of the learner, or requires a learner’s engagement in order to provide certain parameters that serve as a guidance for the system’s adaptation[3]. This learner centric approach is widely acclaimed as it is in accordance with the principles of a user- centred-design, and also in its feasibility in obtaining data [4]. As a result, many AEHS system designers have focused their attention on the user-centric-design and have mostly ignored other potentially beneficial adaptations such as expert recommendation, course context, and course structure. The objective of this research is to identify factors that influence t he students’ perception on learning, either by their individual learning style, or the context of the course, or both. As undergraduate students need to enrol in multiple courses along their study, there are high chances that they will adjust their learning preference based on the course context, such as ‘does it require doing a lot of exercises’, ‘does using a lot of visual presentation would help in understanding that course’, etc [5]. These concerns would imply the need of AEHS to adapt based on a course’s context, aside from a student’s individual learning style. This study uses a survey questionnaire to compare a group of 73 undergraduate students’ learning habits in 3 undergraduate courses. This questionnaire is based on a popular learning style theory commonly applied in AEHS – which is the Felder-Silverman learning style model (FSLSM)[6]. The students’ perception towards each dimension of FSLSM is collected and compared across the different courses in order to ISBN: 978-0-9891305-4-7 ©2014 SDIWC 216